Deep breathing is a great way to trigger your body's relaxation response, but it can take practice to do effectively. Try putting one hand on your chest and the other hand on your stomach and take a deep breath. Which hand rises when you breathe in? Most people find that the hand on their chest rises. Chest breathing is not the best way to relax. To deep breathe for relaxation, breathe so that the hand on your stomach rises and falls with each breath. This is also known as belly-breathing or diaphragmatic breathing.