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Humans are always looking for better ways to relieve stress. Medications may work, but they have side effects. Many people seek alternative solutions, such as EFT tapping. EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques, and users say that this simple technique helps them feel better quickly.

EFT tapping has roots in the 1970s when several doctors began stimulating acupressure points to help their patients deal with stress, fear, and phobias. One of them, patented by Dr. Roger Callahan, is called Thought Field Therapy. Later Gary Craig simplified the process and made it available to the public under the EFT name.

Studies show that EFT tapping can improve psychological disorders. Further research is needed to compare EFT techniques with standard treatments such as talk therapy.

Most EFT studies rely on feedback from participants, but at least one study found that EFT tapping had measurable results on the body. Participants had lower heart rates and blood pressure after tapping. They also had lower levels of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress.

Some say that improvement in symptoms could be because of a placebo effect. When subjects want to believe that a certain treatment will work, their feedback may not be reliable. Another possibility is that EFT tapping works because of other techniques embedded in the process, such as a special way of breathing.

Some researchers have tested the effectiveness of tapping by setting up "sham" studies in which subjects performed tasks similar to but not identical to EFT tapping. One analysis of these studies supported the effectiveness of EFT by showing that sham actions were not as effective as EFT tapping.

Tapping has been used to treat a variety of psychological conditions, including:

‌Depression. One survey of 20 studies found that EFT techniques reduced symptoms of depression just as well as conventional treatments. The improvement in symptoms lasted over time. ‌

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): An analysis of seven studies showed that a series of EFT sessions is effective for a variety of populations with PTSD. No adverse effects occurred, and EFT techniques were effective both as a primary treatment and as a self-help technique.

Phobias. Fewer studies address the use of EFT tapping to treat phobias. One study used EFT techniques on subjects who had small animal phobias. Phobias improved after a single session.

As a self-help strategy, EFT tapping has advantages over more conventional treatment. It is:

Painless

Inexpensive

Easy to do

Less time-consuming than other types of therapy

In addition, many who use EFT tapping like being in control of their treatment.

Disciplines such as yoga, massage, tai chi, and acupuncture rely on a body-mind connection, and evidence shows that these interventions can relieve stress, depression, anxiety, and other psychological disorders. EFT tapping falls into the category of body-centered therapies.

Tapping draws on the ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture, which teaches that the body's energy travels along specific pathways. Certain points on these pathways are stimulated to improve the flow of energy. The stimulation is done by inserting very thin needles (acupuncture) or by applying pressure ( acupressure).

Studies show that acupuncture is effective for some conditions. Some scientists believe that it works because it stimulates the central nervous system and causes the body to release helpful chemicals. EFT tapping stimulates acupoints by touch rather than by the use of needles, making it similar to acupressure.

If you want to use EFT tapping, you can perform your own tapping sequences or you can work with a practitioner. EFT tapping is easy to use as a self-help technique because you can do it any time you feel the need. A practitioner can provide in-depth help if needed.

EFT tapping sessions follow a set sequence:

Begin by stating what is on your mind and rating your distress on a scale of 0 to 10

Speak your "set-up statement," which identifies the issue and includes a statement of self-acceptance

Begin the tapping sequence, using your fingers to tap on the specified sites

As you tap, use a reminder phrase to stay focused on your problem area

At the end of the sequence, rate your distress

Continue the process until your distress rating is very low

Tapping procedures can differ slightly, but most use these locations: the heel of the hand, three locations around the eye, the area below the nose, the area below the lips, the collarbone, the underarm, and the top of the head. From seven to nine taps are delivered on each spot.

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Learn about EFT tapping, how to do it, and whether it helps with depression, phobias, and PTSD.

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Your breath brings oxygen into your body so that you can thrive. When you are physically or emotionally stressed, it affects how you breathe. Breathwork helps to calm your stress and bring balance to your body. So, how does it work, and what are breathwork techniques?

Breath of fire. This is a more advanced technique. When you inhale, your abdominal muscles are relaxed. When you exhale, engage your core to help push the air out of your body. This breathing technique may take some practice. Once achieved, it helps to provide a sense of steadiness.

Holotropic breathwork. It's best to have an experienced instructor help you practice this technique. The idea is to achieve a continuous inhale and exhale pattern with no pause in between. This type of breathing floods your body with oxygen and renews your cells.

Pros of Breathwork

It's easy to become overwhelmed by stress and feel out of control. When you focus on breathing, you allow your body the chance to reset and recover from the negative side effects of stress.

Physical health benefits of breathwork may include:

Balanced blood pressure

More time in deep sleep

Reduction of PTSD and feelings of trauma

Stronger respiratory function

Better immune system

Release of stress hormones from your body

Emotional benefits may include:

Fewer feelings of depression and anxiety

Better mental focus

Decrease in addictive behaviors

Allowing emotional scars to heal

Better outlook on life

Contentment and joy

Cons of Breathwork

Hyperventilation. If you're new to breathwork, more challenging techniques may lead to hyperventilating. This is dangerous because you may also experience:

Dizziness

Tingling in your hands, arms, feet, or legs

Irregular heartbeat

Muscle spasms

Change in vision from lack of oxygen

Ringing in your ears

In rare cases, lack of oxygen to your brain may cause permanent damage.

Effectiveness. Breathwork requires focus, so it can take time to develop your ability to concentrate on the techniques. If you're distracted during a breathwork session by noise and happenings around you, breathwork may not be as effective.

Understanding Breathwork

Breathwork is trendy right now, but it's not new. People have been practicing breathwork for thousands of years, and it has roots in yoga practice. The basic idea of breathwork is to release toxins and stress when you breathe out and nourish your mind and body when you breathe in.

Benefits of breathwork. Research on breathwork is promising. Potential health benefits of breathwork include:

Alkalizing your blood PH

Anti-inflammatory effect

Elevating your mood

‌Breathwork may also have a positive impact on your central nervous system. When you feel stressed, your breath tends to become fast and shallow. This limits the oxygen entering your bloodstream. Your brain tells your body that there is a threat, and your body responds in fight or flight.

When you take time to slow down and purposefully breathe deeply and slowly, you tell your brain that everything is OK. Your brain communicates to your body that it's safe to relax. The fight or flight response decreases, and your body can begin to function normally again.

Breathwork Techniques

Deep abdominal breathing. This technique uses a long, deep breath. As you breathe, you can visualize your breath filling up your body. Your belly and chest should both expand when you inhale. When you exhale, your chest relaxes, and your navel pulls back in toward your spine. This type of deep breathing tells your body to relax.

4-7-8 breath. This technique adds in counting beats as you breathe in and out as a way to quiet and focus your mind. Breathe in for four beats, hold your breath for seven beats, and then exhale for eight beats. A longer exhale encourages you to completely empty your lungs.

Alternate nostril breathing. Start with your right thumb applying pressure to your right nostril. Breathe in using only your left nostril and hold your breath as you switch sides. Release your right thumb and use your right index finger to apply pressure to the left nostril as you exhale through the right nostril. Pause, take another deep breath in, and then alternate again. This type of breathing technique helps encourage balance in your mind and body.

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Your breath brings oxygen into your body so that you can thrive. When you are physically or emotionally stressed, it affects how you breathe. Breathwork helps to calm your stress and bring balance to your body. So, how does it work, and what are breathwork techniques? Breath of fire.

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An insightful guide into mindfulness and finding peace in every moment, emphasizing the importance of presence in achieving emotional wellness.

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A transformative book that explores the concept of living in the now to reduce stress, enhance emotional wellness, and foster a peaceful existence.

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A ground-breaking book combining mindfulness and science, providing practical advice for integrating mindfulness into daily life to manage stress and promote well-being.

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An exploration of how the brain, mind, and body interact with relationships to affect our health and happiness, offering insights into cultivating mental and physical health.

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A pioneering book examining the impact of trauma on the body and mind, providing evidence-based strategies for healing and resilience.

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A comprehensive manual offering techniques for dealing with stress, anxiety, and depression by harnessing the power of the mind-body connection.

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A compelling exploration of vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and belonging, aiming to foster healthier, more meaningful connections with others.

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How To: Stop Being Emotionally Reactive With These Tips

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How To: Stop Being Emotionally Reactive With These Tips

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How To Stop Being So Emotionally Reactive - The Awareness Centre

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Are your interpersonal relationships difficult because you can be touchy and take things personally? We share our tips on being less emotionally reactive.

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Overcoming Emotional Reactivity and Building Emotional Stability

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Overcoming Emotional Reactivity and Building Emotional Stability

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Updated June 18, 2021

Every human being experiences emotions. For the most part, we can handle them reasonably well. For some, however, control may seem impossible. They may lash out at others or explode when something angers or upsets them. As you can imagine, this may make personal and intimate relationships challenging to maintain. To lead a better quality of life, we must learn to regulate our emotions and improve our relationship with them. With the right help, you can learn how to better control your emotions and avoid exploding.

To help you get started, here is a guide on how to overcome emotional reactivity and build emotional stability.
What Is Emotional Reactivity?
If you are emotionally reactive in situations that spark anger or other emotions that have a negative impact on you, you will already know what this problem looks like. However, some people may believe that they are acting reasonably or defending themselves against someone. To truly see this behavior for what it is, we have to see it from the outside.

Let's imagine that you are in a relationship. Your partner is upset about something that you have done or said. In an instant, you are already fuming. You begin yelling at your partner and defending yourself with things that they may have said or done in the past. At this point, the fight is either going to continue until an apology is made or someone walks away.

The above is just an example that you may see in all areas of your life. For those who know how to regulate their emotions, they will accept the criticism, try to understand the other person's point of view, and process the feelings that they may be feeling as a result. However, those who are emotionally reactive will immediately be triggered by things that upset them. This will cause them to overreact and cause more harm than good.

To continue with this behavior can make it hard to form and maintain close relationships. This can then exacerbate the negative emotions that you may be currently experiencing. The key to creating change begins with altering your current behavior so that you can act more appropriately in the future. But how can you get started?
6 Tips For Overcoming Emotional Reactivity And Controlling Your Emotions

Walk Away From Situations That Challenge You Before You Have An Opportunity to React

If you know that you are prone to emotional reactions, walking away from a situation before it has a chance to spark a reaction is one method to use to avoid exploding. Although this may not be a realistic solution for every situation, it gives you a chance to calm down before you can react. During this breakaway period, you can focus on your thoughts, take a moment to work through the feelings and return to the situation with a better response. It will take some time to develop this skill. But once you have it down, you have a better way to regulate your emotions before they are expressed in a more harmful manner.

Find Relaxation Exercises That Can Help You Calm Down When You Feel Like Reacting

Taking time to slow down when you are ready to react can help you collect your thoughts and cool down. For example, if someone says something to you that makes you angry, choosing to engage in a deep breathing exercise to calm yourself down can be a useful tool. Deep breathing is not the only exercise available, but it can be a great place to start. Whatever serves to make you feel more relaxed when you are feeling especially reactive, use it to your advantage.

Cultivate A Greater Awareness Around Your Thoughts To Improve Emotion Regulation

When we are used to reacting, we don't often take the time to understand how we go from listening to react. For example, if someone says something to you, the next step may be to respond in the best way your know-how. However, reacting doesn't have to be the response. Instead, listen to your thoughts when you feel like you will overreact to something. Ask yourself questions as you feel these unpleasant emotions. Why does it bother you? What are the consequences of reacting to the thing that is bothering you? Is there a better way to respond? Learning how your thoughts contribute to your action is the first step in creating change.

One great way to start seeing your thoughts is by journaling. After you react, write down the situation and your reaction. Then, evaluate the situation and figure out how you may have responded better at the moment. You may also want to engage in exercises like mindfulness meditation. This can help you learn how to let thoughts pass as they come and see thoughts objectively. The more you do understand your thoughts, the better suited you will be to change them once they start turning into a reaction.

Learn More About Your Triggers And How You Can Overcome Them

Certain things can trigger us and cause a reaction. For example, let's continue with the example from earlier in the article. Let's imagine that your partner says something to you about your appearance. While your partner didn't intend to offend you, you immediately react in response and become agitated. The problem here isn't necessarily what they've said but how you've reacted to it. In this situation, the trigger may be that you're insecure about your appearance.

Now that you are more aware that this is an issue for you, you can begin working on that problem so that it doesn't cause a reaction. Then, when someone says something, you can accept it and work through it rather than reacting. Understanding what triggers us and how to respond appropriately can yield better results for everyone.

An easy way to get started on learning your triggers is to keep a diary. Making a note of the incident, your thoughts, feelings, and actions in response. Maintaining this takes a few minutes a day and can help you identify patterns. Also, if you choose to pursue therapy to help this issue, presenting this to your therapist can give you both some insight! The note application on your cell phone can be a wonderful tool for making this happen.

Don't Make Assumptions About What Other People May Mean

Another excellent lesson to take away from the above example is to not make assumptions. Many of us are prone to misinterpreting what others have to say. When we make assumptions, we can respond the wrong way, which can make it harder for others to communicate with us. The key to effective communication is to learn why others say what they do. When someone says something that causes you to feel hurt or angry, take the time to figure out why they said it. Chances are that they are simply trying to remedy a problem or bring your awareness to something. However, when we become emotionally reactive, it can shut them down and make it harder to communicate in the future. Listen, process, and then respond. When you do this, you may learn that there are a lot of encounters that do not warrant anger.

Look For Healthy Ways To Release Your Emotions

A lot of people believe that the key to getting rid of anger is by suppressing and ignoring it. Unfortunately, anger doesn't go away. Instead, those emotions will remain bottled up until there is no more room to store them. Then, you may end up reacting again! Instead, find ways to cope with your anger and let it out. Some ways that you can do this include:

Working out or engaging in any other physical exercise that can help you release this energy and emotion

Screaming into a pillow

Writing down your emotions into a journal so that they are allowed to be let out

Crushing ice cubes or other items (but make sure that you are not being destructive and destroying things that you need)

Hitting a punching bag

Of course, you can also find ways to deal with anger that may distract you from the emotion and improve your mood as well. For example, doing things like creating art, engaging in a favorite hobby, or dancing around are great ways to process anger as well.

Remember, if you have emotional reactions, the idea isn't to suppress your emotions. Instead, you should be focused on learning more about your emotions, how to process them, and what you can do to avoid outbursts in the future. That said, doing this on your own isn't always easy. Sometimes, everyone needs a little help.
Getting Started With The Right Help
Although we would like to solve issues like emotional reactivity on our own, we could all use a little guidance. This is especially true if this is your first time seeking out ways to improve your reactions to things around you. The good news is that there are resources out that can help you. Mental health professionals can help you learn more about your emotions, your current behaviors, and what you can do to build better habits and cope with your emotions.

For some, finding help may be as simple as looking for therapists near you. For others, however, problems like time constraints or few local resources can get in the way. This is where online counseling platforms offer solutions.

For example, BetterHelp is an online counseling resource that makes it easier to get in touch with a licensed therapist, from the comfort and privacy of your own home.

Emotional reactivity can cause many issues in life. However, you do not have to let your emotions rule you. Instead, use the tips provided above to learn more about why you react and how you can start managing your emotions. Over time and with patience, you will be able to handle emotional reactions, without them interfering with daily life.

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How To Overcome Emotional Reactivity And Build Emotional Stability | Betterhelp

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Updated June 18, 2021 Every human being experiences emotions. For the most part, we can handle them reasonably well. For some, however, control may seem impossible. They may lash out at others or explode when something angers or upsets them. As you can imagine, this may make personal and intimate relationships challenging to maintain.

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12 Tips: Being Less Reactive and More Intentional in the Workplace

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12 Tips: Being Less Reactive and More Intentional in the Workplace

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It's easy to misinterpret what other people say and do, but this can lead to internal conflicts. A team that spends a lot of time dealing with misunderstandings loses valuable time devoted to being productive.

Correcting a misunderstanding is much harder than learning to think before acting. When in control of your reactions, you can better evaluate current situations, see better solutions, and establish rapport with other employees. Here, members of Forbes Coaches Council offer ideas on how to get started:
1. Come From Curiosity, Not Conclusion
If you want to be more intentional in your response, slow your thinking down. Instead of drawing conclusions, ask questions to assess the accuracy of your conclusion. When you check your assumptions, stay open to being wrong, and assume positive intent about the other person, your interactions will take an entirely different turn. - Michelle Tillis Lederman, Executive Essentials
2. Get Back Into Your Body
You hear this all the time, and for good reason: Breathe. Plant your feet on the floor. Uncross your arms. Sit back in your chair. Consciously choose to relax your shoulders and your belly. Slow yourself down, way down. This deceptively simple technique reverses the domino effect that emotional triggers have on your body. Get back into your skin first and respond from there. - Wendy Pitts Reeves, C2C Consulting, PLLC
3. Take An Adult Time Out
Moving from reactive to proactive begins with self-awareness. Recognize the problem and identify your triggers. Second create a plan for self-management. What are my triggers?

1. Certain people or situations.

2. Am I tired, stressed or feel insecure?

What do I feel inside?

1. Rapid heart beat.

2. Tension.

3. Fear, anger.

Shifting Response

1. What is my preferred response? Focus here.

2. Count to 30 before responding or hitting send.
4. Label Your Feelings
Your amygdala is working overtime. You feel controlled by your impulses; you don't like it. You are not the only one who notices, and it impacts others. Stop the action, breathe and label your feelings "anger," "fear," "resentment," whatever they are. That simple step of using the gift of language will help you reclaim the power to choose how you want to act and what you want to say. - Beth J. Masterman, Masterman Executive Coaching
5. Make The Other Person Right
Find what's right in what they just said. When I gave an employee performance feedback, I asked what he thought about it. He said, "I think you think I'm an idiot." I thanked him for being so forthright. I shared that I gave him feedback because I wanted him to succeed. Finding the "right" thing puts you both in another mindset. Thanking them first gives you time to pull your thoughts together. - Mary Schaefer, Artemis Path, Inc.
6. Don't Take Things So Personally
High reactivity often comes from elevated personal investment. In other words, when we take things personally. That's a state of amygdala-hijack. First, breathe. Reclaim the brain. Second, shift perspective. People are usually clear on what they want from another person. When we are clear what we want for the other person, it allows us to take things less personally and be more deliberate. - David Taylor-Klaus, DTK Coaching
7. Learn How To Pause And Seek Clarity
This requires that you take some time prior to answering someone or stating your opinion. One of the most effective techniques is taking that simple pause: 10 seconds to inhale and exhale in lieu of blurting out the first thing that comes to mind. Consider asking a question to clarify what you've heard instead of giving an answer. It can save you from a bad assumption. - Cha Tekeli, Chalamode, Inc.
8. Understand How You Think And Learn To Reframe
Ask yourself why you're reacting the way you are. It often has to do with a value or belief of yours that has been violated. This causes you to have a judgment, which causes a behavior. Understand that colleagues don't always know they've violated your core belief. Practice reframing why a colleague has behaved a certain way. See things from their eyes. Even if you're wrong, it will calm you down. - Robyn Hatcher, SpeakEtc.
9. Practice Mindfulness
It is extremely important to remain aware of your feelings in order to communicate better and preclude reactionary expressions in the workplace. Remember, there is a time and a place for everything. What you say today can hurt you tomorrow. Practicing mindfulness can reduce stress, improve your overall mental health, diminish explosive emotional outbursts, and can lead to greater cohesiveness. - Wendi Weiner, JD, NCRW, CPRW, CCTC, CCM, The Writing Guru
10. Think And Edit, Then Speak
Think, edit and then speak. Stop and ask yourself, "Is what I am about to say going to move the conversation forward for me, for them, and for the partnership?" If the answer is no to any of these pieces, then it's time to take a deep breath and come back to it when the answer is a resounding yes. - Tara Padua, TeamPossible
11. Write The Response First
If you have the opportunity to put pen to paper, jot down your immediate feelings, emotions and reactions. This is your instinctive response to the situation at hand, which can sometimes be more emotional than rational. By writing out your initial response, you afford yourself time and space to reflect and reconsider all sides to what you should say before you actually say it. - Dave Ursillo, The Literati Writers
12. Ask More Questions
A lot of the time, we are reactionary because we are making assumptions. Perception check with people you are communicating with to ensure the message sent is the message received. Ask about people's reasoning or thinking rather than jumping to telling them what they did wrong. And listen: The power of listening is often the best communication tool. - Christine Hassler, Christine Hassler, Inc

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Council Post: 12 Techniques For Being Less Reactive And More Intentional With Workplace Communication

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It's easy to misinterpret what other people say and do, but this can lead to internal conflicts.

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Reducing Reactivity- Recognize Your Trigger Points

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Reducing Reactivity- Recognize Your Trigger Points

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Reactivity or Responsiveness

Want to explode? Everyone annoying you? Traffic? Challenging work emails? Irritating comments? Is any of it within your control?

Things are not going your way and everyone seems in the way! We have all had days like this. We have little control of what others say or do. Influence maybe, but losing our temper can aggravate a situation. Anger can be appropriate or even necessary but how can we manage and harness this emotion to provide a more productive outcome?

The first step is, recognising the feeling/emotion . Stopping and checking in with oneself only takes a few seconds. Anger is an unpleasant sensation and we try to rid ourselves of uncomfortable feelings. Can you imagine a child throwing food or toys around? Hopefully the office furniture is not being thrown around but throwing a sharp comment or an email could cause hurt or offence. Knee-jerk reactions cause resentment, affect communication and break down connection in a team which impairs the overall organisation.

Recognising and allowing emotions paves the way to investigate further what is arising in the moment. Perhaps there is a misconception, perhaps tiredness or pressure is recognised. Only when we recognise exactly what is going on can we offer understanding and comfort to oneself. This practice reduces physiological arousal and studies show that the pre-frontal cortex is more effective when we calm the emotional part of the brain. The challenge can be approached, understood and more likely to be resolved as we return to a more rational state of being.

1. Pause - simply stop

2. Take a breath if that helps or feel your feet firmly on the ground

3. Allow and acknowledge the emotion present. Notice any thoughts that come with it. Are they negative? Perhaps exacerbating the situation?

4. It's ok to feel annoyed or angry but you might discover another emotion hiding behind that 'big' feeling of anger. Disappointment? Let down? Discouraged? Pressured? Feel around for it and become gentle and comfortable with whatever you notice.

5. Just allowing the emotions present is in itself a form of kindness. There is an easing of the tension, fear and anger here and as everything calms down you notice that a clearer focus returns. This is a much better time to now respond to the situation.

Once the limbic region of the brain has eased and the pre-frontal cortex is enjoying clarity we can, " respond effectively ". We can be considered, reflective and more likely to solve the issue. We can work together in a more emphatic and collaborative way to find resolution.

Do you remember a time when you lost your temper? Did it help the situation? Think of a time that you managed to stay calm and focused on the outcome. Did a solution come from this way of addressing the challenge?

Recognition and investigation of our emotions supports good emotional intelligence and empathetic conversations vital to effective, collaborative work

At iMind Training we spend time learning how to explore some of our difficult experiences within a calm and supportive mindful practice. Practicing is key to bring a calm and patient resilience into everyday situations. Begin trying it out in simple situations, such as a queue that seems to be going nowhere and then with stronger triggers in your life, such as that bossy colleague in the office.

Practice pausing and noticing how you are at intervals during the day. Neuroscientists' studies show that the amygdala actually shrinks with a daily meditation practice. Yes! That's the part that grows when we feel fear. Shrink that almond shaped part of the brain down and watch your reactivity decrease. This will support your ability to stay calm when you encounter more stressful situations in life.

Each time you do this it strengthens your capacity to face more challenging scenarios with equanimity and resilience. It reveals how you are relating to your experiences and challenges in life and how you may discover a different way, one that is more skilful at improving relationships, reducing stress and increasing a present moment focus.

Simple, essential practices in life.

Donna has been teaching yoga and mindfulness for 20 years. She is certified in the world renowned training, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and postgraduate research in Mindfulness with University College Cork.

You can contact Donna at info@imindtraining.com for mindfulness training in reducing reactivity to become responsive and resilient to challenges and increasing focus and attention through talks, practices and inquiry.

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Your Trigger Points - Reduce Reactivity To Manage Stress/Anger and to Respond Mindfully & Skilfully to Challenging Situations

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Reactivity or Responsiveness Want to explode? Everyone annoying you? Traffic? Challenging work emails? Irritating comments? Is any of it within your control? Things are not going your way and everyone seems in the way! We have all had days like this. We have little control of what others say or do.

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All of us encounter experiences in life when we may be temporally overwhelmed by a negative emotion, be it anger, pressure, nervousness, despair, or confusion. In these situations, how we choose to "master the moment" can make the difference between proactive versus reactive, confident versus insecurity, and success versus failure.

Below are ten ways to be less reactive in difficult situations, with excerpts from my book (click on title): " How to Let Go of Negative Thoughts and Emotions ". What all of these tips have in common is that they introduce a positive interruption to a negative mental or emotional state. These mindful interjections, however brief or long, provide a psychological opening from which you can recalibrate and choose more empowering action. Not all of these tips may apply to your particular situation. Simply use what works and discard the rest.

1. If you feel angry and upset with someone, before you say or do something you might later regret, take a deep breath and count slowly to ten. In most circumstances, by the time you reach ten, you would have figured out a better way of communicating the issue, so that you can reduce, instead of escalate the problem. If you're still upset after counting to ten, take a time out if possible, and revisit the issue after you calm down.

2. When you feel adversely about someone's behavior towards you, avoid jumping to a negative conclusion right away. Instead, come up with multiple ways of viewing the situation before reacting. For example, I may be tempted to think my friend didn't return my call because she's ignoring me, or I can consider the possibility that she's been very busy. When we avoid personalizing other people's behaviors, we can view their expressions more objectively, and reduce the possibility of misunderstanding (1).

3. If you're dealing with a difficult individual, try to put yourself in the challenging person's shoes, even for just a moment, and complete the sentence: "It must not be easy..." For example:

"My child is being so resistant. It must not be easy to deal with his school and social pressures..."

"My supervisor is really demanding. It must not be easy to have such high expectations placed on her performance by upper- management ..."

To be sure, empathetic statements do not excuse unacceptable behavior. The point is to remind yourself that people do what they do because of their own issues. As long as we're being reasonable and considerate, difficult behaviors from others say a lot more about them than they do about us.

For more tips on how to deal with difficult people, see my books " How to Communicate Effectively and Handle Difficult People", and " How to Successfully Handle Passive-Aggressive People ".

4. When someone's pressuring you to make a decision you're not sure about, simply buy time and say: "I'll think about it." This phrase can instantly lift the psychological pressure, and put you in greater control of the situation. Whether it's an acquaintance asking for a favor, a romantic interest pursuing a date, or intense sales pressure, take the time you need to evaluate the pros and cons of the situation, and consider whether you want to negotiate a different arrangement, or if you're better off by saying "no."

5. If you feel nervous and anxious, put cold water on your face, which triggers the mammalian diving reflex and immediately slows the heart rate between ten to twenty-five percent. It's also helpful to get fresh air and take deep breaths from the diaphragm. (2)(3).

6. When you feel under stress, have a hot cup of decaffeinated green tea. Research shows that green tea contains the amino acid theanine, which helps reduce stress. Holding the warm beverage cup in your hand can elevate your mood as well. Avoid caffeinated beverages which can stimulate your nervousness (4)(5).

7. If you feel fearful or discouraged, try intense aerobic exercises. Energize yourself. The way we use our body affects greatly how we feel. As the saying goes - motion dictates emotion. As you experience the vitality of your body, your confidence will also grow (6)(7).

8. When you find yourself obsessing in a way you know it's not good for you, whether it's oversensitivity, unnecessary anxiety, or unhealthy rumination, use a technique developed by psychologist Eric Maisel and say to yourself: "I'm not tripping over this!" Distract yourself with constructive activities to avoid being stuck. Ask for feedback from trusted peers and credible advisors to maintain objectivity (8).

9. If you feel overwhelmed, confused, or uninspired, go into nature and surround yourself in colors of green and blue, which have a calming effect (9)(10). Find a panoramic view and look out into the distance. Walk. Take deep breaths. Immerse yourself in nature's splendor. Come back with a fresh perspective and new inspiration.

10. When you go through setbacks and failures, ask: "What is the lesson here?" "How can I learn from this experience?" "What is most important now?" and "If I think outside the box, what are some better answers?" The higher the quality of questions we ask, the better the quality of answers we will receive. Ask constructive questions based on learning and priorities, and we can gain the proper perspective to help us tackle the situation at hand.

"I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward. "

― Thomas A. Edison
"Abraham Lincoln lost eight elections, failed twice in business and suffered a nervous breakdown before he became the president of the United States."
― Wall Street Journal

To learn how to reduce or eliminate over fifteen types of negative attitudes and feelings, see my book (click on title): " How to Let Go of Negative Thoughts and Emotions."

Also available (click on title):

" How to Reduce Anxiety and Increase Certainty in Difficult Situations "

Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn!

Preston Ni, M.S.B.A. is available as a presenter, workshop facilitator, and private coach. For more information, write to commsuccess@nipreston.com, or visit www.nipreston.com.
© 2015 by Preston C. Ni. All rights reserved worldwide. Copyright violation may subject the violator to legal prosecution.
Select References

(1) Adler, Ronald & Proctor II, Russell. Looking Out, Looking In (2011).

(2) Marazziti, Donatella, Angela Di Muro, and Paolo Castrogiovanni. Psychological stress and body temperature changes in humans. Physiology & Behavior (1992).

(3) Speck DF, Bruce DS. Effects of varying thermal and apneic conditions on the human diving reflex. Undersea Biomed Research (1978).

(4) 5. Yokogoshi H, Kobayashi M, Mochizuki M, Terashima T. Effect of theanine, r-glutamylethylamide, on brain monoamines and striatal dopamine release in conscious rats. Neurochem Research. (1998).

(5) Winston AP, Hardwick E, Jaberi N. Neuropsychiatric Effects of Caffeine. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment 11 (2013).

(6) Petruzzello, Steven J., Daniel M. Landers, and Walter Salazar. Exercise and anxiety reduction: Examination of temperature as an explanation for affective change. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology (1993).

(7) Amen, Daniel G. Change Your Brain, Change Your Life (1999).

(8) Maisel, Eric. Thirty Days to Better Mental Health (2015).

(9) Margaret P. Calkins. Using Color as a Therapeutic Tool (2010).

(10) Itten, J. The Art of Color: The Subjective Experience and Objective Rationale of Color (1997).

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10 Tips to Change From Reactive to Proactive in Situations

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All of us encounter experiences in life when we may be temporally overwhelmed by a negative emotion, be it anger, pressure, nervousness, despair, or confusion. In these situations, how we choose to "master the moment" can make the difference between proactive versus reactive, confident versus insecurity, and success versus failure.

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles

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STOP is an acronym for a practice that is primarily used to inject a little mindful experience throughout your day, whenever you need it most. Even after a good mindfulness meditation in the morning, it's easy to quickly get caught up in all of the stresses and activities of daily life. By applying mindfulness to these experience during your day, your mind will be on autopilot less, and you'll be able to check in with how you are feeling, what you are thinking, and what behavior you're engaging in.

STOP acronym stands for:

S: Stop. Whatever you're doing, just pause momentarily.
T: Take a breath. Re-connect with your breath. The breath is an anchor to the present moment.
O: Observe. Notice what is happening. What is happening inside you, and outside of you? Where has your mind gone? What do you feel? What are you doing?
P: Proceed. Continue doing what you were doing. Or don't: Use the information gained during this check-in to change course. Whatever you do, do it mindfully.

