Mastering Breathing Techniques for Calm & Energy

We walk through how conscious breathing changes the body and mind, from oxygen delivery and CO2 balance to nervous system regulation and sleep. Brian joins with a short guided practice to help you build a steady, calm breath you can use anytime.

• defining deep diaphragmatic breathing and why it matters
• practical steps for controlled breathing with belly focus
• oxygen delivery and carbon dioxide removal for energy and clarity
• activating the parasympathetic system to reduce stress
• supporting sleep quality with slow, even breaths
• using breath as a mindfulness anchor for focus
• five‑minute guided breathing session with Brian

“Go ahead and have fun on that instruction on how breathing works and get your exercise and enjoy it. Thank you guys so much again for always listening and tuning in.”

Your breath can be a lever for calm, clarity, and energy—if you know how to use it. We explore the science and practice of conscious breathing, from how the diaphragm draws air deep into the lungs to why slow exhales ease the nervous system and steady the heart. Along the way, we unpack techniques used for stress relief, better sleep, and improved focus, and we connect those tools to everyday moments where a minute of breathing can reset your day.

We start by grounding the basics: diaphragmatic breathing, oxygen delivery, and carbon dioxide removal. Then we get practical with a simple, reliable routine—sit comfortably, place a hand on your belly, and guide the breath downward so the abdomen rises on the inhale and falls on the exhale. You’ll learn how this pattern activates the parasympathetic system, lowers blood pressure, and builds resilience under pressure. We also touch on approaches like alternate nostril breathing for balance and the 4‑7‑8 method for easing into sleep without forcing the breath.

To make it actionable, Brian joins from Denver with a calm, five‑minute guided session you can follow right away. No counting, no strain—just attention returning to the breath, again and again, until the mind settles. Whether you want better workouts, steadier moods, or a softer landing at the end of the day, these evidence‑informed breathing techniques give you a toolkit you can use anywhere.

If this helped you breathe easier, tap follow, share the episode with a friend who could use a reset, and leave a quick review so others can find the show. Your breath is always with you—let’s make it work for you.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Topic Overview
• 0:11 What Breathing Techniques Do
• 1:50 How To Practice Controlled Breathing
• 4:40 Why Breathing Matters Physically
• 6:24 Nervous System And Stress Relief
• 7:00 Mindfulness And Body Connection
• 7:40 Host Wrap And Guest Introduction
• 9:24 Five-Minute Guided Breathing Session

