Expert Support
Straw Breathing
Materials required: a drinking straw (if available) and a quiet environment.
To begin Straw Breathing, sit in a comfortable position, where your sit bones are grounded to the floor (or chair), your back is as straight as possible (sit against a wall for support, if needed), your shoulders are relaxed away from your ears, your arms are loose and your chest is lightly lifted.
Close your eyes and begin to explore your breathing. Without trying to change it, pay close attention to each inhale and exhale. Do the inhales and exhales feel short or long? Fast or slow? Are you breathing through your mouth or nose? Can you feel your breath in your belly or is it mostly in your chest? Enjoy about 10–15 breaths.
Keeping the same sitting posture, grab a drinking straw and place it in your mouth (if you do not have a straw, purse your lips together as if you were drinking from a straw). Once again, close your eyes and breathe with your mouth through the straw. Take about 5–10 breaths and then remove the straw (or release your pursed lips). Breathe normally with your eyes closed and notice any differences in your breath from when you began.
Often when we begin to be aware of our breath we notice it is labored and comes from the chest. Breathing with a straw will help to lengthen the exhale and inhale, ultimately providing your body with a deeper nourishing breath from the belly. Feel free to practice this breath-awareness daily and make notes about your experience.
