2022/06/23

How to Breathe Properly: A Definitive Guide with Powerful Techniques

How to Breathe Like a Jedi to Increase Mental Clarity, Energy, and Emotional Resilience

by Scott Jeffrey

OVERVIEW: This breathwork guide breaks down the essential ingredients of how to breathe properly to reduce anxiety, improve your energy, enhance mental clarity, and strengthen emotional resilience.

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I was a very anxious teenager. In college, I was plagued with overwhelming stress during midterms and final exams.

I tormented myself with what-if scenarios: What if I freeze during the exam and totally blank out? What if that one topic that I can’t quite grasp is the central theme of the exam?

This stress led me to make unnecessary errors, lowering my overall test-taking performance. I made myself utterly miserable. I hated learning. Plus, the excessive emotional tension wrecked my physical health. In my freshman year alone, I made a dozen trips to the health service center.

Fortunately, in my sophomore year, I was introduced to a few breathing techniques. Using these techniques helped calm my mind when I began to feel overwhelmed by exam time.

The results were extraordinary. I became proficient in test-taking, but more than that, I found the remainder of my college education far more enjoyable.

For the last two decades, my interest in breathwork has continued. Here’s a summary of what I’ve learned thus far …

Table of Contents

The Benefits of Proper Breathing

Breathing affects all of our bodily systems, feelings, and moods in profound ways.

In an age where most humans are in a constant state of anxiety—an over-activation of the sympathetic nervous system—proper breathing provides a healthy means of reducing anxiety, restlessness, and stress.

By activating the parasympathetic nervous system, proper breathing promotes inner calm and physical relaxation.

The brain uses up to three times as much oxygen as our muscles do.

Proper breathing increases the oxygen in our bloodstream, making more oxygen available to our brains. This improves brain function, which translates to more physical energy, mental clarity, and greater productivity.

By learning to direct your attention to your breath, you can condition yourself to shift out of stressful, depressed, and aggressive states and enter relaxed, calm, and resourceful mental states.

The short-term benefits are obvious: you become better equipped at handling difficult situations, managing conflicts, and maintaining focus while you work.

Because effective breathing improves your body’s response to stress, its long-term benefits include longevity and a higher quality of life.

Breath Work Guide (PDF version)

Self-Test: Are You Breathing Correctly?

Here’s a quick test:

Place your left hand over your navel and your right hand over your chest.

Breathe normally (however you usually breathe without thinking about it).

Which hand(s) is moving? Left, right, or both?

If the hand over your chest is moving, you probably have a shallow breath. That is, you’re drawing insufficient oxygen when you breathe. This leads to fatigue and increases the chances of feeling anxiety.

If the hand over your navel is moving, you’re probably breathing properly. This is called diaphragmatic breathing.

To breathe from your belly, you need to expand and contract your diaphragm, which provides more oxygen to your lungs.

If both hands are moving while you breathe, you probably have a combination of the two.

Why It’s Necessary to Learn How to Breathe Properly

From one perspective it seems somewhat silly: Why do you need to learn how to breathe properly? Don’t you do that involuntarily?

Breathing is both a voluntary and involuntary function.

Involuntary breathing is an automatic bodily process. Voluntary breathing occurs when you bring your awareness to the process of breathing.

Infants don’t yet have the cognitive capacity to breathe voluntarily. We enter this world breathing involuntarily. And as infants, we breathe beautifully. No lessons needed.

Ever watch a baby sleeping? His belly inflates like a balloon with every inhale. We are born breathing diaphragmatically.

So what happens?

Emotions—mostly negative emotions like fear. Science is just beginning to understand the effects emotions have on our brain and the autonomic nervous system.1

Children are containers for their parent’s emotions. Whatever they feel, their child absorbs.

And so slowly, infants begin to adopt their parent’s anxieties.

As soon as they do, they begin to breathe like their parents: shallow breaths, mostly from the chest.

It’s as if incorrect breathing is taught subconsciously, from generation to generation.

Four Elements of Breath Work

So “proper breathing” is really natural breathing. In learning how to breathe properly, you are consciously training yourself to re-learn what once came naturally to you.

Here are four elements that illustrate how to breathe properly:

Breathe deeply
Breathe steadily
Breathe slowly
Breathe quietly

Now let’s look at ways to improve each of these four elements.

