Welcome to Day 5 of the Dopamine Rebalance Challenge here on Insight Timer.
Each day you'll practice one simple skill to reset your relationship with distraction and reward,
Retraining your brain for focus.
Let's jump in to today's session.
Hello,
And welcome back to the Dopamine Rebalance Challenge here on Insight Timer.
I'm Alice Bagley-Harrison,
And today we're practicing coherent breathing.
You'll breathe through your nose in a smooth,
Steady rhythm for five seconds in and five seconds out.
Dopamine is released not just when you get something,
But in anticipation of it,
So each small reward keeps you chasing the next.
Coherent breathing gently interrupts that cycle.
The slow,
Even rhythm activates your parasympathetic nervous system,
The branch responsible for rest and regulation.
As your heart,
Breath,
And nervous system move into sync,
Your body settles.
Dopamine signaling becomes more stable,
And the craving for quick hits naturally softens.
No need for willpower or discipline.
Simply using your breath to bring yourself back into balance.
Shall we begin?
Welcome.
Calm into a comfortable position and somewhere that you can be still for a few minutes.
Let your shoulders soften,
Unclench your jaw,
Let your face relax,
And begin by noticing your natural breath moving in and out through your nose.
Not trying to change anything,
Just noticing.
Now begin to slow your breath,
Breathing through your nose,
Low into the lungs,
Lightly and gently.
And let's move into our coherent rhythm now.
So wherever you are in your breathing cycle,
Take a slow breath in and a steady breath out.
And we begin.
Inhale 2 3 4 5 Exhale 2 3 4 5 Inhale 2 3 4 5 Exhale 2 3 4 5 Inhale 2 3 4 5 Exhale 2 3 4 5 Inhale 2 3 4 5 Exhale 2 3 4 5 Inhale 2 3 4 5 Exhale 2 3 4 5 Inhale 2 3 4 5 Exhale 2 3 4 5 Inhale 2 3 4 5 Exhale 2 3 4 5 Inhale 2 3 4 5 Exhale 2 3 4 5 And keep going now at that same steady rhythm on your own.
Keeping your breath nice and smooth,
Even and light.
If you find your mind wandering,
Just gently returning to the count of 5 in and 5 out.
Breathing low into your lungs,
Lightly and in a steady rhythm.
Just for a few more moments.
And now let go of controlling your breath and allow it to return to its natural rhythm.
And take a quiet moment just to notice any difference in your body and in your mind.
When your system comes back into balance,
That urge to chase stimulation naturally softens.
As your nervous system regulates,
Dopamine settles as well.
And you might notice a little more spaciousness and maybe a little less compulsion.
And remember that you can return to this anytime during your day.
So before checking your phone,
Before replying to something that feels really urgent.
Even one minute can shift your state.
Because when you steady your body,
The mind follows.
So great work today.
Thank you so much for joining me.
And enjoy the rest of the challenge.
