What can I do when breathing techniques aren't working for me?

In this week's podcast we are responding to a listener question: "I have tried breathing techniques off and on now for over a year. Sad to say, I don't have the ability to slow my breathing down. However I know it must be possible because my breathing gets very shallow when I'm sleeping. I think my BP is like 80/40, just waking up. I am always a tense person. What can I do?"