Nervous System Reset: 5-Minute Breath & Grounding Practice

If your mind feels overstimulated or your body feels tense, this short practice is designed to help you slow down and return to a sense of safety and stability. In this 5-minute guided session, we use gentle breathing and grounding awareness to support the body’s natural ability to settle. The focus is on simplicity, rhythm, and presence — nothing to force, nothing to fix.

This practice is especially helpful when you feel:
- overwhelmed or overstimulated
- mentally busy or scattered
- tense in the body
- disconnected from yourself

You’ll be guided through:
- slow, calming breath cues
- grounding awareness in the body
- gentle release of tension
- a quiet integration phase to rest and reset

There’s no need to concentrate hard or “do it right.”
Simply listen, breathe, and allow your system to slow down.

You can return to this practice anytime you need a reset during the day.

Transcript

Take a moment to settle where you are.

If your mind feels busy or your body feels tense,

This short practice will help your nervous system slow down and reset.

You don't need to do anything perfectly.

Just stay with my voice and let your body do the rest.

We'll begin with the breath.

Gently inhale through your nose for 4,

3,

2,

1.

And exhale slowly through the mouth for 6,

5,

4,

3,

2,

1.

Good.

Again,

Inhale through the nose for 4,

And exhale through the mouth for 6.

With every longer exhale,

You send a signal of safety to your body.

Let's do this two more times.

Inhale,

Exhale longer and softer.

Now gently bring your attention into your body.

Notice the points of contact,

Your feet touching the floor,

Your legs supported,

Your back,

Your hands.

You don't need to relax anything yet.

Just notice.

If the mind wanders,

That's okay.

Each time,

Gently return to the body.

Imagine the surface beneath you becoming solid and supportive.

Feel gravity holding you,

Nothing to hold up,

Nothing to control.

As you breathe out,

Imagine any excess tension slowly draining down,

Out of the body,

Into the ground below.

The ground can carry it.

Your nervous system responds to rhythm and repetition,

So we stay slow,

Simple,

Steady.

Bring awareness to the jaw.

If it's clenched,

Let it soften.

The shoulders,

Allow them to drop just a little.

The belly,

Let it be soft as you breathe.

Nothing forced,

Just permission.

With each exhale,

Your body remembers how to settle.

Now simply rest.

No technique,

No effort,

Just breathing and being supported.

If thoughts appear,

Let them pass like distant sounds.

You don't need to follow them.

Your body knows how to regulate itself when you stop interfering.

Gently notice how your body feels now,

Compared to a few minutes ago.

Even a small shift counts.

This calm state is something you can return to any time during the day.

With one slow breath and attention in the body,

Before you open your eyes,

Take one final slow inhale,

And a long,

Easy exhale.

If this practice helped,

Consider saving it and returning to it whenever your system feels overwhelmed.

Take your time coming back.