There’s a saying that doing something straightforward is “as easy as breathing”. But perhaps breathing isn’t so easy after all. “While there is no way to do it ‘wrong’, I believe we can do it better,” says Jamie Clements, a breathwork coach and the founder of the Breath Space, an online resource. “Doing so improves not only your emotional and mental health, but also your physical health.”
Breathing exercises can help you to calm down, run a better 5k and focus more clearly. These are six to try.
1. Control your breathing when you need to sleep 
We’ve all heard about counting sheep, but counting your breaths can also help you to drift off. Rebecca Dennis, the founder of the London breathwork practice Breathing Tree, says “4-7-8 breathing” — breathing in for a count of four, holding for seven and exhaling for eight — can lull you to sleep. “It’s a deep, diaphragmatic breath,” she says, which means breathing from the belly not the chest, “and you’re also distracting the mind.”
2. Exhale for longer when you’re stressed
Holding our breath when we are stressed is a natural part of the fight-or-flight response, yet this does not relieve anxiety. Clements suggests practising “extended exhale breathing” instead. “Breathe slowly in through the nose for a count of three or four and then exhale by blowing the breath back out of the mouth for a count of six, eight or ten seconds,” Clements says. “When we make our exhale longer than our inhale, our heart rate slows down and it brings down the overall level of stimulation within the nervous system.”
3. Breathe through your nose when you’re running
We often pant when we run, a natural response from the body as it attempts to deliver more oxygen to our muscles. Yet learning to breathe through your nose instead is more efficient. “When we breathe heavily we offload a lot of carbon dioxide, but we actually need that to help deliver the oxygen to where it needs to be in our muscles,” Dennis says. “By breathing more slowly and more consciously through the nose, we’re making our muscles more efficient.”
If you cannot do this, Dennis advises slowing down to a pace where you can. “Over time it will get easier and eventually your performance will improve.”
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4. Inhale twice when you’re under pressure
One way of quickly dispelling the feeling of being overwhelmed — when about to give a speech, for example, or preparing to walk down the aisle — is to do what is known as a physiological sigh. “This requires a big inhale through the nose followed by a second smaller inhale at the top of the breath and then a long, gentle exhale through the mouth in the form of a sigh,” Clements says. This removes carbon dioxide efficiently from the lungs, making the body feel more relaxed. “It’s used as a quick reset — just three to five breaths like that can work.”
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5. ‘Box breathing’ for focus
When you need to get your head down to finish something, try box breathing, a method popularised by the US Navy Seals to help them to keep their cool in combat zones. Imagine you’re “drawing a box” with your breath, mirroring the four sides of a square, by inhaling for a count of four, holding for four, exhaling for four and holding for another four. “It’s great for bringing your nervous system into a place of calm,” Clements says. It helps to lower blood pressure and promote relaxation, giving your brain the space to get on with a task.
6. Slow breaths for pain relief 
If you’re struggling for breath because you’re in pain, try “coherent breathing”. Inhale and exhale slowly for equal counts (try five or six). “This helps to clear the stress hormone cortisol from the system,” Dennis explains, “making way for more of those pain-relief hormones.”