By occasionally reminding yourself to stop during your day, you can increase your awareness of what is going on around you and inside you. You may stop and notice you are engaging in a lot of negative self-judgments. Using STOP may help you recognize when your body is becoming tense, and allow you to correct it before you are in pain. You might find that you're hungry, or that a break might be helpful. The more you STOP during the day, the more you re-engage with reality, and disengage from the habitual busyness of your mind. Click here for more information about mindfulness-based therapies.
Cognitive Behvaioral Therapy Los Angeles is a therapy practice of expert psychologists with the highest level of training and experience in providing evidence-based treatment. To ask a question or schedule a consultation to determine whether CBT is right for you, click the button below.

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Mindfulness STOP Skill - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles

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The mindfulness STOP skill is a useful way of introducing mindfulness into everyday life. Learn how to do it here.

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles

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There is a great deal of research into mindfulness meditation and its benefits. In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness skills are considered the core component of improved emotion regulation. DBT mindfulness is taught and reviewed throughout the treatment, and mindfulness begins each skills training session. This is because all of the other emotion regulation skills in DBT hinge on being able to practice DBT mindfulness. Despite this central position of DBT mindfulness among DBT skills, its function to reduce emotional sensitivity and regulate emotions is often misunderstood.

What Is DBT Mindfulness?

In a nutshell, the term mindfulness refers to the practice of bringing one's mind to the present moment. Put another way, mindfulness is the technique of recognizing when the mind is caught up in a thought and drawing it back to the present experience. DBT mindfulness adds another dimension to the traditional practice of mindfulness: mindfulness without judgment. By practicing non-judgmental present-focused awareness, you are able to attend to thoughts, feelings, and behaviors without engaging in the self-invalidation responsible for persistent emotion dysregulation.

It sounds simple, but most people spend a very small portion of their day mindfully engaged in their lives. We usually tune out our actual experience and get distracted by thoughts about our experience. Most of us get so conditioned to engaging with our thoughts rather than with reality, it is very easy for us to lose sight of what is actually happening to us and, consequently, how best to handle what is happening to us.

How Does Mindfulness fit into DBT and CBT?

Dialectical Behavior Therapy is a treatment that targets emotion dysregulation. Often, people get emotionally dysregulated by seemingly insignificant or trivial events, not because of the events themselves but by the judgments people have about the events. For example, you may have a job that you are reasonably happy in. Let's say it's working at a clothing store. You like clothes, and you like interacting with people, so it seems like a good fit. What you don't like, however, is folding clothes. You find it boring. Now, you may only have to fold clothes for about 30 minutes of a six-hour shift, which is really just a small portion of the job. You may find that as you fold clothes, your mind starts to make all kinds of negative judgments about folding clothes. "This is terrible." "What a waste of time." "This is stupid." "This job is awful." Rather than spending the time focusing on folding the clothes, your mind is busy telling all kinds of disturbing stories about this task and will likely trigger emotions such as anger, resentment, and even despair. What's worse, these emotions have a way of coloring the rest of your day. Now, instead of tolerating 30 minutes of an unpleasant chore, you spend the whole day in a foul mood, judging all aspects of your job negatively, feeling worse every minute. Because being in a bad mood for most of the day, more days than not, is very unpleasant, you start having judgments about your mood, thinking, "I can't take this anymore." So, what started out as a relatively insignificant thing has caused a lot of suffering.

A mindful approach to this dilemma would be to approach the unpleasant task in the spirit of acceptance, willing to engage in it without engaging in a lot of judgments about it. The moment you notice a judgment, you turn your mind to folding the clothes, aware of the sensation of the fabric against your fingertips. Noticing the movement of your arms. Describing the smell of the new fabric as it reaches your nose in waves. By fully engaging in the task and repeatedly turning the mind to it, there is little room for negative attributions. You may now even find it to be a calming, soothing activity. This is one way mindfulness can help avert an emotional downward spiral.

Mindfulness can also be effective in helping us make the best decisions. People with pervasive emotion dysregulation often have histories full of others invalidating their wants, needs, thoughts, and feelings. Over time, persistent invalidation from the outside nourishes invalidation on the inside. After a while, people with emotion dysregulation learn to invalidate their own experience, having learned it was wrong, bad, or dangerous for some reason. People who get good at invalidating themselves tend to lose touch with their own experience. They no longer consider their own opinions. They no longer know where to find their own intuition. Consequently, self-invalidators live lives inconsistent with their own values and dreams. They don't find it important when their needs are being sacrificed for those of someone else. All of this results in people who do not do what is best for themselves, which is a hard way to live life. As a result, they are unhappier and thus more prone to becoming emotionally dysregulated.

Finally, mindfulness can help with emotional dysregulation by way of helping to relinquish the struggle with painful emotions. One of the reasons people develop emotion dysregulation is because they try to quash or control their emotional responses to things. Trying to control an emotion is kind of like trying to grab tightly onto jello. The more you try, the more of a mess it makes. With emotions, the more we try to control them, the more intense they become, and the longer they persist. Unfortunately, due to an environment plagued by invalidation from others, there is pressure from the outside to control the emotions, leading to more intense emotions, leading to more invalidation, etc. This tends to become a self-perpetuating feedback loop.

Mindfully experiencing emotions is the opposite of the control strategy. With mindfulness, you simply observe what comes up with the emotion. You notice a feeling of your face flushed. You notice a lump in your throat. You notice all of the experiences that are the emotion, and you do so not with the intention of suppressing them, but in the service of accepting each and every one of them unconditionally. There is an old expression that you can't argue with an emotion. This is because the emotion is there for a reason, so the best one can do is tolerate it without holding on or pushing away. It is a paradoxical approach, but the end result is emotional experiences that are less disturbing and of shorter duration. The emotions naturally go just as they came. Giving them permission to be there lets emotions take their natural course as fleeting, changing, dynamic sensations.

These are some of the main reasons mindfulness is relied on so heavily in Dialectical Behavior Therapy. There are many other uses of mindfulness in the treatment. In fact, as mentioned earlier, every skill relies on a foundation of mindfulness, so there are as many uses of mindfulness as there are skills, and then some.

One of the most important points about mindfulness practice is that it is very difficult. Our brains are hardwired to make judgments, time travel, and create stories. In a way, working to be mindful is working against the biology of our brains. No one is perfect at this. Luckily, there is no need to be perfect at it. We can experience the real benefit of mindfulness when we notice we are not being mindful and choose to turn our minds back to the now. That is the power of mindfulness: recognizing when we are not mindful. If we get distracted a thousand times, we have a thousand opportunities to notice and shift our attention. It's a bit like fly fishing. Your mind casts its line to far-flung places when you are distracted, and then you reel it back in when you reorient your mind to the present. And like fly fishing, this process occurs again and again. Numerous times in the course of one minute. And the more we practice, the easier it becomes to recognize when the mind has left the building. And with each time we practice, we gain a little more clarity and control.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles is a therapy practice of expert psychologists with the highest level of training and experience in providing evidence-based treatment. Click the button below to ask a question or schedule a consultation to determine whether CBT is right for you.

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Mindfulness from a DBT Perspective - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles

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Mindfulness is a core component of Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Learn what it is and how to do it here.

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3 Free Stress & Burnout Prevention Tools

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Download These 3 Stress Exercises (PDF, normally $27) For Free This Week. 100% Science-Based. Used By Professionals.

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Self-Soothing Techniques and Strategies for Adults

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Self-Soothing Techniques and Strategies for Adults

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Self-soothing is an emotional regulation strategy used to regain equilibrium after an upsetting event.

Most of us are familiar with soothing others when they are upset or afraid, especially if we have children. However, when we are triggered as adults, it's difficult to regulate potentially disruptive emotions like anger, fear, and sadness, especially in a public space such as the workplace.

Inadequate self-soothing strategies can also disrupt intimate relationships when misunderstandings or conflicts arise.

In this article, we will discuss self-soothing behaviors and techniques that help regulate disruptive emotions and benefit mental health.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Self-Compassion Exercises for free. These detailed, science-based exercises will help you increase the compassion and kindness you show yourself and give you the tools to help your clients, students, or employees show more compassion to themselves.

What Is Self-Soothing According to Psychology?

Self-soothing helps to reset bodily systems after an acute stress response and regain homeostasis. All people need soothing after a shock or following trauma or upset. Common self-soothing behaviors include reaching for an alcoholic drink or a tub of ice cream. However, these kinds of self-soothing behaviors can cause additional problems.

Sometimes other people are not around to give the social support or soothing needed. Self-soothing skills are very important, although they are not easy to practice when they are most needed. Often, temporary overwhelm can reduce our capacity to make choices and engage in positive self-soothing behaviors.

A look at self-soothing in DBT

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is one of the third-wave behavioral therapies with roots in the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy tradition and mindfulness-based interventions. Originally, DBT was devised to support people who feel very intense emotions, especially those diagnosed with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, (previously known as Borderline Personality Disorder (Linehan et al., 2006).

Increasingly, DBT is an intervention used to treat the emotional dysregulation that may be involved in a range of mental health problems, including depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and substance abuse problems, as well as life crises, such as stress, burnout, grief, and trauma.

A DBT therapist equips clients with skills in radical acceptance, distress tolerance, and self-soothing techniques (McKay, Wood, & Brantley, 2019). The objective is to educate the client about the functionality of their old ways of coping with emotional dysregulation such as substance abuse, binge eating, or social withdrawal.

Basically, the client is encouraged to accept that at the time, their old coping methods were the best way they could regulate deeply distressing emotions. Learning distress tolerance entails learning self-soothing techniques that can regulate emotions without resorting to self-defeating behaviors.

One way to help clients acquire self-soothing skills is to ask them to create a self-soothing box or toolkit.

Typically, a self-soothing box includes objects or reminders of how to soothe all five senses: comforting smells such as scented candles, essential oils, or body lotion; pleasant tastes such as herbal teas or favorite snacks; soothing things to touch such as a favorite sweater, wrap, or stress ball; comforting sights such as photos of loved ones, pets, or favorite places; and soothing sounds such as a favorite piece of music or guided meditation track.

Clients could even make a mobile self-soothing toolkit to carry around with them as described in the Therapy in Nutshell video below.

Is self-soothing beneficial for mental health?

Many of us know from direct personal experience that self-soothing skills are essential for mental health. When we are triggered by something and experience a strong emotional reaction, it is normal to counter this immediately with a soothing experience, preferably in the company of a trusted person, to ease distress and regain equilibrium.

While many research studies have investigated the effects of interactive soothing between human beings, such as hugging, skin-to-skin contact, massage, and sexual intimacy (Uvnäs-Moberg, Handlin, & Petersson, 2015), very few have investigated the effects of self-soothing techniques.

Physical contact with other human beings raises our oxytocin levels and lowers our stress levels (Uvnäs-Moberg et al., 2015). This has deep roots in our experience of being soothed as infants and during childhood (Matthiesen, Ransjo-Arvidson, Nissen, & Uvnäs-Moberg, 2001). For a further explanation of the roots of interactive soothing in infancy and childhood, watch the short School of Life video below.

Dreisoerner et al. (2021) conducted a randomized control trial to assess whether self-soothing touch and being hugged had different effects on the stress response.

This study was conducted in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in widespread isolation for many people; traditional sources of interactive soothing were often unavailable. The researchers were keen to identify self-soothing techniques that could help alleviate distress during isolation and quarantine.

They found that both self-soothing touch (in this study, most participants chose to place their right hand on their heart and their left on their abdomen while focusing on the rising and falling of the breath) and receiving a hug from another person were equally effective at lowering stress levels.

Therefore, when other people are not available to hug, self-soothing touch could be a source of much-needed comfort and reassurance. For further instructions on this practice, see the video in the "How to Teach and Encourage Self-Soothing" section below.

10 Examples of Self-Soothing Behaviors

Some self-soothing behaviors that adults engage in can lead to other problems, for example, drinking alcohol, emotional eating, binge-watching TV, compulsive gaming, or internet surfing.

These may be effective in the short term but may result from experiential avoidance that leads to longer term problems.

Instead, clients should be encouraged to take up one of the following behaviors when life challenges threaten to overwhelm:

1. Change the environment

If possible, just change the environment for a few minutes. Go outside and focus on greenery or find a soothing indoor space with a pleasant view or ambiance.

2. Stretch for five minutes to move any blocked energy

Often, after upsetting news or a shock, our bodies respond by freezing and energy gets blocked. A few simple trunk twists, neck rotations, or bends at the hip to touch the toes can help shift stagnant energy.

3. Take a warm shower or bath

Treat yourself with soothing body wash or bubbles and a fresh, soft towel afterward.

4. Soothing imagery

Find soothing things to look at such as a burning candle, soft lights, pictures of loved ones, favorite places, or perhaps some framed inspirational resilience quotes or affirmations.

5. Soothing music

Listen to favorite tracks that have a calming effect or one of the many relaxing music videos for stress relief that are available online.

6. Soothing smells

Create pleasant smells by using an essential oil diffuser, scented candle, or incense. Also, try using scented hand lotion.

7. Self-compassion

Speak compassionately to yourself aloud. Talk to yourself like a good friend would. Give yourself the grace to be off-balance and the space to just be as you are for a while.

3 Self-soothing coping skills for anxiety

Clients can try the following self-soothing practices to ease anxiety. Further anxiety coping skills and worksheets can be found in the worksheets section of this article.

1. Focused breathing

Exhale more slowly than you inhale to soothe anxiety quickly. In the video below, Dr. Rangan Chaterjee explains how the 3-4-5 breathing technique works.

Simply breathe in for a count of 3, hold your breath for a count of 4, and breathe out for a count of 5.

2. Self-soothing touch

Try self-soothing touch, as recommended by Dreisoerner et al. (2021). Put your right hand on your heart and your left hand on your belly and focus your attention on the rising and falling of the breath. You can also try the exercises recommended by Dr. Peter Levine in the video below. Other exercises are offered in the worksheets section.

3. Mindful walking

Get grounded by moving your body mindfully. Try a short awe walk for 15 minutes, preferably in nature or a beautiful park or garden, taking in your surroundings mindfully with all five senses.

Awe is a powerfully uplifting and soothing emotion of wonder that puts stressors into perspective while increasing vitality (Bai et al., 2021). You can watch the Mindful Awe Walk video below for guidance.

How to Teach and Encourage Self-Soothing

Somatic therapist Dr. Peter Levine developed an approach to trauma therapy called somatic experiencing, which includes teaching clients practical self-soothing techniques in therapy.

In the short video below, Dr. Levine describes and shows self-soothing techniques using touch to establish the body as a safe container and the skin as a secure boundary.

These powerful yet simple self-soothing techniques can be modeled to clients in counseling or psychotherapy.

This exercise is described in full in our Self-Soothing Touch worksheet.

4 Best Techniques and Strategies for Adults

The following techniques all use self-soothing touch to raise oxytocin levels and lower the stress response quickly and effectively.

1. Cortisol self-massage

Yoga therapist Elaine Oyang demonstrates her short self-massage of the neck, shoulders, and hands, followed by a good shake-out, to release tension that is often held in the head area that can cause headaches, brain fog, and fatigue, especially when working for long hours on the screen.

Follow her guidance in the instructional video below.

2. Tapping

Tapping is a self-soothing method used by the emotional freedom technique (EFT), which involves lightly tapping on acupressure points on different parts of the body.

EFT Tapping lowers cortisol levels in the body and helps regulate other stress indicators, like heart rate, breathing, and body temperature (Bach et al., 2019).

For further instructions, watch the video below.

3. Butterfly hug

The butterfly hug technique combines tapping with focused breathing and positive affirmations, such as, "I'm safe and secure" or "I am loved," and is an excellent grounding technique that can be used anywhere.

Watch the instructional video below to find out more.

4. Havening

Havening is an emotional regulation technique with roots in neuroscience. It is a brief intervention (Thandi et al., 2015) that uses the Havening Touch.

This can be delivered by a registered practitioner or by self-soothing. For further instructions on what havening is and how to using havening to self-soothe, see the video below. It is easy to apply and has a number of benefits.

7 Activities, Exercises, and Worksheets

The exercises in this section are all explained on our free worksheets. All these activities have their roots in DBT and the somatic experiencing approach to trauma therapy.

1. Try our free Countdown to Calmness worksheet for grounding by radically accepting things as they are, using mindfulness of the five senses.

2. Try our free Noticing Physical Comfort worksheet to learn how to self-soothe by increasing awareness of comfortable physical sensations.

3. Try the exercise in our free Soothing Breath worksheet, which uses the breath and touch together to self-soothe the body and mind.

4. Try making vocal sounds and vibrations to self-soothe by discharging excess energy after a shock or upsetting event. Download our free The Voo Sound worksheet here.

5. Our free Shake It Off worksheet describes an exercise that connects the body to the trembling sensation produced by a stressful event to include comfort and allow the system to settle.

6. Our free Radical Acceptance worksheet describes a DBT exercise that can help self-soothing during intense emotions by acknowledging that feelings cannot be controlled. Rather, learn to accept this lack of control and choose to respond mindfully. In this way, you can experience intense emotions without trying to change or control the situation.

7. Download our free Recalling Being Yourself worksheet activity that provides grounding by remembering how to feel comfortable in your own skin.

Download 3 Free Resilience Exercises (PDF)

These detailed, science-based exercises will equip you or your clients to recover from personal challenges and turn setbacks into opportunities for growth.

Using Meditation for Self-Soothing: 3 Ideas

Meditation is a contemplative practice that can help regulate disturbing emotions, even when practiced for only 10 minutes at a time. These three guided meditation practices are beneficial to clients who find it difficult to find the time to take a class or course.

Each practice is an effective stress management technique backed by science.

1. Mindful self-soothing meditation

Mindfulness has become a big buzzword in the health and wellbeing world for good reason. Regular mindfulness practices can rewire the brain to enhance executive function, which reduces reactivity (Shapiro, 2020).

A recent meta-analysis of mindfulness-based programs and their effects on mental health (Galante et al., 2021) found that mindfulness enhances the wellbeing of most adults in non-clinical community settings and may be especially beneficial for those experiencing extreme life stressors.

Try the meditation in the video below. It focuses on mindful self-soothing and only takes 10 minutes.

2. Self-compassion meditation

People who practice self-compassion are less likely to experience depression and anxiety than those who are harsher on themselves (Neff, 2011).

For a review of the findings of recent research studies, take a look at our article on the 15 Most Interesting Self-Compassion Research Findings. In addition, try the short 10-minute self-compassion meditation in the video below to appreciate the soothing effects of being kind to yourself.

3. Lovingkindness meditation

Lovingkindness meditation is a powerful self-soothing practice because it involves activating areas of the brain associated with joy and peace (Bodhi, 2005; Salzberg, 2002). For further information, look at our article on Loving-Kindness Meditation, which includes four meditation scripts, or the guided 10-minute meditation in the video below.

Resources From PositivePsychology.com

For additional resources to help manage stress and soothe your frayed nerves, try our three Mindfulness Exercises for free.

The third tool in the set, the Eye of the Hurricane Meditation, describes how mindful attention to the breath can act as an anchor of inner peace in difficult and distressing circumstances.

If you want to learn more, check out our Mindfulness X program, which offers a comprehensive eight-session mindfulness training package based on scientific research. The course includes videos, worksheets, exercises, and slides, and can be taught under your own branding.

Finally, if you're looking for more science-based ways to help others develop self-compassion, check out this collection of 17 validated self-compassion tools for practitioners. Use them to help others create a kinder and more nurturing relationship with the self.

A Take-Home Message

While most of us are familiar with soothing others when they are having a tough time, soothing ourselves is something many of us find difficult. Yet, self-soothing skills are essential for self-regulation and adult mental health.

Research into self-soothing techniques for adults is a relatively new area, but there are some interventions that are attracting increasing attention from psychology and neuroscience researchers, including havening, DBT, and somatic experiencing techniques.

No matter how well we navigate our way through life and how psychologically skilled we are, life will hit us with shocking and unexpected events from time to time. In these times of loss or sudden change, having access to self-soothing techniques is essential.

For our clients, self-soothing techniques can help manage life events between therapy and counseling sessions, especially for those who have experienced trauma or struggle with addiction.

Self-soothing skills are key to the emotional regulation many of our clients seek. We hope you find the resources shared in this article useful.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don't forget to download our three Self-Compassion Exercises for free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, it is generally considered healthy and adaptive to self-soothe, as it can help;

regulate emotions,

reduce stress, and

promote overall wellbeing.

However, it is important to note that self-soothing should not be used as a substitute for seeking professional help when needed.

Self-soothing can be a trauma response, as it is a way for individuals to regulate their emotions and manage distress following a traumatic experience.

However, it is also a normal and healthy behavior that can be developed and practiced as part of self-care and emotional regulation (Einav & Lavy, 2020).

Unhealthy self-soothing refers to behaviors that provide temporary relief from emotional distress but ultimately have negative consequences for an individual's mental or physical health (Finger et al., 2016).

Examples include;

substance abuse,

self-harm, and

other forms of compulsive or addictive behavior.

Read other articles by their category

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24 Best Self-Soothing Techniques and Strategies for Adults

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In this article, we will discuss self-soothing behaviors and techniques that help regulate disruptive emotions and benefit mental health.

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Three... two... one...

I relax my shoulders quickly and completely.

When the tension is released, I feel a warm glow in my muscles, almost a tingle.

This is my second week of Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). A technique established over many years and validated by research for managing stress, anxiety, and other health problems (Mackereth & Tomlinson, 2010).

The therapy-involving a cycle of tensing and releasing specific muscle groups, one by one-can be mentally and physically tiring, at least initially.

However, with practice, it becomes easier. I'd even say I'm beginning to enjoy it.

Once the session is over, I feel completely relaxed. My mind and body at peace and increasingly connected.

But how?

Suffering from anxiety and other similar conditions can leave us feeling so tense that we become unable to recognize what it feels like to be relaxed. PMR helps us to cue this released state when we start to become wound up.

Within this article, we will discuss the origins of PMR, how to use it, and its benefits. Several mediums are offered in which to try the technique out, including written, audio, video, and digital tools.

Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our 3 Mindfulness Exercises for free. These science-based, comprehensive exercises will help you cultivate a sense of inner peace throughout your daily life and also give you tools to enhance the mindfulness of your clients, students, or employees.

What is Progressive Muscle Relaxation?

Stress and anxiety cause muscular tension. PMR relieves this tightness by tensing and releasing one muscle group at a time.

The technique builds on the theory that when you are physically relaxed, you cannot feel anxious (Jacobson, 1977). And such deep relaxation has proven highly effective at relieving symptoms that arise from several conditions, including anxiety, insomnia, stress, headaches, high blood pressure, and even cancer pain (Mackereth & Tomlinson, 2010; Kwekkeboom, Wanta, & Bumpus, 2008).

The practitioner-either in person, or a recording-guides you through a series of steps to work on one muscle group at a time in a specific order. As you breathe in, you tense the first muscle group and hold for five to ten seconds. Then while you exhale, you fully release that tension. After relaxing for 10 to 20 seconds, you repeat each step for the next muscle group.

And, surprisingly, it works really well.

When and Why Is It Used in Therapy?

PMR has successfully treated a wide range of health problems-including somatic states, such as anxiety and stress-in diverse groups of people, with limited, if any, side effects (Mackereth & Tomlinson, 2010).

It is valuable as a standalone treatment or in conjunction with mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), hypnotherapy, or other positive psychology interventions.

And, though few therapies endure, PMR has been around for many years and often forms part of clinical psychology training.

So, why is PMR ahead of its time?

Well, the lasting appeal of this successful relaxation technique is its recognition of the fundamental connection between the body and mind. After all, the mind has a setting. It sits within a brain; it is housed (embodied) within a physical form and has ecological context -impacted by its environmental surroundings (Cappuccio, 2019).

And science has only recently re-discovered the notion of embodied cognition.

Brief History of PMR

Edmund Jacobson's interest in anxiety began in a bicycle shop fire on the north side of Chicago in 1898. Aged 10, he was struck by how his father, who was deeply impacted by the incident, changed from being a quiet man to being, in Jacobson's words, "excitable" (Jacobson, 1977).

This unlikely event led Jacobson on a journey that lasted a lifetime: to understand how to treat excitability and nervousness.

Seventeen years later, in 1905, while a Harvard University student, he discovered that deeply relaxed students were not startled by sudden noises.

In response to his ongoing research, Jacobson developed a complex and lengthy technique for practitioners to monitor and release unwanted tension in clients (Mackereth & Tomlinson, 2010).

Over the years, the technique has been adapted and, for practical reasons, shortened, but remains true to the idea that physical relaxation has a positive effect on the mind (Wolpe, 1961).

Abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation training (usually shortened to APMR) combines tensing and releasing of muscles, while focusing on breathing, to manage stress and anxiety.

4 Proven Benefits of PMR

PMR helps you distinguish between the subjective experience of a tensed muscle versus a relaxed one.

Over time, practitioners can learn what it feels like and 'cue' this state to lower tension and stress levels when they start to feel anxious.

The technique offers relief to many health conditions, including lack of sleep, anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, digestive disturbances, and the side-effects of cancer treatment.

Science has recognized the benefits of PMR in a range of fields, including:

1. Health

Research published in 2017, found that interventions for parents of children receiving treatment for malignancy-a painful, and upsetting condition, where abnormal cells divide and invade nearby tissues-reduced anxiety, and improved overall mood (Tsitsi, Charalambous, Papastavrou, & Raftopoulos, 2017).

Indeed, PMR is so successful in healthcare settings that, along with other relaxation techniques, it is routinely offered by medical practitioners to their patients (Mackereth & Tomlinson, 2010).

2. Sport

Psychological factors, such as anxiety, impact the amount and the quality of sleep - a common issue in competitive athletes preparing for an event.

Medication is often unsuitable in elite sport-due to concerns regarding the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) or the risk of adversely impacting performance-to manage insufficient sleep.

PMR is recognized by the American Psychological Association as an empirically supported treatment for insomnia and offers a safe and viable alternative (McCloughan, Hanrahan, Anderson, & Halson, 2016).

3. Cancer Treatment

The side effects of cancer patients' chemotherapy treatment can have a significant and negative impact on their lives.

PMR offers some relief.

Several studies have identified its potential to reduce symptoms of pain, nausea, anxiety, and depression in cancer patients (Charalambous et al., 2016; Kwekkeboom et al., 2008).

4. Education

PMR has also proved successful in learning environments.

When high-stress college students were trained in the technique, there were significant short-term effects, including increased mental and physical relaxation and lowered stress (Dolbier & Rush, 2012).

A Step-By-Step Guide

Though often guided by a therapist, there are several videos, audios, and apps that can take you through the steps required to perform PMR.

The steps involved are usually a variation on the following:

Preparation

Set aside 15 minutes.

Find somewhere quiet and comfortable, where you will not be disturbed.

Remove your shoes and wear loose clothing.

When you start, perform PMR twice a day while you are feeling calm.

Going forward, follow the steps once a day, three to four times a week, or as needed.

Consult your doctor before performing PMR if you have any underlying medical conditions that hinder physical activity.

Do not perform if you have broken bones or pulled muscles.

Get Ready

Before you begin, take five slow, deep breaths.

Step One: Tension

As you breathe in, deliberately, and gently, tense the first muscle group as hard as you can:

Feel the tension in your muscles.

It may cause some discomfort or shaking but not pain.

Try and tense only the muscle group you are targeting.

Hold for five to ten seconds.

Step Two: Relax the muscles

Then while you exhale, quickly and fully relax the tensed muscles.

Focus on the changing sensations - if it helps, picture feelings of stress leaving the body.

Notice the difference between tension and relaxation.

You will feel the muscles become loose and limp.

Step Three: Rest

Take 10-20 seconds and relax.

Repeat steps one, two, and three, tensing and relaxing each of the muscle groups listed in the table below.

Step Four: Rest

When finished, count backward from five to one, and return focus to the present.

Enjoy the feelings of deep relaxation.

It will take time to learn to use PMR successfully. And, initially, it may feel uncomfortable and require considerable effort and focus.

As you become more practiced, you will become fully aware of the difference between tensed and relaxed muscles, and it will feel more enjoyable.

Ongoing, the skill will become an effective way of managing anxiety.

Muscle groups

The table below contains a list of muscle groups to work through at each session (modified from the Health Library at the University of Michigan Medicine):

Hands

Clench/make a fist.

Wrists and forearms

Extend and bend your hands back at the wrist.

Biceps and upper arms

Make a fist and bend your arms at the elbows, flexing your biceps.

Shoulders

Shrug them (raise them toward your ears).

Forehead

Wrinkle into a deep frown.

Around the eyes and bridge of the nose

Close your eyes as tightly as possible while remaining comfortable (preferably remove contact lenses before you start.)

Cheeks and jaws

Smile as widely as you can.

Around the mouth

Press your lips together tightly.
Check your face for tension.

Back of the neck

Press the back of your head against your support (chair headrest or the floor.)

Front of the neck

Touch your chin to your chest, but avoid creating tension in your neck and head.

Chest

Take a deep breath and hold it for 5 to 10 seconds.

Back

Arch your back up and away from the floor or chair.

Stomach

Suck into a tight knot. (Check your chest and stomach for tension.)

Hips and buttocks

Press your buttocks together tightly.

Thighs

Clench them hard.

Lower legs

Point your toes toward your face. Then point your toes away and curl them downward at the same time.

2 Useful Scripts

When ready to begin PMR with a new, or existing client, a script can prove useful to ensure guidance is delivered smoothly and consistently.

Berkeley Law, one of the premier Law Schools in the U.S., encourages staff and students to focus on their mental well-being actively. And PMR is a technique they actively encourage. Take a look at the script they use; it offers unambiguous and comprehensive guidance for the practitioner.

The Oxford Health NHS Trust also recognizes the importance of managing anxiety. It provides useful and practical scripts for several relaxation techniques, including a full and cut down PMR.

2 Techniques of PMR

PMR requires that we take twenty minutes from our busy daily schedules.

And, when practiced over several weeks, we reap the positive benefits: reduced anxiety and relief from stress.

And yet, there can be occasions when finding adequate time to practice PMR may prove difficult.

At these times it is worth making use of one of the abbreviated versions:

Click here to download the Basic Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) Script. It's a reduced version that can prove useful when less time is available.

Or, as an alternative:

Click here to download another, pragmatic, and straightforward Progressive muscle relaxation script.

Useful Audios and Videos

The best audio for relaxation should leave you with the experience that you have been on a journey.

When the PMR recording has finished, you should feel you have visited somewhere familiar, returning renewed, refreshed, and deeply relaxed.

Listen to the following recordings and choose the voice or style that works best for you:

Perhaps it's the visual image of water that works so well, but watch the following video and listen to the audio for a productive PMR session.

This excellent audio will take you through PMR and return you to a state of relaxation.

2 Helpful Exercises and Worksheets

While the basic principles of PMR remain the same, there are many scripts with slight variations that offer appropriate support:

Follow this link to download and work through a clear and concise Progressive Muscle Relaxation one-pager.

Click on the Progressive Muscle Relaxation Clinical Tool for a comprehensive guide for clinicians wishing to implement PMR.

PMR For Kids and Teens

This behavioral intervention resource - written for Primary Care Providers-includes an easy-to-follow PMR guide that works with children.

The following YouTube cartoons package PMR for the younger age group in an easily digestible form:

A well-presented and light-hearted PMR cartoon for children:

An entertaining audio, accompanied by animal pictures that guide children through PMR:

Meditation, Mindfulness, and PMR

A 2009 study compared the effects of mindfulness meditation and PMR over five weeks (Agee, Danoff-Burg, & Grant, 2009). Analysis of the results found that both therapies are equally effective at reducing stress and offer complementary approaches that can be used alongside one another.

Along with other, more recent research, it is clear that we can all benefit from meditation, mindfulness, and PMR to improve coping and manage anxiety and stress (Gok Metin, Karadas, Izgu, Ozdemir, & Demirci, 2019).

