Breathing and stretching exercises you do with your whole body

What do you need right now?

Standing. Leave a little room for your arms.

Calm down · 4 moves, 15 seconds each

What are breathing and stretching exercises?

Breathing and stretching exercises pair a slow stretch with a slow breath: your arms lift and the air comes in, you fold and it goes out. This page has three short routines of them from Wakeout, the movement break app Apple named iPhone App of the Year, each one shown on video by a real person. They are for anyone who wants to settle down, get ready for bed or wake up, and would rather move than sit still and count breaths.

Pick Calm down, Before bed or Wake up, choose 1, 2 or 5 minutes and copy what you see. This isn't breath work or meditation: nobody counts, there is no pacer and nothing to hold. The move sets the pace and your breath follows it.

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Three ways in

What's in each breathing and stretching routine

Each routine runs a real pack from the Wakeout app, in the order below. One minute gets you the first four moves, two minutes the first eight, five minutes all ten.

Standing

Calm down

Breathing exercises for a stressful day, done on your feet. Slow, wide arm moves with a long breath riding on each one. Your shoulders can come down from your ears now.

How the breath goes

In as your arms lift, open or push away. Out, slowly, as they come back. The move sets the pace, so there is nothing to count.

Start this routineSee the Anti Stress Movement & Breathing pack

Moves you'll meet

  1. Alternating Arm Extension Breaths
  2. Cross Arms Breaths
  3. Extended Hand Clinch Breaths
  4. Head Raise Breaths
  5. Head Supported Breaths
  6. Push Out Breaths
  7. Shoulder Raise Breaths
  8. Shoulders In Breaths
  9. Side To Side Deep Breaths
  10. Side To Side Rocking Breaths

Seated, with a pillow

Before bed

Deep breathing and stretching with the softest prop in the house. Sit on the edge of the bed, grab a pillow, then hug it, twist with it and sway under it.

How the breath goes

In as the pillow goes up or you open out. Out as you fold over it, hug it or twist. Slow enough that a yawn fits in.

Start this routineSee the Pillow Breathing And Stretch pack

Moves you'll meet

  1. Back And Forth Pillow Circles
  2. Pillow Supported Head Circles
  3. Pillow Elbow Raises
  4. Pillow Hug Twists
  5. Bedtime Butterfly
  6. Pillow Tango
  7. Pillow Raise And Twist
  8. Overhead Pillow Sways
  9. Pillow Supported Head Tilts
  10. Fold And Pillow Hug

Standing

Wake up

Morning breathing and stretching for people who are not awake yet. Big, slow, open moves where the arms go up and the breath goes with them. Lower the bar, raise the arms.

How the breath goes

In as your arms rise and open, out as they sink back down. Big breaths from the belly, at the speed of someone who just got up.

Start this routineSee the Morning Qi Gong pack

Moves you'll meet

  1. Calm Flight
  2. Cyclones Towards The Ground
  3. Energy Ball
  4. Expansive Breath
  5. Grounded Inhales
  6. Hand Drop Bend Overs
  7. Hand Waves
  8. Heartfelt Circles
  9. Heavenly Hands
  10. Inner Gathering

More breathing-with-movement packs

Breathing and stretching FAQ

Is this breath work or meditation?

No. There's no breath counting, no pacer and no breath holds, and nobody asks you to sit still and clear your mind. These are movements with breathing built in: you move, and the breath follows the move. If sit-still breathing never clicked for you, this is the other door.

Can you do breathing exercises standing up?

Yes. Calm down and Wake up on this page are both done standing. You lift your arms, fold and sway while you breathe, so being on your feet is the whole idea. If you'd rather sit, pick Before bed. That one is seated, with a pillow.

What breathing and stretching exercises can I do before bed?

Slow ones you can do sitting on your bed. The Before bed routine here uses a pillow, with moves like Pillow Hug Twists, Bedtime Butterfly and Fold And Pillow Hug. You stretch, you squeeze, you breathe along with each move. Then the pillow goes back where it belongs and so do you.

What about morning breathing and stretching?

Pick Wake up. It runs moves from the Morning Qi Gong pack, like Expansive Breath and Heavenly Hands: big, slow, standing moves where the arms open and the breath goes with them. Start with one minute. Coffee optional.

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