Can We Breathe Our Way to Better Trading? 6 Methods For You to Try

Slightly different kind of post but no less valuable for you, I believe!

Over the years, I’ve used seven distinct breathing methods to train my body, sharpen focus, and reset my nervous system. Each one has a clear purpose and method, and I use them in different parts of training—before, during, or after.

Am I super-disciplined to do this all the time? Alas, no.

But interestingly enough, when I began to practise them during trading – I also found improvement. I could hold swings longer and recover from mistakes faster.

I slowed my rush into my first trade and so it improved my edge.

I’m not sure why it took me so long to practice it – but I highly recommend trying them and let me know if it helps.

I didn’t invent any of these – you can research them further. I have put the methods I find useful below.

1. Wim Hof Method

Method:

30–40 deep rhythmic breaths (inhale fully, exhale passively but with slight diaphragm squeeze.)
Slight tingly feeling, over-oxygenate body.
Then exhale fully-and-hold until urge to breathe. Try to get to 1 min or longer.
Inhale fully, hold ~15 seconds.
Repeat 1 – 3 rounds
Goal: rapid oxygenation, controlled stress response, pre-cold or pre-explosive training activation

2. Box Breathing (Navy SEAL Method)

Method:

Inhale 4 s → hold 4 s → exhale 4 s → hold 4 s
Adjustable e.g. 5‑5‑5‑5 or 6‑6‑6‑6
Goal: reset the nervous system under pressure; excellent between high‑intensity rounds
BONUS: Try it with a power nap video like this.

3. Tony Robbins Breath Ratios

Method (common): inhale 5 s, hold 20 s, exhale 10 s (ratio 1:4:2)
Goal: focus, clarity, calm; slows exhale to calm system, holds to raise CO₂ tolerance

Exhale longer than inhale means stress response will go down.

But a slow inhale and exhale works as well.

4. Taoist Embryonic Breathing (胎息 – Taixi)

Method:

Inhale fully without sound. Exhale fully without sound.
The cue is to “breathe through the feet” to use the lowest parts of the body to fill first.
Rather than manipulate your body more, see if you can do it through relaxing / letting go more. Relax face, eyes, jaw, tongue, neck.
Use heart beats to count.
You can try to increase the number of counts on the inhale – I actually prefer doing that AFTER the exhale. Try to be more-still, for longer.→You can start 5 or 10 and get to 20+.
Find the balance between too long where your heart rate then goes up, and the balance where it can stay slow and steady.
The concentration will help you relax. Good for reducing over-thinking / too much caffeine.
Remember exhale quietly, imperceptibly (no sound or motion)
Goal: elongate time between breaths, support Qi‑circulation, internal stillness and recovery
en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org

5. Rickson Gracie “Gas Clearing” Breathing

Method:

Inhale through nose → belly expands. Push it out to practice USING the diaphragm.
Exhale in short sharp bursts (“shh, shh, shh…”) fully emptying lungs. Focus on squeezing air out BUT NOT trying to inhale forcefully (the opposite of ‘normal everyday’ breathing habits)
Engage diaphragm; repeat controlled sets.
I prefer to use my nose but can you either / both.
Focus on exhaling fully for rapid head clearing benefit.
Goal: expel residual CO₂, cleanse airways, build diaphragm strength; internal wake-up before grappling

6. Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana, Yoga)

Method:

Its so simple and works so quickly.
Close right nostril → inhale left → close left → exhale right → inhale right → close right → exhale left → repeat
Try and inhale and exhale fully through each.
Goal: balance left/right nervous hemispheres, calm scattered mind, restore focus

7. Dragon Breathe

This is from Taoism and Martial Arts.
You want to inhale into every joint and expand all the joints. You’ve got joints in your toes, your ankles, your knees, your hips, your shoulder joints, your neck joints, the top of your head, because the neck has two joints.
You’re breathing into all those joints and the surrounding ligaments like you’re blowing air into them, so they all expand like a balloon.
And when you relax, feel the relaxation all the way down to centre, but also imagine a very thin laser line, a silk thread as thin as a spider web, and it’s shooting straight up through all seven chakras and coming out of the top part of your head, out of the seventh chakra. The hips are gently rolled under, the spine is straight and stacked. And so you’re actually getting taller. As you relax and exhale, the body charges. And then as you inhale, you do that again.
So you inhale charge up, open, and you relax down and charge up. Up and charge, relax and charge. Up and charge, relax and charge.
It will actually make you physically larger. And this concentration and focus will clear the mind.
This is called Dragon Breathe. It’s from a dragon strength training system that ancient martial artists used to use.” (secrettruthoflife.com)

Goal: Expand and energise every joint and ligament, stack the spine, create internal charge, clear mind through focused bodily expansion and relaxation

Zen Trading Tech