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:01

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, and good night. Wherever you are and however you are listening. Welcome to Fruit Blender's Podcast. We are live here in San Diego, California, and today's topic is all about breathing technique. Breathing techniques are exercises that promote conscious control and regulation of one's breathing patterns. Deep breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, is a common breathing technique that involves in taking slow deep breath using the diaphragm. The diaphragm is the primary muscle responsible for breathing, contracts, and pulls air into the lungs, and when it relaxes, it allows exhalation. Breathing techniques can help reduce stress and anxiety by activating the body's relaxation response, which includes slowing down the heart rate and lowering blood pressure. Practicing proper breathing techniques can improve lung capacity and oxygenation, leading to enhanced physical performance and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Breathing exercises are frequently used in yoga and meditation practice to promote mindfulness and increase awareness of the present moment. Techniques like alternate nostrils, breathing can help balance the flow of energy within the body and improve focus and concentration. Some breathing techniques, such as the WimpHuff method, involve active breath holding and hyperventilation to improve mental focus, increase energy, and enhance immune system response. Certain breathing techniques, such as the 478 breathing technique, aim to help individuals fall asleep faster and improve sleep quality. Breathing techniques are often used as complementary therapies in treatment of various health conditions including chronic pain, asthma, and panic disorders. With that said, let's talk about control breathing. To control your breathing, you can practice deep breathing exercises. Here's a few things that you should know. Find a comfortable, quiet place to sit or lay down. Make sure you're in a relaxed position. Make sure you are in a relaxed position. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. This helps to calm your body and mind. Another method is to place one hand on your abdomen, just below your rib cage, place the other hand on your chest. Take a slow deep breath in through your nose and out. Directing the breath down into your abdomen. Feel your abdomen rise as you breathe in. Let your chest remain relatively still. Exhale slowly through your mouth, pushing out the air from your abdomen. Feel your abdomen lower as you breathe out. Again, keep your chest relatively still. Continue this deep breathing pattern, inhaling through your nose, into your abdomen, and exhaling through your mouth. Slowly and fully. As you practice, make sure your breaths are slow, even, and controlled. Focus your attention on your breath as you inhale and exhale. Try to let go of distractions and stay present with your breathing. Practice this deep breathing exercise for a few minutes daily or whenever you feel stressed, anxious, or need to regain control of your breathing. Remember, learning to control your breathing takes practice, so be patient with yourself and keep practicing regularly. Deep breathing exercises can help reduce stress, promote relaxation, and improve overall well-being. Breathing is essential for our survival overall health. Let's talk about this. If you really want to practice your breathing and you know concentrate on yourself and on your breathing levels, just I'm gonna give you some keys on to why it's important to breathe and do it constantly. It keeps us alive. Yeah, oxygen, right? That's what we need. That's where our oxygen supplies come into the business. Oxygen supply, okay? Breathing allows us to take oxygen in, which is necessary for production of energy in our cells. Oxygen is transported through the bloodstream to various organs and tissues, supporting their proper functioning. That brings us into removal of carbon dioxide. Breathing also helps us remove carbon dioxide, a waste of product produced by our cells. Exhaling releases carbon dioxide from the lungs, preventing a buildup that could be harmful to our body. Central nervous system. Okay, let's talk about that. Let's get into that. Central nervous system regulations. So deep and controlled breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which can help calm the body and reduce stress. It regulates heart rate, blood pressure, and promotes relaxation. That puts us into enhancing lung functionality. How do we do that? By practicing deep breathing exercises, we can help expand our lung capacity and improve the efficiency of oxygen exchange. This can be beneficial for our physical activities, sports performance, and overall respiratory health. Also, this comes into reducing stress and anxiety. Focused breathing techniques such as deep breathing or diaphragmatic breathing can help reduce stress, anxiety, and promote sense of calm. It activates the relaxation response, counteracting the body's natural stress response. Mind-body connection. This brings us back to physical, physical, physical of the body and mind. Breathing serves as a bridge between the mind and body. Conscious breathing can bring awareness to the present moment, promoting mindfulness and greater connection with oneself. Breathing is vital to our supply oxygen that goes into our body. Removal of carbon dioxide, regulation of the nervous system, reducing stress, enhancing the lung functionality, and promoting overall health and well-being. With that said, I'd like to end it here from my end, and I want to thank each and every single one of you guys for listening in and always tuning in into my podcast here. And um today I have a special guest. I have my friend Brian in uh Denver, Colorado, and he will be the one that's gonna be doing the special edition on a five-minute exercise, breathing exercise for you guys, just for you guys. It's a special, special episode and a special treat. You guys deserve it. And here I am. I'm gonna go ahead and turn my the microphone over to Brian. Take it away, Brian. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Brian, Brian, wait up, wait up. Guys, before I do that, I'm gonna go ahead and just say that um thank you guys so much. And yeah, Brian just, you know, he's a special guy out there in Colorado doing the same thing, you know, making sure that everyone else is you know healthy out there, focusing on everything, their body, physically, mentally, and emotionally. And Brian's a good guy. But uh yeah, here we go. And I hope you guys um enjoy this uh five-minute session that he's gonna go ahead and instruct you guys on to breathing better. Also, I also want to say that I'm out here on vacation. You guys obviously can hear my family out in the background, it's a lot of kids, and they're just enjoying it, and uh yeah, but hey, Brian, take it away, my friend. Take it away, it's all you. Alright, guys, go ahead and have fun on that uh instruction on how breathing works and uh get your exercise and enjoy it. Thank you guys so much again for always listening and tuning in. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Go ahead, Brian. Now you can take it over.

SPEAKER_02: 9:24

Five-minute mindful breathing. Sit or lie down. Make yourself comfortable. Take a few moments to be still in your body. Allow yourself to become aware of where your mind is at just now. Take a moment to notice your thoughts. Gently close your eyes or softly gaze ahead, finding a point of focus that is not distracting. Gently bring your awareness to your breath. Start by taking two full breaths. Now, allow the breath to settle and find its natural rhythm. Notice where you feel the breath most clearly. This may be at your nostrils, upper lip, neck, throat, chest, belly, or somewhere else. When your mind pulls you away or distracts you during this practice, you can come back to this part of your breath as an anchor or point of focus. Breathe in naturally without controlling it. Allow your body to breathe for you. As you breathe in, be aware of breathing in. As you breathe out, be aware of breathing out. Keep your awareness on your breath as you breathe in and breathe out. In this practice, there is no need to visualize your breath, count, or slow down your breath. Just be open and aware of breathing in and breathing out. Without judging your breath or changing your breath, just watch it go in and out, like the ebb and flow of a gentle wave at the shore. In and out. If your breathing changes, that's fine. It does this naturally. Don't push it in any way. Just observe. Nothing you need to do. Just be here now, simply noticing your breath, living in this moment, one breath at a time. When your attention drifts away from your breath, simply take note of where your mind went and then gently bring your attention back to your breath. Ride the gentle wave of each breath, moment by moment, breathing in, and breathing out. Continue being aware of breathing, noticing the point of focus of your breath without changing your breath in any way. What should come in? And what should go out? This breath.

SPEAKER_01: 13:51

This breath.