3 Stress-Busting Breathers to kickstart a mindful habit

Focus and calm can be found quickly 😌

And our breath provides powerful ways to de-stress. But to make this a sustainable habit? It requires 1 vital ingredient.

Your mindful attention.

And investing this 👆 more often to enjoy:

 - Less stress reactivity 

 - Deeper mind and body calm 

 - Regulated mood and emotions 

 - Sharper focus and cognitive function

Because most of us can breathe. And counts our breaths!

But coming back each day 🤔 

With patience and trust when it’s tough?
Without judgement when we forget?

This needs mindful attention.

“Great but how do I get started?”

With these…

“3 Stress-Busting Breathers”

 

1️⃣  Box Breathing 


It has roots in ancient yogic practices and was made popular by the work of Dr Andrew Weil and used by the US Navy Seals.

A reliable shortcut to calm, stress relief and sharper focus.


How does it work?

- It activates your “rest and digest” response, calming the nervous system and easing amygdala reactivity, meaning you’ll be able respond mindfully in difficult moments.

- It increases activation of your pre-frontal cortex - your ‘executive function’ meaning you can focus without distraction on the tasks in front of you.



2️⃣  4-7-8 Breathing 



It’s based on principles of controlled breathing (Pranayama) and popularised by Dr Andrew Weil. 

The increased vagus nerve stimulation is like a an urgent “Calm Needed Now” DM to the brain, kickstarting a rest and digest response:

 - Lowering heart rate

 - Easing stress and anxiety 

 - Promoting calm and wellbeing. 



3️⃣  6 Second Breathing



Known as "Coherent breathing" it’s a controlled breathing practice brought to modern popularity by the author Stephen Elliot and Dr. Richard Gevirtz (a pioneer in the field of biofeedback and heart rate variability research).



The 6-second rhythm promotes heart rate coherence, and optimal autonomic nervous system functioning, increasing:

Calm +

Balance +

Mood regulation + 



The ‘coherent’ part?

It’s a rhythm that promotes heart rate coherence, a state of balanced “Heart rate variability (HRV)” and optimal functioning in the autonomic nervous system.  6 seconds is the sweet spot.

And HRV? It’s a measure of the variation in time between heartbeats. The higher our HRV, the more flexible and responsive our autonomic nervous system.



Waves of transformation

Waves of Transformation

To learn many more mindful ways to live and manage stress, get your free guided courses and resources here.

All the best,

Derek

Waking Waves
📧 hello@wakingwaves.com
☎️ book call to discuss courses or coaching

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The Mindfulness Map

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