Everyday Breathwork: How to Stay Calm on Your Commute

Hyperventilating on the subway in your work fit because it’s a milli degrees and you just got coughed on by an old dude en route to urgent care?

Trying to convince yourself it’s “exposure therapy” when a high schooler scrolls TikTok on speaker 2 inches from your ear and a woman in a pantsuit nearly baptizes you with her $8 latte? 

I got you.

Lucky for our cortisol levels, breathwork is the meditation you can do anytime, anywhere.

Don’t worry, we’re not talking full, deep-trance meditation. No one’s closing their eyes and waking up in Queens with no idea what year it is.

Incorporating some simple morning breathwork can help you get to work calm, cool, and semi-collected.

Best part? You can do it right there in public without anyone even knowing you’re trying to regulate yourself against all their crazy.

So, before you start convincing yourself that walking 40 blocks to work is character building, maybe take a few breaths first. Surviving the 6 train rush is totally in your wheelhouse. Promise.

Here are some of my favorite breathwork exercises you can do in public to keep your cool in the chaos:

Dirgha: The Three-Part Breath

What it feels like: It calms your mind, grounds your energy, and regulates that shallow “I-live-in-New-York” breathing we all pretend is normal.

Why it works:  When your nervous system can’t tell the difference between “late for work” and “running from a bear,” this breath helps hit pause on your stress response. It tells your body we’re safe, even when the city’s saying otherwise.

How to make it happen: Close your mouth and inhale through your nose. Start by filling your belly and let it expand like you’re breathing all the way down. Keep inhaling so your ribs widen, then let the breath lift your chest last. Hold for a brief second at the top, then exhale through your nose in reverse: chest, ribs, belly. Repeat a few rounds, keeping each breath long and steady.

Pro-tip: Drop your shoulders and unclench your jaw. Turn your focus inward and notice your body: what’s tight, what’s softening and what’s actually shifting as you breathe?

Ujjayi: The Ocean-Sounding Breath

What it feels like: Like a low hum of calm running through your body. The sound is soft, steady and weirdly satisfying once you find it. It helps you focus, clears mental clutter, and brings that “I-have-my-life-together” kind of stillness.

Why it works:  This breath slightly constricts the back of your throat, slowing your inhale and exhale. That resistance helps you take in air more evenly, giving your body a rhythm to anchor to. The sound and pace cue your parasympathetic system, or your internal “relax” button.

How to make it happen: Close your mouth and inhale through your nose. Slightly constrict the back of your throat, almost like you’re fogging up a mirror, but with your lips closed. Inhale slowly through your nose, keeping that gentle constriction, then exhale through your nose the same way. You’ll hear a soft, ocean-like sound as you breathe. Try to make your breath smooth, steady, and equal on both ends. Repeat for several rounds, letting the sound guide your pace.

Pro-tip: Think “audible calm.” You’re going for a gentle, ocean wave, not full-on Darth Vader. The sound should blend right into the subway hums, steady and low, like it’s part of the background noise.

Lesson of the morning commute: no need to send your stress hormones into overdrive before you even open your inbox. A few steady breaths, and you’ll start the day grounded instead of gripping…