How to Breathe Deeply

Breathing deeply means breathing with your belly instead of your chest.

Remember that chest breathing promotes anxiety and emotional imbalance; belly breathing promotes relaxation.

As you inhale, draw the air deep into your lower abdomen, imagining a balloon expanding in that region.

Exhale and allow the balloon to slowly and steadily deflate. Be sure not to force the air out of the balloon. Simply allow the air to release naturally. Relaxation comes mainly from the exhale, not the inhale.

To breathe with your diaphragm, simply place your awareness on your navel as you breathe.

Sometimes it’s also helpful to place one or both of your hands over your navel as we did in the experiment above. Observe your hand moving like a balloon as your stomach inflates on the inhale.

Again, avoid using any force. Simply observe the process of breathing with your lower abdomen.

breath work - diaphragmatic breathing

How to Breathe Steadily

Generally speaking, your breathing should be rhythmic. You want the time of your inhales to match the pace of your exhales.

Try starting with a count of three. At a comfortable pace, inhale for a count of two and exhale for a count of three.

Be sure that you’re not feeling any tension or force as you breathe.

If a three count is too little for you, raise it to five.

How to Breathe Slowly

Your goal is to make each inhale and exhale as long as possible without straining.

Most adults in a resting state breathe an average of 12 to 18 cycles per minute. This translates to a complete inhale and exhale cycle of three to five seconds.

Trained internal martial artists, in contrast, extend a single breath cycle to 15 seconds, comfortably completing only four cycles in a minute.

The fewer cycles per minute, the better. A slow breath cycle coincides with greater awareness, alertness, centeredness, and relaxation.

You can train your body to breathe at slower and slower rates.

Start by setting a timer for a minute and count how many cycles you complete. Try this a few times to establish a baseline. Record the results.

Then, periodically take conscious breaths at a three-count (count to three on the inhale and again on the exhale). Once the count becomes comfortable, move it to four, five, etc.

After 30 days, use a timer again and see if you have extended your average breath cycle.

How to Quiet Your Breath

As I began to spend more time observing my breathing, I noticed a relationship between my breathing patterns and my thoughts.

Coarse, erratic, and louder breathing coincides with racing thoughts, rumination, and various neurotic tendencies.

With slow, steady, deep, quiet breaths, I noticed my thought stream tends to recede into the background of my consciousness. Sometimes, the thoughts seem to stop altogether.

In addition to breathing slowly and steadily, you ideally shouldn’t hear air coming in or out of your nose or mouth.

To quiet your breath, do not force the air on your exhale and do not rush to draw the air in on the inhale. That is, breathe naturally—without effort.

Proper body alignment also helps you further quiet your breath:

Imagine your head suspended above your spine with a golden cord extending from the crown of your head into the sky.
Gently tuck your chin.
Avoid slouching your shoulders or arching your lower back.
Keep both feet firmly on the ground.

To learn all the key elements of proper posture and alignment, see this guide.

Learn How to Breathe Properly … Fast

The key to adopting any new skill is to follow an effective method with as much awareness and focus as possible.

So for this exercise, place your full attention on the process of breathing.

You don’t need to invest a great deal of time to learn how to breathe properly. One conscious breath is worth more than 20 unconscious breaths.

The very process of observing your breath often quiets your mind. A quiet mind is less agitated by emotions and more receptive to learning.

Once you’ve retrained yourself to breathe properly, you will once again breathe correctly without conscious awareness.

Whenever you consciously breathe, notice how you feel. Observe any tingling or other sensations in your head or body.

See if you feel more relaxed and calmer than before you did the exercise. Paying attention to the effects of your practice provides the feedback necessary for effective learning.

Plus, you’ll notice the benefits when you breathe correctly, anchoring the positive experience in your subconscious. This will fuel your efforts.

If you don’t pay attention to the results you’re experiencing, you’ll find little reason to continue experimenting and practicing when the novelty wears off.

Two More Tips on How to Breathe Properly

First, inhale through your nose. Breathing with your nose gives you better control of the breath and warms the air when you inhale.

Inhaling with your nose is almost always advisable. However, there are breathing techniques, like the method illustrated below, that advises exhaling through the mouth.

Second, gently place your tongue on the palate where the back of your front teeth meets the roof of your mouth.

