Step Breathing

Step breathing

Laughing is an example of a breathing exercise where I exhale successively in steps. I can control the stepping and add longer pauses between the steps.

To exercise ‘step breathing,’ I make short and consecutive breath-holds while inhaling and exhaling. The exercise is meant to diversify my breathing and dispose of aggression.

How I exercise ‘step breathing’:

Stepping in diaphragmatic breathing:

Directives:

  • I sit comfortably with a straight back, relax my tongue and jaw, and close my eyes.
  • Reset my breathing if needed.
  • Breathe diaphragmatically and exclusively through the nose.
  1. Inhale, inflating in steps to achieve maximum diaphragm amplitude. A relatively short breath-hold separates every step.
  2. Exhale, deflating in steps until my diaphragm returns to its neutral dome shape. A relatively short breath-hold separates every step.
  3. Hold my breath until I gently reach the point of ‘air hunger start.’
  4. Repeat for a few rounds.

Stepping in 3-part breathing:

  1. Inhale in parts (as in 3-part breathing) until the lungs are fully inflated. A breath-hold (step) separates every part.
  2. Exhale, in parts (as in 3-part breathing) until the lungs are deeply deflated. A breath-hold (step) separates every part.
  3. Hold my breath until I gently reach the point of ‘air hunger start.’
  4. Repeat for a few rounds.

I breathe in a pulsating staccato rhythm. It’s as if I’m climbing up and down a case of stairs while taking a short break after every step. I imagine in my head holding points on the inverted ‘Z’ diagram. I make twice the amount of ‘steps’ in my exhale when compared to my inhale. The breath-holds between steps should prevent me from getting into a hyperventilation state.