Five By Five Breathing To Calm Stress In Four Minutes

A simple, steady rhythm: five seconds in, five seconds out, breathing through the nose. This pace, roughly six breaths a minute, sits close to the resonance frequency of the cardiovascular system and reliably shifts the body toward calm by stimulating the vagus nerve, slowing the heart and lowering blood pressure. The predictable count gives a busy mind something to hold onto.

No complex patterns, no breath holds, nothing to get wrong. Use it before a difficult conversation, in the middle of a stressful afternoon, or on the commute home.

Note: Please do not to listen to this while driving.

Transcript

Welcome to this 5x5 practice. Begin by standing or sitting comfortably. Take a moment to feel your body's position. And if at any point during this practice you feel discomfort, Especially during the neck movements. Just reduce the range of motion. The goal here is more aliveness and awareness, But not strain. Okay, The first half of this practice involves taking five diaphragmatic breaths. And as we do this, Emphasize a deep inhale. And if you like, You can place your hands on either side of your ribcage, Imagining your ribcage is a cylinder expanding in all directions. Okay let's take our first breath in through the nose, Inhale 2, 3, 4, Briefly hold at the top, And exhale easily. And again, Inhale through the nose, Two, Three, Four, Hold at the top, Two, Three, And let it go. Again, Inhale, Two, Three, Four. Hold at the top, Two, Three. And let go. And again, Inhale, Two, Three, Four, Hold at the top, Two, Three, And release. And now last breath, Make this your biggest breath of the day. Inhale, Two, Three, Four, And hold, Three, Two, One, And let it go. And take a moment to reset here. And for the second half of the practice, We'll be exploring five neck rotations. So keeping your shoulders relaxed, Your spine tall. Please slowly turn your head to the left, Letting your eyes follow until they reach their comfortable limit. And just hold here with your neck rotated all the way to the left. And slowly returning to center. And then rotating around to the right, Your eyes following, Looking as far around to the right as you can. And back to center. And rotating again to the left. And this time focusing on keeping your shoulders still. Letting your eyes find the furthest point they can see. Return through to the center. And repeat on the right hand side. And as you turn to the right, You can imagine your neck lengthening. And coming back to the center. And again, Turning to the left. I is exploring the periphery. Through center. And to the right hand side. And back through center. And now this time left turning, Keeping the movement as smooth and controlled as possible. To center. And to the right hand side. Eyes active but relaxed. And now final rotation around to the left side. Gaze is soft. Back through center. Right hand side. And finally, Return to the center. And taking a final breath in. And letting it go. And just tuning in for a moment to notice how your body feels after this 5x5 practice. Okay, The practice is now complete.