An On-the-Go Breathing Tool: Abdominal or Diaphragmatic Breathing in Five Steps

Abdominal breathing is commonly used as a relaxation and attention-focusing exercise.

Here’s an abdominal breathing technique that’s portable and easy to practice:

1 - Notice that you are breathing

Yes! That's right, take your attention to the air that is flowing in and out of your body as you read this post.

2 - Put your hand on your belly (lower abdominal area)

Place one of your hands on your abdomen, below your belly button. Keep the pace and depth of your breath consistent. Let any negative thoughts go and direct your attention to the movement of your hand.

"You can use this technique anywhere: in line at the grocery store, on the bus, or during a meeting." – Katherine Schurer, Clinical Psychologist

3 - Notice how your hand moves

As you breathe comfortably, you may notice your lower abdomen gently moving out as you inhale and moving back in as you exhale.

4 - Focus on the movement of your hand

Take this moment to observe the movement of your hand. Give yourself the space to focus on this movement for ten full inhalations and ten full exhalations.

Congratulations! You have now completed your first practice of this technique.

5 - Practice

To get the most out of this technique, practice daily for 2-3 weeks! 

Remember: you are already breathing. What you are practising is placing your hand on your abdomen and observing its movement.

Consider practising this technique two or three times per day. With regular practice, placing your hand on your abdomen may become a familiar cue for directing your attention towards your breathing.

If you're struggling to keep your attention on the movement of your hand

Try listening to natural sounds, like our prairie rain recording, while you practice. You can find Prairie Rain here:

Prairie Rain - 10 minutes

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