Find the approach that works best for you at this point in your life. You may find that a combination keeps you more focussed and interested.

A Look at Popular PMR Apps

An app can be a convenient and straightforward way to perform PMR. Indeed, a 2019 article appearing in Nature Digital Medicine, reported that a specially developed PMR app had proved clinically effective at reducing migraines (Minen et al., 2019).

The following apps all provide positive support, and ease of access, for PMR on our phones and tablets.

1. PMR - Progressive Muscle Relax

Though the robotic voiceover takes a little getting used to, the guidance and the accompanying images-clearly indicating the moves to make-make this a useful app, especially when starting out using the PMR technique. Get it in the Apple Store.

2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

This app allows you to select an appropriate mode depending on your level of experience with PMR. It includes up to 17 muscle groups, five relaxing music tracks, and 17 nature sounds. Get it in the Apple Store or Google Play.

3. Autogenic Training and Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Choose the guided progressive muscle relaxation or any of four other relaxation exercises offered by this versatile PMR app. Get it in the Apple Store.

4. Autogenic Training - AT Pro - English Version

The Autogenic Training (AT) app is based on the principle of auto-suggestion (self-hypnosis) and is the most widely used relaxation technique recommended by physicians and therapists in addition to Progressive Muscle Relaxation. Get in the Google Play Store.

5. Progressive Muscle Relaxation - PMR Lite

The PMR Lite Android app provides the ability to tailor your deep muscle relaxation using multiple voices, duration, music, and sounds. Get it in the Google Play Store.

PositivePsychology.com's Relevant Resources

Our Five Senses Worksheet and the 3-Step Mindfulness Worksheet provides incredible resources for invoking a mindful state and bringing awareness to the present.

In addition, this Progressive Mindfulness Relaxation tool, part of our Toolkit, is a 20-minute coping intervention that is very detailed and useful for an individual client or a group.

The Mindfulness-X© Masterclass can be extremely useful and can be used in advance of, or as a complement to, PMR training.

A Take-Home Message

PMR has endured as a relaxation technique due to its pragmatic, tangible approach to relieving tension, anxiety, and stress. What it does well is to demonstrate a clear and direct connection between anxiety and tension in the physical body and the mind.

PMR is underpinned by the belief that overcoming tension in the body, resolves distress in the brain.

Once you are confident, the technique can prove hugely beneficial, both as a long-term approach to stress management and for an immediate targeted release of escalating physical tension.

Indeed, with practice, it is possible to become so in tune with your body that you can identify and release even early signs of pressure.

Overall, PMR provides a viable alternative to other treatments (including prescription drugs) to practically and actively approach physical and mental distress. Even one or two sessions will provide significant relief to tension, but when used regularly, it proves to be both a protective and life-enhancing coping mechanism.

Why not try one of the scripts, videos, audio, or apps, and try it out.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article and am eager to try out the scripts and apps, and don't forget the three Mindfulness Exercises that you can download for free.

If you wish to learn more about this fascinating topic, then consider Mindfulness X©. It is our 8-module mindfulness training package for practitioners that contains all the materials you'll need to enhance your mindfulness skills. You can also learn how to deliver science-based mindfulness training to your clients, students, or employees.

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Progressive Muscle Relaxation: A Positive Psychology Guide

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Three... two... one... I relax my shoulders quickly and completely. When the tension is released, I feel a warm glow in my muscles, almost a tingle. This is my second week of Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). A technique established over many years and validated by research for managing stress, anxiety, and other health problems (Mackereth & Tomlinson, 2010).

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Can't cope? Overwhelmed? Stressed?

We all have trouble coping at some points in life. We don't get the promotion we hoped for; our relationship breaks down; a presentation is overdue.

Whether you cope or not depends on how you think. Stress-a feeling of emotional or physical tension-arises from how you interpret life's events as they unfold.

Our coping skills have evolved to help us survive in environments very different from those in which most of us now live, work, and play (Cosmides & Tooby, 2013). While we have a body and mind well adapted to overcome the challenges faced by hunters running down a kudu in the African Savannah, we are a poor match for the difficulties found in modern life (Li et al., 2017).

And yet, psychological research in the fields of sports, business, and beyond, has identified approaches, skills, and tools that can help us cope, overcome, and even flourish.

The strategies that follow take us beyond a focus on repairing weaknesses-attending only to what is wrong- and instead view growth as default, mental wellbeing as expected, personal strengths to be built up, and an authentic existence to be lived.

Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our 3 Resilience Exercises for free. These engaging, science-based exercises will help you to effectively cope with difficult circumstances and give you the tools to improve the resilience of your clients, students, or employees.

A Look at the Coping Wheel

Coping strategies are processes used by a person to manage their stress. They help to control your thoughts, feelings, and actions before, during, and after challenging situations.

And there are plenty.

Research into coping has identified over 400 strategies and multiple classifications (Skinner et al., 2003; Machado et al., 2020), including:

problem-focused (proactively dealing with the source of the stress) versus emotion-focused (reducing stress by regulating emotion)

approach (alleviating the problem directly) versus avoidance (distancing oneself from the stressor)

A paper appearing in the Annual Review of Psychology analyzed 44 studies. Researchers found that coping strategies fit under 12 mutually exclusive coping families, represented in the diagram below (Skinner & Zimmer-Gembeck, 2007).

Source: The Coping Strategy Wheels

Techniques and strategies have a focus (e.g., actions, social resources), a coping family that shares the same action tendency (e.g., problem-solving, negotiation), and a way of coping (e.g., surrender, emotion regulation).

5 Strategies for Coping with Stress

Psychological stress arises in response to social and physical environments (Monroe & Slavich, 2016).

The stressor can be mild or intense: walking to the office on a hot day or traveling through the Kalahari Desert on foot, a pre-lunch rumbling stomach or failure of a vital food crop, and an awkward conversation with a member of staff or hostage negotiation.

Such events cause a state of strain, impact our psychological and physical wellbeing, vary in magnitude and timescale, and use of coping mechanisms.

The tools that follow can be adopted, and adapted, when appropriate, to assist coping at difficult times, promoting growth, and supporting mental toughness and resilience.

They either reframe a present or future situation, reduce or remove negative thoughts, or foster learning how to think positively.

1. ABCDE Model

The ABCDE model, developed by Albert Ellis in the 1950s, provides a reflective framework. It supports us in changing our emotions and behaviors by identifying irrational beliefs and swapping them with rational ones.

Recognize, write down, and then challenge beliefs that are irrational or unhelpful.

D - Dispute the irrational belief and turn it into a rational belief

I did well in the test last week.
I've been revising well, but I hadn't covered this topic yet.
The results show me where I need to focus my attention.

E - Effect of the new rational belief

I sit down with my teacher to understand where I went wrong.
We work on parts of the test I didn't understand, and I include what I have learned in my revision.

The process of disputing irrational beliefs can lead to a more authentic, beneficial belief system. You may not have control over your environment, but you do have control over your reactions.

2. Positive Thinking

Everything we know, believe, and feel, is based on our internal thoughts. Positive thinking gives us extraordinary power over our thinking and ourselves (Clough & Strycharczyk, 2015).

Affirmations are used widely within sport. The repetition of short statements provides a way for the athlete to mirror the uplifting effects of hearing positive messages from a friend or coach.

Spend some time thinking about situations that you have faced or expect to encounter in the future. For each, write down a few short, supportive statements that provide strength during a challenge.

Interview

I have prepared well.
I am looking forward to sharing my past successes.

Presenting

I'm confident and comfortable.
I enjoy presenting and sharing my ideas.

There is also growing evidence that the use of positive internal conversations-known as self-talk-can significantly improve how we tackle a challenge or approach a situation.

Talk to yourself as though a friend, coach, or supportive colleague, is offering you positive advice.

A good practice at the end of each day for positively reinforcing successful performance is to write down and review three achievements-small or large-from the last 24 hours.

This daily closure activity helps you refocus on what went well, rather than dwelling on disappointments or perceived failures.

Use the achievements to take that positivity through to the next day.

3. Visualization

It is common practice for athletes to use imagery while they prepare for an event, practice a movement, or train while injured. Swimmers mentally rehearse a perfect dolphin kick; endurance runners imagine pulling extra miles from the depths of their mental and physical resources (Meijen, 2019; Mccormick, Meijen, & Marcora, 2015).

Focusing on positive mental images can favorably impact both our mind and body and increase self-belief in our ability to cope with change.

The mind offers a safe and flexible environment for practicing a stressful task. Mentally rehearsing a daunting performance prepares the individual by asserting control over a, sometimes harmful, inner voice (Clough & Strycharczyk, 2015).

4. Control the Controllable

Athletes often talk about controlling the controllable.

Adequate preparation will increase the perception of control-crucial to our mental toughness and motivation- and improve performance.

Write down a list of outcomes-real or imagined-to an important situation.

For example, reviewing a challenging meeting:

Did attendees arrive prepared?

Were accurate notes and actions taken?

Was the agenda followed, and all points covered?

Was everyone heard?

Was agreement reached over the critical decisions?

Place each note (Post-its are ideal) on a large copy of the following graph:

What went well at the bottom, and less well at the top.

What can be controlled in the left-hand column, and what cannot be controlled in the right-hand column

Review the completed graph.

Outcomes in the bottom left quadrant-went well and can be controlled- require no action. Though it can be useful, and increase self-belief, to regularly review the successes.

Outcomes noted in the top left quadrant were within our control but were unsuccessful. Ask yourself how you could have handled the situation better or differently. Once reviewed, consider how best to approach it next time, then let go of it. Do not dwell.

Anything on the right-hand side of the table is outside of our control. Re-visit to confirm that it is still the case. Focus on what can be controlled and accept what cannot.

5. Three Steps to Handling Stress

People who adopt the mindset that "stress is enhancing" experience more exceptional performance and less negative health symptoms (Crum & Crum, 2018).

Physical and mental stress-if viewed positively-are essential to moving from a fixed to a growth mindset.

Alia Crum, having worked with athletes and Navy SEALS, proposes a three-step approach to harnessing the positive aspects of stress while minimizing any negative health impacts.

Step One - "See your stress"

Don't attempt to ignore stress-label it.

Seeing it as something positive-rather than to be avoided-can change our physical, cognitive, and behavioral response to it.

See it - Label it: " I am stressed because I haven't completed the report yet."

Step Two - "Own it"

When you are at risk of being overwhelmed by stress, own it.

Own it - " I have recently got the promotion I wanted; this is part of my new role."

Step Three - "Use it"

Your body and mind have evolved to respond to stress; use that energy, alertness, and heightened concentration to boost your mind.

Use it - Be open to the opportunity. Use the stress to energize and motivate yourself.

Reframing stress to something positive can enable you to overcome existing and future obstacles (Crum & Crum, 2018).

A Real-Life Example

The following real-life example exemplifies the human capacity to cope. Csikszentmihalyi (2009), describes this ability, as follows:

"the same stressful event might make one person utterly miserable, while another will bite the bullet and make the best of it."

Against All Odds

When Carmen's estranged husband broke into her home, he beat her so severely that the police said it was more brutal than anything they had ever seen. Following the horrific injuries to her head, she remained in a coma for three months (Hooper, 2019).

When she regained consciousness and was finally able to get out of bed, she was left in terrible pain, required multiple skin grafts, and blind. Surprisingly, rather than feeling sorry for herself, she realized she had been given a gift, the opportunity to help people.

Despite, as she describes it, "looking shocking," she became a speaker and an inspiration to many.

And yet, the story doesn't end there. The tight skin grafts on Carmen's face continued to cause her immense pain, and she became only the seventh person to have a face transplant. To further give insight into her character, she connected and struck up a close friendship with the daughter of the donor. They now see each other regularly.

Carmen's story of resilience is incredible. Not only did she survive injuries she could have died from, but she overcame the challenges to flourish in her new life.

Teaching Coping to Children: 3 Ideas

Professor Steve Peters is a consultant psychiatrist, specializing in the human mind.

He has worked closely with Team GB athletes and supported British Cycling in their considerable successes.

His bestseller, The Chimp Paradox, explains, in simple terms, the inner workings of the brain using what he describes as the "Chimp Model." It consists of three elements that he named: the Human, the Chimp, and the Computer.

The Human, you, use a logical and rational approach to solving problems. The Chimp represents the fast-reacting, instinctual parts of the brain. It interprets information emotionally, and often responds impulsively, frequently causing us problems.

The final element, the computer, stores previous experiences and uses them to advise the Human and the Chimp. It represents your memory and a set of learned, automatic responses.

In My Hidden Chimp, Peters uses the same model to help children develop healthy habits for life.

Understanding When the Chimp Tries to Take Over

Your 'Human' thoughts:

The Chimp's Thoughts:

I want to eat good food to make me strong and healthy

I don't care; I like cake and sweets

Your 'Human' thoughts:

The Chimp's Thoughts:

I like school, and I am good at my lessons

I'm watching TV; I don't want to read

Identify Words That Describe You and Your Chimp

Words to choose from

Words that describe you when the Chimp doesn't take over

Words that describe the Chimp (some will match words that describe you)

Worried, playful, calm
sad, busy, confident,
funny, happy, grumpy,
mean, and bossy

Happy, confident, sensible, loving, helpful, and funny

Grumpy, happy, naughty, sad, funny, mean, and bossy

Trying New Things

Sometimes we get scared to try new things.

Can you think of three things you would say to your friend's Chimp to help it have a go at something new?

Encourage the Chimp to try something new:

1. If you try something new, you might enjoy it.

2. Something new could be fun, and you could share it with friends.

3. You could become more confident if you try new things.

Working through each of the above examples, with or without an adult, can help the child understand their feelings better and identify when the Chimp tries to take over.

2 Ways to Cope with Anxiety

Psychological research has proven the importance of relaxation as an effective technique for managing anxiety. As psychology has confirmed, we can influence our minds by taking control of our bodies (Clough & Strycharczyk, 2015).

Exercises for managing anxiety include:

1. Controlled Distraction

Similar to self-talk, controlled distraction reduces anxiety by redirecting attention away from a negative situation.

When anxious, and a quick fix is required, take your mind off your anxiety by focusing on something that doesn't cause you upset.

For example, counting lights, or ceiling tiles before giving a presentation or recalling a poem, listening to music, or imagining a past, or future, holiday.

2. The Laura Mitchell Relaxation Method

The Laura Mitchell relaxation method has been around for decades but remains a successful and widely used treatment for patients with anxiety.

The client is asked to 'pull' each muscle group in turn-for example, 'pull your shoulders towards your feet,' 'stretch out your fingers and thumbs'-and instructed to 'stop' between each. They must remain mindful of their body position, breathing, muscles, joints, and skin.

How to Cope with Anger?

Anger management starts with recognizing the early warning signs, then reducing or avoiding escalation.

The initial rush of adrenaline leads to physical indicators that you may become aware of before you spot emotional changes: increased heart rate, faster breathing, tension, clenched jaw, and fists.

Simple techniques can quickly be adopted and buy extra thinking time: a short walk, counting to ten, and talking to a friend for independent advice.

Breathing techniques can also help you to find calm and reduce escalating feelings.

Box breathing is practical and easy to learn. Imagine each side of a box, breathe in (side 1), hold (side 2), breathe out (side 3), and hold (side 4). Each side should last approximately four seconds.

Exercise, distraction, and mindfulness are other positive ways to handle tension or release anger.

7 Books on The Topic

To learn more about coping, mental toughness, resilience, and our evolutionary background, check out these 13 books available on Amazon:

On Mental Toughness by Harvard Business Review (Amazon)

Mindset: Changing the Way you Think to Fulfil your Potential by Carol Dweck (Amazon)

Positivity: Groundbreaking Research to Release Your Inner Optimist and Thrive by Barbara Fredrickson (Amazon)

Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind by David Buss (Amazon)

The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness by Dr. Steve Peters (Amazon)

Self-determination Theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness by Richard Ryan, Edward Deci (Amazon)

Developing Mental Toughness: Coaching Strategies to Improve Performance, Resilience, and Wellbeing by Doug Strycharczyk and Peter Clough (Amazon)

Realizing Resilience Masterclass Tools

The Realizing Resilience - Coaching Masterclass is an excellent resource for practitioners. Teach your clients how to become more resilient and mentally tough with the science-based techniques and tools in this online masterclass.

A Take-Home Message

The human mind is impressive. It has evolved the potential to solve complex problems and successfully manage unexpected and novel situations.

And yet, coping is less about what is happening in the world, and more about how our minds interpret the situation. Perception is everything. This is why coping mechanisms focus on either managing, reframing, or avoiding, how we perceive the stressors.

If we can see stress not as something to be shied away from-but rather an opportunity to embrace-we can live a more complete, authentic life. After all, although evolution has shaped our minds and bodies, we are free to choose how we react and how we behave.
While we often lack control of our environment, we decide what affects us and how we respond.
It is not possible and would not be enjoyable to live a life without stress. Overcoming the challenges, pitfalls, and failures in life are just as crucial as celebrating the wins and enjoying happy outcomes. Stress is a valuable force for growth.

However, if our inability to cope is getting in the way of living a full life, achieving what we want, or causing damage to others, then we must adopt and adapt the tools that work best to overcome the situation and flourish.

Thank you for reading.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don't forget to download our 3 Resilience Exercises for free.

If you wish to learn more, our Realizing Resilience Masterclass© is a complete, science-based, 6-module resilience training template for practitioners that contains all the materials you'll need to help your clients overcome adversity in a more resilient way.

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The Art of Coping: Strategies and Skills to Help Your Clients Cope

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Can't cope? Overwhelmed? Stressed? We all have trouble coping at some points in life. We don't get the promotion we hoped for; our relationship breaks down; a presentation is overdue. Whether you cope or not depends on how you think. Stress-a feeling of emotional or physical tension-arises from how you interpret life's events as they unfold.

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It is not just the clients who benefit from attending therapy sessions.

Most mental health professionals agree that the process of therapy itself is rewarding and a great learning experience for them.

The way therapists listen to their clients and empathize with them becomes their second nature and an essential aspect of their personality.

Irvin Yalom, a celebrated author who has published several valuable assets for psychotherapists, said that therapists could identify and successfully work through their conflicts during therapy sessions. Succeeding as a therapist is also partly about flourishing as a human being.

There are plenty of literary works that therapists can choose to upgrade themselves. This article outlines some of the most popular and recommended resources that can help psychotherapists and counselors at all levels. From general therapy guides to more specific forms of interventions and audiobooks, this article is a compilation of resources you wouldn't want to miss.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive CBT Exercises for free. These science-based exercises will provide you with detailed insight into Positive CBT and give you the tools to apply it in your therapy or coaching.

4 Best Therapy Books for Therapists

Among therapists, there are a few titles that often come up as must-reads. Here are some of our favorite picks for therapists.

1. Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder - Marsha M. Linehan

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder follows an integrative and inclusive approach that therapists can use.

Author Marsha Linehan talks about recent developments in CBT and Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and explains how therapists can combine the two approaches to ensure a better prognosis.

The book is simplified and highly recommended for therapists who deal with clients with borderline personality disorder or wish to know more about the interventions.

Find the book on Amazon.

2. The Developing Mind: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are - Daniel J. Siegel

The book introduces human relationships to be as strong as the nature and nurture concepts that therapists have been following for years now. Siegel uses scientific evidence and real-life examples to add more substance to his findings.

The Developing Mind opens a whole new dimension to the science of human connections and its relevance in psychotherapeutic interventions.

Find the book on Amazon.

3. The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients - Irvin Yalom

The book is a collection of insightful case studies and over 80 essential tips for beginner psychotherapists.

With valuable insights on crucial therapy topics such as identifying personal biases, doing home visits, and individualizing the process of therapy each time, this book is an excellent read for professionals who are starting their journey and for experienced therapists who wish to keep themselves relevant to the current time.

Find the book on Amazon.

4. Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change - William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick

Authors William Miller and Stephen Rollnick have put forth their years of research findings and explanations on the aspects of motivational interviewing and how therapists can include them in their practices.

The book follows an easy-to-read approach and touches almost all aspects of motivational interviewing. Besides facilitating psychotherapy, this book is also a recommended read for professionals working as leaders, managers, or corporate recruiters.

Find the book on Amazon.

4 Must-Have Books for Couples Therapy

Dr. Robert Solley, a practicing clinical psychologist and relationship counselor, mentioned the following books on his website as must-reads for therapists and anyone looking to sustain their relationships for the long term.

1. Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love - Dr. Sue Johnson

She takes readers through a meaningful journey of understanding the moments that can make or break relationships and the value of effective communication and self-expression. She has also shared valuable advice on how couples can work with each other to build an everlasting connection.

Find the book on Amazon.

2. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are - Brené Brown

The book is a benchmark motivational guide for wholesome living. It creates space for building self-esteem and shows therapists a unique way to help couples restore their happiness.

The author delves deep into aspects of gratitude, commitment, and expectation management and shows how couples can embrace each other's imperfections and still be happy in their lives.

Find the book on Amazon.

You can find some other great books on self-esteem here.

3. Clinical Casebook of Couple Therapy - Alan S. Gurman

There are multiple case studies and therapy models mentioned in this book that can engage beginners in the field and guide them to implement them in their practice successfully.

Find the book on Amazon.

4. The Practice of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy: Creating Connection - Susan M. Johnson

It includes cutting-edge knowledge on Emotion-Focused Therapy, its applications, and interventions.

The author has cited examples from real-life Emotion-Focused Therapy sessions to facilitate a better understanding of the topic.

Recommended Therapy Books on Depression and Anxiety

Here are two useful books for managing depression and anxiety.

1. Lost Connections: Why You're Depressed and How to Find Hope - Johann Hari

The book delves into the genetic dispositions behind depression and anxiety disorders and invites therapists to implement combined and inclusive approaches while dealing with clients.

Find the book on Amazon.

2. Treatment Plans and Interventions for Depression and Anxiety Disorders - Robert L. Leahy, Stephen J. F. Holland, and Lata K. McGinn

Treatment Plans and Interventions for Depression and Anxiety Disorders is partly a manual for therapists and somewhat a rich theoretical base. It revolves around cutting-edge revelations in the field and expands treatment to include more creative interventions.

Find the book on Amazon.

3 Books on Child Therapy

Recommended by eminent psychologists like Susan Gere and others, here are some popular books on child and adolescent therapeutic interventions.

1. The Practice of Child Therapy - Richard J. Morris and Thomas R. Kratochwill

Authors Richard Morris and Thomas Kratochwill drive readers through pressing issues such as attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, academic underperformance, conduct disorders, childhood obsessive compulsive disorder, autism spectrum disorders, and intellectual disabilities.

Noteworthy sections of the book include different treatment orientations, case studies, empirical findings, psychopharmacology, and CBT techniques, among many others. It is a popular choice for therapists beginning their careers with children and students who wish to pursue child therapy in the future.

Find the book on Amazon.

2. Trauma-Informed Practices With Children and Adolescents - William Steele and Cathy A. Malchiodi

This book on trauma-informed practices is a massive structure on how therapists can integrate their best practices and, at the same time, ensure their clients' safety and individual rights.

The book will prepare any therapist about how to approach kids, how or when to ask them questions, and how to deal with childhood resistance. It is a relevant literary work that comes in handy and should ideally benefit child therapists at all levels.

Find the book on Amazon.

3. Counselling Children: A Practical Introduction - Kathryn Geldard, David Geldard, and Rebecca Yin Foo

Creating an effective plan and chalking out the goals of therapy

Identifying the factors that have led to the present problem

Implementing play therapy into the sessions and gauging their benefits for the current case

Diversity of child counseling

Building personal strength and resilience

The book also includes worksheets that therapists can use during the session or as home assignments. Overall, this book is a logical and concise edition that encompasses a huge range of topics in child psychotherapy.

Find the book on Amazon.

3 Therapy Workbooks

Here are some recommended therapy workbooks that professionals could use in their practices.

1. Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety: A Guide to Breaking Free From Anxiety, Phobias, and Worry Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - John P. Forsyth and Georg H. Eifert

The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook follows the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy approach and puts forth some practical exercises that can help readers reinvent their lives all over again.

The book covers topics of self-compassion, mindful sensory awareness, positive self-affirmations, gratitude, and radical acceptance. The core purpose of creating this workbook was to enable therapists and help seekers overcome their problems and see through the short struggle. The book promotes a positive mindset, mindful living, and the capacity to focus on the bright side.

Find the book on Amazon or check out more self-compassion books.

2. DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets - Marsha M. Linehan

This workbook comes with over 200 easy exercises and handouts that can help therapists learning and practicing DBT for the first time.

Author Marsha Linehan's work on DBT has been highly acclaimed, and the way she has demonstrated the most critical aspects of the therapy is commendable.

The DBT Skills Training Manual caters to individual needs and has complete instructions for users, making it a great choice for independent practices.

Find the book on Amazon.

3. CBT Toolbox for Children and Adolescents: Over 200 Worksheets & Exercises for Trauma, ADHD, Autism, Anxiety, Depression & Conduct Disorders - Lisa Phifer, Amanda Crowder, and Tracy Elsenraat

Conducting CBT for children is often challenging for even the best of professionals. The way a child's mind functions under distress is hard to predict, the presence of external stressors only making it worse.

The CBT Toolbox for Children and Adolescents came as a breath of fresh air for therapists and beginners who struggle to find the best intervention for a given case.

The book has around 500 tools and exercises for children dealing with trauma, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, attentional problems, and emotional dysregulation. Written by some of the most reputed professionals working with children, the exercises are undeniably compelling and easy to incorporate at any stage of child therapy.

Find the book on Amazon.

2 Therapy Audiobooks

Book Authority (n.d.) recommended the following audiobooks for therapists based on CNN and Forbes reviews.

1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: The Essential Step by Step Guide to Retraining Your Brain: Overcome Anxiety, Depression and Negative Thought Patterns - David Clark

It uncovers areas of thought distortions - both on the part of the therapist and the client - and guides the reader through the right order of implementing the different CBT techniques at the various stages of therapy. It helps therapists become more resilient and aware as professionals and creates room for better client-therapist relationships.

The book is available in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. Find it on Amazon.

2. Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment - Martin Seligman

Authentic Happiness reflects Seligman's sincere effort to bring forth some groundbreaking research and evidence on how and why therapists should promote happiness through their interventions.

His work emphasizes the importance of wellbeing over symptom reduction. The book is an eye-opener rather than a mere source of information. Through all the evidence, research findings, and real-life examples, this audiobook will tell you all about nurturing authentic peace and contentment in life.

Find the audiobook on Amazon.

A Take-Home Message

Reading can make a difference in the way we see and think. Whether you are a beginner, student, experienced professional, or help seeker, knowing more about your area of interest widens perception and adds a new dimension to your thoughts.

The books and literary sources mentioned in this article will provide some insight for upgrading your skills and acquiring new ones. There is no end to learning new ways of therapy, as it is evolving each day, and the best way to embrace this constant progress is to keep knowing more about it.

If you want something short to read that packs a punch, read our inspiring article on Therapy Quotes.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. For more information, don't forget to download our three Positive CBT Exercises for free.

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16 Best Therapy Books to Read for Therapists

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There are plenty of literary resources for therapists who want to develop. We outline some of the most popular & best therapy books.

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Explore the benefits of starting an outdoor meditation practice. Plus, the best types of meditations to try outside and how you can meditate in nature.

Outdoor meditation blends the calmness of nature with the practice of meditation, which offers a unique and refreshing way to find peace and mental clarity.

Our days are often spent indoors, tied to screens and routines, so taking your meditation practice outdoors can be an energizing and transformative experience, offering benefits that indoor meditation might not provide.

The beauty of outdoor meditation lies in its simplicity and accessibility. It's easy to practice, and anyone can do it! The fresh air, natural light, and sounds of the outdoors can make your meditation feel more and grounded and can deepen your connection with the world around you.

5 examples of outdoor meditations

Expanding your outdoor meditation practice can offer new ways to engage with outdoor meditation. They can be adapted based on your preference, the environment, and how much time you have.

1. Walking or hiking meditation: Choose a quiet path and begin to walk slowly. Focus on the sensation of your feet touching the ground with each step. Synchronize your breathing with the rhythm of your steps. As you walk, bring your attention to the present moment, observing nature around you.

2. Sound meditation: Sit or lie in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Focus on the sounds you hear-the wind, birds, or even cars driving in the distance. Instead of labeling these sounds, simply listen and let them come and go. This practice can deepen your connection with your environment and help you cultivate a sense of presence and awareness.

3. Nature observation meditation: Choose something in nature-perhaps a tree, a body of water, or a rock-and spend a few minutes simply observing it. Notice its colors, shapes, textures, and any movement. This type of meditation allows you to connect with nature and can bring a sense of peace and grounding.

4. Guided outdoor meditation: Try a guided meditation that's specifically designed for outdoor settings. These meditations often include prompts to help you connect with your natural surroundings, which can enhance your outdoor experience.

5. Sun meditation: Practice this during the early morning or late afternoon when the sun is gentle. Close your eyes and turn your face toward the sun. Feel the warmth on your skin and focus on how it feels. Be mindful of how long you're exposing yourself to the sun's rays, and, of course, don't forget your sunscreen.

How to practice outdoor meditation

Outdoor meditation can be both exciting and uplifting, allowing you to embrace the sights and sounds of nature while you find calm and focus in yourself. Each session can be a unique experience shaped by the time of day, weather, and your surroundings.

Find a quiet spot

Choose a peaceful place where you feel comfortable and can be undisturbed. This could be a secluded spot in your backyard, a tranquil corner in a public park, or a quiet beach. Find somewhere you feel at ease and connected to nature.

Make sure you're comfortable

Minimizing discomfort can help you focus better, so if you're sitting, try sitting on a mat or a cushion. For standing or walking meditations, wear comfortable shoes and clothing.

Set a timer

Decide how long you want to meditate, and set a timer so you're not distracted by checking the time. The timer can help you fully immerse yourself in your meditation experience. If you're a , try starting with 5-10 minutes.

Adapt to the environment

Outdoor environments are always changing. You might encounter unexpected noises or interruptions. Instead of getting frustrated, let the chirping of birds or the rustling of leaves become part of your meditation, helping you stay in the present moment.

Choose your meditation style

There are lots of types of meditation to choose from, depending on your preference and experience. Focus on your breath, practice mindfulness, or try a guided meditation using the Calm app, and experiment to find a style that works for you.

Mindful observation

Notice the colors, textures, and movements of your surroundings. This practice can help ground you and enhance your sensory awareness.

Return gently

Once your timer goes off, don't rush to get up. Instead, take a few moments to reflect on your meditation experience and the sensations in your body. Gradually bring your awareness back to the present to finish your session gently.

Regular practice

Bring outdoor meditation into your regular routine to make your practice consistent. Over time, you'll likely notice your overall meditation experience improves and you develop a deeper connection with nature.

6 pro tips to meditate outdoors

Enhance your outdoor meditation practice with tips to create a more enriching and fulfilling experience of inner peace and mindfulness. If you're new to meditation , explore different practices to find what works for you.

1. Embrace the elements

Whether it's a gentle breeze, the warm sun, or even a light drizzle, appreciate the unique sensory experience of the natural elements around you to deepen your meditation. Being comfortable in your body can help you get the most from your meditation session, so wear layers in cold weather, or, if it's hot, try light and breathable clothing and suitable sun protection.

2. Use nature as your focal point

If your mind wanders, use a natural element to help you stay grounded and present during your meditation. It could be the sound of a nearby stream, the sight of a fluttering leaf, or the scent of the earth.

💙 If you can't make it outside, you can still embrace nature in this guided Soundscape Meditation: Costa Rican Jungle .

3. Be respectful of wildlife and the environment

Remember that you're sharing the space with nature and its inhabitants. Be mindful and respectful of wildlife and plants, leaving the area as you found it.

