2. Breathing control

Breathing control is about breathing gently using the least effort. It can help when you're feeling short of breath or when you're feeling anxious.

It's good to practice this when you're lying or when you're sitting down in a chair feeling most relaxed.

If you practice it well so you know how to use the technique, it is easier to use when you do need it at times when you are breathless or anxious.

Breathing control is about the best use of your main breathing muscle; your diaphragm. This is a parachute-shaped muscle that sits below your lungs.

Your diaphragm contracts and moves downwards when you breathe in. When you breathe out, it relaxes back helping to expel the air from your lungs.

To do this exercise, get into a comfortable position, with your arms supported on arm rests or on your lap.

Let your shoulders and body be relaxed and loose.

So if you just place one hand on your chest and one hand on your tummy.

Lovely. And just see where you feel that you're breathing from, so are you breathing more from the chest or from your tummy?

What we'd like is for you to be breathing more from your tummy, so as you breathe in from your nose, let the air come low into your lungs pushing your tummy out against your hands and then breathing out and letting your tummy sink back.

Good. And breathing in and out.

Good. So just make your out breath longer than your in breath, so you can breathe in for a count of two and breathe out for a count of three.

Continue to keep your shoulders nice and relaxed and if you can, you can add a little pause at the end of your out breath.

In the next video, I'll help you learn more about breathing techniques.