This is actually proper tongue posture. The tongue is supposed to remain against the palate most of the time—except when eating, drinking, and talking.

This will help you relax your jaw, enabling you to steady your breath.

The Natural Tranquilizer: 4-7-8 Breath

Now that you’ve tasted the effects of conscious breathing, perhaps you’d like to experiment with a different breathing technique.

This particular method is excellent to do when you want to relax, before bed, or before meditating. Dr. Andrew Weil calls it a “natural tranquilizer.”

Sit with your back straight, head looking in front of you. Your tongue gently presses against the roof of your mouth. Close your mouth, not tightly but loosely.
Inhale slowly, steadily, and deeply (into your belly) through your nose for a count of four. Your inhale should be steady and consistent for the entire four-count.
Hold your breath for a count of seven.
Exhale through your mouth, again slowly, calmly, and steadily, making a slight whoosh sound. Exhale for a count of eight. Be sure not to push the air out forcefully when you start to exhale.

This completes a single 4-7-8 breath. Repeat this cycle three more times to complete your first session.

For this particular technique, the duration you spend counting isn’t important; the ratio of time (4-7-8) apparently is. After a matter of weeks or months, you’ll be able to slow down your count or double it to an 8-14-16 count.

You may feel lightheaded when you first use this method, but this sensation will pass.

Weil recommends doing four cycles of the 4-7-8 breath twice a day, moving to eight cycles once you get comfortable with the method.

Breath Work Guide (PDF version)

Recap: How to Breathe Properly

Now you know how to breathe properly:

Breathe consciously by placing your awareness on your breath.
Breathe slowly, extending the inhale and exhale over time.
Breathe steadily at a rhythmic pace by counting inhales and exhales.
Breathe quietly by not forcing the air in or out while maintaining proper posture.
Breathe deeply by placing your awareness on your lower belly.
Breathe mainly from your nose.
Allow the air to release on the exhale; never force it.
Keep your tongue gently pressed against your palate as you breathe.

Notice any sensations or shifts in your mental functioning during and after conscious breathing. This will reinforce your learning and fuel further practice.

When you want to focus on a project, steady your breath.

As you’re wrestling with a difficult decision, breathe naturally.

When you’re having trouble with a friend, family member, or colleague, tune your breath … again and again.

Bringing your body and mind back into balance doesn’t need to take hours. You can tune your breath and quiet your heart in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.

So take a deep breath and have an awesome day …

A Closer Look at Carl Jung’s Individuation Process: A Map for Psychic Wholeness

by Scott Jeffrey

Overview: This guide explores the individuation process as described by Carl Jung and Jungian psychology.

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Sigmund Freud was a pioneer in the field of psychology. He named his new field psychoanalysis, as in the study of psychotic and mentally ill patients.

Early in Carl Jung’s career, Freud was like a father figure to him. Freud was grooming the younger Jung to be his successor. But the two men didn’t see eye to eye.

Jung suggested a different name for their emerging field: psycheanalysis. He saw their role as an analysis of the human mind, soul, and spirit.

Jung saw a different picture of the human condition than Freud. Freud perceived his patients to be ill while he, as an analyst, was not. Jung related to his patients, realizing he was in a similar mental condition as his patients.

Jung saw we are all fragmented and divided, and knowingly or not, we’re all searching for our souls.

We Start Out Relatively Unconscious (Mostly Asleep)

We all start out as part of a collective. As we grow, our family, friends, school, religion, and culture shape our personality.

The Taoists call this personality the acquired mind as we acquire it through our environment.

In the external world, this environment is conventional (as in conventional rules or conventional society).

The conventional code holds specific guidelines of what we should believe, what things mean, and how we should behave.

This conventional, outer world has structure and order.

But within us is an entirely different world. And this inner world, for most of us, is as chaotic as ocean waves during a storm.

Both Freud and Jung called this undifferentiated chaos the unconscious.

The unconscious, we could say, is everything within us that falls outside of our conscious awareness—everything we don’t know or can’t observe within ourselves.

While we want to believe we’re conscious of most of our thoughts, feelings, actions, and behavior, all evidence suggests otherwise. We are, in truth, mostly unconscious beings.

In the beginning, we are mostly asleep. Society conditions our consciousness. And so we remain unconscious to our true self for at least the first half of life.

