Breathing on the Bus

I am a public transport commuter, and sitting on the bus day in and day out, is definitely no party. You may have read my blog last year titled, The People on the Bus Breathe In and Out. Last year I took up Box Breathing on the bus to be ‘productive’ with my time and still do something good for myself. Here recently, I’ve taken up Coherent Breathing on the bus.

Coherent Breathing is an efficient and effective breathing strategy that will help manage mood. In particular, it is very calming and I feel it clears my mind to be ready for the day. It is not a traditional Yoga Pranayama exercise as it was developed by a Qigong practitioner named, Steve Elliot. The practice is based on pacing the breath so that the inhale and exhale are performed in equal length/time duration. Ultimately, a person would take 5 breaths in one minute. One session of Coherent Breathing is 15 to 20 minutes long.

The benefits of Coherent Breathing include the encouragement of balance in the autonomic nervous system and it can lift a depressed mood.

Coherent Breathing is done by inhaling through the nose for a count of 4 or 5 and exhaling through the nose for a count of 4 or 5. I like to use the ‘2 Bells’ track on Spotify because the bell signals the listener when to inhale and exhale and you don’t have to bother with counting. It’s especially nice on the bus because the bells block out any traffic noise and minimise distractions.

Have you tried Coherent Breathing? Drop a line below and share your thoughts on this healing breath work.