4. Let go of expectations

Every outdoor meditation experience will be different. Some days you might find deep peace, while other times your meditation might be filled with distractions. Letting go of expectations can allow you to be more open to the experience and reduce frustration.

💙 Let go of expectations and learn to Reset Your Attention when you feel your mind wandering.

5. Use technology mindfully

If you're using a meditation app or guided audio, keep the volume at a level where you can still hear and appreciate the sounds of nature around you.

💙 Press play on Soundscape Meditation: California Beachside for soothing sounds of gentle waves and wind as you meditate.

6. Mindful movement

If sitting still is challenging, incorporate gentle, mindful movements like stretching your arms toward the sky or swaying gently with the breeze. Movement can help release physical tension and enhance your connection with the environment.

💙 Practice Mindful Movement with Mel Mah during the Daily Move.

Outdoor meditation FAQs

What is outdoor meditation?

Outdoor meditation is the practice of meditating in an open-air environment, connecting with the natural world to enhance the meditative experience with the calming effects of nature. It involves finding a peaceful spot outside, such as a park, garden, or forest, and using nature as a focal point to engage your senses and deepen your meditation practice. This can lead to increased mindfulness, relaxation, and a heightened sense of wellbeing.

How do you do meditation outside?

Meditating outside can be easy, start with a few simple steps:

1. Choose a quiet spot in nature.

2. Find a comfortable posture, like sitting, standing, or even .

3. Begin by taking a few deep breaths to relax and center yourself.

4. Use the natural environment as your focus, like the rhythm of your breath, the sounds of birds, the feeling of the breeze, or the warmth of the sun.

5. Set a timer for the length of time you'd like to meditate.

6. Allow your thoughts to pass without judgment, and gently bring your focus back to your chosen element whenever you get distracted.

7. Finish your meditation slowly, gently transitioning back to your regular state of awareness.

How do you meditate externally?

External meditation involves focusing on elements outside of yourself, shifting your attention to the external world and your sensory experiences of it.

Find a quiet place to sit or stand comfortably.

Open your senses to your surroundings, and notice what you see, hear, feel, smell, and even taste.

Choose an external focus point, like the sound of a stream, the sight of a tree, or the feeling of a breeze on your skin.

Whenever your mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to your chosen external focus.

Let yourself be fully immersed in the sensory experiences of the natural world around you.

Is it better to meditate indoors or outdoors?

The choice between indoor and outdoor meditation depends on personal preference and the specific goals of your practice.

Indoor meditation offers a controlled environment, free from the unpredictability of weather and external noise, which can be beneficial for deep focus and introspection. Outdoor meditation, on the other hand, provides a connection to nature, which can enhance mindfulness and offer a sensory experience that's refreshing and grounding.

Many people find value in practicing both types, so explore and find what works best for you in your meditation journey.

Calm your mind. Change your life.

Mental health is hard. Getting support doesn't have to be. The Calm app puts the tools to feel better in your back pocket, with personalized content to manage stress and anxiety, get better sleep, and feel more present in your life.

Explore the benefits of starting an outdoor meditation practice. Plus, the best types of meditations to try outside and how you can meditate in nature.

Outdoor meditation blends the calmness of nature with the practice of meditation, which offers a unique and refreshing way to find peace and mental clarity.

Our days are often spent indoors, tied to screens and routines, so taking your meditation practice outdoors can be an energizing and transformative experience, offering benefits that indoor meditation might not provide.

The beauty of outdoor meditation lies in its simplicity and accessibility. It's easy to practice, and anyone can do it! The fresh air, natural light, and sounds of the outdoors can make your meditation feel more and grounded and can deepen your connection with the world around you.

5 examples of outdoor meditations

Expanding your outdoor meditation practice can offer new ways to engage with outdoor meditation. They can be adapted based on your preference, the environment, and how much time you have.

1. Walking or hiking meditation: Choose a quiet path and begin to walk slowly. Focus on the sensation of your feet touching the ground with each step. Synchronize your breathing with the rhythm of your steps. As you walk, bring your attention to the present moment, observing nature around you.

2. Sound meditation: Sit or lie in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Focus on the sounds you hear-the wind, birds, or even cars driving in the distance. Instead of labeling these sounds, simply listen and let them come and go. This practice can deepen your connection with your environment and help you cultivate a sense of presence and awareness.

3. Nature observation meditation: Choose something in nature-perhaps a tree, a body of water, or a rock-and spend a few minutes simply observing it. Notice its colors, shapes, textures, and any movement. This type of meditation allows you to connect with nature and can bring a sense of peace and grounding.

4. Guided outdoor meditation: Try a guided meditation that's specifically designed for outdoor settings. These meditations often include prompts to help you connect with your natural surroundings, which can enhance your outdoor experience.

5. Sun meditation: Practice this during the early morning or late afternoon when the sun is gentle. Close your eyes and turn your face toward the sun. Feel the warmth on your skin and focus on how it feels. Be mindful of how long you're exposing yourself to the sun's rays, and, of course, don't forget your sunscreen.

How to practice outdoor meditation

Outdoor meditation can be both exciting and uplifting, allowing you to embrace the sights and sounds of nature while you find calm and focus in yourself. Each session can be a unique experience shaped by the time of day, weather, and your surroundings.

Find a quiet spot

Choose a peaceful place where you feel comfortable and can be undisturbed. This could be a secluded spot in your backyard, a tranquil corner in a public park, or a quiet beach. Find somewhere you feel at ease and connected to nature.

Make sure you're comfortable

Minimizing discomfort can help you focus better, so if you're sitting, try sitting on a mat or a cushion. For standing or walking meditations, wear comfortable shoes and clothing.

Set a timer

Decide how long you want to meditate, and set a timer so you're not distracted by checking the time. The timer can help you fully immerse yourself in your meditation experience. If you're a , try starting with 5-10 minutes.

Adapt to the environment

Outdoor environments are always changing. You might encounter unexpected noises or interruptions. Instead of getting frustrated, let the chirping of birds or the rustling of leaves become part of your meditation, helping you stay in the present moment.

Choose your meditation style

There are lots of types of meditation to choose from, depending on your preference and experience. Focus on your breath, practice mindfulness, or try a guided meditation using the Calm app, and experiment to find a style that works for you.

Mindful observation

Notice the colors, textures, and movements of your surroundings. This practice can help ground you and enhance your sensory awareness.

Return gently

Once your timer goes off, don't rush to get up. Instead, take a few moments to reflect on your meditation experience and the sensations in your body. Gradually bring your awareness back to the present to finish your session gently.

Regular practice

Bring outdoor meditation into your regular routine to make your practice consistent. Over time, you'll likely notice your overall meditation experience improves and you develop a deeper connection with nature.

6 pro tips to meditate outdoors

Enhance your outdoor meditation practice with tips to create a more enriching and fulfilling experience of inner peace and mindfulness. If you're new to meditation , explore different practices to find what works for you.

1. Embrace the elements

Whether it's a gentle breeze, the warm sun, or even a light drizzle, appreciate the unique sensory experience of the natural elements around you to deepen your meditation. Being comfortable in your body can help you get the most from your meditation session, so wear layers in cold weather, or, if it's hot, try light and breathable clothing and suitable sun protection.

2. Use nature as your focal point

If your mind wanders, use a natural element to help you stay grounded and present during your meditation. It could be the sound of a nearby stream, the sight of a fluttering leaf, or the scent of the earth.

💙 If you can't make it outside, you can still embrace nature in this guided Soundscape Meditation: Costa Rican Jungle .

3. Be respectful of wildlife and the environment

Remember that you're sharing the space with nature and its inhabitants. Be mindful and respectful of wildlife and plants, leaving the area as you found it.

4. Let go of expectations

Every outdoor meditation experience will be different. Some days you might find deep peace, while other times your meditation might be filled with distractions. Letting go of expectations can allow you to be more open to the experience and reduce frustration.

💙 Let go of expectations and learn to Reset Your Attention when you feel your mind wandering.

5. Use technology mindfully

If you're using a meditation app or guided audio, keep the volume at a level where you can still hear and appreciate the sounds of nature around you.

💙 Press play on Soundscape Meditation: California Beachside for soothing sounds of gentle waves and wind as you meditate.

6. Mindful movement

If sitting still is challenging, incorporate gentle, mindful movements like stretching your arms toward the sky or swaying gently with the breeze. Movement can help release physical tension and enhance your connection with the environment.

💙 Practice Mindful Movement with Mel Mah during the Daily Move.

Outdoor meditation FAQs

What is outdoor meditation?

Outdoor meditation is the practice of meditating in an open-air environment, connecting with the natural world to enhance the meditative experience with the calming effects of nature. It involves finding a peaceful spot outside, such as a park, garden, or forest, and using nature as a focal point to engage your senses and deepen your meditation practice. This can lead to increased mindfulness, relaxation, and a heightened sense of wellbeing.

How do you do meditation outside?

Meditating outside can be easy, start with a few simple steps:

1. Choose a quiet spot in nature.

2. Find a comfortable posture, like sitting, standing, or even .

3. Begin by taking a few deep breaths to relax and center yourself.

4. Use the natural environment as your focus, like the rhythm of your breath, the sounds of birds, the feeling of the breeze, or the warmth of the sun.

5. Set a timer for the length of time you'd like to meditate.

6. Allow your thoughts to pass without judgment, and gently bring your focus back to your chosen element whenever you get distracted.

7. Finish your meditation slowly, gently transitioning back to your regular state of awareness.

How do you meditate externally?

External meditation involves focusing on elements outside of yourself, shifting your attention to the external world and your sensory experiences of it.

Find a quiet place to sit or stand comfortably.

Open your senses to your surroundings, and notice what you see, hear, feel, smell, and even taste.

Choose an external focus point, like the sound of a stream, the sight of a tree, or the feeling of a breeze on your skin.

Whenever your mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to your chosen external focus.

Let yourself be fully immersed in the sensory experiences of the natural world around you.

Is it better to meditate indoors or outdoors?

The choice between indoor and outdoor meditation depends on personal preference and the specific goals of your practice.

Indoor meditation offers a controlled environment, free from the unpredictability of weather and external noise, which can be beneficial for deep focus and introspection. Outdoor meditation, on the other hand, provides a connection to nature, which can enhance mindfulness and offer a sensory experience that's refreshing and grounding.

Many people find value in practicing both types, so explore and find what works best for you in your meditation journey.

Calm your mind. Change your life.

Mental health is hard. Getting support doesn't have to be. The Calm app puts the tools to feel better in your back pocket, with personalized content to manage stress and anxiety, get better sleep, and feel more present in your life.

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Outdoor meditation: how (and why) to meditate in nature - Calm Blog

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Explore the benefits of starting an outdoor meditation practice. Plus, the best types of meditations to try outside and how you can meditate in nature.

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Did you ever wish that you could sharpen your senses - to see a little further, hear more clearly, smell more strongly, taste more distinctly or simply feel a little more in life?

In a world full of rushing people, with sounds, smells, and sights zooming by in flying colors, now is the time to focus on one sense at a time to take life in more fully. You can do this by trying a meditation practice for the five senses.

What is a Meditation Practice?

Meditation is the act of arriving fully in the present moment. It is a tool used to train the mind to move from a place of rushing thoughts into a space of calmness.

You may experience many negative thoughts, worries, and fears coming in and out of your awareness daily. In fact, the average person has over 6000 thoughts per day. That's a lot of time spent thinking, but how much of it do you spend thinking about the here and now? This is where meditation can help.

Meditation, either guided or unguided, allows you to drop into a deep state of relaxation for both the body and the mind. But, just like exercise and training the physical body, meditation practice should be done regularly if you want to get better at it. The question is - what specific outcome are you seeking through your meditation practice?

If you are seeking to develop more present-moment awareness, then you should explore a five-sense meditation.

How can I use my five senses during meditation?

To use your five senses fully, you can focus on each sense, one at a time, to enhance the perception of each one.

Doing this in a meditative state will allow you to feel each sense more deeply. It will also help you to drop into the present moment and really experience the world as it is happening around you. By noticing your surroundings, you will get to experience life more fully.

A guided Five-Sense Meditation Practice for you to try:

You can do this meditation either seated, laying down, or even walking down the street.

If you choose to sit for this meditation, you might like to use a meditation cushion for your hips, to set yourself up in maximum comfort. Make sure your phone is turned off, and you are in a space where you can completely relax.

Alternatively, if you choose to try this meditation when you are outside walking, or even moving around the house, know that you might feel a bit more active after the session. In this case, try to stay present with yourself throughout the meditation and really connect with the senses that you are identifying.

Begin by taking a few slow breaths to drop in

Just as you would begin any mindfulness or meditation practices, it is important to start with the breath.

Take a few deep breaths and really feel yourself arrive in the moment. Notice your pattern of breathing, and how your deep breath is moving in and out of your body. Feel how your belly and chest are moving in response to your breath.

Use these first moments, for around about a minute, to simply notice the racing thoughts that may be happening in your head. Tune into what you are currently feeling and explore the physical sensations in your body.

Step 1. Look - Identify 5 things you can see

Now, with your eyes open, but your gaze soft, take a look around the room or space you are in. Whether you have chosen to walk, or you are resting on the ground, use this moment to notice what is in your surroundings. Notice colors and shapes, and all things that your sense of sight can absorb right now.

In your mind, you can name these five things that you see. You can name the color, the items, the person walking down the street, or the pictures in the room.

When you have identified five things with your sense of sight, you can choose whether to continue the rest of this meditation with your eyes closed or if you prefer to keep the eyes open, make sure the gaze is soft and gentle.

Step 2. Listen - Identify 4 sounds you can hear

Now, time to activate your ears. Listen carefully to the sounds you can hear, both near and far, that are in your field of awareness. Keep a strong singular focus on sound, and try to identify four different sounds that you can hear right now.

Do you hear sharp sounds or dull sounds? Can you hear yourself breathing and perhaps a car driving far in the distance?

What sound do you hear in the room that you are in? Is there a conversation happening in the vicinity of your ears?

Do you hear the sound of music coming from your neighbor's place? Or can you hear the sound of a small animal rustling along the forest floor?

As you listen to these sounds near and far, how sharp do you think your hearing is?

When you have heard four different sounds coming from different places, it is time to move on to the next sense of feeling.

Step 3. Feel - Identify 3 things you can feel

Identify three things that you can feel. These could be ways that your skin feels - for example, the different textures of your clothes on your body, or the floor beneath your feet.

This sense of feeling could also be coming from inside, your inner feelings - for example, do you feel happy or have a sense of compassion? Do you have feelings of anxiety or are you content, sitting here in this stillness?

Try to name three different feelings that are happening to you right now. When you have found three, it's time to use your sense of smell.

Step 4. Smell - Identify 2 things you can smell

Now, use your nose to identify two distinct smells. Can you smell the freshly cut grass outside or the freshly baked food in the oven?

Can you smell the laundry detergent on your washed clothes or the oak wood from your grandparent's chair?

Can you notice the difference between the cinnamon and the clove in your mug of tea?

How can you use your sense of smell to drop you into a certain place and time? Notice the subtle scents that are alive in your home. They might be pleasant, such as the perfume of your partner or the dried roses on the table. Or you might smell something a bit more neutral, such as the smell of your warm skin after sitting in the sun. Really notice the details.

Step 5. Taste - Identify 1 thing you can taste

The fifth and final sense is that of taste. Tune in now, and notice how your tongue rests on the roof of your mouth.

Perhaps in your mouth is the taste of the lunch that you just enjoyed. Or maybe you feel your mouth watering as you catch yourself dreaming about what you will eat next.

Try to notice the taste buds on your tongue and what they are still holding onto. What taste lingers in your mouth?

Or if you haven't eaten in a while, maybe ask yourself, how does your breath taste?

When you have identified the taste that is currently in your mouth, you can name it, and then release the focus.

You have now successfully tuned your body and mind into a place of mindfulness and awareness. By noticing the senses in your body, you have heightened your presence in this very moment. This guided meditation is one that you can connect with often to improve all of your senses.

When and Why to Meditate Daily

For the best benefits, you should try to do this guided meditation daily. It doesn't matter if it is the first activity in the morning, halfway through your day, or just before bed. The most important thing is to use this guided meditation to notice the world around you. Meditation has many benefits, and the more frequently you include meditation practices into your daily routine, the quicker you will experience the benefits.

Why should you meditate daily?

To calm your nervous system

To bring mindfulness and awareness to your life

To have a deeper connection to your surroundings, both people and places

To become a happy and more positive person

To spend less time on your phone and more time enjoying your physical surroundings

Whether you choose to walk or sit for this five senses meditation practice, the benefits will largely increase the quality of your life.

Frequently Asked Questions:

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5 Sense Meditation - A guided practice to bring you into the present moment - The Yoga Nomads

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Now is the time to focus on one sense at a time to take life in more fully. You can do this by trying a meditation practice for the five senses.

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There are many different kinds of meditation techniques and they can all be beneficial.

The beauty of meditation is that it can be done anywhere and at anytime.

Most meditation techniques are relatively simple, ranging from simple breathing meditations to more complex meditations.

Meditation is a very personal practice because what is relaxing for one person may be distracting for another. Some people find it quite difficult to turn the mind off so guided meditations are a wonderful option as well because they allow your mind to go on an incredible journey.

In this article, we will cover the basics of meditation from common meditation techniques to mindfulness techniques to help calm anger.

Meditation is a pleasing way to relieve stress and anxiety. If you have never tried meditating, it may be a little intimidating at first.

A beautiful meditation can transform you to another time and another place. A simple meditation practice can also help you shed painful emotional burdens and negative thoughts.

Meditation can help melt away the layers of stress and anxiety that build up over time. Those that engage in a regular meditation program can better manage stress and tension, ward off depression and even lower their blood pressure.

Meditation can help you cope better with life and help you get rid of the tensions of the day. A lot of benefits for such a simple practice.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Mindfulness Exercises for free. These science-based, comprehensive exercises will not only help you cultivate a sense of inner peace throughout your daily life, but will also give you the tools to enhance the mindfulness of your clients, students, or employees.

10 of the Most Common Meditation Techniques

The purpose of meditation is to relax the mind and the body; it is not a complicated process but there are some simple steps you can follow to get started. If meditation has been challenging for you, then perhaps you have been trying too hard.

There are many techniques you can use to get started. Meditation is the opposite of what most of us engage in throughout the day so it can be difficult to learn how to turn off your mind if this is something you are not used to doing.

Ten of the most common meditation techniques include:

1. Breathing Meditations

2. Mindfulness Meditations

3. Focus Meditations

4. Movement Meditation or Walking Meditations

5. Mantra Meditations

6. Buddhist Meditations such as Loving Kindness

7. Christian Meditation or Spiritual Meditations

8. Guided Meditations

9. Transcendental Meditations

10. Progressive Relaxation Meditations

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but simply a list of the most common types of techniques. Not all of the techniques are meant for everyone. For example, you might find the Transcendental Meditation practice too complicated and be drawn to a simpler practice like a walking meditation.

These practices each require different skills and mindsets, so only you will know what is right for you.

What Techniques are Ideal for Beginners?

There are several techniques suitable for beginners. A few of these include (Bertone, 2019):

Breathing Meditations

Mindfulness Meditations

Focus Meditations

Walking Meditations

Progressive Muscle Relaxation Meditations

Mantra Meditations

1. Breathing Meditations

According to Science Daily, meditation and breathing exercises can make the mind sharper. New research reveals that there is a link between breath-focused meditation and attention and brain health (Trinity College Dublin, 2018).

A simple breath-focused meditation has several cognitive benefits from an increased ability to focus, less of a wandering mind, improved arousal levels, more positive emotions, less emotional reactivity, and many other benefits.

The mindfulness of breathing practice involves using the breath as an object of focus. It's a great technique that anyone can do.

Breathing practices allow you to focus on the moment and focus on the breath because each moment you spend focusing on something positive is one less moment you spend focusing on something negative.

Many people breath shallower during times of stress, so learning how to breathe deeply can help you feel more peaceful and calm throughout the day.

Breathing deeply is also a great way to shift your focus when you are feeling anxious. The 4-7-8 breathing technique is a great technique to learn because it acts like your body's natural tranquilizer.

Dr. Andrew Weil's 4-7-8 Breathing Technique (Fletcher, 2019).

Begin by emptying your lungs.

1. Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds.

2. Hold your breath for 7 seconds.

3. Exhale firmly through your mouth, pursing the lips, for 8 seconds

4. You may repeat this breathing cycle up to 4 times.

This type of simple technique is rejuvenating for the nervous system. If it makes you feel a little dizzy, don't do any more than 3-4 breaths at first. This kind of breathing acts as a natural tranquilizer.

Practicing this kind of simple breathing practice can completely shift your focus and your state of mind.

2. Mindfulness Meditations

Mindfulness meditation is all about being present in the here and now and not getting distracted by thoughts about the past or stressing about the future.

According to the Mayo Clinic (2020), mindfulness is a type of meditation where you focus on being intensely aware of what you are sensing or feeling moment by moment without judging or trying to interpret.

Practicing mindfulness might include mindful breathing, guided imagery, or even something like a body scan meditation where you tune into your body.

Mindfulness means doing something with 100% of your attention and focus, so you could also practice mindfulness while washing the dishes or taking a shower.

In typical mindfulness meditation, you might take the time to breathe deeply or even scan your body, working your way up from your toes to the top of your head.

Essentially, anything you do with all of your focus and attention could be considered a form of mindfulness.

3. Focus Meditations

A focus meditation involves focusing on an object like a flower or a candle and taking the time to examine it to the fullest extent.

You can select anything that stimulates your senses. For example, if you chose a yellow rose, you could sit and stare at the rose and imagine yourself touching it and feeling its velvety texture. You could also pay attention to any lines or creases in the rose or immerse yourself in the color yellow.

A focus meditation is all about zeroing in on the details of something so much so that you don't see anything else.

You can start by choosing an item of focus like a candle and sit comfortably in front of it. As you breathe in and out, notice how the flame flickers or how the flame is made of several different colors. Focus on the smells, the sounds, and experience what it's like to immerse yourself in the candle.

This kind of practice helps you deepen your focus while you hold your attention. You might be surprised at how effective a meditation like this can be.

4. Mindful Walking Meditations

Walking meditation is derived from Zen Buddhism and it is also known as kinhin, a practice in which practitioners walk around the room while holding their hands in shashu: holding one hand closed in a fist behind the back and the other hand closed within the fist.

During the walking meditation, steps are taken after each full breath. The beginning of kinhin is announced by the ringing of a bell twice.

There are many modern variations to walking meditation and walking meditations can be very rewarding and relaxing. The idea behind a walking meditation is to walk in silence as you observe everything that is going on all around you.

For example, you could notice the leaves on the trees if you are outside, feel the warmth of the sun or pay attention to the sound your feet make as they hit the pavement or surface.

For people who have trouble sitting still for a regular meditation practice, walking meditation can be very healing.

There is a very nice mindful walking tool in the positive psychology toolkit for those who would like to explore this more.

5. Progressive Muscle Relaxation Meditation

Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a very classic type of meditation, which basically involves the tightening and loosening of various muscles up and down the body.

You could do a progressive muscle relaxation by squeezing and releasing the large muscles of the body, either starting at the top of the head or the bottoms of the feet.

This type of meditation can be very soothing and relaxing especially before bedtime and it's a simple practice that even children can do.

6. Mantra Meditation

Mantra meditations involve the repetition of a word or phrase, known as a mantra, to gain focus or clarity. You can even use a simple word like peace or love.

The mantra can be chanted aloud or repeated silently. Many cultures utilize mantras but the Buddhist faith may be the most well known. Chanting is an age-old practice that has been used for millennia.

Mantras are simply sounds or symbols that correlate to a spiritual force or a deity. There are many types of mantras but a few common ones are Ohm and Aham Prema, which means divine love.

Typically a mantra is repeated for a cycle of 40 days but it's certainly not necessary for a beginning practitioner.

If you want to practice mantra meditation, simply sit quietly and ground and center yourself as you repeat your mantra 108 times. You can also count on a prayer bead or a mala.

The Transcendental Meditation Technique

Transcendental meditation is a very specific type of meditation introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a spiritual guru. It is a trademarked meditation based on a form of mantra meditation.

The TM course teaches practitioners a special mantra that can be used to produce specific vibrations or sounds. To learn the specific technique, you would need to pay for the course as the secrets are closely guarded.

This type of meditation has been described as a kind of fourth state of awareness with the first three being the waking state, the dreaming state and the state of deep dreamless sleep. The purpose of this meditation is to transcend awareness and consciousness.

Zen Meditation Explained

Zen is a school of Buddhism known as Mahayana Buddhism and it originated in China in the 6th century. Zen meditation is derived from the term Zazen and the practice aims to simply sit and open the hand of thought, suspending all judgment and thought.

The purpose and aim of Zen meditation is to let words, ideas, and images pass without getting involved in them. It is a simple technique that may be easier said than done, however.

Zen temples or monasteries are used for this type of meditation and practitioners most likely sit as a group on a cushion or mat, bowing before taking their seat and after rising.

The practice of zazen is typically taught in one of three ways: concentration, introspection and the art of merely sitting. Concentration occurs when one is focused on the breath.

Introspection occurs when participants focus their consciousness on an object of meditation. This type of simple practice is meant to help people remain focused on the present moment observing thoughts by watching them pass through the mind.

Guided Meditation

There are hundreds if not thousands of guided meditation techniques and this type of practice can be very rewarding.

Guided meditations involve the usage of imagery and visualizations and they can be very helpful for those who find typical meditation techniques challenging.

Guided meditations can take you places you can only imagine and they can even be used for personal development issues and healing. Very similar to hypnotherapy, guided meditations are extremely beneficial and useful.

You can practice a simple guided meditation by sitting quietly and imagining yourself walking along the beach or by listening to a free recording on YouTube.

4 Simple Visualization Techniques

Visualization is nothing more than forming pictures in your mind and using your imagination, much like you did as a child.

You can use the art of visualization to see yourself living a new life. By focusing on what you want, rather than what you don't want, you draw things to you.

You may find it easier to visualize with your eyes closed. Start by visualizing a simple scene or picture in your mind, and work up to bigger things. One great exercise to practice is the beach visualization.

1. Walking Along the Beach

Walking along the beach is something anyone can imagine. Try using all of your senses when you visualize by seeing, hearing and touching things.

For example, as you walk you could admire the beautiful colors in the sky or the bright blue color of the water. You could also reach down and touch the sand and notice the texture or the feel of it.

Listening to the sounds of the sea is also very soothing. As you walk notice the sound of the water splashing against the shore or even the sound of seagulls chirping. The more you immerse yourself in this type of relaxing scene the better you will feel.

2. Wooded Trail

This type of visualization can also be very relaxing. Simply imagine yourself walking in the forest or along some kind of wooded trail. Smell the aroma of the trees and leaves and touch the bark. Notice the crunching sound of your feet as you walk.

Immerse yourself in the environment and sit down on a log and see what you sense or feel.

3. Campfire Visualization

The campfire visualization is a great way to release stress and anxiety. Imagine yourself sitting by a campfire and immerse yourself in the color of the flames and the warmth of the environment. Notice what is around you and take the time to sit and reflect.

4. The Clean Room Visualization

Sitting in a clean organized space can also be very healing. Sometimes the clutter in our lives acts as a distraction. Imagine yourself sitting in a clean, restful space and notice how that makes you feel.

You might scatter some candles around the room, a few pillows or other small items to make the space more relaxing. Play with your environment until you feel it is perfect for you and spend some time here, meditating and reflecting.

What Technique is Proven to Relieve Stress and Anxiety?

According to Harvard Medical School, mindfulness meditation may ease anxiety and mental stress.

Researchers at John Hopkins University examined over 19,000 studies, 47 of which helped ease psychological stress like anxiety (Corliss, 2019).

A study done by Dr. Elizabeth Hoge, a psychiatrist at the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at the Massachusetts General Hospital, also found that mindful meditation helped people quell anxiety symptoms for those with generalized anxiety disorder (Corliss, 2019).

One technique that is beneficial for stress and anxiety is relaxed breathing. This technique involves deep breathing done at an even pace, breathing all the way down into the diaphragm. The overall goal of the practice is to slow your breathing down and take in more oxygen as you reduce the usage of your muscles and breathe more efficiently.

Is There a Recommended Technique for Depression?

Another study done at Harvard found that mindful meditation may even change the brain in depressed patients.

An eight-week course in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy resulted in patients being able to disengage from negative thoughts much more quickly.

Brain scans also revealed that the changes in brain activity for those who learned to meditate held steady even when they weren't actively meditating (Powell, 2018).

Which Technique is Best For Anger Issues?

A study published by Fennell, Benau, and Atchley (2016) revealed that a single meditation session can reduce physiological indices of anger in both novice and experienced meditators.

The research examined 15 people who were new to meditation and 12 who were experienced meditators. The study measured their physical responses like blood pressure, rate of breathing and heart rate.

After only 20 minutes of meditation, those who were new to the practice had a much calmer and more relaxed physical response when they were asked to think about the anger again.

Those who were more experienced meditators found that they didn't have much of a response at all when asked to re-experience the anger.

5 Quick Meditation Techniques to Utilize Today

There are some quick techniques for those who don't have a lot of extra time. Many of us find excuses or reasons for why we don't have time to do something such as finding time for meditation.

These simple practices may be just what the doctor ordered if you fall into this category:

1. Quick Body Scan

2. Walking Meditation

3. Shower Meditation

4. Mindful Eating

5. Chore Meditation

A body scan meditation combined with some deep breathing can be very healing and restorative. You can do this quick practice by breathing deeply and imagining a warm soothing light filling your body. As you imagine the light, you can also scan your body and mentally release any strain or tension.

A 5 or 10-minute walk can be very refreshing and exhilarating as well. The next time you feel stressed, try walking and paying attention to those physical sensations, such as the sound of your feet touching the pavement or the feel of the air on your skin.

You can also meditate in the shower by immersing yourself in the experience. For example, you can notice the lovely aroma of the soap, enjoy the sensation of the warm water or imagine your stress and tension draining away.

Mindful eating is a practice where you eat mindfully and put everything else aside. You can focus on the texture of the food, how it tastes going into your mouth or simply take the time to immerse yourself in the process of eating as a beautiful experience.

You can also meditate and reflect while doing chores like washing the dishes. Anything done with a single point of focus can be considered a meditation. Washing dishes can be a very soothing experience if you take the time to enjoy the process and the feel of the warm water.

A Take-Home Message

Engaging in daily meditation practice is an excellent way to manage stress. Many simple quick techniques can be used, even for those who have difficulty sitting still.

Taking a mindful walk, doing a lovely shower meditation or focusing on a beautiful object can be a very healing and restorative practice.

The truth is, it doesn't take a lot of time to sit down and meditate and the health benefits alone are worth the extra effort.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don't forget to download our three Meaning and Valued Living Exercises for free.

If you wish to learn more, our Meaning and Valued Living Masterclass© will help you understand the science behind meaning and valued living, inspire you to connect to your values on a deeper level and make you an expert in fostering a sense of meaning in the lives of your clients, students, or employees.

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28 Best Meditation Techniques for Beginners to Learn

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There are many different kinds of meditation techniques and they can all be beneficial. The beauty of meditation is that it can be done anywhere and at anytime. Most meditation techniques are relatively simple, ranging from simple breathing meditations to more complex meditations.

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Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress

Meditation can wipe away the day's stress, bringing with it inner peace. See how you can easily learn to practice meditation whenever you need it most.
By Mayo Clinic Staff
If stress has you anxious, tense and worried, consider trying meditation. Spending even a few minutes in meditation can help restore your calm and inner peace.

Anyone can practice meditation. It's simple and inexpensive. And it doesn't require any special equipment.