Individuation Process Guide (PDF)

Jungian Psychology’s Individuation Process

Jung believed each person is unique and has a distinct destiny.

Most of Jungian psychology—also called analytical psychology or depth psychology—centers on what Jung later called the individuation process.

The individuation process was Jung’s way of explaining the path to optimal personal development for an individual.

Jungian analyst Anthony Stevens writes in Private Myths:

Individuation is the process, simple or complex as the case may be, by which every living organism becomes what it was destined to become from the beginning.

The purpose of this individuation process is to increase the individual’s consciousness.

With greater consciousness, individuals can heal the splits in their mind between what’s conscious and unconscious, bringing them to wholeness in their psyche.

In the first half of life, we make our way through the world, doing our best to develop healthy egos.

The first portion of life is mainly external as we seek to meet our basic needs.

From Jung’s outlook, the second part of life can represent a turning inward toward a deeper part of ourselves.

This inward turn starts the individuation process.

The Tension of Opposites

Prior to beginning the individuation process, we have certainty. Through the course of our development, we form a solid self-identity. We think we know who we are.

But this self-identity is always one-sided. It’s an illusion, or maya, as the Buddhists call it.

Because we are unconscious, we don’t feel the inherent tensions and oppositions between the conscious self we know and the unconscious parts of ourselves.

You’re probably familiar with the Taoist symbol of yin and yang. This ancient symbol represents the balance or harmony of opposites.

Yang is the sunny light side while yin represents the shadowy side.

individuation process jungian psychology

Instead of seeing yin and yang as opposing forces, the Chinese view them as complementary forces that interact within a greater whole (represented by the circle encompassing them).

Consider how the values and worldviews of masculine and feminine principles can vary.

The masculine seeks autonomy. The feminine seeks communion or relationship.

Can you imagine what it would be like to integrate both masculine and feminine principles within your mind, not favoring either perspective over the other?

It’s not easy, but this is part of the goal of the individuation process.

Jung found that opposites create tension in the psyche. If we don’t learn to address these tensions, denying the opposites instead, we repress or push the pressure out of our consciousness.

But repressing doesn’t eliminate the opposites or the tension itself. It only makes them more destructive in our psyche by strengthening our shadows.

Repressing tension makes us one-sided, and it leads us to project our unconscious fantasies on to reality.

When we deny these internal tensions, we enforce our delusions and self-deception.

Besides the tension between masculine and feminine principles, here are two other common internal tensions:

Instincts and Psyche

A key pair of opposites in Jung’s work are instincts and psyche.

The instincts are our biological roots, our body. The psyche, in Jung’s conception, is the totality of mental processes that include both conscious and unconscious forces.

Any time we try to favor psyche over instincts—mind over body, spirit over nature—or vice versa, we cut ourselves off (dissociate) from a part of what we are.

Good and Evil

Most of us prefer pursuing “good” while avoiding “evil.” We want to realize God and cast out the Devil. We want angels, not demons.

Jung points out in Aion that evil had a different meaning before Christianity.

The rise of Christianity added a kind of spirit of evil to the principle of evil which it did not have before. The sharpening of differentiation of ethical reactions into too clear-cut black-and-white lines is not favorable to life.

As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “Good and evil are one.”

The Path of Individuation

Individuation is Jung’s solution to our tendency toward one-sidedness.

In this process of becoming a complete human being, we integrate all the parts of our personality of which we aren’t presently conscious.

Why did Jung call the process “individuation”?

Jungian psychologist Robert Johnson explains in Inner Work:

Because this process of actualizing oneself and becoming more complete also reveals one’s special, individual structure. It shows how the universal human traits and possibilities are combined in each individual in a way that is unlike anyone else.

Jung writes in Two Essays on Analytical Psychology:

Individuation means becoming an “in-dividual,” and, in so far as “individuality” embraces our innermost, last, and incomparable uniqueness, it also implies becoming one’s own self. We could therefore translate individuation as “coming to selfhood” or “self-realization.”

Johnson points out that individuation doesn’t mean we become isolated from the human race. He writes,

Once we feel more secure as individuals, more complete within ourselves, it is natural also to seek the myriad ways in which we resemble our fellow human beings … the essential human qualities that bind us together in the human tribe.

