Breathing Exercise To Help Anxiety Before A Pitch Or Audition

We prep. We plan. We come up with moments before, inner dialogue, the character's back history and emotional ties. We’re off book, the pitch deck is set, and then…wait, what!? Plot twist.

Something interesting happens the moment we step into the audition room, or the camera hits record. Any of our prep or scene work oftentimes goes out the window and fear sets in. Instead of letting anxiety get the best of the opportunity at hand, or what could happen in the future — which is the cause of anxiety, hint hint — keeping present in the moment and knowing we’ve already got this can be incredibly useful and various situations.

I believe an audition to be metaphorically like mini job interviews — you're just doing them over and over again, finding what’s the right fit. And, hopefully, learning how you can improve along the way as well. This breathing exercise I use helps to calm my mind. However, more than that, it's further calming my body. When we're presenting ourselves for acting or for whatever it is, when we come across from a place of not being at ease, I promise you, the other person can see it.

Breathing Exercise

Disclaimer: I taught yoga professionally for around 8 years living in both Boston and Miami prior to going back into production, content creation, and acting. I don’t believe in yoga or meditation “gurus” or masters, but I do believe this stuff has really helped me manage my anxiety in my life and can potentially help you too.

To begin: You do not need to be seated or cross-legged. You can even be standing for this too. Options to either close your eyes or keep them open with me. Take a deep breath in, and let all the air go. That probably already helped. Do it again: inhale, and then fully exhale, letting all of that go.

Continue counting to breathe: Inhale to the count of 4-3-2-1, and hold your breath here for 3-2-1. Exhale, 6-5-4-3-2-1.

Inhale, 4-3-2-1, Hold your breath at the top for four counts. Then exhale, 6-5-4-3-2-1.

Repeat, inhaling to four, hold for four, and exhale for six. It’s a soft, controlled breath, repeating for six rounds, or as long as you desire. I’ve gone as long as 5 minutes or more doing this exercise.

After, release the counted breathing and allow it to return back to natural, inhaling, and exhaling.

If you have time, observe how you feel now. Your mind was completely focused on your breathing. If you're not thinking of what will happen, you're feeling what is happening. Remember that as you go into this audition or interview.

BONUS TIP: Visualization

A bonus tip, visualize the audition or the event already happening in the best case scenario.

Athletes often do this, going through the actions in their minds, which helps to rewrite the neurological story that we’re telling ourselves in writing for the future.

Sounds Yogi trippy, but there’s actually science behind it. Give it a go, and break a leg!

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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