Help Relaxing Breathing During Meditation

[kieranperez]

Every time I'm sitting down to meditate for over a year now I still struggle to find a way to just relax my breathing and my chest. I'm (trying to) breath deep into my diaphragm but my breaths just get shorter and shorter until I can't breath relaxed nor deep at all. I try to not manipulate my breath and just stay aware but I keep keep finding it harder and harder to breath. This of course causes anxiety which makes it worse. It's not like I've been meditating for only a month or so. This has been going on for over a year now. This isn't related to anything physiological. I'm an elite track, cross country, middle/long distance runner that runs 60-85 miles per week with a 4:13 mile and am 6' tall and 135 pounds. So this isn't a health issue nor lack of fitness issue LOL. 

Has anyone had this issue and found a technique to resolve this? I've found some leads on this potentially being a result from such built up anxiety and strong neurosis.

Thanks!!

[How to be wise]

5 minutes ago, kieranperez said:

Every time I'm sitting down to meditate for over a year now I still struggle to find a way to just relax my breathing and my chest. I'm (trying to) breath deep into my diaphragm but my breaths just get shorter and shorter until I can't breath relaxed nor deep at all. I try to not manipulate my breath and just stay aware but I keep keep finding it harder and harder to breath. This of course causes anxiety which makes it worse. It's not like I've been meditating for only a month or so. This has been going on for over a year now. This isn't related to anything physiological. I'm an elite track, cross country, middle/long distance runner that runs 60-85 miles per week with a 4:13 mile and am 6' tall and 135 pounds. So this isn't a health issue nor lack of fitness issue LOL. 

Has anyone had this issue and found a technique to resolve this? I've found some leads on this potentially being a result from such built up anxiety and strong neurosis.

Thanks!!

I've faced a similar problem. To resolve it, just try concentrating on something else. When you stop focusing on your breathing, it'll become automatic.