This page is part of the Taming the Monkey Series. This installment builds on what I covered previously, so if you haven’t yet, you should read Techniques and Exercises 1 first.
Picking up where we left off in the previous installment when you did a few deep and deliberate breaths. You should still be sitting comfortably with your dominant hand resting on your chest. At this point, you may notice a feeling of warmth building where your hand and chest meet.
Box Breathing
Let’s dive a little deeper into breathing with an easy exercise that can be used anywhere, anytime. It’s called four-step breathing, or box breathing.
- Breathe in to a slow count of four.
- Pause and hold the breath for a slow count of four.
- Release the breath for a slow count of four.
- Pause for a slow count of four.
- Repeat.
Wim Hof Method
Wim Hof is a Dutch athlete known as “The Iceman”. I have used his breathing methods to increase my lung capacity and sharpen my focus. This short guided breathing video may take you a while to master, but I can’t recommend it highly enough. Stick with it.