A Micro Practice For Nervous System Regulation

Most people are surprised by how quickly the body begins to soften — often in just a few breaths. This 5-minute recording guides you through the Straw Breath, an evidence-backed simple micro-practice you can use anywhere to calm the nervous system and release tension. Once you’ve learnt it, the practice itself takes less than 60 secs. You’ll be guided to slow the exhale and let the breath move softly across the lips, sending a clear message of safety to the body. Use it when the jaw tightens, when the queue feels too long, when you catch yourself rushing or holding your breath. Each time you practise, you’re gently rewiring your system toward calm. Small moments of regulation, repeated often, become the quiet foundation of lasting change.

Transcript

So just taking a moment to settle,

Just noticing your breath,

No need to change anything,

We're just meeting it as it is.

And now gently bring one hand to your lower belly,

Just below the navel,

And just feel the quiet movement there,

The hand rising a little as you breathe in,

And falling as you breathe out.

So let the breath reach down into the belly if you can,

Don't worry if you can't,

Not everyone can straight away,

It does take a bit of practice sometimes.

But when you're ready,

Just begin to breathe in through your nose for a slow count of four,

So breathing in,

And then breathe out through softly pursed lips as though you're blowing through a straw,

Let the out breath be a little longer,

Perhaps a count of six.

So take that again,

So breath in through the nose,

And then a breath out slowly through pursed lips,

So let the out breath be a little longer,

Smooth,

Easy,

And unforced.

So inhaling through the nose,

Exhaling through the lips,

Long,

Slow,

And steady.

And you might simply say to yourself,

On the next out breath,

I am softening.

So just letting those words be a gentle invitation,

Each breath reminding your body that it's safe enough to release,

To let go,

To soften a little more.

If you notice the mind wandering or a thought saying,

Oh,

This is just too simple,

Just smile at that,

You know,

The nervous system learns through repetition,

Not through complicated intensity.

So these three or four rounds of breath are already enough.

As you breathe in through the nose,

Just feeling the hand rise on the belly,

And then breathing out long and slow across the lips.

And as you breathe out,

Just inviting that softening,

I am softening.

And you can pause and just notice any subtle shifts,

Just maybe a sense of just a quiet warmth spreading through the body.

You can return to this straw breath anytime,

Anywhere,

While waiting for the kettle,

A red light in the car,

Before opening an email,

Or after opening an email.

The last thing you do before you fall off to sleep.

So what I call micro practices,

Just a few seconds of regulation.

But if we can build that into the day,

Four or five times,

If you can,

Set a reminder,

You know,

Think about those anchors,

Those times in the day that remind you.

And each time you do,

You're reminding the body what calm feels like,

Not how you need to think yourself calm,

But what your body actually feels like when we start to soften.

Just taking one last breath in through the nose,

And that long breath out through the lips.

Just let your body rest in that space between effort and ease.

Be well.