A Quick Trick To Reduce Stress

Breathing exercises are easily overlooked on the day to day, but they are really beneficial for resetting the nervous system to reduce stress and anxiety.

My rule of thumb is 5 - 5 - 5. Here’s how it works:

Close your eyes and find stillness in the body…

Take a 5-second deep inhale into the belly (we call it the dantian in TCM), imagining the breath as a ball of energy traveling downwards to the belly.

Then release with a 5-second exhale out, imagining that ball of energy traveling out the extremities to the fingers & toes, even to the crown of the head and out the mouth. You can even let it out in a ‘shhhhh’ sound as you exhale.

Repeat 5 cycles.

One option to help you connect to the breath is to place one hand on the belly and one on the chest while doing this exercise.

Practicing this deep restorative breathing exercise with focused attention in the body promotes healing energy to move through stressors during the day. We can all stop to expand and listen to our bodies just a little bit more to reduce anxiety. It’s quick and easy, and a fresh start to your day!

Give it a try and let me know what you think.