Do you struggle with stress and have difficulty coping with the chaos of every day life? Yoga expert has shared a simple breathing technique that offers relief.
Are you someone who suffers from stress and anxiety, feeling like your mind is always racing and your body can never truly relax? You’re not alone.
While some people turn to caffeine fixes or doom-scrolling as quick escapes, these habits only heighten the vicious cycle of restlessness. What if the antidote to all this tension wasn’t another app or supplement, but something as simple and accessible as breathing?
Riya Vyas, Founder of Unalome Yoga & Wellness Studio, Delhi & Co-Founder of SOL Wellness, is popularising a centuries-old yogic breathing technique called Sama Vritti Pranayama, also known as box-breathing. This technique has the ability to instantly ground your mind, soothe the nervous system and create a pocket of calm in the chaos.
In an Instagram video posted on July 28, the yoga and wellness expert detailed the simple steps to perform box-breathing as a grounding technique to pause for a few minutes when something is stressing you out.
How to practice Sama Vritti Pranayama
Riya outlined the simple steps for box-breathing, beginning her video with, “If you’re someone who struggles with stress and anxiety, then here’s this one easy breathing practice that you can try and add to your daily life.” Here is a step-by-step breakdown:
- Sit in a comfortable position.
Place your right palm on your belly and your left palm on your heart to anchor yourself.
- Inhale gently for four counts.
- Pause and hold your breath for another four counts.
- Exhale gently for four counts.
- Hold again for four counts.
You have to keep repeating this process for the next 5 minutes and Riya promises that you will end up feeling way more relaxed and calm.
How does it work?
Practising Sama Vritti Pranayama calms the nervous system, reduces stress and anxiety, improves focus, and enhances overall well-being. According to an article on Yogabasics, “sama” means equal, while “vritti” means mental fluctuations, so the total phrase translates to “equal mental fluctuation breathing.” It is a ratio breathing technique that aims to reduce mental chatter and distractions by using set lengths of equal inhalations, exhalations and breath retentions.
This pranayama helps equalise, harmonise and balance the “prana” flowing through the body’s energy channels. According to Yogabasics, “The conscious use of the diaphragm to increase the flow of air into the lung is a great way to improve your ability to breathe deeply and to bring oxygen to the lungs.” It slows down the heart rate, increases oxygen supply to the brain and reduces anxiety. Regularly practising this pranayama can improve focus and promote good sleep and relaxation.