And you can practice meditation wherever you are - whether you're out for a walk, riding the bus, waiting at the doctor's office or even in the middle of a difficult business meeting.

Understanding meditation

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. Meditation originally was meant to help deepen understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life. These days, meditation is commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction.

Meditation is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine. Meditation can produce a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind.

During meditation, you focus your attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress. This process may result in enhanced physical and emotional well-being.

Benefits of meditation

Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health. You can also use it to relax and cope with stress by refocusing your attention on something calming. Meditation can help you learn to stay centered and keep inner peace.

And these benefits don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day. And meditation may help you manage symptoms of certain medical conditions.

Meditation and emotional and physical well-being

When you meditate, you may clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress.

The emotional and physical benefits of meditation can include:

Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations

Building skills to manage your stress

Increasing self-awareness

Focusing on the present

Reducing negative emotions

Increasing imagination and creativity

Increasing patience and tolerance

Lowering resting heart rate

Lowering resting blood pressure

Improving sleep quality

Meditation and illness

Meditation might also be useful if you have a medical condition, especially one that may be worsened by stress.

While a growing body of scientific research supports the health benefits of meditation, some researchers believe it's not yet possible to draw conclusions about the possible benefits of meditation.

With that in mind, some research suggests that meditation may help people manage symptoms of conditions such as:

Anxiety

Asthma

Cancer

Chronic pain

Depression

Heart disease

High blood pressure

Irritable bowel syndrome

Sleep problems

Tension headaches

Be sure to talk to your health care provider about the pros and cons of using meditation if you have any of these conditions or other health problems. In some rare cases, meditation might worsen symptoms associated with certain mental health conditions.

Meditation isn't a replacement for traditional medical treatment. But it may be a useful addition to your other treatment.

Types of meditation

Meditation is an umbrella term for the many ways to achieve a relaxed state of being. There are many types of meditation and relaxation techniques that have meditation components. All share the same goal of achieving inner peace.

Ways to meditate can include:

Guided meditation. Sometimes called guided imagery or visualization, with this method of meditation you form mental images of places or situations you find relaxing.

You try to use as many senses as possible, such as smells, sights, sounds and textures. You may be led through this process by a guide or teacher.

Mantra meditation. In this type of meditation, you silently repeat a calming word, thought or phrase to prevent distracting thoughts.

Qi gong. This practice generally combines meditation, relaxation, physical movement and breathing exercises to restore and maintain balance. Qi gong (CHEE-gung) is part of traditional Chinese medicine.

Tai chi. This is a form of gentle Chinese martial arts training. In tai chi (TIE-CHEE), you perform a self-paced series of postures or movements in a slow, graceful manner while practicing deep breathing.

Yoga. You perform a series of postures and controlled breathing exercises to promote a more flexible body and a calm mind. As you move through poses that require balance and concentration, you're encouraged to focus less on your busy day and more on the moment.

Elements of meditation

Different types of meditation may include different features to help you meditate. These may vary depending on whose guidance you follow or who's teaching a class. Some of the most common features in meditation include:

Focused attention. Focusing your attention is generally one of the most important elements of meditation.

Focusing your attention is what helps free your mind from the many distractions that cause stress and worry. You can focus your attention on such things as a specific object, an image, a mantra, or even your breathing.

Relaxed breathing. This technique involves deep, even-paced breathing using the diaphragm muscle to expand your lungs. The purpose is to slow your breathing, take in more oxygen, and reduce the use of shoulder, neck and upper chest muscles while breathing so that you breathe more efficiently.

A comfortable position. You can practice meditation whether you're sitting, lying down, walking, or in other positions or activities. Just try to be comfortable so that you can get the most out of your meditation. Aim to keep good posture during meditation.

Open attitude. Let thoughts pass through your mind without judgment.

Everyday ways to practice meditation

Don't let the thought of meditating the "right" way add to your stress. If you choose to, you can attend special meditation centers or group classes led by trained instructors. But you can also practice meditation easily on your own. Or you may find apps to use, too.

And you can make meditation as formal or informal as you like, however it suits your lifestyle and situation. Some people build meditation into their daily routine. For example, they may start and end each day with an hour of meditation. But all you really need is a few minutes of quality time for meditation.

Here are some ways you can practice meditation on your own, whenever you choose:

Breathe deeply. This technique is good for beginners because breathing is a natural function.

Focus all your attention on your breathing. Concentrate on feeling and listening as you inhale and exhale through your nostrils. Breathe deeply and slowly. When your attention wanders, gently return your focus to your breathing.

Repeat a mantra. You can create your own mantra, whether it's religious or secular. Examples of religious mantras include the Jesus Prayer in the Christian tradition, the holy name of God in Judaism, or the om mantra of Hinduism, Buddhism and other Eastern religions.

Focus your love and kindness. In this type of meditation, you think of others with feelings of love, compassion and kindness. This can help increase how connected you feel to others.

Building your meditation skills

Don't judge your meditation skills, which may only increase your stress. Meditation takes practice.

Keep in mind, for instance, that it's common for your mind to wander during meditation, no matter how long you've been practicing meditation. If you're meditating to calm your mind and your attention wanders, slowly return to the object, sensation or movement you're focusing on.

Experiment, and you'll likely find out what types of meditation work best for you and what you enjoy doing. Adapt meditation to your needs at the moment. Remember, there's no right way or wrong way to meditate. What matters is that meditation helps you reduce your stress and feel better overall.

Mayo Clinic Minute: Meditation is good medicine

Mayo Clinic Minute: Benefits of meditation

Stress, anxiety and a lack of sleep are problems that many people deal with every day. But there is one simple practice that can help: meditation.

"Physically, people find they have improved mood, they sleep better and better memory and concentration."

Maria Caselli, a group fitness instructor at Mayo Clinic, says the benefits of just a few minutes of meditation a day can help, especially with stress.

"Meditation, which is the practice of focused concentration, bringing yourself back to the moment over and over again, actually addresses stress, whether positive or negative."

Meditation can also reduce the areas of anxiety, chronic pain, depression, heart disease and high blood pressure.

"The heart rate drops, your respiratory rate drops. There is decreased oxygen consumption, decreased carbon dioxide expired. The body is healing itself and starting repair."

Meditation can help us be less reactive and more responsive to events in our life.

For the Mayo Clinic News Network, I'm Vivien Williams.

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Show references

1. Meditation: In depth. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm. Accessed Dec. 23, 2021.

2. Mindfulness meditation: A research-proven way to reduce stress. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/mindfulness/meditation. Accessed Dec. 23, 2021.

3. AskMayoExpert. Meditation. Mayo Clinic. 2021.

4. Papadakis MA, et al., eds. Meditation. In: Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2022. 61st ed. McGraw Hill; 2022. https://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com. Accessed Dec. 23, 2021.

5. Hilton L, et al. Mindfulness meditation for chronic pain: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Behavioral Medicine. 2017; doi:10.1007/s12160-016-9844-2.

6. Seaward BL. Meditation. In: Essentials of Managing Stress. 5th ed. Jones & Bartlett Learning; 2021.

7. Seaward BL. Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-Being. 9th ed. Burlington, Mass.: Jones & Bartlett Learning; 2018.

See more In-depth

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Learn quick and easy ways to meditate, no matter where you are.

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Looking for a guided meditation for peace of mind? In this article, we've got everything you need to start, from scripts to techniques.

Introduction

Meditation is a practice that brings us back to our center, invites calmness into our mind and relaxes the body from tension and tightness. Whether we need more tranquility, inner peace or simply want to have some quality time for ourselves, there is a guided meditation we can choose from - each will focus on a particular aspect of life, inner peace and calmness being one of them.

Below we will talk about the sensation and experience of inner peace and will provide you with a few guided meditation scripts you may try out with your next practice.

What is Inner Peace and Why it Matters?

Inner peace is a seemingly easy concept to understand, yet in our modern times, life has become so complex that nothing is easy anymore. The question of inner peace has been talked about broadly in yogic traditions and is something every one of us has access to. One might say that during our busy times, inner peace is not something we think about every day, yet it is something we all wish to experience.

Om Shanti is a Sanskrit chant for peace. Peace in all its forms and all its significance. Peace of an individual, a society, and all life and energy. To understand the concept of inner peace, we must delve deep within ourselves, looking for balance, calmness and happiness in our personal experiences. We may also explore outside, see more broadly and rediscover inner peace as a collective sensation around us, reaching us not only from within but also from the whole universe around us. In both cases, inner peace and tranquility are a deeply rooted and conscious state of being - feeling able to accept, understand and acknowledge all sensations and events without judging them as good or bad and appreciating life and our purpose just the way it is.

Inner peace can also be seen as a part that allows us to stay calm in uncomfortable, stressful moments. Finding one's center and balance even when the surroundings are not exactly how we wish them to be is a clear sign that a person is experiencing peace and calmness.

Finding a moment of stillness, following a guided meditation, going for a walk, observing nature or just breathing calmly are all powerful ways of being with ourselves and experiencing inner peace. There is no need to go through very strict and rigid practices - although they may also be a form of finding inner peace for some. Simply allowing ourselves to feel and respond to our feelings is a great way to approach peace and tranquility.

Inner peace is not only a state of total bliss and spirituality - as many lives as there are in this universe, as many sensations of inner peace will there be. Finding our path towards calmness and self-awareness is part of life's journey, and inner peace is yet another component we need to take care of, nourish and experience.

Guided Meditation For Peace

Each person undertakes meditation for different reasons, and inner peace will be a different and unique sensation for each person. A guided meditation for inner and universal peace can help open our minds, release tension, and show us how to experience tranquility and calmness.

Meditation and guided meditation often lead us deep within, where we can see, listen to and explore the energy inside us - whether it's our emotions, mind or body. From getting to know each other and allowing these spaces to bloom and feel, we might be invited into a deeper meditative state called Samadhi, or total self-collectiveness. This is when we reach a complete union with the energy of existence and life.

For some, it is a state of tranquility and a form of reaching inner peace or feeling peace within the entire cosmos. For others, meditating for peace can be a completely different experience. There is no need to reach the state of Samadhi, as we can follow its path by not being pressured and wanting it.

A guided meditation for peace can be a beautiful and powerful practice, connecting not only to the inner peace within but also to the collective sensations of tranquility and calmness in all existing life and energy. The path towards this exploration may lead through finding inner peace inside or inviting it from the outer energy - whichever practice feels more accurate in any particular moment in your life.

Picking Your Script

Guided meditation scripts for peace are a great way to delve into a calming and self-reflective space. A gentle meditative practice can be a supportive and powerful practice leading to understanding ourselves, sending gratitude and kindness towards ourselves and others, and nourishing the space of inner peace inside.

Below you may choose a guided meditation script for inner peace that may help you delve deeper into your personal practice and take care of your energy and relaxation.

Guided Meditation For Inner Peace

Find a comfortable seated position or lay down completely relaxed. Gently close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath. Without changing anything, send a calming and accepting message to your breath, chest and lungs, heart and sacral area. Breathe softly in, and let the exhale relax and loosen your body and mind with each flow.

Begin to deepen your breath if it feels comfortable, slowly inhaling in. Exhale out, letting the air cleanse you calmly and gently.

You are here and now. Your body is still and awake. Entirely focused on your breath and the present moment. You are safe. Feel a sense of calmness and security entering your body with each breath, and let go of any hesitations and tensions with your out-breath. Breathe in and feel a warming energy entering your chest and lungs. This is you and your center. You are here and now, breathing and feeling yourself. You have nothing else to do, nothing else you need to experience. Be and allow peace to enter your heart.
Gently breathing in, your heart is calm and steady. By breathing out, your mind and body are being cleansed and relaxed.

Breathe in, inviting peace to travel through your entire body and spreading from your heart towards other spaces and places. Relax and allow any sensation to come near you. With kindness and acceptance, let all you need to let fade away as you breathe out.

Stay here as long as you wish, breathing in calmness and peace. Allowing it to be felt in your entire body. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, may all living beings live in happiness and peace. Namaste.

Guided Meditation For Peace and Happiness

Find a comfortable seated position or lay down completely relaxed. Gently close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath. Invite a calm and soft inhale, noticing the movements of your chest, ribs and belly. Exhale feeling a relieving and peaceful sensation of relaxation.

Keep breathing in your natural rhythm, feeling kindness and gratitude for this moment. You have choices for yourself. This gently meditative practice allows you to explore and nourish your sense of peace and happiness.

With your next inhale, visualize one moment of this week that gave you joy. Just a simple moment of your life that brought a sense of happiness or contentment. It can be something small such as a bird flying by, a beautiful sky or patterns created by sunlight, or a connection with another person. Without thinking too much about the moment, focus on the sensation you feel inside when encountering happiness. Breathing in and out, allow this sensation to fill your body, and notice which area or areas in your body you are feeling greater sensations.

Breathe gently and calmly, visualizing the warm energy of happiness and joy entering your chest and nourishing a sense of peace. Even without experiencing happiness from the outside world, you can feel and recreate this sensation - you are a part of happiness and happiness is a part of your life.

Take a deep breath, invite a smile onto your face and exhale cleansing and refreshing the spaces inside you. You are a being of peace and happiness and can feel and experience joy from within.

Stay here for as long as you wish, breathing in happiness and peace. Allowing it to be felt in your entire body. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, may all living beings live in happiness and peace. Namaste.

Guided Meditation For Peace of Mind

Find a comfortable seated position or lay down completely relaxed. Gently close your eyes and begin to relax your face. Breathe in a bit more deeply and exhale, letting your jaw loosen, your tongue hang free, and your cheeks and forehead relax. Your face is soft and relaxed.

Focus your attention and send your breath to the top of your head. Breathe in and notice any sensations in your face or head area. Without judging, breathe in and invite your head and neck to relax, your face melts softly and your shoulders loosen.

Keep breathing in, sending your awareness and sensation of peace into your mind. Allow the fresh inhale to fill your mind, like the wind entering through an open door. Feel the sensation of clean and new energy sweeping out anything you no longer need. Breathe in a feeling of peace and calmness into your mind, and allow your thoughts to become lighter and lighter, visualizing how they float away with your gentle exhale.

Your mind is your reality and you can experience anything you wish. You are a being of peace and calmness. Your thoughts are clear and kind. You are safe to create and think inside your mind. This space is yours to explore and discover. Breathe deeply and slowly in, focusing on the space between your brows, and let go of any tension and sensations with your exhales.

Stay here for as long as you wish, breathing in peace. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, may all living beings live in happiness and peace. Namaste.

Alternatives and Similar Techniques

Apart from meditation in stillness, we can achieve peace of mind and observe our tranquility within. Below you will find some activities you can do consciously and with greater awareness to tap into a calm, meditative state.

Observing Nature Meditation

Observing nature is a very beautiful opening practice. To create a meditative environment, you can try conscious breathing during your walks, allowing nature and your surroundings to become your main focus. Without judging, observe and allow yourself to become a part of the moment you witness. This is how you could try to meditate when observing nature.

Walking Meditation

Meditating while walking is a revered Buddhist practice of mindful meditation. To perform a walking meditation, find a safe and pleasant place to move freely without looking around for traffic. This practice focuses on the walking itself and you are invited to send your awareness and attention to each step as you go. Walking slowly, breathing calmly and observing any sensations surfacing within you - this is how you perform walking meditation.

Sound Meditation

Sound healing and sound meditation are often used when chanting or relaxing in Tibetan singing bowls. You may do this with any music you feel like listening to. Just allow your awareness to focus on your sense of hearing. Breathing calmly and consciously, focus on the vibrations of the sounds and the feelings it generates inside you physically and emotionally. Let them come and observe them from a distance.

The Bottomline

Peace of mind and tranquility are beautiful states to experience. They both come with patience, practice and discipline and are available to all living beings when approached with kindness and gratitude. Whether you choose a guided meditation for peace of mind or any other technique to achieve tranquility, be aware that you are doing something very kind for yourself and it has a lot of value in your life. We invite you to join our online meditation course, Calm Your Spirit, Soothe Your Mind followed by our 200 Hrs Online TTC Course and learn more about self-awareness practices.

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Guided Meditation For Peace of Mind: Scripts & Techniques

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Looking for a guided meditation for peace of mind? In this article, we've got everything you need to start, from scripts to techniques.

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Guided Meditation for Peace Most people would experience peace, if they escaped their minds long...

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It's normal to feel stressed sometimes. But if your stress builds up, or it continues for a period of time, you might carry the tension in your muscles. You could have muscle tightness without even realizing it.

One way to relieve muscle tension is to do progressive muscle relaxation, also known as Jacobson's relaxation technique. Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a form of therapy that involves tightening and relaxing your muscle groups, one at a time, in a specific pattern.

The goal is to release tension from your muscles, while helping you recognize what that tension feels like.

When practiced regularly, this technique may help you manage the physical effects of stress. Research has also found that it has therapeutic benefits for conditions like:

Let's get into what PMR is, what the benefits are, and how to do this technique.

PMR was created by American physician Edmund Jacobson in the 1920s. It was based on the theory that physical relaxation can promote mental relaxation.

Jacobson found that you can relax a muscle by tensing and then releasing it. He also discovered that doing so can relax the mind.

PMR provides a framework for achieving this state of relaxation. It requires you to work on one muscle group at a time. This allows you to notice the tension in that specific area.

It's also essential to tense each muscle group before relaxing. This action emphasizes the sense of relaxation in the area.

There's plenty of evidence behind the health benefits of PMR. Let's take a closer look at what research has discovered about the benefits of this technique.

Reduces anxiety and tension

Anxiety relief is one of the major benefits of PMR. This includes generalized anxiety disorder or anxiety due to a stressful situation.

A of 50 unemployed individuals found that PMR reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. At the same time, it improved feelings of well-being and quality of life.

In another , it was determined that PMR had the ability to relieve tension and anxiety in dental patients. The researchers determined that PMR also helped reduce depressive symptoms in these patients.

A larger study done in 2016 determined that PMR was as effective as acupuncture treatment in helping to decrease feelings of tension, anxiety, and anger.

Also, a found that PMR may help reduce anxiety in people with COVID-19, suggesting benefits for coping with difficult situations.

Improves sleep

Because PMR induces relaxation, it may also help you get better sleep.

In a , researchers tested PMR on 80 burn patients. These patients often experience high anxiety and poor sleep quality due to their physical and psychological conditions.

The patients were divided into two groups. One group did PMR for 20 to 30 minutes a day, 3 days in a row. The other group just received routine care and treatment.

After 3 days, the researchers determined that the patients who did PMR showed a significant decrease in anxiety and an improvement in sleep quality compared to the group who only received routine care.

Additionally, in a , PMR helped mothers with premature babies sleep better during the postpartum period.

Eases neck pain

If you tend to carry tension in your neck or shoulders, you might experience neck pain. It's a common condition that's often associated with mental and emotional stress.

According to a , PMR may help reduce symptoms of chronic nonspecific neck pain. In doing so, it may also improve quality of life and physical function.

Reduces low back pain

Low back pain is another common condition. It has many potential causes, but stress can make it worse.

A found that 8 weeks of PMR may help decrease chronic low back pain.

Another discovered that PMR, accompanied by music, has the ability to decrease low back pain in pregnant women.

Improves systolic blood pressure

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, increases your risk for heart disease and stroke. Stress can worsen the condition, but PMR may help.

In a , PMR with music therapy improved systolic blood pressure in older adults.

A study done in 2018, which used PMR by itself, also found that it had the ability to significantly improve systolic blood pressure in adults with high blood pressure.

In both studies, however, it didn't seem to have an effect on diastolic blood pressure.

Decreases the frequency of migraine attacks

Migraine is a neurological condition that causes intense pain in your face and head. Migraine attacks can be triggered by stress, including normal everyday stressors.

According to a , PMR can decrease the frequency of migraine episodes. The researchers believe it helps by balancing levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that's often low in people with migraine.

Reduces temporomandibular joint (TMJ) symptoms

Emotional stress can cause temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, a condition that leads to stiffness and locking of the jaw.

A found that the calming effect of PMR may help reduce TMJ symptoms. The study's participants experienced less intense pain and tension after practicing the technique.

PMR is an easy technique to do at home. You don't need any special equipment or gear. All you need is focus, attention, and a quiet spot where you won't be distracted.

The key with this technique is to tense each muscle group and hold for 5 seconds. Then, you exhale as you let your muscles fully relax for 10 to 20 seconds before you move on to the next muscle group.

If you're new to relaxation techniques or PMR, consider these helpful tips:

Set aside 15 to 20 minutes for PMR. Do it in a quiet, comfortable area.

Turn off your phone to avoid distractions.

Avoid holding your breath, which can cause more tension. Inhale deeply when you tense your muscles and exhale fully when you relax.

Move in a sequence that works for you. For example, you can start at your head if you want to, and move down your body.

Wear loose, lightweight clothing.

Practice PMR even when you're feeling calm, especially in the beginning. This will make it easier to learn the method.

It may help to listen to a PMR recording. This way, you can follow the steps without constantly thinking about the instructions.

Here's where you can find guided audio recordings:

YouTube

wellness or meditation podcasts

mobile apps like Headspace

A mental health professional, such as a therapist, can also guide you through this relaxation technique.

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a relaxation technique. It involves tensing and then relaxing your muscles, one by one. This helps you release physical tension, which may ease stress and anxiety.

Research has shown that PMR offers a range of benefits, including pain relief and better sleep. It may also reduce migraine attacks, systolic blood pressure, and TMJ symptoms.

You can do PMR in the comfort of your own home. Practice the technique regularly for best results. Over time, it may help you feel more relaxed and mentally calmer.

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Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Benefits, How-To, Technique

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Progressive muscle relaxation involves tensing then relaxing your muscles, one by one. This may help ease stress and anxiety. Research has shown that it also offers a range of other benefits.

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One of my favorite techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy research is the "half-smile." This is a technique borrowed from Buddhism, and it's quick, easy, and free. Research has shown this technique can improve your mood after only ten minutes of practice. Compare that with the four to six weeks it takes for an antidepressant to start working! Just kidding - it's definitely not a replacement for medication or therapy, but it can really turn a lousy mood around.

Here's how it works:
Begin to smile with your lips, but stop just when you notice a small amount of tension at the corners of your mouth. If someone were watching you, he/she probably wouldn't notice any change in your face. It's a subtle, tiny smile. (If you try to keep up a big toothy grin for ten minutes, nothing will happen other than your face will start to hurt.) Now wear this for ten minutes without stopping, and notice how your mood has shifted. Most people report a significant uptick in their overall mood. If you don't notice any significant change, some people find it helpful, in addition to the half-smile, to "smile with their eyes."

The way this works is the bi-directional nature of behavior and emotions. Most of the time, when we experience a positive emotion, such as joy, we smile as a consequence of the joy. But what the most current cognitive-behavioral research as shown time and again, is that it works the other way too. Smile for a few minutes and you feel happy. Furrow your brow and you experience anger. Breathe short, shallow breaths, and you can induce panic. Basically, engage in the behavior and the emotion will follow (aka fake it 'til you make it).

Give it a try the next time you're sitting in traffic or waiting in line at the DMV, and see how it works.

For more information on cognitive behavioral and mindfulness-based therapies, visit Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Los Angeles

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One of my favorite techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy research is the "half-smile." This is a technique borrowed from Buddhism, and it's quick, easy, and free. Research has shown this technique can improve your mood after only ten minutes of practice. Compare that with the four to six weeks it takes for an antidepressant to start working!

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Cognitive Diffusion Techniques and Exercises

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Cognitive Diffusion Techniques and Exercises

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles

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Cognitive Defusion Exercises

Notice It

When you notice you've been hooked by a thought, such as "That thing I said was so stupid," unhook by taking a step back from the thought and say or think to yourself:

" I'm noticing a thought that what I said was stupid."

Take another step back and think to yourself:

I'm noticing I'm just having a thought that what I said was stupid."

Take an even further step back by thinking to yourself:

" I notice I'm having just another thought about being stupid," or even further back with " I'm noticing I'm having just another judgment."

The effect of this intervention can be likened to watching a 3D IMAX movie in the front row: It's hard not to feel your heart pounding during action sequences. But when you move to the back of the theater and take off your 3D glasses, it's not nearly as triggering or compelling.

Slow It Down

Using the same unhelpful thought from above, imagine hearing the thought on a record player that is about to stop. Slow down the thought until the words are just a series of sounds: "Thhhhhhhh - aaaaaaaaat thhhhhhhhhh-iiiiiiiiiii-nnnnnnnnnnnng Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii ssssssssssss-aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid waaaaaaaaaaaaa-ssssssssssss sssssssssst-uuuuuuuuuuu-pppppppppppp-iiiiiiiiiiiiiid."
Hard to read? It's even harder to think. By slowing down the thought, you stop struggling not to have it and instead change how you're thinking it, loosening your attachment to the content.

Sing It

To the tune of Happy Birthday or any other song-- the goofier, the better. Singing doesn't get rid of the thought. Remember, that's not possible. Singing the thought helps you change your relationship to it. You still have it, but it's no longer in charge. You are.

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Cognitive Defusion Techniques and Exercises - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Los Angeles

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Cognitive defusion, on the other hand, is detaching from a thought when it's unhelpful or stands in the way of doing things that bring wellbeing. Try these cognitive defusion exercises.

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While there are many ways to influence one's emotional state for the better, emotion regulation often involves what experts call "down-regulation," or reducing the intensity of emotions. A grieving person might down-regulate his sadness by recalling something amusing. An anxious person may cope by distracting herself from the thought that is causing her anxiety. Emotion regulation can also include "up-regulation," or amping up one's emotions, which can be useful when an imminent danger or challenge calls for a healthy dose of anxiety or excitement.

The process model of emotion regulation proposed by psychologist James Gross emphasizes that people can act to control their emotions at different points in time-including before they feel an emotion ("antecedent-focused emotion regulation") and after they have already begun to react emotionally ("response-focused emotion regulation").

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Emotion regulation is the ability to exert control over one's own emotional state. It may involve behaviors such as rethinking a challenging situation to reduce anger or anxiety, hiding visible signs of sadness or fear, or focusing on reasons to feel happy or calm.

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How To: Demonstrating Calm and Optimism in Crisis

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How To: Demonstrating Calm and Optimism in Crisis

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This article is part of a series Leadership in a crisis: Responding to the coronavirus outbreak and future challenges. It draws together McKinsey's collective thinking and expertise on five behaviors to help leaders navigate the pandemic and recovery. Separate articles describe organizing via a network of teams; making decisions amid uncertainty; demonstrating empathy; and communicating effectively.

The coronavirus outbreak is posing profound challenges to the way we live and work. A crisis of this scale has left many fearful that disruption-personal, financial, societal-is going to be a way of life for some time.

When the path ahead is uncertain, people turn to leaders to help them gain clarity and a grounded hope for a better future. They want someone with a positive vision, who is confident about tackling the problems we all face yet courageous enough to confront uncomfortable truths and admit what they do not know.

What's more, people seek community and safety. Business leaders can underestimate how much their employees look to them for information. To address these needs, leaders should act with deliberate calm and bounded optimism. Those who can visibly demonstrate these qualities help their organizations feel a sense of purpose, giving them hope that they can face the challenges ahead.

We've written about how leaders can shift their organizations to a crisis footing, from launching nerve centers to creating networks of teams. Here we focus on leaders themselves, and how they can prepare themselves mentally, physically, and emotionally to respond to the pandemic through the months ahead.

To stay calm and optimistic while under such pressure, leaders should practice what we call integrative awareness: being aware of the changing reality in the outside world and how they are responding emotionally and physically. This intentional practice allows leaders to shift from viewing challenges as roadblocks to seeing them as problems to be solved, and even learned from.

Leading and learning outside your comfort zone

In a crisis, leaders must continuously process large amounts of complex information, contradictory views, and strong emotions. This requires awareness of what happens in the outside world (facts on the ground) and in the inside world (body and mind). Concepts in neuroscience that are closely related to this are "exteroception" (sensitivity to stimuli originating outside of the body) and "interoception" (sensitivity to stimuli originating inside the body). Effectively connecting situational awareness with self-awareness, our outer world with our inner, is what we call integrative awareness.

In a crisis of uncertainty, this process helps leaders avoid overreacting to challenges or jumping to conclusions just to stop feeling uncomfortable. Developing integrative awareness helps leaders recognize these stress responses as opportunities to pause and reflect before acting, giving them the tools to lead with deliberate calm and bounded optimism. When they do that, instinctive biological reactions will start working for them and not against them. Not only will this practice lead to increased effectiveness but it is also essential to managing personal health and energy over a longer period of time. (Jump to the six practices here.)

Deliberate calm: how to steer into the storm

In crisis situations, leaders must make a deliberate choice to practice a calm state of mind. Then they can step back from a fraught or high-stakes situation and choose how to respond, rather than reacting instinctively. These folks become comfortable with discomfort and can look at adversity through a new lens. A leader who is deliberately calm realizes that fear, channeled from uncomfortable facts or emotions, offers potentially valuable information and so doesn't get unhinged by it. Reframing a threat as an opportunity for learning and innovation turns an uncertain situation into one of hope and possibility. Stress can be good if you harness and frame it constructively; it keeps energy levels high and positive even in a crisis environment.

We have seen many examples of entrepreneurial and innovative responses to the coronavirus. These run the gamut from local sports clubs that started delivering meals and universities that digitalized their courses to medical innovations related to ventilators and artificial-intelligence-enabled social services for the unemployed.

Compassion and acceptance for self and others is an essential ingredient for leaders who want to be deliberately calm. It is only human to react impulsively to stressful events. And we may regret this and feel ashamed about it. In these moments it is important for leaders to emphasize self-care and self-compassion. We need to remind ourselves that we cannot change the past, but we can change how we perceive it and how we look to the future. Self-care goes beyond making sure to have a good regimen of sleep, eating, and exercise. It is also about letting up on the self-criticism or perfectionism, to be able to connect with core intentions and purpose. Practicing this yourself also enhances your capacity to be empathetic with others.

Being deliberately calm can have a multiplier effect on communities. How humans are "wired" to share emotional cues has been researched extensively. Leaders' emotions have a big impact on an organization: when a leader is impatient, fearful, or frustrated, people begin to feel the same way, and their feelings of safety diminish. On the other hand, when a leader is hopeful and calm, the group can face challenges more creatively.

After attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2019 killed more than 50 people, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern earned praise for leading her country's response to the worst mass murder in its modern history with deliberate calm and compassion. She has exhibited the same leadership attributes in the current crisis: "I refuse to believe that you cannot be both compassionate and strong," she has said.

Bounded optimism: How to mix confidence and hope with realism

Optimism that springs from authentic values and trust in people's capabilities can be the source of energy for everyone in the organization to move forward. By contrast, optimism without meaning or grounding may lead to disappointment and defeat.

Leaders with bounded optimism practice what we call "meaning making." Meaning helps everyone remember that difficult times and long hours of work serve a purpose. Think of all those healthcare workers focusing on their patients even at great risk to themselves. Meaning builds confidence, efficacy, and endurance but can also serve as a balm if the outcome is not what was hoped for, because the striving in and of itself was honorable.

The crisis response by Mark Rutte, prime minister of the Netherlands, has won praise for being optimistic yet bounded by realism. In an address in mid-March, he told the Dutch that "My message to you this evening is not an easy one to hear. The reality is that coronavirus is with us and will remain among us for the time being. There is no easy or quick way out of this very difficult situation." He outlined steps the country would have to take, before closing with this appeal: "With all the uncertainties out there, one thing is absolutely clear: the challenge we face is enormous, and all 17 million of us will have to work together to overcome it. Together we will get through this difficult period. Take care of each other. I'm counting on you."

