Hello all - noobie here.
When I get nervous, I hold my breath. My throat gets really tight and no air gets in or out. This is causing problems with blood pressure, etc.
Can anyone recommend any breathing exercises or point me to a website, you tube video, book, etc?
Thanks in advance.
practice abdominal breathing 24-7.
If you ever find yourself chest breathing - stop. Then begin abdominal breathing.
You should sit or lie, or stand and follow your breathing for your practice.
Put your mind on following your breath.
When Anxiety arises. Try laughing at it. Or push it down where it came from. Or remember you practice. Put your mind on your abdominal breathing. Or psychoanalyse? Why the hell is this happening? Think about it.
In the meantime. [I]Do good & Do what you should be doing[/I]
Profound right there. You should follow advice. 
Dorkboy,
I recommend you to practice following breathing exercises and short meditation for 10 minutes, twice a day, 10 times a week. Though you may start getting results within a few days, after a six week of regular practice, you will experience a lot of control on nervousness, the cause, and its associated conditions (short breaths and breath stoping, controlled blood pressure, etc.).
3 step deep breathing, 5 times each (5 minutes)
1a) Chest breathing : While inhaling, expand the chest and while exhaling, relax the same.
1B) Abdominal breathing: While inhaling blow the abdomen out like balloon and while exhaling relax the same.
1c) Yogic Breathing: While inhaling first blow the abdomen, then expand the chest; and while exhaling first relax the abdomen, then the chest. Exhalation should take double time than inhalation.
Alternate Breathing Technique (5 minutes): Close the left nostril with middle and ring fingers, inhale through right nostril in four to six counts; hold the breath for four to six counts, by closing right nose also with thumb. Exhale the breath in eight to twelve counts through left nostril. Now, inhale through left nostril for four to six counts, hold the breath for four to six counts by closing your both nostril. Exhale through right nostril in eight to twelve counts. Keep repeating breathing in and out like above for 5 minutes.
Short Meditation : (5 minutes)
Steps (BREATHING BASED)
i) Focus your attention on your breathing and feel its temperature i.e. ingoing breath feel cool and outgoing breath feel warm in the nose and throat
ii) Keep your breath, thoroughly equalized (i.e. inhale for 3 seconds and exhale for 3 seconds). (8 minutes)
Make sure that when you are actively and consciously breathing in, your abdomen should blow out and while breathing out the same should relax; and secondly, make sure not to expand chest while inhaling.
Another short meditation is also given for your reference and choice. You can always pursue, whichever you like the most and suit you the most.
Steps (MANTRA BASED)
i) Focus your attention on your breathing and feel its temperature i.e. ingoing breath feel cool and outgoing breath feel warm in the nose and throat.
ii) Whenever breath goes in silently say or say in mind-‘SO’ and while exhaling silently say ‘HUM’ in your mind. Make sure that while chanting mantra ever your tongue and lips should not move and secondly, mantra should be chanted with natural and effortless breathing, not with deep breathing.
Note: To reap maximum results:
Hey Dork,
You can only get as much in as you can push out. You have a very high threshold in your active-to-passive inhalation ratio. Here’s how to change it.
Start simple. Whenever you’re nervous and short of breath or holding it, STOP! Exhale completely through your nose, squeezing your abdominal muscles, pressing your organs up against your diapragm. Make sure all the air is out and you can even hold it out for a few seconds. Then, release the contraction slowly inhaling through the nose. Repeat it several times if you have to. You will feel an immediate release.
Do it right now!
siva
First of all find out the root cause of whats on the earth makes you that nervous to death (not living fully)?
Then kindly learn to appreciate, cherish every single breath you take until it lasts. (consciously or unconsciously)
Once your intelligence begin to burn constantly means you are being more aware of yourself then how can you be nervous at first place, if somehow something or someone got on your nerves, you will know how can you get rid of it with slow deep chest breathing. why chest breathing because heres the location of the lungs which are going to help you to pump the heart circulate your blood, so all the nerves which were making you nervous because of lack of oxygen, are going to be at ease.
If your condition is severe, then my friend you have to take some yoga classes on regular basis.
Abdominal breathing can also help to release your knot in belly.
With blood circulation issue stick to deep gentle lungs breathing.
If you are new to yoga practice, simply keep breathing without pausing your breath in or out.
don’t hesitate to ask any further question regarding this.
love & peace
[QUOTE=dorkboy;75842]Hello all - noobie here.
When I get nervous, I hold my breath. My throat gets really tight and no air gets in or out. This is causing problems with blood pressure, etc.
Can anyone recommend any breathing exercises or point me to a website, you tube video, book, etc?
Thanks in advance.[/QUOTE]
blessings dorkboy! haha
simply becoming conscious of your breath, feeling your nervousness, and just observing it without reacting to it is the easiest method… just allow it to be… all things must pass and this too shall pass… if you let it… try to make peace with it, not to fear it or resist it… if anything resist the urge to fix it… just observe and be aware of it… if you can hold a space of peace despite the reactions you are feeling it will dissolve of its own accord…
when you feel nervous, just feel it, don’t judge it… watch your breath… be calm… don’t judge it as right or wrong… good or bad… it will self-regulate if you don’t react… the body is very smart and it knows what to do if you let it…
that being said, it is not uncommon that people’s bodies can be conditioned and accustomed to things that are less than best… there are always upgrades to consider… and that anything is possible…
You might give a try to alternate nostril breathing… also known as nadi shodhana… abdominal breathing was mentioned here as well, that is also good, breathing by squeezing your belly in during exhale and pushing your belly out during inhale… this gives your lungs a complete breath, provides more oxygen to your body and brain and expels carbon dioxide…
there is a good book i recommend on my website (christianlocke.com) by Stig Severinsen called Breatheology - the art of conscious breathing. Stig is a champion freediver that can hold his breath for over 20 minutes and he has some great insight about breathing and yoga. There are also some free ebooks at (gutenberg.org) about breathing you can look up. I applaud you for taking initiative and desiring to help yourself by asking for the help of others.
I recommend you look deeply at what it is that makes you nervous, this short breathing is a symptom of that cause of nervousness and that nervousness is caused by something else in your core energetics… investigate it deeply and allow it to dissolve… try thinking of something that makes you nervous and feel where the sensation originates in your body, that is where your energy is blocked, just focus there, breathe into that point and send it love and light with your attention and ability to focus… just ‘really’ feel it and watch it dissolve… don’t view it as bad, just view it as it is… it will dissolve of its own accord and free that stuck energy which will then become available to you for the expansion of your consciousness. blessings…
There is some great advice above, I suffer from anxiety which I am treating with restorative yoga, meditation and somatic movement therapy so here is something that works for me.
Energy extraction breath: sit on the couch or chair with your bare feet touching the floor to ground yourself. Visualize some of that nervous energy flowing from your chest to your feet and in the ground. Inhale and when you exhale open your mouth wide towards the sky and push the air through your diaphragm and make a hissing noise while you expel the air. You will notice that all your ab muscles will tense and push out all the air from your lungs. Note, I am aware this sounds weird 
But it works for me to expel energy that I am holding in my body and especially my throat.
Hope this helps