As we individuate, we connect and identify with the entire human family.

Three Stages of the Individuation Process

While the individuation process is different for each person, Jung highlights three archetypes that coincide with three stages of psychological development.

Stage 1: The Shadow

The shadow archetype represents all the personal traits we have ignored, denied, or cut off from ourselves.

Individuals first get to know and integrate their shadow—all the disown parts of themselves they alienated to create their personality.

In The Portable Jung, Joseph Campbell explains:

Jung’s concept is that the aim of one’s life, psychologically speaking, should be not to suppress or repress, but to come to know one’s other side, and so both to enjoy and to control the whole range of one’s capacities; i.e., in the full sense, to “know oneself.”

See: A Complete Guide to Shadow Work

Stage 2: The Anima/Animus

The anima is the feminine component of a man’s personality. The animus is the masculine counterpart in a woman.

Jung saw the anima/animus as enlivening souls or spirits within men and women.

They are, as Robert Johnson says, “the interior companion or inspirer of life.”

This archetype connects us to the impersonal collective unconscious. To Jung, they are essential building blocks in the psychic structure of every man and woman.

In The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, Jung termed integrating shadow as the “apprentice-piece” of becoming whole while the integration of the anima or animus is the “master-piece.”

Stage 3: The Self

The Self is the archetype of wholeness and self-transcendence. A Wise Old Man or Woman often represents this universal image.

wise old man individuation process

Gandalf, the Wise Old Man, from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings

Jung borrowed the concept of the Self from Hindu philosophy. He described the Self as the “totality of the whole psyche,” distinguishing it from the ego.

The ego represents a small part of this whole psyche.

Think of the Self as an unknown, inner Divine center we explore throughout our lives.

See: The Ultimate List of Archetypes

Psychological Types

Whereas most of the self-improvement industry offers “one-size-fits-all” solutions, Jung understood the complexities of the human psyche.

Jung differentiated various orientations—ways in which an individual can process information, make decisions, and interpret the world.

An individual’s combination of these orientations highlighted their path to individuation.

Introversion versus Extraversion

The majority of people put an emphasis on the outer world, on the pleasures and restrictions “out there.”

Jung labeled this group extroverts as they draw energy from others in their environment.

But a smaller percentage of individuals emphasize the inner world, on their subjective responses to outside events.

Jung called these individuals introverts as they draw energy from within themselves.

Extroverts move out toward the world while introverts instinctively pull back into themselves.

Jung realized that each person has a predisposition to one of these two approaches to life.

The Four Functions

Jung observed that some people favor thoughts to pass judgment while others follow their feelings.

Some individuals experience the world through their senses while others intuit intentions, potentials, and hidden relationships.

Thinking types approach life with little regard for their emotions. They arrange things with logic and order. They have firm codes of what’s right and wrong.

Feeling types understand what something is worth. Compared to thinker’s clear categories of thought, feelers embrace disorder. They appreciate the infinite gradations of value and meaning.

Sensing types most accurately interpret information through their five senses. They are the ultimate realists, accepting the world as it is.

Intuiting types are more interested in future possibilities than in things as they are. Intuitives see similarities where most people see differences.

Note: For more information, see Jung’s Psychological Types. Myers and Briggs used these psychological types by to create their typing assessment.

Jung, however, did not agree with Myers and Briggs’ application of his psychological types.

Superior Function versus Inferior Function

We like to do things we’re good at and avoid doing things in which we feel inadequate. And so we develop specific skills while undeveloped talents remain in the unconscious.

Jung grouped these four functions into pairs: thinking and feeling, sensing and intuiting.

jung psychological types individuation process

Of the four functions, Jung found that each person has one dominant or superior function.

The opposite function is the person’s inferior function. This inferior function remains mostly unconscious to the individual.

For example, for people who rely on thinking to interpret information, feelings represent their inferior function.

For people who trust their senses, intuition is their inferior function.

Remember the goal of the individuation process is to integrate the conscious with the unconscious.

Our superior function is conscious—we know our strengths. Our inferior function is unconscious because, in the course of our development, we’ve avoided it.

And so the key to individuation, according to Jung, lies in developing our inferior function.

As Campbell writes in The Portable Jung:

‘Individuation’ is Jung’s term for the process of achieving such command of all four functions that, even while bound to the cross of this limiting earth, one might open one’s eyes at the center, to see, think, feel and intuit transcendence, and to act out of such knowledge.

