**Consult a certified instructor or doctor before attempting any of these breathing exercises. Sit or lay down to practice these breathing exercises. Do not practice them standing or while driving.
For everyone:
Can be helpful when you’re feeling anxious, stressed, or tense, and it only takes 10 minutes! Can cause lightheadedness, stop if you find yourself feeling faint or dizzy.
For wind players:
From Riley Lee’s Breathe!
Practice these exercises every day for optimal breathing.
Sit down to do these exercises.
1. Deep Panting Breath
3 sets, 10 breaths each
Take in as much as possible, blow it out as quickly as possible. Start upright and bend at the hip crease as you forcefully exhale.
2. Shallow Panting Breath
3 sets, 10 seconds each
Pant like a dog! As fast as possible. For the last set, stick your tongue out.
3. Power Breath
3 times
Pick a spot on the floor a few feet in front of you. Take a deep breath, exhale as powerfully as possible towards that point, and then make several final pushes of exhalation until you’ve exhaled all the air you can. Pretend you’re drilling a hole into the ground with your air.
4. “C” Breath
3 times, 30 seconds minimum each
Exhale VERY gently and steadily with your tongue behind your teeth to make a quiet “C” sound. Not an “S” or “Sh” sound, this is quieter than both of those. Sustain the sound as steadily as you can for as long as possible.
Arc of this exhale is like starting on a mountain (inhalation muscles are actually preventing you from fully exhaling), going down into the valley, and then when the exhalation actually begins you go back up the mountain. Mountain=effort.
5. Held Exhalation
3 times, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds
Blow out, and hold your breath on the exhalation.