Leaders with bounded optimism leverage meaning and personal stories to build connections. In this crisis, when many of us are isolated at home, distress is increasing. As human beings we need to connect and engage with others in a positive way to stay mentally and physically healthy. Employees want to hear a leader's vision for how to respond to the crisis, and they also want to connect at a personal level. Video-enabled "town halls" offer a perfect opportunity for leaders to convey what's on their mind to the broader organization and find out what is keeping everyone awake at night.

Putting integrative awareness into practice

As human beings, we can practice integrative awareness before, in, and after the moment. Beforehand, we can visualize the expected external event and our potential internal response. After the event, we can reflect and process the experience, let go of stress, and gain insight. In the moment, we can observe ourselves while having the experience and regulate our behavior at the same time.

By practicing internal awareness on two levels (having the experience and observing it at the same time), you can catch early signals of distress, doubt, or fear without acting out a stress response. This is especially critical in times of crisis. While we can never be purely objective, we can try to reach that state as much as possible. Without objective awareness, signals of distress can trigger "survival" behavior, and we lose the ability to pause, reflect, and decide. For a leader during crisis, this survival state can present a huge risk, and in the case of Captain Sullenberger, it would have been fatal.

In a crisis, some leaders react to complex problems with polarizing opinions, quick fixes, false promises, or overly simplistic answers, often combined with a command-and-control leadership style. They lose their ability to be in dialogue, to continuously adapt, and to look for novel solutions. In a situation where their experience falls short, but without the ability to practice integrative awareness, they may be guided by their fear and resort to habitual responses, often unconsciously biased, to unfamiliar problems.

The Dutch minister for medical care, Bruno Bruins, showed this danger when he collapsed in Parliament in mid-March during a debate on the coronavirus. Bruins said he was suffering from exhaustion after weeks of nonstop crisis management, and later decided to quit his post.

Six steps for leaders

Here are six practices that leaders can follow to develop their integrative awareness. While they may seem straightforward and commonsensical, too often leaders don't follow them, thinking they'll worry about themselves after the crisis has passed. That won't work in the current context.

1. Adapt your personal operating model

Your priorities, your roles, your time, and your energy are all elements of the way you operate on a daily basis (exhibit). Create an operating model that can act as your compass, especially in a crisis that is expected to last for some time. As the coronavirus emerged as a threat, we saw that many leaders went into overdrive, working around the clock to respond effectively. It was only after some time had passed that most started to build more of a structure into their lives.

Ask yourself: How does your personal operating model align with the changes in your work life right now? What does this mean for how you operate with your direct leadership team? What does this mean for how you engage with your family? What are your "non-negotiables" in this model (for example, sufficient sleep, regular exercise, meditation practice, and healthy food)?

2. Set your intention

3. Regulate your reactions

While in a stressful situation during the day, observe your emotions so you can recognize the stress response, taking a pause to assess the situation and engage your "rational mind" before choosing how to respond.

Let's say you are asked a question on a town-hall videoconference about a matter you had not prepared for. What do you do when fear takes over and your nervous system starts to react? The most natural (and counterproductive) reaction is to try to avoid the issue. But even if you pause very briefly to take in the atmosphere, you can respond effectively.

One leader recounted a situation in which she was passionately telling her top team where they needed to go but was met with confusion and resistance. Her immediate reaction was to explain again in a louder voice. Becoming aware of her irritation and shortness of breath, she took a long pause then told her team, "OK, I feel a bit desperate here-I think I know where to go but it's clear I am not effective. I need your help." Only then did the group begin to think through the problem with her.

Another executive told us about a helpful defusion technique he uses. If he is in a meeting and checks his phone to find negative voicemails or emails he can't attend to right then, he tends to become distracted and anxious. So he visualizes a parking lot (or a cupboard, or balloons in the air). Each incoming message goes into one of the parking spaces or shelves or balloons. He imagines acknowledging the messages with a plan to address them later. That way he can focus on the meeting and avoid experiencing mental and physical stress in the moment. He then returns to each topic, addressing them one by one. At that point, some urgent matters have already solved themselves, and others can be calmly addressed.

4. Practice reflection

Reflection is a way to process what happened during the day and to create space to listen to your inner world (mind and body). For example, analogous to a practice in the military called "contemplation," you can reflect daily about critical situations. What moments were difficult and why, how did you feel, and why did you respond the way you did? Reflection helps you with the big picture and your own reactive behavior and its drivers. It's also helpful to ask trusted colleagues to give you feedback about critical moments where you had to respond under pressure. What are your blind spots and how can you address them the next time? People have many ways to reflect. Some use meditation, some reflect while running or walking the dog. The important thing is that you make it a regular planned practice.

5. Reframe your perspective

When we're tired from stress, we tend to see negative messages and threats more readily than opportunities and positive messages. Keeping a balance and staying realistic is not easy. Knowing this, is step one. Handling these situations effectively, is step two. When facing a difficult situation, try to redirect away from the negative explanation and toward an exploration of other possibilities that could be true. Viewing the issue through different possibilities and scenarios-from the most positive to the most negative-can help in planning responses later.

When detailed scenario planning is not an option, choose to take a flexible perspective: this is integrative awareness in action. When faced with a difficult situation, ask yourself: Am I jumping to conclusions too fast? What else can be true at this moment? What is important to me and my team right now? With the information on the table now, make a conscious decision about the best way to move toward what matters most. Build time to revisit decisions regularly, with an open, curious, and learning mindset, building on fresh information coming in and at different stages in the crisis.

6. Manage your energy

One of the most difficult things to do in times of crisis is to balance work needs with your own physical well-being. In a crisis atmosphere, you will need recovery time, or at some point something will give-performance or, worse, health. Top athletes know this, and they make sure they build in sufficient time for recovery when they train for top performance. Apart from recovery time, which may be different for everyone, micro practices that are in support of healthy recovery can include meditation, breathing exercises, cardio sports activities, and even power naps.

Leadership in a crisis like this is an enormous responsibility, yet it can also be seen as a great privilege. Integrative awareness keeps leaders centered in the storm, giving them the focus they need to take care of themselves and the people and organizations they lead.

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How to demonstrate calm and optimism in a crisis

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To stay calm and optimistic while under such pressure, leaders should practice what we call integrative awareness: being aware of the changing reality in the outside world.

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Overview

What is the Vagus Nerve?

The vagus nerve, also known as the vagal nerves, are the main nerves of your parasympathetic nervous system. This system controls specific body functions such as your digestion, heart rate and immune system. These functions are involuntary, meaning you can't consciously control them.

Your left and right vagal nerves contain 75% of your parasympathetic nervous system's nerve fibers. These fibers send information between your brain, heart and digestive system.

The vagus nerves are the 10th of 12 cranial nerves. The vagus is known as cranial nerve X, the Roman numeral for 10.

Function

What is the function of the vagus nerve?

Your vagal nerves are part of your body's nervous system. They play important roles in involuntary sensory and motor (movement) functions, including:

What is the role of the parasympathetic nervous system?

Your parasympathetic nervous system controls "rest and digest" functions. It's the opposite of your sympathetic nervous system's "fight or flight" response.

These two nervous systems make up your autonomic nervous system. This system controls involuntary body activities.

Anatomy

Where is the vagus nerve?

Your vagus nerves are the longest cranial nerve, running from your brain to your large intestine. Your left vagus nerve travels down the left side of your body. The right vagus nerve travels down the right side of your body.

"Vagus" is the Latin word for wandering. Your vagal nerves take a long, winding course through your body. They exit from your medulla oblongata in your lower brainstem. Then, the nerves pass through or connect with your:

Neck (between your carotid artery and jugular vein).

Chest (thorax).

Heart.

Lungs.

Abdomen and digestive tract.

What are the vagal nerve branches?

Your left and right vagal nerves join to form the vagal trunk. They connect at your esophageal hiatus, the opening where your esophagus passes into your abdominal cavity (belly). The vagal trunk includes anterior (front) and posterior (back) gastric nerves that go to your abdomen.

Your vagal nerve branches are:

Inferior ganglion branch that serves nerves and muscles to your throat (pharynx) and voice box (larynx).

Superior ganglion branch that serves nerves to your spine and ear.

Vagus nerve branch that serves nerves to your heart, lungs and esophagus (tube connecting your mouth and stomach).

Conditions and Disorders

What conditions and disorders affect the vagal nerves?

Your vagus nerve can be involved with these conditions:

Gastroparesis: Gastroparesis occurs when damage to a vagus nerve stops food from moving into your intestines from your stomach. This vagal nerve damage can result from diabetes, viral infections, abdominal surgery and scleroderma.

Vasovagal syncope: Syncope is another word for fainting. Vasovagal syncope occurs when a vagus nerve to your heart overreacts to certain situations like extreme heat, anxiety, hunger, pain or stress. Blood pressure drops very quickly (orthostatic hypotension), making you feel dizzy or faint.

What are the signs of vagus nerve problems?

Vagus nerve conditions cause different symptoms depending on the specific cause and affected part of your nerve.

You may experience:

What is vagus nerve stimulation?

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) uses electrical impulses to stimulate your left vagus nerve. Healthcare providers implant a small device in your chest, under your skin. A wire runs under your skin connecting the device and nerve.

The device sends mild, painless electrical signals through your left vagus nerve to your brain. These impulses calm down irregular electrical activity in your brain.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved VNS to treat epilepsy and depression that doesn't respond to standard therapies. It's also being investigated for the treatment of:

How are vagus nerve disorders diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider may order one of these tests to diagnose a problem with your vagal nerves:

What are common treatments for vagus nerve disorders?

Treatments for gastroparesis include:

Dietary changes.

Medicines to ease nausea and abdominal pain, regulate blood sugar and improve stomach emptying.

Feeding tubes to deliver nutrition to your bloodstream.

Gastrostomy to create an opening in your stomach to relieve pressure.

Gastric electrical stimulation (similar to VNS) to send electrical impulses to muscles and nerves in your stomach and move food through your intestines.

Treatments for vasovagal syncope include:

Consuming a high-salt diet.

Stopping medicines that lower blood pressure, like diuretics.

Taking medicines to increase sodium, fluid levels and blood pressure or to quiet nervous system responses.

Wearing compression stockings to keep blood from pooling in your legs.

Care

How can I protect my vagal nerves?

These lifestyle changes can keep your nervous system healthy:

Be physically active.

Eat a healthy diet.

Manage conditions like diabetes and high or low blood pressure.

Practice techniques such as meditation, hypnotherapy or yoga.

When should I talk to a doctor?

You should call your healthcare provider if you experience:

Abdominal pain.

Acid reflux.

Difficulty swallowing or speaking.

Fainting.

Nausea, vomiting or unexplained weight loss.

Rapid or slow heart rate.

A note from Cleveland Clinic
Your vagal nerves play key roles in helping your body manage involuntary functions like heart rate, breathing and digestion. Damage to your vagal nerves can cause digestive problems like gastroparesis. Healthcare providers use VNS to send electrical signals to your brain. These impulses calm down irregular electrical activity in your brain.

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Vagus Nerve: Gastroparesis, Vagus Nerve Stimulation & Syncope

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The vagus nerve, also known as the vagal nerves, are the main nerves of your parasympathetic nervous system. This system controls specific body functions such as your digestion, heart rate and immune system. These functions are involuntary, meaning you can't consciously control them.

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Vagus Nerve Connection to Brain and Body

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Vagus Nerve Connection to Brain and Body

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Front Psychiatry. 2018; 9: 44.

Abstract

The vagus nerve represents the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system, which oversees a vast array of crucial bodily functions, including control of mood, immune response, digestion, and heart rate. It establishes one of the connections between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract and sends information about the state of the inner organs to the brain via afferent fibers. In this review article, we discuss various functions of the vagus nerve which make it an attractive target in treating psychiatric and gastrointestinal disorders. There is preliminary evidence that vagus nerve stimulation is a promising add-on treatment for treatment-refractory depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and inflammatory bowel disease. Treatments that target the vagus nerve increase the vagal tone and inhibit cytokine production. Both are important mechanism of resiliency. The stimulation of vagal afferent fibers in the gut influences monoaminergic brain systems in the brain stem that play crucial roles in major psychiatric conditions, such as mood and anxiety disorders. In line, there is preliminary evidence for gut bacteria to have beneficial effect on mood and anxiety, partly by affecting the activity of the vagus nerve. Since, the vagal tone is correlated with capacity to regulate stress responses and can be influenced by breathing, its increase through meditation and yoga likely contribute to resilience and the mitigation of mood and anxiety symptoms.

Keywords: depression, PTSD, vagus nerve stimulation, nutrition, probiotics, yoga, meditation, inflammatory bowel disease

Introduction

The bidirectional communication between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract, the so-called "brain-gut axis," is based on a complex system, including the vagus nerve, but also sympathetic (e.g., via the prevertebral ganglia), endocrine, immune, and humoral links as well as the influence of gut microbiota in order to regulate gastrointestinal homeostasis and to connect emotional and cognitive areas of the brain with gut functions ( 1). The ENS produces more than 30 neurotransmitters and has more neurons than the spine. Hormones and peptides that the ENS releases into the blood circulation cross the blood-brain barrier (e.g., ghrelin) and can act synergistically with the vagus nerve, for example to regulate food intake and appetite ( 2). The brain-gut axis is becoming increasingly important as a therapeutic target for gastrointestinal and psychiatric disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) ( 3), depression ( 4), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ( 5). The gut is an important control center of the immune system and the vagus nerve has immunomodulatory properties ( 6). As a result, this nerve plays important roles in the relationship between the gut, the brain, and inflammation. There are new treatment options for modulating the brain-gut axis, for example, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and meditation techniques. These treatments have been shown to be beneficial in mood and anxiety disorders ( 7- 9), but also in other conditions associated with increased inflammation ( 10). In particular, gut-directed hypnotherapy was shown to be effective in both, irritable bowel syndrome and IBD ( 11, 12). Finally, the vagus nerve also represents an important link between nutrition and psychiatric, neurological and inflammatory diseases.

Basic Anatomy of the Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve carries an extensive range of signals from digestive system and organs to the brain and vice versa. It is the tenth cranial nerve, extending from its origin in the brainstem through the neck and the thorax down to the abdomen. Because of its long path through the human body, it has also been described as the "wanderer nerve" ( 13).

The vagus nerve exits from the medulla oblongata in the groove between the olive and the inferior cerebellar peduncle, leaving the skull through the middle compartment of the jugular foramen. In the neck, the vagus nerve provides required innervation to most of the muscles of the pharynx and larynx, which are responsible for swallowing and vocalization. In the thorax, it provides the main parasympathetic supply to the heart and stimulates a reduction in the heart rate. In the intestines, the vagus nerve regulates the contraction of smooth muscles and glandular secretion. Preganglionic neurons of vagal efferent fibers emerge from the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve located in the medulla, and innervate the muscular and mucosal layers of the gut both in the lamina propria and in the muscularis externa ( 14). The celiac branch supplies the intestine from proximal duodenum to the distal part of the descending colon ( 15, 16). The abdominal vagal afferents, include mucosal mechanoreceptors, chemoreceptors, and tension receptors in the esophagus, stomach, and proximal small intestine, and sensory endings in the liver and pancreas. The sensory afferent cell bodies are located in nodose ganglia and send information to the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) (see Figure ​Figure1). 1 ). The NTS projects, the vagal sensory information to several regions of the CNS, such as the locus coeruleus (LC), the rostral ventrolateral medulla, the amygdala, and the thalamus ( 14).

The vagus nerve is responsible for the regulation of internal organ functions, such as digestion, heart rate, and respiratory rate, as well as vasomotor activity, and certain reflex actions, such as coughing, sneezing, swallowing, and vomiting ( 17). Its activation leads to the release of acetylcholine (ACh) at the synaptic junction with secreting cells, intrinsic nervous fibers, and smooth muscles ( 18). ACh binds to nicotinic and muscarinic receptors and stimulates muscle contractions in the parasympathetic nervous system.

Animal studies have demonstrated a remarkable regeneration capacity of the vagus nerve. For example, subdiaphragmatic vagotomy induced transient withdrawal and restoration of central vagal afferents as well as synaptic plasticity in the NTS ( 19). Further, the regeneration of vagal afferents in rats can be reached 18 weeks after subdiaphragmatic vagotomy ( 20), even though the efferent reinnervation of the gastrointestinal tract is not restored even after 45 weeks ( 21).

Functions of the Vagus Nerve

The Role of Vagus in the Functions of the Autonomic Nervous System

Alongside the sympathetic nervous system and the enteric nervous system (ENS), the parasympathetic nervous system represents one of the three branches of the autonomic nervous system.

The definition of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems is primarily anatomical. The vagus nerve is the main contributor of the parasympathetic nervous system. Other three parasympathetic cranial nerves are the nervus oculomotorius, the nervus facialis, and the nervus glossopharyngeus.

The most important function of the vagus nerve is afferent, bringing information of the inner organs, such as gut, liver, heart, and lungs to the brain. This suggests that the inner organs are major sources of sensory information to the brain. The gut as the largest surface toward the outer world and might, therefore, be a particularly important sensory organ.

Historically, the vagus has been studied as an efferent nerve and as an antagonist of the sympathetic nervous system. Most organs receive parasympathetic efferents through the vagus nerve and sympathetic efferents through the splanchnic nerves. Together with the sympathetic nervous systems, the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the regulation of vegetative functions by acting in opposition to each other ( 22). The parasympathetic innervation causes a dilatation of blood vessels and bronchioles and a stimulation of salivary glands. On the contrary, the sympathetic innervation leads to a constriction of blood vessels, a dilatation of bronchioles, an increase in heart rate, and a constriction of intestinal and urinary sphincters. In the gastrointestinal tract, the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system increases bowel motility and glandular secretion. In contrast to it, the sympathetic activity leads to a reduction of intestinal activity and a reduction of blood flow to the gut, allowing a higher blood flow to the heart and the muscles, when the individual faces existential stress.

Vagus Nerve as a Link between the Central and ENS

The connection between the CNS and the ENS, also referred to as the brain-gut axis enables the bidirectional connection between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract. It is responsible for monitoring the physiological homeostasis and connecting the emotional and cognitive areas of the brain with peripheral intestinal functions, such as immune activation, intestinal permeability, enteric reflex, and enteroendocrine signaling ( 1). This brain-gut axis, includes the brain, the spinal cord, the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic, parasympathetic, and ENS), and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis ( 1). The vagal efferents send the signals "down" from brain to gut through efferent fibers, which account for 10-20% of all fibers and the vagal afferents "up" from the intestinal wall to the brain accounting for 80-90% of all fibers ( 28) (see Figure ​Figure1). 1 ). The vagal afferent pathways are involved in the activation/regulation of the HPA axis ( 29), which coordinates the adaptive responses of the organism to stressors of any kind ( 30). Environmental stress, as well as elevated systemic proinflammatory cytokines, activates the HPA axis through secretion of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) from the hypothalamus ( 31). The CRF release stimulates adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion from pituitary gland. This stimulation, in turn, leads to cortisol release from the adrenal glands. Cortisol is a major stress hormone that affects many human organs, including the brain, bones, muscles, and body fat.

Both neural (vagus) and hormonal (HPA axis) lines of communication combine to allow brain to influence the activities of intestinal functional effector cells, such as immune cells, epithelial cells, enteric neurons, smooth muscle cells, interstitial cells of Cajal, and enterochromaffin cells ( 32). These cells, on the other hand, are under the influence of the gut microbiota. The gut microbiota has an important impact on the brain-gut axis interacting not only locally with intestinal cells and ENS, but also by directly influencing neuroendocrine and metabolic systems ( 33). Emerging data support the role of microbiota in influencing anxiety and depressive-like behaviors ( 34). Studies conducted on germ-free animals demonstrated that microbiota influence stress reactivity and anxiety-like behavior and regulate the set point for HPA activity. Thus, these animals generally show a decreased anxiety ( 35) and an increased stress response with augmented levels of ACTH and cortisol ( 36).

In case of food intake, vagal afferents innervating the gastrointestinal tract provide a rapid and discrete account of digestible food as well as circulating and stored fuels, while vagal efferents together with the hormonal mechanisms codetermine the rate of nutrient absorption, storage, and mobilization ( 37). Histological and electrophysiological evidence indicates that visceral afferent endings of the vagus nerve in the intestine express a diverse array of chemical and mechanosensitive receptors. These receptors are targets of gut hormones and regulatory peptides that are released from enteroendocrine cells of the gastrointestinal system in response to nutrients, by distension of the stomach and by neuronal signals ( 38). They influence the control of food intake and regulation of satiety, gastric emptying and energy balance ( 39) by transmitting signals arising from the upper gut to the nucleus of the solitary tract in the brain ( 40). Most of these hormones, such as peptide cholecystokinin (CCK), ghrelin, and leptin are sensitive to the nutrient content in the gut and are involved in regulating short-term feelings of hunger and satiety ( 41).

Cholecystokinin regulates gastrointestinal functions, including inhibition of gastric emptying and food intake through activation of CCK-1 receptors on vagal afferent fibers innervating the gut ( 42). In addition, CCK is important for secretion of pancreatic fluid and producing gastric acid, contracting the gallbladder, decreasing gastric emptying, and facilitating digestion ( 43). Saturated fat, long-chain fatty acids, amino acids, and small peptides that result from protein digestion stimulate the release of CCK from the small intestine ( 44). There are various biologically active forms of CCK, classified according to the number of amino acids they contain, i.e., CCK-5, CCK-8, CCK-22, and CCK-33 ( 45). In neurons, CCK-8 is always the predominating form, whereas the endocrine gut cells contain a mixture of small and larger CCK peptides of which CCK-33 or CCK-22 often predominate ( 42). In rats, both long- and short-chain fatty acids from food activate jejunal vagal afferent nerve fibers, but do so by distinct mechanisms ( 46). Short-chain fatty acids, such as butyric acid have a direct effect on vagal afferent terminals while the long-chain fatty acids activate vagal afferents via a CCK-dependent mechanism. Exogenous administration of CCK appears to inhibit endogenous CCK secretion ( 47). CCK is also present in enteric vagal afferent neurons, in cerebral cortex, in the thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, and dorsal hindbrain, and functions as a neurotransmitter ( 45). It directly activates vagal afferent terminals in the NTS by increasing calcium release ( 48). Further, there is evidence that CCK can activate neurons in the hindbrain and intestinal myenteric plexus (a plexus which provides motor innervation to both layers of the muscular layer of the gut), in rats and that vagotomy or capsaicin treatment results in an attenuation of CCK-induced Fos expression (a type of a proto-oncogene) in the brain ( 43). There is also substantial evidence that elevated levels of CCK induce feelings of anxiety ( 49). Therefore, CCK is used as a challenge agent to model anxiety disorders in humans and animals ( 50).

The gastrointestinal tract is the key interface between food and the human body and can sense basic tastes in much the same way as the tongue, through the use of similar G-protein-coupled taste receptors ( 60). Different taste qualities induce the release of different gastric peptides. Bitter taste receptors can be considered as potential targets to reduce hunger by stimulating the release of CCK ( 61). Further, activation of bitter taste receptors stimulates ghrelin secretion ( 62) and, therefore, affects the vagus nerve.

Vagus Nerve as Modulator of Intestinal Immune Homeostasis

The inflammation-sensing and inflammation-suppressing functions outlined above provide the principal components of the inflammatory reflex ( 71). The appearance of pathogenic organisms activates innate immune cells that release cytokines. These in turn activate sensory fibers that ascend in the vagus nerve to synapse in the nucleus tractus solitarius. Increased efferent signals in the vagus nerve suppress peripheral cytokine release through macrophage nicotinic receptors and the CAIP. Thus, experimental activation of the CAIP by direct electrical stimulation of the efferent vagus nerve inhibits the synthesis of TNF-α in liver, spleen, and heart, and attenuates serum concentrations of TNF-α ( 72, 73).

Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Vagus nerve stimulation is a medical treatment that is routinely used in the treatment of epilepsy and other neurological conditions. VNS studies are not just clinically, but also scientifically informative regarding the role of the vagus nerve in health and disease.

Device and Method

Vagus nerve stimulation works by applying electrical impulses to the vagus nerve. The stimulation of the vagus nerve can be performed in two different ways: a direct invasive stimulation, which is currently the most frequent application and an indirect transcutaneous non-invasive stimulation. Invasive VNS (iVNS) requires the surgical implantation of a small pulse generator subcutaneously in the left thoracic region. Electrodes are attached to the left cervical vagus nerve and are connected to the pulse generator by a lead, which is tunneled under the skin. The generator delivers intermittent electrical impulses through the vagus nerve to the brain ( 74). It is postulated that these electrical impulses exert antiepileptic ( 75), antidepressive ( 76), and anti-inflammatory effects by altering the excitability of nerve cells. In contrast to iVNS, transcutaneous VNS (tVNS) allows for a non-invasive stimulation of the vagus nerve without any surgical procedure. Here, the stimulator is usually attached to the auricular concha via ear clips and delivers electrical impulses at the subcutaneous course of the afferent auricular branch of the vagus nerve ( 77). A pilot study that examined the application of VNS in 60 patients with treatment-resistant depressive disorder showed a significant clinical improvement in 30-37% of patients and a high tolerability ( 78). Five years later, the stimulation of the vagus nerve for the treatment of refractory depression was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ( 79). Since then, the safety and efficacy of VNS in depression has been demonstrated in numerous observational studies as can be seen below. In contrast, there is no randomized, placebo-control clinical trial that reliably demonstrates antidepressant effects of VNS.

The Neural Mechanism of VNS

The mechanism by which VNS may benefit patients nonresponsive to conventional antidepressants is unclear, with further research needed to clarify this ( 80). Functional neuroimaging studies have confirmed that VNS alters the activity of many cortical and subcortical regions ( 81). Through direct or indirect anatomic connections via the NTS, the vagus nerve has structural connections with several mood regulating limbic and cortical brain areas ( 82). Thus, in chronic VNS for depression, PET scans showed a decline in resting brain activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), which projects to the amygdala and other brain regions modulating emotion ( 83). VNS results in chemical changes in monoamine metabolism in these regions possibly resulting in antidepressant action ( 84, 85). The relationship between monoamine and antidepressant action has been shown by various types of evidence. All drugs that increase monoamines-serotonin (5-HT), NE, or dopamine (DA)-in the synaptic cleft have antidepressant properties ( 86). Accordingly, depletion of monoamines induces depressive symptoms in individuals who have an increased risk of depression ( 87).

Chronic VNS influences the concentration of 5-HT, NE, and DA in the brain and in the cerebrospinal fluid ( 88). In rats, it has been shown that VNS treatments induce large time-dependent increases in basal neuronal firing in the brainstem nuclei for serotonin in the dorsal raphe nucleus ( 89). Thus, chronic VNS was associated with increased extracellular levels of serotonin in the dorsal raphe ( 90).

In case of DA, it has been shown that the short-term effects (14 days) ( 94) and the long-term effects (12 months) ( 97) of VNS in treatment of resistant major depression may lead to brainstem dopaminergic activation. DA is a catecholamine that to a large extent is synthesized in the gut and plays a crucial role in the reward system in the brain ( 98).

Serotonin is also an important neurotransmitter in the gut that can stimulate peristalsis and induce nausea and vomiting by activating the vagus nerve. In addition, it is essential for the regulation of vital functions, such as appetite and sleep, and contributes to feelings of well-being. To 95%, it is produced by enterochromaffin cells, a type of neuroendocrine cell which reside alongside the epithelium lining the lumen of the digestive tract ( 102). Serotonin is released from enterochromaffin cells in response to mechanical or chemical stimulation of the gastrointestinal tract which leads to activation of 5-HT3 receptors on the terminals of vagal afferents ( 103). 5-HT3 receptors are also present on the soma of vagal afferent neurons, including gastrointestinal vagal afferent neurons, where they can be activated by circulating 5-HT. The central terminals of vagal afferents also exhibit 5-HT3 receptors that function to increase glutamatergic synaptic transmission to second order neurons of the nucleus tractus solitarius within the brainstem. As a result, interactions between the vagus nerve and serotonin systems in the gut and in the brain appear to play an important role in the treatment of psychiatric conditions.

Vagus-Related Treatment of Depression

Basic Pathophysiology of Depression

VNS in Depression

Influence of Nutrition Depressive Symptoms

The gut microbiota is the potential key modulator of the immune ( 120) and the nervous systems ( 121). Targeting it could lead to a greater improvement in the emotional symptoms of patients suffering from depression or anxiety. There is growing evidence that nutritional components, such as probiotics ( 122, 123), gluten ( 124), as well as drugs, such as anti-oxidative agents ( 125) and antibiotics ( 126), have a high impact on vagus nerve activity through the interaction with the gut microbiota and that this effect varies greatly between individuals. Indeed, animal studies have provided evidence that microbiota communication with the brain involves the vagus nerve and this interaction can lead to mediating effects on the brain and subsequently, behavior ( 127). For example, Lactobacillus-species have received tremendous attention due to their use as probiotics and their health-promoting properties ( 128). Bravo et al. ( 129) demonstrated that chronic treatment of mice with Lactobacillus rhamnosus (strain JB-1) caused a reduction in stress-induced corticosterone levels and in anxiety-like and depression-like behavior ( 129). It has been shown that chronic treatment with L. rhamnosus (JB-1) induced region-dependent alterations in GABA(B1b) mRNA in the brain with increases in cortical regions (cingulate and prelimbic) and concomitant reductions in expression in the hippocampus, amygdala, and LC. In addition, L. rhamnosus (JB-1) reduced GABA(Aα2) mRNA expression in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, but increased GABA(Aα2) in the hippocampus ( 129), which counteracts the typical pathogenesis of depressive symptoms: lack of prefrontal control and overactivity of subcortical, anxiogenic brain regions. Importantly, L. rhamnosus (JB-1) reduced stress-induced corticosterone and anxiety- and depression-related behavior. This is not surprising, since alterations in central GABA receptor expression are implicated in the pathogenesis of anxiety and depression ( 130, 131). The antidepressive and anxiolytic effects of L. rhamnosus were not observed in vagotomized mice, identifying the vagus as a major modulatory constitutive communication pathway between the bacteria exposed to the gut and the brain ( 129). In line with that, in a model of chronic colitis associated to anxiety-like behavior, the anxiolytic effect obtained with a treatment with Bifidobacterium longum, was absent in mice that were vagotomized before the induction of colitis ( 132).

In humans, psychobiotics, a class of probiotics with anti-inflammatory effects might be useful to treat patients with psychiatric disorders due to their antidepressive and anxiolytic effects ( 133). Differences in the composition of the gut microbiota in patients with depression compared with healthy individuals have been demonstrated ( 134). Importantly, the fecal samples pooled from five patients with depression transferred into germ-free mice, resulted in depressive-like behavior.

Influence of Relaxation Techniques on Depressive Symptoms

It has been shown that self-generated positive emotions via loving-kindness meditation lead to an increase in positive emotions relative to the control group, an effect moderated by baseline vagal tone ( 135). In turn, increased positive emotions produced increases in vagal tone, which is probably mediated by increased perceptions of social connections. Individuals suffering from depression, anxiety, and chronic pain have benefited from regular mindfulness meditation training, demonstrating a remarkable improvement in symptom severity ( 9).

Iyengar yoga has been shown to decreased depressive symptoms in subjects with depression ( 142). Iyengar yoga is associated with increased HRV, supporting the hypothesis that yoga breathing and postures work in part by increasing parasympathetic tone ( 143).

Vagus-Related Treatment of PTSD

Pathophysiology of PTSD

Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms are partly mediated by the vagus nerve. There is evidence for diminished parasympathetic activity in PTSD, indicating an autonomic imbalance ( 148). The vagal control of heart rate via the myelinated vagal fibers varies with respiration. Thus, the vagal influence on the heart can be evaluated by quantifying the amplitude of rhythmic fluctuations in heart rate-respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). A recent study has demonstrated a reduced resting RSA in veterans with PTSD ( 149). Further, patients with PTSD have been shown to have lower high-frequency heart rate variability than healthy controls ( 150).

Posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity and structural abnormalities in the anterior hippocampus and centromedial amygdala have been associated ( 155). There is evidence for increased activation of the amygdala in humans and rodents during conditioned fear ( 156). The amygdala and the vmPFC have reciprocal synaptic connections ( 157). Indeed, under conditions of uncertainty and threat, the PFC can become hypoactive leading to a failure to inhibit overactivity of the amygdala with emergence of PTSD symptoms, such as hyperarousal and re-experiencing ( 158). Further, in response to stressful stimuli as fearful faces, patients with PTSD showed a higher activation of the basolateral amygdala during unconscious face processing compared to healthy controls as well as patients with panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder ( 159).

The hippocampus is also a crucial component of the fear circuit and implicated in the pathophysiology of PTSD. Patients with PTSD show a reduced hippocampal volume that is associated with symptom severity ( 160). The hippocampus is a key structure in episodic memory and spatial context encoding. Hippocampal damage leads to deficits in context encoding in humans as well as rodents. The neural circuit consisting of the hippocampus, amygdala, and vmPFC is highly important for the contextual retrieval of fear memories after extinction ( 154). Impairment of hippocampal functioning, resulting dysfunctional context generalization in patients with PTSD, might cause patients to re-experience trauma-related symptoms ( 161).

VNS in PTSD

Vagus nerve stimulation has shown promise as therapeutic option in treatment-resistant anxiety disorders, including PTSD ( 8). Chronic VNS has been shown to reduce anxiety in rats ( 96) and improve scores on the Hamilton Anxiety Scale in patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression ( 8). When stimulated, the vagus nerve sends signals to the NTS ( 162) and the NTS sends direct projections to the amygdala and the hypothalamus. Further, VNS increases the release of NE in basolateral amygdala ( 163) as well as the hippocampus and cortex ( 93). NE infusion in the amygdala results in better extinction learning ( 164). Thus, VNS could be a good tool to increase extinction retention. For example, in rats, extinction paired with VNS treatment can lead to remission of fear and improvements in PTSD-like symptoms ( 151). Further, VNS paired with extinction learning facilitates the plasticity between the infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex and the basolateral complex of the amygdala to facilitate extinction of conditioned fear responses ( 165). Additionally, VNS may also enhance extinction by inhibiting activity of the sympathetic nervous system ( 119). It is possible that an immediate VNS-induced reduction in anxiety contributes to VNS-driven extinction by interfering with the sympathetic response to the CS, thus breaking the association of the CS with fear. However, there is need for randomized controlled trials to approve these observations.

Positive Influence of Nutritive Components on PTSD

Emerging research suggests that probiotics may have the potential to decrease stress-induced inflammatory responses, as well as associated symptoms. An exploratory study that investigated the microbiome of patients with PTSD and trauma exposed controls revealed a decreased existence of three bacteria strains in patients with PTSD: Actinobacteria, Lentisphaerae, and Verrucomicrobia that were associated with higher PTDS symptom scores. These bacteria are important for immune regulation and their decreased abundance could have contributed to a dysregulation of the immune system and development of PTSD symptoms ( 169). A study using a murine model of PTSD ( 170) has demonstrated that immunization with a heat-killed preparation of the immunoregulatory bacterium Mycobacterium vaccae (NCTC 11659) induced a more proactive behavioral response to a psychosocial stressor ( 171). Studies performed in healthy volunteers have shown that the administration of different probiotics were associated with an improved well-being ( 172- 174), as well as a decrease in anxiety and psychological distress ( 174, 175). These findings are all preliminary. There is an urgent need for well-designed, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials aimed at determining the effect of bacterial supplements and controlled changes in diet on psychological symptoms and cognitive functions in patients with PTSD.

Positive Influence of Meditation and Yoga on PTSD

There is clinical evidence for the efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in the treatment of PTSD ( 176- 178). During MBSR, slow breathing and long exhalation phases lead to an increase in parasympathetic tone ( 179). In addition, clinical studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of yoga as a therapeutic intervention for PTSD and dissociation through a downregulation of the stress response ( 180- 182). Yoga practices also decreased symptoms in PSTD after natural disasters ( 183, 184). Yoga-responsive anxiety disorders, including PTSD, go together with low HRV and low GABA activity ( 139). The interactions of the PFC, hippocampus, and amygdala in conjunction with inputs from the autonomous nervous system and GABA system provide a network through which yoga-based practices may decrease symptoms ( 185). There are indications that impaired extinction of conditioned fear in PTSD is associated with decreased vmPFC control over amygdala activity ( 157). PFC activation associated with increased parasympathetic activity during yoga could improve inhibitory control over the amygdala via PFC GABA projections, decreasing amygdala overactivity, and reducing PTSD symptoms.

Vagus-Related Treatment in Inflammatory Disease

Pathophysiology IBD

Inflammatory bowel disease comprises mainly two disorders: ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) ( 186). The hallmark of IBD is chronic, uncontrolled inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. Symptoms are characterized by abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, weight loss, and extraintestinal (skin, eyes, joints) manifestations. In CD, the predominant symptoms are diarrhea, abdominal pain, and weight loss, whereas in UC diarrhea is the main symptom, often accompanied by rectal bleeding ( 187).

Inflammatory bowel disease affects about 1.5 million persons in the USA and 2.2 million in Europe ( 188), and about 20% of IBD patients have a positive family history ( 189). In addition, industrialization led to marked increases in IBD prevalence rates in Asia ( 190). There is increasing evidence that environmental risk factors, including infections, Western diet and food additives, air and water pollution, drugs (antibiotics, hormones), and psychosocial stress work in concert with genetic factors (more than 250 genetics factors have been consistently identified) in the pathogenesis of IBD, finally leading to an abnormal immune response to microbial exposure ( 191, 192). What distinguishes IBD from inflammatory responses seen in the normal gut is an inability to downregulate inflammatory responses, like it happens when intestine becomes inflamed in response to a potential pathogen. Thus, in individuals with IBD inflammation is not downregulated, the mucosal immune system remains chronically activated, and the intestine remains chronically inflamed ( 191). During inflammation, proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) released from the intestinal mucosa activate VN afferents that terminate in the NTS ( 188), then relaying visceral information to activate the HPA axis. Moreover, an anti-inflammatory role of vagus efferents through the CAIP has been reported ( 188). As stated earlier, ACh released at the distal end of VN efferents decreases the production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α ( 188). The overexpression of the TNF-α may present a curical step in the development of IBD ( 193).

VNS in IBD

Positive Influence of Nutritive Components on IBD

Mechanistically, the role that inflammation plays in the onset and perpetuation of psychiatric symptoms has garnered increased attention ( 197). The increase of dysfunctional immunological responses in modern urban societies are posited to be at least in part associated with reduced exposure to commensal and environmental microorganisms that normally prime immunoregulatory circuits and suppress inappropriate inflammation ( 198). The intestinal bacterial flora is thought to be an important factor in the development and recurrence of IBD and various attempts have been made to modify the flora with probiotics. In animals with experimental colitis orally or rectally administered lactobacilli have yielded improvements. For example, Lactobacillus plantarum 299V prevented the onset of disease and reduced established colitis ( 199). Further, a multispecies probiotic (VSL#3) given to mice with established colitis normalized gut barrier function, reduced proinflammatory cytokines, and lessened histological disease ( 200). In humans, Lactobacillus casei GG improved symptoms in children with moderately active CD ( 201). In addition, a combination of probiotics with Saccharomyces boulardii, Lactobacillus, and VSL#3 showed slight improvements of CD symptoms ( 202). These data are preliminary and need confirmation by future studies. So far, no probiotic treatments have been officially recommended for the treatment of CD ( 203).

In UC, there is reliable evidence for VSL#3 to be beneficial in the treatment of mildly active pouchitis ( 204). E. coli Nissle, part of VSL#3, may be as effective as the drug mesalamine in maintaining remission ( 205).

Positive Influence of Hypnotherapy, Meditation, and Yoga in IBD

An increasing number of studies have shown benefits with relaxation-related treatment of IBD. For example, a randomized controlled trial of a relaxation-training intervention compared to a control group has shown decrease in pain as well as decreased anxiety levels and improvements in quality of life ( 206). Also mindfulness-based therapy ( 207), a comprehensive mind-body program ( 208), meditation ( 209), mind-body alternative approaches ( 210), yoga ( 211), and relaxation response-based mind-body interventions ( 212) have shown to be beneficial for IBD patients. In addition, hypnotherapy, which increases vagal tone ( 213), has been effective in the treatment of IBD ( 12).

Conclusion

The interaction between the gut and the brain is based on a complex system that includes not only neural but also endocrine, immune, and humoral links.

The vagus nerve is an essential part of the brain-gut axis and plays an important role in the modulation of inflammation, the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis, and the regulation of food intake, satiety, and energy homeostasis. An interaction between nutrition and the vagus nerve is well known, and vagal tone can influence food intake and weight gain.

Moreover, the vagus nerve plays an important role in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders, obesity as well as other stress-induced and inflammatory diseases.

Vagus nerve stimulation and several meditation techniques demonstrate that modulating the vagus nerve has a therapeutic effect, mainly due to its relaxing and anti-inflammatory properties.

Extinction paired with VNS is more rapid than extinction paired with sham stimulation. As it is currently approved by the Federal FDA for depression and seizure prevention, VNS is a readily available and promising adjunct to exposure therapy for the treatment of severe anxiety disorders.

Vagus nerve stimulation is an effective anticonvulsant device and has shown in observational studies antidepressant effects in chronic treatment-resistant depression. Because the vagus nerve sends information to brain regions is important in the stress response (LC, orbitofrontal cortex, insula, hippocampus, and amygdala), this pathway might be involved in perceiving or manifesting various somatic and cognitive symptoms that characterize stress-related disorders.

Psychotropic drugs, such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors, have effects on both the brain and the gastrointestinal tract and consequently should be understood as modulators of the brain-gut axis.

Research investigating the interaction between nutritive factors, somatic factors, such as heart rate, psychological and pharmacological treatments, and vagal activity has the potential to lead to integrative treatment options that incorporate VNS, nutritional approaches, drugs, and psychological interventions, such as mindfulness-based approaches, which can be tailored to the needs of the individual patient.

Author Contributions

SB, AK and GR reviewed literature and wrote this paper. GH outlined structure of this paper, reviewed literature, and wrote this paper.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The reviewer JD and handling editor declared their shared affiliation.

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Sarah Steinau for her contributions to this article.

Footnotes

Funding. This work was supported by the University of Bern.

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Articles from Frontiers in Psychiatry are provided here courtesy of Frontiers Media SA

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Vagus Nerve as Modulator of the Brain-Gut Axis in Psychiatric and Inflammatory Disorders

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The vagus nerve represents the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system, which oversees a vast array of crucial bodily functions, including control of mood, immune response, digestion, and heart rate. It establishes one of the connections ...

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Did you know you actually have a chill-out button in your back pocket ? It's called the vagus nerve . (And, yes, vagus nerve stimulation is a thing.) "The vagus nerve connects the brain to the body and its primary function is to activate our parasympathetic nervous system (PNS)," says Erin D'Elia Assenza , a certified health coach at Parsley Health . There are two branches of the nervous system, the PNS, "rest and digest" and sympathetic nervous system (SNS), or "fight and flight."

Of course, it's not literally located in your back pocket-the vagus nerve runs from the brainstem through the neck and down to your abdomen. Its main function is to regulate digestion and your heart and breathing rate. When it's activated, it will temper your physiological stress response, allowing a feeling of calm to wash over you. And the good news? There are specific exercises you can do for vagus nerve stimulation.

When to stimulate the vagus nerve

It's an impossible game to try to avoid stress . Since stress is ubiquitous, it's how you react to it that counts the most when it comes to your wellbeing. So vagus nerve stimulation can be a tool you use during any moment you need to de-stress.

"Stimulating the vagus nerve tricks your brain into thinking that everything is okay," says D'Elia Assenza. A great time to stimulate the vagus nerve, she says, is when you're experiencing a heightened state of anxiety or stress. "When something feels out of your control, these exercises are something you can do that's in your control," says D'Elia Assenza. You can also practice vagus nerve exercises regularly to better build up your resilience against stress. "I believe we should prioritize our stress every day-even when we don't feel like we're stressed. It's such a huge part of having optimal health," she says.

Benefits of vagus nerve stimulation

Consider what happens when your sympathetic nervous system is keyed up -maybe you're stuck in traffic, just received a nasty email, feel overwhelmed at your job, or had a fight with your partner or a friend. "When you're in fight-or-flight mode, the job of the SNS is to promote survival. So, in the face of a threat, your body wants to make sure you can run for your life: Your heart rate increases, your pupils dilate, and other systems you don't need at the moment are down-regulated. Meaning digestion, immune, and reproductive systems slow," says D'Elia Assenza. When you employ exercises that tell your brain and body that all is well , you not only can tap into a better headspace, but your physical health benefits, too.

For example, the vagus nerve is a channel that receives signals from the gut microbiota and zips that info over to the brain, notes a 2018 paper in Frontiers in Neuroscience . The authors point out that stress inhibits the vagus nerve and may be linked to GI disorders like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) through inflammation .

In essence, the vagus nerve plays an important role in the gut-brain axis , which affects your mood and has been implicated in the development of depression and anxiety . Another study , published in the same journal, noted that vagus nerve stimulation may be an additional therapy for treatment-resistant depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. (Of course, these exercises are not a substitute for treatment your provider has recommended for you.)

Doing vagus nerve exercises also increases your vagal tone, which D'Elia Assenza describes as your capacity to handle stress and determines how quickly you can bounce back from stressful events. "Think of it like exercise-you may stimulate your ab muscles by doing crunches to have greater muscle tone in your core," she says.

Should you try vagus nerve exercises?

There are so many ways you can stimulate the vagus nerve-and they can be fun, calming, or fit in with the day-to-day routines you already have in place. "The list of things you can do is extensive. You don't have to do them all, you can choose the activities that you like and make you feel good," D'Elia Assenza says.

She likes to break them up into two categories: physical and emotional vagus nerve stimulators and encourages clients to look at them as a toolbox. You can pick out the ones you need in the moment or that resonate with you at that time. Aim to get in five minutes a day, throughout the day of the below vagus nerve exercises.

How to stimulate the vagus nerve

Physical vagus nerve exercises

These activities all center around one thing: Manipulating the vocal cord. "The physical reverberation of your vocal cords can activate the vagus nerve," D'Elia Assenza explains.

Gargling: Gargle with water in the morning and evening when you brush your teeth. Aim for 30 seconds to one minute.

Singing: Doesn't matter if you can carry a tune (or make dogs howl with your pitch), turn on your favorite song and belt it out.

Om-ing: Yes, the same om associated with yoga practice . Sitting in a quiet space, chant a long "om." You should feel a vibration around the ears, which will connect to the vagus nerve. A study in the International Journal of Yoga found that chanting 'om' was helpful in deactivating certain parts of the limbic system in the brain involved in stress and emotional responses, such as the amygdala.

Laughing: Watch a funny TV show or movie and actually LOL at the funny parts. Or, get together with that friend who you always get slapstick-happy with to get in an extra good guffaw.

Psychological vagus nerve exercises

Getting the vagus nerve moving isn't the only way to stimulate the vagus nerve though-your thoughts and feelings can activate it, too. "Eliciting an emotional response that can be supportive to the vagus nerve and calming parasympathetic nervous system," says D'Elia Assenza.

Gratitude journaling: Sit down before bed or when you wake up and write down three things you're grateful for, whether they're big (your family) or small (that nourishing oat milk latte this morning). Repeat this daily, weekly, or a cadence that feels right for you to help activate the PNS.

Deep breathing: The Box Breath is one breathing exercise that D'Elia Assenza likes. (Also called a square breath.) Inhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4. Repeat as many times as you need. Deep breathing tricks your body into thinking, "I can't possibly be running for my life if I'm breathing this slowly."

Meditating: Meditating can take many forms and does not have to be long and drawn out, but "contemplative practices," such as meditation and yoga, have been found to bring calm, in part, by activating the vagus nerve, according to research . Spend five minutes on an app like Headspace, Calm, or Insight Timer for short guided meditations.

Exposing yourself to things that are beautiful, such as a sunset, spending time in nature , looking at pretty pictures, or playing with your pets: Anything that brings forth positive emotions-and this is different for everyone-increase vagal tone, and has been found to be a contributor to good physical health, notes a randomized controlled trial in Psychological Science .

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Vagus Nerve Stimulation How-To (And 8 Exercises to Try)

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Try vagus nerve stimulation to de-stress (yes, you read that right). When it's activated, a feeling of calm will wash over you. Here's how...

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The Ancient Tradition of Women’s Circles

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Women’s circles have become increasingly popular in recent years, serving as a way for women to gather together, share, and connect. These circles are a magical experience, creating a safe space for women from all walks of life to embrace themselves and each other.

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Women's circles are a gathering of women, for women. These sisterhood meetings give women a safe space to connect, share, and empower.

Today, you may come across a monthly full moon goddess circle at your local yoga studio or travel to a far-off destination for a sacred women's retreat. And while some may write these gatherings off as "new age," our ancestral mothers, grandmothers, and sisters joined in these sacred gatherings for thousands of years.

Our female ancestors gathered in the red tent and moon lodges as a sacred space to connect, especially during menstruation. Religious groups, like the pagans and Celtic Christians of the 5th and 6th centuries, joined in women's circles. So too did Jewish women throughout the centuries to observe Rosh Chodesh, the first sliver of the moon at the "head" of the month.

Indeed, the women's circle is an ancient practice. With the fire at the center, women circled the light and the warmth, a place to share stories, cook meals, honor the gods and goddess, and dance under the stars. When we participate in a women's circle, we carry on the tradition of our female ancestors by forming a sacred goddess community to celebrate the feminine.

Why Sit in a Women's Circle?

When we sit in a women's circle, we connect and support sisterhood in a safe space. It's a time to celebrate the divine feminine, to encourage originality and uniqueness in our sisters, and let your authentic self shine!
We honor our female ancestors.
A women's circle honors female ancestors through unity and ritual, a moment to consider the generations who paved the way for the opportunities available to women today. We honor their strength to overcome the many obstacles of womanhood. We celebrate the female "firsts" who stood up against the patriarchy and became leaders in their community. We remember the great warrior women, the shield maidens, the Grandmother Shaman, the Rosie the Riveters, every woman who embodied the divine feminine with bravery, resilience, and compassion.
The women's circle is a place for community.
As an inclusive space, the women's circle welcomes all ages and brings together the generations. Great-grandmothers, grandmothers, mothers, and daughters sit together in solidarity. The elders pass down their wisdom learned through experience. New generations of girls restore the childlike wonder and playfulness of youth to their elders. Together, shared strength circulates through every generation, a way to empower each other to participate meaningfully in the community and pave the way for future female generations.
The women's circle reinforces female empowerment and sisterhood
Society has often found ways to break apart the sacred bonds between women. A women's circle reminds sisters to treat each other as allies, rather than competition. We don't ostracize or gossip. We don't point out flaws or compete for a man. Instead, we embrace women as our sisters by lifting each other up.
The women's circle celebrates the divine feminine
In the last centuries, society has glorified the traits of the yang masculine energy like ambition, logic, competition, and accomplishment. And while the universe needs the masculine, it also calls for the yin feminine to rise up and maintain balance.

The women's circle is a chance to tap into the divine feminine. Women reawaken their connection to intuition, imagination, and the ability to flow with the rhythms of life. As they reconnect with that divine feminine through sisterhood support, they can better express that wisdom within their relationships, families, and communities, to restore the balance of the masculine and feminine in the world at large.
The women's circle is a safe, supportive space
The women's circle gives each participant a chance to speak their truth without judgment. Sharing with supportive, empowering women releases the weight of our burdens. We shed light on our fears, thus, diminishing their power. We can then step beyond the wall of fear, into the freedom of our strength and divine light.
The women's circle is a place of self-care
Women play essential roles in societies. They are the mothers, the wives, the aunts, the sisters. They uphold positions of power, guiding future generations of females to pursue their dreams. They are the queens of multi-tasking, caring for their families, and paying the bills while juggling a career.

Often busy lives get in the way of self-care. The women's circle is a moment for self-love. It gives women permission to take time to nurture themselves. A circle of sisters offers a "pat on the back," a time to appreciate all the hard work that goes into womanhood. It's a time to rest, to connect with sisters, and focus on physical and mental wellbeing.

How to Create Your Own Women's Circles

Creating a women's circle can be as simple as calling together your close friends. You can also expand the circle and welcome neighbors and sisters of your community. A circle can take many forms and settings. Start by creating a comfortable seating in a circle, in a setting that encourages connection and safety, like a yoga studio or a quiet area by the beach. Create a calming, spiritual experience with an altar set up in the center. Add incense, crystals, fresh flowers, or anything that has symbolic meaning for you. You might want to spread out a deck of oraclecards and ask each woman to choose one as she enters the circle. Open the circle with the sound of a bell or play some calming music and always remember to ground and call in your guides and angels for protection and support.

You can focus on one of the activities below to dive deep, or combine them for a more holistic experience.

1. Create safe space for sharing

This type of women's circle gives everyone a chance to open up. It's an invitation to share. You can keep the theme open without an agenda or focus on an idea, like manifestation, letting go, self-love, and so on. Everyone can go around the circle and speak their minds in a loving space.

2. Moon rituals

The moon and the female body are interconnected. Menstruation is a cyclical process, much like the lunar cycle - from new moon to waning crescent. This synchronization makes moon rituals a perfect way to honor the divine feminine and set intentions in harmony with nature.

New moons are the time for manifestation, usually at the beginning of the month, a time to set intentions for the month ahead. Full moon rituals are the ideal time to let go with rituals that release old habits and limited thought patterns.

3. Yoga

Yoga during a women's circle connects the body, mind, and soul through postures and meditation. Simultaneous practice feels empowering, as women raise the vibration of the communal space by connecting with soul and spirit. Specific asanas tap into female empowerment, like warrior, goddess, mountain, and happy baby. These poses celebrate the spirit and strength of the divine feminine and creative womb energy.

4. Cacao ceremony

For thousands of years, the shamans of Peru have practiced the ritual consumption of cacao. This sacred plant invigorates the body and opens the heart. Sharing a cup of warm cacao drink, you'll feel more relaxed and open-hearted, reinforcing connection with your circle sisters.

5. Dancing

Dancing embodies the divine feminine-full of creative, free-flowing, playful energy. Dancing together during a women's circle creates and emboldens that powerful energy that releases from the body and onto the dancefloor. You flow into your power through movement and share a tangible force of connection and expansion.

6. Sisterhood retreats

The ultimate women's circle, spiritual retreats, like Seeking Sacred Journey Mystical Peru, are designed to accelerate the connection of the women's circle in gatherings that last days or weeks. Traveling to a sacred destination in a beautiful location brings together women from all walks of life, connected at the level of soul. Sisters participate in a blend of sacred ceremony, wellness, yoga, and shamanic ritual to awaken the soul and embrace sisterhood. Spending an extended time together, participating in transformative healing rituals awakens spiritual growth, all while supported by your sisterhood.

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Women's Circles: A Sacred Space to Celebrate... | Spirituality & Health

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Women's circles are a gathering of women, for women. These sisterhood meetings give women a safe space to connect, share, and empower. Today, you may come across a monthly full moon goddess circle at your local yoga studio or travel to a far-off destination for a sacred women's retreat.

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Before I taught scores of body scan meditations, I too had to learn it for the first time. And my first reaction was: no, thank you! This is what happened: The woman at the front of the room is saying that over the next eight weeks we would be "learning to reconnect to our bodies by doing a number of body scan meditations." Huh? Reconnect with my own body? Nuts to that, lady! Not that it's any of your business, but my disconnected body and I like it that way. As far as I can tell, I mean, we haven't spoken in years.

Then she tells us to lay down, saying we might want to put a pillow under our knees and maybe even cover ourselves with the nursery school blankets she handed us. The lights are dimmed and my inner child begins snoring. But the rest of me feels like a feral cat trapped in a dark alley looking for any way out.

The suspiciously calm-voiced lady relentlessly offers us something she calls, "silence" (it burns, it burns!). We are asked to notice any sensations we might be able to experience. A sensation? What the heck is a "sensation"? She says sensations are things we might notice in the body, (not liking this noticing the body, business! Please stop saying this!). She mentions a menu of sensation possibilities we might notice, like tingling, tightness, heat or coolness, buzzing or pulsing or itching, or numbness-even nausea. What the heck? No wonder I avoid connecting with my body! Need I explain the concept of numbing out? The very idea of having to notice my body enraged me. And even worse, I had no clue if I was doing it right and that enraged me even more.

Our honey-tongued guide seemed to be ignoring my inner pleas for her to stop, "Look lady ... if I listened to my body, right now, I'd leap up and throttle you!"

Apparently I was supposed to notice this too. Argh!

Something was changing in my relationship to discomfort. I noticed that I could stay more present and tuned in, even if I didn't like what I was feeling.

During the first few body scan meditations I mostly thought about lunch and how my butt compares to other butts anywhere on the planet. Every so often I would notice a sensation in my body. When I did, I immediately became alarmed or bored or my mind just wandered off to Taco Bell.

Only after being guided through many, many body scans did I seem to have a "Hold on, call coming through!" moment. Was that me experiencing itches, twitches, cramps, and screams and just watching as they softened and settled? Was I only imagining that I was increasingly able to be irritated without needing to find someone to blame...where's the fun in that? Something was changing in my relationship to discomfort. I noticed that I could stay more present and tuned in, even if I didn't like what I was feeling. Interesting.

That was a few years ago. Now, I notice that I am increasingly able to stay and examine sensations that show up in my body when I feel upset on its way. I can be with my stress-clenched butt, my indignant jaw, my quaking belly. By practicing the body scan, I am learning to stay softly present to the United Colors of Stress as it tries to hole up in my body. More and more, I can notice what I feel without having to hold on to it. I can let it go and return to the present moment over and over. Damn, I'm good.

The Benefits of the Body Scan Meditation:

1. Enhances your ability to bring your full attention to real-time experiences happening in the present moment-helpful when emotions or thoughts feel wild.

2. Trains to explore and be with pleasant and unpleasant sensations, learning to notice what happens when we simply hang in there and feel what's going on in "body-land" without trying to fix or change anything.

A Guided Body Scan Meditation for Beginners:

It is recommended you allow about 30 or 40 minutes to let yourself really investigate this body scan meditation. But if you don't have that much time, utilize whatever time you have. You might want to lay down, but you can also do it sitting up, especially if that makes it easier for you to stay awake.

1. Closing your eyes can be helpful to allow you to focus or, if you'd rather, you can always lower and half-close your eyes.

2. Bring awareness to the body breathing in and out, noticing touch and pressure where it makes contact with the seat or floor. Throughout this practice, allow as much time as you need or want to experience and investigate each area of the body.

3. When you're ready (no rush), intentionally breathe in, and move your attention to whatever part of the body you want to investigate. You might choose to do a systematic body scan meditation beginning at the head or feet. Or, you might choose to explore sensations randomly. Enjoy!

4. Sensations might include buzzing, or tingling, pressure, tightness or temperature, or anything else you notice. What if you don't notice any strong sensations or things feel neutral? You can simply notice that, too. There are no right answers. Just tune in to what's present, as best you can, without judgement. You'll notice judgement puts a different spin on things.

5. The main point is being curious and open to what you are noticing, investigating the sensations as fully as possible, and then intentionally releasing the focus of attention before shifting to the next area to explore.

6. At some point, you'll notice Elvis and your attention have left the building. Yup. Great noticing! You'll quickly discover that you can't stop your attention from wandering. Sorry 'bout that. But over time you can train it to stay for longer periods: train it, not force it, there's a difference.

7. Each time your attention wanders, simply notice that this is happening, then gently and kindly (it's really important that you don't try to force anything) direct your attention back to exploring sensations in the body. Rinse and repeat until you've finished your entire body exploration.

8. And hey! Neuroscience tells us that noticing drifting attention, and gently returning our focus to wherever we've placed it, over and over, is how we create new pathways in the brain.

9. At the end of this exploration of bodily sensations, spend a few moments to expand your attention to feeling your entire body breathing freely.

10. Open your eyes if they have been closed. Move mindfully into this moment.

Cultivate gratitude for life's small delights as you move through the senses. Read More

Our bodies do so much for us. Take a moment to bring a spirit of curiosity and appreciation to what's happening in your body right now. Read More

Mindful walking can be a way to awaken our delight as we notice the sights, smells, and sounds in our surroundings. Read More

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Learn to reconnect with yourself. Try this body scan meditation practice to relax your body from head to toe.

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audio meditations
Cultivate your ability to be mindful and tuned in to what you're feeling with this body scan meditation.

The body scan is one of the most effective ways to begin a mindfulness meditation practice. The purpose is to tune in to your body-to reconnect to your physical self-and notice any sensations you're feeling without judgement. While many people find the body scan relaxing, relaxation is not the primary goal. The goal is to train the mind to be more open and aware of sensory experiences-and ultimately, more accepting. With time and practice, the body scan will build your ability to focus and be fully present in your life.

If so, please consider a donation to HelpGuide. As a nonprofit without ads, we rely on the generosity of readers like you to keep our resources free for all who are struggling with their mental health. Please donate today. Every dollar counts!

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audio meditations The body scan is one of the most effective ways to begin a mindfulness meditation practice. The purpose is to tune in to your body-to reconnect to your physical self-and notice any sensations you're feeling without judgement. While many people find the body scan relaxing, relaxation is not the primary goal.

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Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Tapping is a holistic acupressure treatment that may help people overcome conditions like PTSD, overeating, and depression, all through the power of tapping.

It may sound a bit woo-woo, but tapping has recently become a must-have coping tool for stressed-out patients looking to combat issues like anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This simple meditation technique is exactly what it sounds like: You tap your way to better mental health using Chinese acupressure points.

Sound too good to be true? Luckily it isn't, and the best part is it's a simple technique to learn, and you can do it for free. We turned to the experts to find out everything you need to know about this buzzy meditation practice.

What Is Emotional Freedom Tapping?

"Tapping involves using your fingertips to gently tap on a specific set of points on your body, while you focus on and speak about whatever might be causing you distress or discomfort," Nick Ortner, CEO of The Tapping Solution, tells DailyOM. "The tapping points correspond to traditional Chinese medicine acupressure points. Tapping on these points sends calming signals to the brain, letting it know it's safe to relax."

These pressure points are designed to turn off the body's fight-or-flight response. Unlike acupuncture, though, tapping is incredibly easy to learn and can be done on your own schedule, at home, and by yourself. (Think of EFT as using the same map, but not the same technique, as acupuncturists.)

According to Ortner, the process of tapping while speaking or thinking about your stressors helps your brain realize that you're not in real danger, so it is safe to relax. This helps regulate activity to turn off the fight-or-flight response in the amygdala, which eventually helps relieve stress long-term.

There's research to back up the benefits of EFT. In one 2020 study published in the journal Psychological Trauma , 53 participants were randomly divided into one of three groups: One group received EFT meditation, one received psychotherapy, and one received no treatment at all. The group that received the tapping meditation showed a 50 percent decrease in anxiety, as well as a 43 percent decrease in cortisol levels. The findings support that EFT is an "efficient and effective brief treatment for reducing biological markers of stress," reported the researchers.
Interested in learning more? Check out Heartbreak to Soulmate With the Magic of Tapping
What Is a Tapping Meditation?

