Pursed-lip breathing

Sit and relax the neck and shoulders. Inhale through the nose with the mouth closed. Purse the lips and exhale slowly through the mouth. Stop sooner when breathing feels easier. That is an instruction, not a second timer.

Sources

• American Lung Association teaching counts a slow inhale through the nose as two and a breath out through pursed lips as four. Breathing Exercises

Skip this

• Skip this if a controlled breath feels strained.
• Skip the first try if breathing already feels short.

Stop if

• Stop if you feel dizzy, lightheaded, tingling in the lips or fingers, chest pain, heart pounding or irregular beats, visual change, nausea, headache, or panic that is rising rather than settling. Sit or lie down. Breathe quietly, without controlling the breath, until it passes.
• If chest pain, fainting, or trouble breathing does not settle, seek urgent care.