Tools for the Individuation Process

How do we proceed with our psychological development toward individuation?

Jungian psychology offers two related methods: dream work and active imagination.

Dream Work

Dreams, Jung found, are the gateway through which the unconscious communicates with our conscious mind.

Our inner Wise Old Man or Woman (the Self) knows what’s best for us.

The Self, however, cannot communicate in language. Instead, it uses symbols and images.

The Self cannot communicate directly with our conscious mind. Instead, according to Jungian psychology, it sends us messages through our dreams.

As Jungian analyst Marie-Louise von Franz says in The Way of the Dream, “Dreams are the letters of the Self that the Self writes us every night.”

Stevens confirms in Private Myths:

Jung maintained that a crucial factor determining how conscious we are is whether we attend to our dreams and the degree to which this enables us to make what is unconscious conscious. By working with dreams we ‘create soul’, we ‘wake up’ to our total situation, ‘become conscious’, achieve ‘wholeness’.

Active Imagination

While in dreams, our dream ego interacts with the unconscious parts of our psyche, in active imagination this interaction takes place while we’re awake.

Instead of going into a dream, we go into our imagination, allowing the images to arise from the unconscious and communicate with us.

Note: If you’re interested in pursuing the individuation process, I recommend Robert Johnson’s Inner Work for practical instruction on dreamwork and active imagination.

Refusing the Call to Individuate

Although Jungian psychology and the individuation process can liberate us, it’s not a “safe path.” There’s no safety once we leave the everyday world.

Plus, to achieve success, we must strip away all of our false identities our egos have invested in creating. Doing so triggers fear from our ego.

That’s why most people resist their call to adventure and why, according to Jung, so few people individuate (achieve psychic wholeness).

Jung writes in The Secret to the Golden Flower:

The way is not without danger. Everything good is costly, and the development of the personality is one of the most costly of all things.

But, Jung believed, it can lead us out of the hall of mirrors and return us to our Self.

Individuation Process Guide (PDF)

Individuation: The Pathway to Wholeness

To Jung and Maslow, the purpose of life was to realize one’s potential and to become a whole person in one’s own right.

To realize this purpose, we must reconnect with the divine Self within us.

As Jungian psychologist Edward Edinger writes in Ego and Archetype:

Psychological development in all its phases is a redemptive process. The goal is to redeem by conscious realization, the hidden Self, hidden in unconscious identification with the ego.

Through this individuation process, we not only achieve positive mental health, but we also become harmonious, mature, responsible adults.

To assist in this process, get rooted in your Center and enter a state of mastery as often as possible. See The Mastery Method.

Additional Reading

Inner Work by Robert Johnson

Ego and Archetype by Edward Edinger

The Portable Jung edited by Joseph Campbell

2022/06/23

How to Breathe Properly: A Definitive Guide with Powerful Techniques

How to Breathe Like a Jedi to Increase Mental Clarity, Energy, and Emotional Resilience

The Benefits of Proper Breathing

Self-Test: Are You Breathing Correctly?

Why It’s Necessary to Learn How to Breathe Properly

Four Elements of Breath Work

How to Breathe Deeply

How to Breathe Steadily

How to Breathe Slowly

How to Quiet Your Breath

Learn How to Breathe Properly … Fast

Two More Tips on How to Breathe Properly

The Natural Tranquilizer: 4-7-8 Breath

Recap: How to Breathe Properly

Read Next

Individuation Process: A Step-by-Step Look at Jungian Psychology

A Closer Look at Carl Jung’s Individuation Process: A Map for Psychic Wholeness

We Start Out Relatively Unconscious (Mostly Asleep)

Jungian Psychology’s Individuation Process

The Tension of Opposites

Instincts and Psyche

Good and Evil

The Path of Individuation

Three Stages of the Individuation Process

Stage 1: The Shadow

Stage 2: The Anima/Animus

Stage 3: The Self

Psychological Types

Introversion versus Extraversion

The Four Functions

Superior Function versus Inferior Function

Tools for the Individuation Process

Dream Work

Active Imagination

Refusing the Call to Individuate

Individuation: The Pathway to Wholeness

Additional Reading

Read Next