7 days to a CALMER YOU

New year, same stress? Use the power of your breath to ease away anxiety

- ALI HORSFALL

While the start of a new year may promise better times, for many people the work stress, money worries and pandemic panic of last year are still lingering on. In fact, 74% of Brits claim to be stressed-out to the point of being unable to cope*.

The good news? ‘Better breathing’ can work wonders for reducing chronic stress – the damaging type that leads to anxiety, insomnia and other health problems. ‘It can help us build resilience, dramatically improve the quality of our sleep and digestion, and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression,’ says holistic health and wellbeing expert Rophin Vianney. ‘Lowering stress hormones in the body also allows the immune system to function more effectively.’

Ready to give it a go? Try Rophin’s simple techniques for a week – and beyond, they’ll help you to relax so that you feel calmer and more in control.

Day 1

Sit or lie comfortably, close your eyes and place hands on your stomach.

Inhale through nose, inflating stomach with breath. Feel your hands lifting. Hold breath at top of inhale for a couple of seconds.

Exhale through nose and allow stomach to fall. Repeat twice.

Next, move palms of hands to sides of ribs. Inhale through nose, concentrate on lower ribs pulling open. Hold breath for a few seconds.

Exhale, letting the ribs fall together. Repeat twice.

Next, relax your arms beside your body. Inhale and take breath all the way to the collar bone. Feel the chest lift and open. Hold the breath for a couple of seconds.