When it comes to breathing relaxation techniques, few are as playful and effective as Horse Lips Breath.
While it may sound (and look!) a little silly at first, Horse Lips Breath is a powerful way to relax the body, regulate the nervous system, and shake off tension — literally. It’s a technique I often teach in my classes and it’s one of my personal go-to tools for releasing stress quickly and gently.
The name alone may bring a smile to your face, and practicing it might just make you laugh. While this is a lesser-known form of breathwork, it is one of the most powerful. It is quite simple, fast, and can be done anywhere.
Practicing Horse Lips can be soothing, calming, comforting, and effective for helping you relax in the moment.
Rest assured that when you practice this breathing relaxation technique, you are cultivating mind and body wellness in a variety of ways! Let’s explore why this technique works, how to practice it, and why it deserves a permanent place in your mindfulness toolkit.
Breathing Relaxation Techniques: How They Work and Why They’re So Effective
Breath is one of the most direct ways we can influence our nervous system. When we’re stressed or anxious, our breath tends to become shallow and rapid — signaling the body to stay in fight-or-flight mode. Breathing relaxation techniques like Horse Lips Breath reverse that process by shifting the body into parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) mode.
The Parasympathetic Nervous System: Here’s How It Affects Your Wellbeing
When you engage the breath consciously — especially with rhythm, sound, or physical movement — you help calm the vagus nerve, lower cortisol levels, and create a sense of safety and ease in your body.
Horse Lips Breath in particular adds an element of sound and vibration, which enhances nervous system regulation through gentle sensory stimulation.
For us, the best breathing relaxation techniques are:
- Simple to do anywhere
- Easy to remember in moments of stress
- Physically soothing and emotionally grounding
- Quick to activate (often providing relief in under a minute)
Horse Lips Breath checks all of those boxes of benefits and then some.
Horse Lips Breath 101: All You Need to Know
So what is Horse Lips Breath? Also called Lip Trills or Flutter Breath, this relaxing breathing technique mimics the loose-lipped exhale you might associate with a horse. The result is a vibrating, fluttering sound that helps release tension in the jaw, chest, and even the brain.
This practice is especially helpful for people who carry stress in their face, shoulders, or throat — or for anyone who needs a quick reset without a big time commitment.
Here’s How to Practice Horse Lips Breath:
Watch the full tutorial in our YouTube short here: Horse Lips Breath: Learn How to Do It
- Sit or stand comfortably, with your posture tall and relaxed.
- Inhale deeply through your nose.
- As you exhale, blow air through your closed lips while keeping them soft and relaxed—allowing them to flutter and vibrate. It should make a “brrrrr” or “pffffft” sound (like a horse!)
- Repeat for 5–10 rounds, breathing in through your nose and exhaling with fluttered lips.
- Let your shoulders drop, jaw loosen, and stomach relax as you go.
Helpful tip: If your lips feel tight or you’re struggling to make the flutter happen, try gently pressing your fingertips into your cheeks to support the movement. It can help release tension and make the exhale smoother.
The Main Benefits of Horse Lips Breath:
Horse Lips Breathing helps to slow your breath rate. When we feel anxious, we tend to breathe in small and shallow sips of air, which in turn can trigger a ‘fight or flight’ response in our bodies. When we can instead take deeper, fuller breaths, we help counteract those feelings and activate the parasympathetic nervous system which pulls our body into a relaxed state.
This breathing relaxation technique is commonly used for women in labor because it also relaxes the pelvic floor muscles.
Practicing Horse Lips can be soothing, calming, comforting, and effective for helping you relax in the moment. It helps relax your facial muscles, particularly your jaw. Many of us hold a lot of tension in our jaws.
Interestingly, this breathing relaxation technique is commonly used for women in labor because in addition to relaxing the facial muscles, it also relaxes the pelvic floor muscles. Stress causes our pelvic floor to constrict and tighten, which can lead to discomfort and issues like frequent urination or constipation. Clearly, relaxing the pelvic floor carries its own range of benefits.
- Activates the parasympathetic nervous system
- Releases facial and jaw tension
- Soothes anxiety and physical stress symptoms
- Brings playful, light energy to moments of overwhelm
- Improves vocal tone and breath control (popular among singers and speakers)
- Can be done quietly or audibly, depending on setting and comfort
Contraindications:
Horse Lips Breath is generally safe for most people. However, it may not be suitable if you:
- Have a facial injury or severe TMJ (temporomandibular joint dysfunction)
- Experience discomfort or dizziness while exhaling forcefully
- Feel self-conscious in certain settings (in which case, try it at home first)
As always, listen to your body and stop if anything feels off.
Practice This Breathing Relaxation Technique for Instant Calm
Horse Lips Breath is one of the easiest breathing relaxation techniques to add into your daily life. You can do it in your car, before a presentation, in between meetings, or anytime you feel tension starting to rise. It’s fast, fun, and requires zero experience to benefit from.
If you enjoyed this practice and want to explore more techniques like it, check out my new book 101 Mindfulness Practices to Ease Anxiety. It’s filled with simple, effective tools like this one to support your mental and emotional wellbeing—no matter what life throws your way.
Order the book on Amazon or Barnes & Noble and start building your toolkit for calm today.
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