Don't let the word "meditation" confuse you. Tapping meditations are totally different from your typical guided imagery meditations because you are actively involved in the entire process. Working with a professionally trained EFT practitioner or an app can be beneficial early on when you're learning the fundamentals, as can seeking out an online class to learn how to combine the tapping with the right self-talk steps. "Tapping meditations are designed to help you get support on your own, whenever and wherever you need it, for whatever it is that may be bothering you or causing you distress," Ortner says.

What Can Emotional Freedom Tapping Help With?

Tapping can help with a wide range of mental health issues, which is probably why it's rapidly gaining popularity in the health and wellness world. Celebrities including Madonna, Lily Allen, and Whoopi Goldberg are all reportedly fans of the powerful stress-reducing technique.

Tapping has no side effects, is inexpensive, and has been proven to help with issues like PTSD, anxiety, depression, weight loss, phobias, and sleep, among others. According to a study published in the Review of General Psychology, participants showed significant improvement in all of these areas, compared to their research counterparts who tried various other methods of psychotherapy, including talk therapy and CBT, both of which had a lesser impact on their mental health.

"There are so many benefits for lowering our stress response, hence why there are so many benefits to practicing EFT," says Steph Dodds, an EFT tapping educator, creator of the Tapping With Steph YouTube channel, and DailyOM course instructor. "I have personally helped clients with weight loss, romantic issues, prosperity issues, quitting smoking, phobias, physical body pains of all kinds, unleashing creativity, limiting beliefs, and releasing the charge of traumatic events of our past."

How Long Does It Take for Tapping to Work?

There is no set number of days or weeks it will take for tapping to work for you. It varies from person to person. But according to Dodds, you can typically expect to feel its impact in a short amount of time if you're consistent with your practice.

"It is possible to experience a profound shift with tapping in as little as 5 to 10 minutes," she says. "Before the last couple of stressful years, I would suggest that everyone tap once a week, but now I recommend that we all tap every day for at least 5 to 10 minutes for an amazing self-care routine to let go of everyday stress and obstacles. The great thing about tapping is that it can never harm you, so you can't do too much of it!"

What Is the History of Tapping?

It all started in 1980 with a psychologist named Roger Callahan. Dr. Callahan combined his studies in traditional Chinese medicine with a series of investigative studies called Thought Field Therapy, or TFT. This method used specific algorithms to determine meridian points on the body, inspired by Chinese medicine, to obtain his desired results, which were freedom from stress, anxiety, and fear.

Under Callahan's tutelage in the 1990s, a Stanford engineer graduate named Gary Craig studied TFT and eventually adapted what he'd learned to create a simpler sequence, which eventually became Emotional Freedom Tapping.

Tapping meditation is now widely accessible to anybody who wants to give it a try, thanks to its recent foray into the mainstream. "It is very safe, noninvasive, and gentle," says Dodds. "EFT is for everyone. I would encourage skeptics to give it a try especially!"

How Do You Practice EFT?

Don't be intimidated. Getting started with tapping is much easier than it seems. Ortner suggests you start with these five basic steps.

1. Identify an issue to work on.

"Focus on something that is bothering you, like a fear or an anxiety, a physical ailment, a bad memory, or an unresolved problem."

Dodds adds, "There are so many benefits to lowering our stress response. That's why the creator of EFT, Gary Craig, teaches us to literally try it on everything!"

2. Rate the intensity of the issue.

"Rate the issue on a scale from 0 to 10."

3. Acknowledge whatever is causing you distress, while accepting yourself.

"You create a setup statement to begin the process, such as 'Even though I have this [insert problem here], I deeply and completely accept myself.'"

4. Follow the EFT tapping sequence.

"You tap your fingertips on nine major tapping points along the body's meridians, while maintaining your mental focus on the issue at hand. While you tap, you may say statements that help you first focus on and acknowledge what you are feeling, then move toward letting go of the distress, resolving your difficult emotions, and turning toward the positive. As you tap, you might also do visualizations or bring to mind certain thoughts or memories."

5. Rate the intensity of the issue again.

"Rate the issue again on a scale from 0 to 10 to assess if anything has changed for you."

How Do I Find a Tapping Practitioner?

"While EFT is easy enough to learn and practice on your own, there are many benefits to working with an EFT practitioner," says Ortner. "An EFT practitioner can provide a safe space for you to explore and clear your emotions, help you discover the core issue of a specific challenge, assist you in identifying and clearing healing blocks that you may have, formulate effective EFT tapping statements, and keep you on track."

When looking for a qualified EFT practitioner, ask for a consultation first to make sure you feel comfortable, regardless of whether you plan to meet on Zoom or in person. Dodds also suggests seeking out local EFT workshops and community tapping circles for locals who are experts in their field.

Although they do get certified, there is no license for Emotional Freedom Tapping practitioners, so you may want to try sessions with a few different therapists before settling on "the one." And if you don't immediately find your match, don't get discouraged. There are plenty of therapists out there, so keep trying until you find somebody you like.

The Bottom Line

Tapping can be an extremely useful addition to your mental health arsenal if you're experiencing signs of anxiety, depression, stress, or sleep problems. (As always, you should consult with your doctor or therapist first if you are experiencing any severe physical or mental health concerns. And if your tapping practice is bringing up some emotions that are challenging to deal with on your own, working with a therapist may be necessary.)

On its own, or combined with traditional medical treatment and care from your doctor, EFT can help you remove roadblocks and reduce your pain so you can become the very best version of yourself.

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How to Tap Your Anxiety Away With Tapping Meditation

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Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Tapping provides a way for you to literally tap your way to better mental health.

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Tapping 5-Step Techniques for Anxiety Relief

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Tapping 5-Step Techniques for Anxiety Relief

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EFT tapping focuses on tapping the 12 meridian points of the body to relieve symptoms of a negative experience or emotion.

Emotional freedom technique (EFT) is an alternative treatment for physical pain and emotional distress. It's also referred to as tapping or psychological acupressure.

People who use this technique believe tapping the body can create a balance in your energy system and treat pain. According to its developer, Gary Craig, a disruption in energy is the cause of all negative emotions and pain.

Though still being researched, EFT tapping has been used to treat people with anxiety and people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Similar to acupuncture, EFT focuses on the meridian points - or energy hot spots - to restore balance to your body's energy. It's believed that restoring this energy balance can relieve symptoms a negative experience or emotion may have caused.

Based on Chinese medicine, meridian points are thought of as areas of the body energy flows through. These pathways help balance energy flow to maintain your health. Any imbalance can influence disease or sickness.

Acupuncture uses needles to apply pressure to these energy points. EFT uses fingertip tapping to apply pressure.

Proponents say the tapping helps you access your body's energy and send signals to the part of the brain that controls stress. They claim that stimulating the meridian points through EFT tapping can reduce the stress or negative emotion you feel from your issue, ultimately restoring balance to your disrupted energy.

EFT tapping can be divided into five steps. If you have more than one issue or fear, you can repeat this sequence to address it and reduce or eliminate the intensity of your negative feeling.

1. Identify the issue

In order for this technique to be effective, you must first identify the issue or fear you have. This will be your focal point while you're tapping. Focusing on only one problem at a time is purported to enhance your outcome.

2. Test the initial intensity

After you identify your problem area, you need to set a benchmark level of intensity. The intensity level is rated on a scale from 0 to 10, with 10 being the worst or most difficult. The scale assesses the emotional or physical pain and discomfort you feel from your focal issue.

Establishing a benchmark helps you monitor your progress after performing a complete EFT sequence. If your initial intensity was 10 prior to tapping and ended at 5, you'd have accomplished a 50 percent improvement level.

3. The setup

Prior to tapping, you need to establish a phrase that explains what you're trying to address. It must focus on two main goals:

acknowledging the issues

accepting yourself despite the problem

The common setup phrase is: "Even though I have this [fear or problem], I deeply and completely accept myself."

You can alter this phrase so that it fits your problem, but it must not address someone else's. For example, you can't say, "Even though my mother is sick, I deeply and completely accept myself." You have to focus on how the problem makes you feel in order to relieve the distress it causes.

It's better to address this situation by saying, "Even though I'm sad my mother is sick, I deeply and completely accept myself."

4. EFT tapping sequence

The EFT tapping sequence is the methodic tapping on the ends of nine meridian points.

There are 12 major meridians that mirror each side of the body and correspond to an internal organ. However, EFT mainly focuses on these nine:

side of hand, sometimes referred to as "karate chop" (KC): small intestine meridian

top of head (TH): governing vessel

eyebrow (EB): bladder meridian

side of the eye (SE): gallbladder meridian

under the eye (UE): stomach meridian

under the nose (UN): governing vessel

chin (Ch): central vessel

beginning of the collarbone (CB): kidney meridian

under the arm (UA): spleen meridian

Begin by tapping the side of hand point while simultaneously reciting your setup phrase three times. Then, tap each following point seven times, moving down the body in this ascending order:

eyebrow

side of the eye

under the eye

under the nose

chin

beginning of the collarbone

under the arm

After tapping the underarm point, finish the sequence at the top of the head point.

While tapping the ascending points, recite a reminder phrase to maintain focus on your problem area. If your setup phrase is, "Even though I'm sad my mother is sick, I deeply and completely accept myself," your reminder phrase can be, "The sadness I feel that my mother is sick."

Recite this phrase at each tapping point. Repeat this sequence two or three times.

5. Test the final intensity

At the end of your sequence, rate your intensity level on a scale from 0 to 10. Compare your results with your initial intensity level. If you haven't reached 0, repeat this process until you do.

EFT has been used to effectively treat war veterans and active military with PTSD. In a , researchers studied the impact of EFT tapping on veterans with PTSD against those receiving standard care.

Within a month, participants receiving EFT coaching sessions had significantly reduced their psychological stress. In addition, more than half of the EFT test group no longer fit the criteria for PTSD.

There are also some success stories from people with anxiety using EFT tapping as an alternative treatment.

A 2016 review compared the effectiveness of using EFT tapping over standard care options for anxiety symptoms.

A 2022 study found EFT to be effective in increasing self-esteem in nurses. Another s t u d y in 2023 showed that EFT reduced anxiety and stress for health care professionals during COVID-19.

The study concluded there was a significant decrease in anxiety scores compared to participants receiving other care. However, further research is needed to compare EFT treatment with other cognitive therapy techniques.

While there are some success stories, researchers are still investigating its effectiveness on other disorders and illnesses. Continue to seek traditional treatment options. However, if you decide to pursue this alternative therapy, consult with your doctor first to reduce the likelihood of injury or worsening symptoms.

EFT tapping is an alternative acupressure therapy treatment used to restore balance to your disrupted energy. It's been an authorized treatment for war veterans with PTSD, and it's demonstrated some benefits as a treatment for anxiety, depression, physical pain, and insomnia.

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What Is EFT Tapping? 5-Step Technique for Anxiety Relief

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EFT tapping is an acupressure technique used to relieve stress and anxiety. But does it actually work? Here's what the research says.

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The air that fills your lungs is an essential life force. It's also a secret weapon for your well-being.

It's estimated that the average person takes approximately 17,000 breaths a day, without ever really thinking about this vital life process. Since it's an involuntary function, why would we? With all of our endless to-do lists and busy schedules, it's nice to have the body take care of something on its own.

But here's the thing: When we take voluntary control over this involuntary process using a tool called breathwork, breathing becomes so much more than bringing air into the body and forcing it out. Focusing on the cadence of our breaths can be downright therapeutic, both emotionally and physically.

"I first experienced breathwork when I was in my early twenties," Grace MacLeod, founder of Graceful Living Coaching & Mentoring, tells DailyOM. "During an extended breathwork session, I had what can only be called a life-changing awakening. I use my practice every day for myself and consider it the 'gold in my pocket' that I am as passionate about sharing now, 40 years later, as I was when I first experienced it."

DailyOM asked pros in the field about the practice's rich history and benefits. Keep reading to learn more, including why you should keep these techniques as the gold in your pocket.

What Is Breathwork?

Breathwork is the exercise of consciously controlling your breathing as a therapeutic technique. It's often used as a way to calm the mind and body, but it offers other benefits as well. There are different methods of breathwork, each with their own objective of targeting a specific need. These may include physical relaxation, de-escalating from a stressful situation, or energizing oneself both physically and mentally.
Interested in learning more? Check out Guided Relaxation With Ocean Sounds
The History of Breathwork

Controlled breathing dates back to ancient times when it was often incorporated into yoga, martial arts, and Buddhist practices (it can be traced to other religions as well). It was used in healing rituals and as a method for centering the mind.

In the 1960s and '70s, a modern approach to breathwork came to the Western world and is largely attributed to the teachings of two pioneers in the field. Psychiatrist Stanislav Grof is credited with developing what is known as holotropic breathwork. He applied it as a way to alter a patient's state of consciousness without the use of drugs. Meanwhile, in New York, longtime yogi Leonard Orr discovered what is known as rebirthing breathwork, a connected breathing technique. He later penned numerous books on self-discovery, including Rebirthing in the New Age.

These two new approaches to breathwork made way for the practice's increased rise in popularity.

The Science of Breathwork

"You can survive approximately a week without food, a few days without water, but only a few minutes without air," says Kelly Kessler, DPT, owner of Optimal You Health and Wellness. "However, when most people think about improving their health, diet and exercise are typically the methods that are pursued. But breath is a powerful tool that yields many benefits for emotional, mental, and physical well-being."

Dr. Kessler points out that everything that keeps us alive and balanced is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Heart rate, blood pressure, and digestion are just a few of these. Of the many processes this system controls, breathing is the one function that is both voluntary and involuntary.

"Breath is a powerful tool that yields many benefits for emotional, mental, and physical well-being."

Breathwork can be used to regulate the degree to which sympathetic and parasympathetic systems are activated. The sympathetic nervous system is the nerve network that activates our fight-or-flight response. The parasympathetic nervous system is in charge of relaxing the body in times of distress. With that in mind, knowing how to control your breath in ways that either quell or trigger these systems is incredibly helpful.

A study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found evidence that slow breathing techniques lend themselves to what the researchers described as cerebral and psychological "flexibility." This flexibility allows for better emotional control and overall psychological well-being.

Why Is Breathwork So Popular Now?

MacLeod has seen the popularity of breathwork rise and fall in waves over the four decades she has been practicing and teaching. She attributes its latest swell to the chronic and overwhelming stress many have been experiencing during the crises of the last several years. People are discovering breathwork to be a convenient form of self-care.

"It is simple and can be practiced anywhere," MacLeod says. "The advent of breathing apps has allowed people to have a readily available practice that can be applied right when it is needed."

She speaks of high-level executives who practice breathwork while flying to conferences or commuting to work. Then there are new mothers who use the practice while breastfeeding or putting their babies to sleep, and partners who use breathwork to connect with each other.

"I have worked with couples who were in such deep pain and discord that they could not talk," MacLeod shares. "They agreed to a simple breathwork practice together, and after finding their own inner balance, agreed to synchronize their breathing. The defenses melted, their hearts opened, and they were able to continue on to integrate the pain and come back into connection."

As LaCriscia Fowlkes, an independent researcher, points out in a paper published in The Journal of Contemplative Inquiry, the need for breathwork in BIPOC communities was made abundantly clear in 2020. Not only was COVID-19 ravaging the world, but systemic and societal issues surrounding race and anti-Black violence were finally front and center. Fowlkes, a holistic practitioner herself, encourages the inclusion of Black music in breathwork practices as a method for making the exercise more inclusive to those who can certainly benefit from its effects. Indeed, organizations such as Black Girls Breathing was born out of the need for a supportive community in which Black women can address their mental health with the help of breathwork. This is a vital form of self-care that often doesn't reach underserved communities.

The Emotional Benefits of Breathwork

When you learn to control your breathing, the benefits feel priceless. In terms of emotional support, Kessler says that by shifting the nervous system into a rest-digest-restore state, feelings of stress and anxiety start to diminish. "Breathwork also improves clarity of thought, concentration, and overall memory," she adds.

The practice is also helpful in building confidence and mastering emotions. "When breathwork is practiced in a gentle way with the proper guidance and support, we learn to recognize and be with our emotions literally one breath at a time," MacLeod says. "We recognize the heavy states of buried or blocked emotions. We see how they arise in the body and mind. Then we learn to meet them, trust them, and discover that they are simply waves of energy with wise messages for us."

The Physical Benefits of Breathwork

At first glance it might be difficult to see how breathwork can have physical benefits as well as emotional ones. But many students of the practice see decreased muscle tension and inflammatory response. Breathwork can also improve circulation and reduce pain sensitivity, which is why many pregnant people practice Lamaze breathing before and during childbirth.

"Practicing breathwork also shifts the body into a mode of restoration in which it is able to heal and repair tissues," says Kessler. "Conversely, when the body is in a stress response, the body is more focused on survival rather than restoring and repairing itself. Breathwork is a powerful avenue for allowing the body to make this shift."

The Different Types of Breathwork

Breathwork can be a deeply personal practice. There are online options for those who would like to remain in the comfort of their home. If you like the idea of a communal setting, there are in-person classes available as well; a simple internet search for "breathwork classes near me" will help you locate centers and practitioners nearby.

Once you start exploring breathwork, you'll find that there are many different techniques, including holotropic breathwork, revelation breathwork, shamaic breathwork, transformational breathwork, pause breathwork, and vitality breathwork. But the most simple of these is breathing with focused awareness, something we often do during meditation. When you pay attention and observe your breath, it will often regulate on its own.

Listen: DailyOM Guided Breathwork by Kelly Smith

4 Popular Beginner-Friendly Breathwork Techniques

1. Box Breathing

This deep-breathing exercise has you count to four as you breathe in, hold that breath for a count of four, release the breath on the four-count, then finally hold again for four counts. Then repeat this entire four-part, four-count series.

2. 4-7-8 Breathing

For this exercise, you will inhale for four counts, hold for a count of seven, then exhale for a count of eight. Repeat.

3. Alternate Nostril Breathing

For this technique, close one nostril during your inhale and then close your alternate nostril for the exhale.

4. Humming Breath

Quite simply, humming breath is when you breathe in and then hum on the exhale with your mouth closed.

These four exercises are used among different practices of breathwork, which include holotropic, rebirthing, vivation, transformational, clarity, and shamanic.

Things to Consider Before You Start Breathwork

In general, breathwork is a safe and effective way to help regulate stress and calm the mind. However, there are some things to consider to ensure your practice doesn't have any negative effects.

Begin with simple, straightforward breathing exercises, such as the ones listed above. There are more challenging breathwork techniques that, in some cases, can lead to hyperventilation, dizziness, and tingling sensations that detract from what you are trying to accomplish, which is overall wellness.

If any breathing technique, no matter what kind, results in increased anxiety, shortness of breath, or discomfort, do not continue the exercise. Stop and return to breathing normally, allowing that involuntary process to take over again.

The Bottom Line

Breathwork is having a moment because it is an easy and affordable form of self-care available to all of us. You can use these simple techniques to manage stress discreetly no matter where you are: the car, the office, even the grocery store.

The benefits of breathwork can be powerful - and can help you breathe a little easier at the end of the day.

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Why You Should Seriously Consider Breathwork

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Breathwork dates back centuries, but the techniques practiced today offer a more modern approach. Breath exercises offer both emotional and physical benefits. Here's how to begin your breathwork practice today.

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How Do Breath Work and Meditation Differ?

Breath work and meditation are connected in that meditation requires breath work, but breathing techniques can be practiced on their own to cultivate mindfulness, and don't necessarily need to be paired with meditation. There are thousands of forms of meditation and with them come different breathing techniques.

"Each tradition has a different aim for the meditation practices it introduces, so each will have associated ways of offering techniques for working with the breath," says Lodro Rinzler, a Buddhist meditation teacher and a cofounder of MNDFL, a chain of meditation studios in New York City.

The Science of Breath

"We all breathe all the time. The way that we breathe is what makes the difference - how we breathe," says Jessie Taylor, a cofounder and the director of education at the Mindfulness Center, an online wellness platform primarily based in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia, with services like training programs, telehealth, classes, and workshops worldwide.

One well-researched breath work technique is diaphragmatic breathing. What makes it special is the way it can influence the entire body, especially the nervous system, according to a study published in June 2018 in Cureus.

When we are under stress - whether running from a predator or dealing with a particularly frustrating email - the brain turns on the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which governs the flight, fight, or freeze response. You'll notice the activation of your SNS if you have shallow breathing, tense shoulders, increased blood pressure, or an upset stomach.

Countering the SNS is the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), or the rest-and-digest response: essentially, your body in a state of calm. Hawkes and Taylor both describe a process called thalamic gating, which according to the Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology is when the executive functions of the brain get turned off to aid in escaping danger. These functions may also be deactivated by diaphragmatic breathing, according to a study published in October 2020 in Medicines, which posits that deep breathing may act as a manual switch to move your system from the SNS into the PNS. In other words, from a state of stress to a state of calm.

For example, when you release tension with a big sigh or exhalation, you may be able to reverse the fight-or-flight response and slip into a state of relaxation. "A sigh of relief releases carbon dioxide and literally changes the biochemistry in your brain," explains Taylor.

4 Diaphragmatic Breathing Tips for Beginners

As you prepare to try deep-breathing practices, here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Take It Easy at the Start

"The most important thing is to start slow, start small, and work your way up. You want to condition your nervous system," explains Hawkes. "You can't go run a marathon when you haven't run a mile." She says beginners should set a timer for one minute and avoid long meditations. Increase the time as you get used to breath work.

2. Move the Breath to the Belly

Deep breathing won't make your shoulders or upper chest move dramatically. A sign that you're engaging your diaphragm is that your lower abdomen is filling and emptying. Place a hand on your belly and practice pushing it in and out.

3. You Can't Really Do It Wrong

"Whatever technique it is, just the fact that we are paying attention to our breath bridges the gap from the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems," says Taylor. At its most basic level, breath work floods the brain with oxygen and removes larger amounts of carbon dioxide - you can't mess that up.

4. Find a Breath Work Practice That Resonates With You

The ultimate goal of your breath work practice is to activate the PNS, and there are many techniques that can help you achieve that. Hawkes says it's all about finding the one you like and can use consistently.

Breath Work Practices for Beginners

Here are a handful of meditative breathing techniques and how they may help you promote health and relaxation in your body, no matter what's going on around you.

1. Dirga Pranayama, aka Diaphragm Breathing

What it is: The most basic breath work practice

Hindu in origin, pranayama is the type of breathing you might learn in a yoga class or with a licensed breath work practitioner. It refers to slow, deep breathing. Located at the bottom of your lungs, the diaphragm is the most efficient muscle for breathing, and for people with healthy lungs, it does about 80 percent of the work it takes to breathe, according to the American Lung Association.

A systematic review published in August 2020 in IJoY found that pranayamic breathing helped reduce the frequency of attacks and medication required by people with asthma. Another study, published in the International Journal of Preventive Medicine, showed this breathing technique reduced stress and anxiety, improved autonomic and higher neural center functioning, and even improved the physical health of cancer patients.

How to do it: This type of breathing can be performed sitting up or lying on your back.

1. Start with your hands resting on your belly, just below the navel. As you breathe in, let your belly soften and expand like a balloon. When you breathe out, let your belly sink toward your spine.

2. Place one hand on your ribs and the other on your belly. Breathe in slowly, let your belly soften, and feel your ribs expand.

3. Move the hand that was on your ribs to your upper chest, just below the collarbone. As you inhale, allow your belly to soften, your ribs to expand, and upper chest to broaden. As you exhale, let everything go.

4. Hawkes recommends taking three to five (or up to 10) of these deep breaths every morning before you get out of bed, again anytime during the day when you're stressed out, and again before you go to sleep at night. Do this every day for three weeks. "You might get bored, you might wonder why," she says, "but stick with it, because over time your limbic brain will begin to respond to your mindfulness and breath."

2. Sama Vritti Pranayama With Antara Kumbhaka and Bahya Kumbhaka, aka Box Breathing

What it is: Intermittent breath retention

Kumbhaka pranayamas are a type of breathing exercise in which you hold your breath after inhaling and exhaling. Holding air in the lungs after inhaling is called antara (inner) kumbhaka, and momentarily holding the breath after exhaling is called bahya (outer) kumbhaka. According to Forbes, some Navy SEALs use this technique, referred to as box breathing, to stay calm when in physical peril.

A study published in the International Journal of Health Sciences & Research found that 4-7-8 breathing, a type of intermittent breath retention where, in general, you inhale for the count of four through your nose, hold your breath to the count of seven, and exhale through your mouth for a count of eight, was effective in reducing breathlessness, anxiety and depression in people with moderate COPD.

How to do it: You will find a variety of counting patterns if you research box breathing - for example, 4-7-8 or 4-4-4-4 - but beginners should find their own pace, says Taylor. "Count slowly as you inhale and see whatever number you come to and match that at your exhale." The counting gives the analytical part of your brain something to do that's focused on the breath. Beginners may find that their number pattern changes each day depending on what your nasal passages will allow.

1. Sit in a relaxed position, and exhale all the air in your lungs out through your mouth, per the University of Michigan Health Library.

2. Close your lips and use your nose to inhale slowly from your belly, and count to 4 as you breathe in, filling the lungs.

3. Hold the air in your lungs while you silently count from 1 to 4, and then slowly release the air through your mouth as you count from 1 to 4.

4. Repeat three to seven times. Do not practice while driving or using machinery, as it may cause a slight light-headedness with prolonged practice.

3. Nadi Shodhana Pranayama, aka Alternate-Nostril Yoga Breathing (ANYB)

What it is: Controlled breathing

The name of this Hindu practice can be translated as "channel purifying," and it's a gentle exercise that's good for people who don't want to simply sit still during meditation. This technique involves breathing through one nostril at a time, while manually closing the other nostril, to facilitate alternate breathing and airflow.

According to a study published in July 2019 in Journal of Education and Health Promotion, participants with hypertension who used ANYB exercises twice a day (10 minutes each time) for five days saw a marked reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and improved heart rate, compared with a control group.

In a small randomized controlled trial of 30 people published in May 2020 in Frontiers in Psychiatry, ANYB was a component of the yoga respiratory practice bhastrika pranayama, taught to healthy young adult participants. At the beginning and end of the study, researchers assessed participants' anxiety and mood, and conducted MRIs to analyze their brain activity. The results suggested significant reductions in anxiety and improvements in mood levels after breathing exercises. Researchers also found that after four weeks of bhastrika pranayama practice, participants showed changes in the activity of brain regions involved in emotional processing.

How to do it: In this practice, you will breathe through just one nostril at a time. No breath will come in or out of your mouth.

1. Sit comfortably and rest your right hand on your knee. Use your left thumb to gently close your left nostril. Inhale slowly through the right nostril, then take your thumb off your left nostril and close the right nostril with your ring finger.

2. Hold your breath for a moment, then exhale through the now open left nostril.

3. Breathe in through the open left nostril, then hold the breath and take your ring finger off the right nostril and put the thumb back on the left nostril. Breath out the right nostril.

4. Repeat this on each nostril 5 to 10 times.

4. Ujjayi Pranayama, aka Ocean Sounding Breath

What it is: Audible breath

Sanskrit for "victorious breath," ujjayi is another pranayama (yoga breathing) technique. Ujjayi generates a "haaa" sound on the exhale.

How to do it: It's recommended that you do ujjayi pranayama while sitting up, according to the National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability (NCHPAD).

1. Inhale through your nose.

2. As you slowly exhale, contract your throat and make a gentle "haaaa" ocean sound. If you're a beginner, it's easier to make the sound while exhaling with your mouth open. A helpful body cue for this is to imagine using your breath to fog up a window.

3. As you become advanced, try exhaling without opening the mouth. A tip here is to try to sound like Darth Vader from Star Wars.

4. Repeat until you feel relaxed.

5. Buteyko Breathing Technique (BBT)

What it is: Nasal breathing retraining to repair hyperventilation

Created in the 1950s by a Ukrainian doctor named Konstantin Buteyko, this technique is a good option for those who experience asthma or panic attacks. It focuses on creating "air hunger" to normalize breathing - basically relaxing the diaphragm until you feel the lack of air. The goal is to breathe more gently and slowly and through the nose.

A study published in the Egyptian Journal of Chest Diseases and Tuberculosis showed a significant decrease in daily asthma symptoms for participants.

Another study, published in Respiratory Medicine, found that participants were able to reduce their use of corticosteroids for their asthma treatment after using BBT for six months.
How to do it:

1. During this exercise, you should breathe exclusively through your nose. In a relaxed sitting position, elongate your spine and sit upright. Start with some easy, deep breaths.

2. After a calm and relaxed exhale, hold your breath and gently plug your nose. This is called the control pause.

3. When you feel the need to take a breath (you begin to experience "air hunger"), gently release your nose and take a slow, easy breath in. Your diaphragm might involuntarily move, but do not panic or gasp.

4. Breathe normally and evenly again for at least 10 seconds. Repeat three to five times.

There are more advanced versions of BBT, but consider working with a certified Buteyko practitioner to deepen your understanding of the technique and develop your at-home practice.

6. Hasyayoga, aka Laughter Yoga

What it is: Intentional, manufactured laughter

It's been said laughter is the best medicine, and a study published in May 2021 in Current Research in Physiology found that laughter uplifted participants' mood, improved respiratory function, improved circulation, and lowered stress levels. Laughing releases feel-good brain chemicals like dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins, and serotonin.

Popularized by Madan Kataria, a physician in India, laughter yoga is perhaps one of the more playful breath work techniques. In the same way that the brain can't sort perceived danger from real danger, it can't tell the difference between manufactured laughter and real laughter, so even if you're faking it, you may still receive benefits like:

How to do it: You could simply start spontaneously laughing, smiling, and clapping to get the benefits of this practice, but if you'd like to follow a more regimented approach, try these steps.

1. From a confident standing position, and with a smile on your face, cross your right hand over to meet your left hand near your left hip and clap your hands while exhaling "ho ho."

2. Pull the arms up on a diagonal to the right side of the head and clap while exhaling "ha ha ha."

3. Repeat that three times. After the last "ha ha ha," reach both arms above your head and exclaim "Yay!" then start laughing.

7. Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback (HRVB With Breathing Awareness)

What it is: Biofeedback therapy training

If seeing is believing for you, HRVB is a biofeedback tool that can show you that your breathing is getting deeper. The goal of HRVB is to have your breathing match your heart rate patterns. A study published in March 2021 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found HRVB may help reduce symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety.

Other recent findings, like this review published in June 2021 in Complementary Therapies in Medicine and this meta-analysis published in March 2021 in Scientific Reports, have found improvements in quality of life for those with chronic diseases, in addition to overall increased mental health.

How to do it: If you're working with a biofeedback specialist, you'll be hooked up to a few monitoring devices, but you can do an at-home version as well. You'll need a tool that will measure your heart rate - many smart watches and apps have this feature.

1. From a relaxed sitting position, note your current heart rate on your device of choice.

2. Begin breathing deeply into the belly. Visualize a roller coaster track. On your inhales, imagine a car climbing up the track, and on the exhale imagine the car going down the track. Your goal is to have a smooth ride for the car as it goes up and down over and over, pausing slightly between each inhale and exhale.

3. After five breaths check your heart rate number. Your goal is to get your current heart rate number below the starting heart rate number. Once you have it there you can finish your practice.

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A Beginner's Guide to Breath Work Practices

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Breath work and meditation are connected in that meditation requires breath work, but breathing techniques can be practiced on their own to cultivate mindfulness, and don't necessarily need to be paired with meditation. There are thousands of forms of meditation and with them come different breathing techniques.

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Breathing exercises are a quick and simple way to help enhance your sense of well-being. These techniques, which are often used in yoga, may be beneficial for both your physical and mental health.

The breathing technique known as Breath of Fire involves passive, normal inhalations and powerful, rapid exhalations.

This style of forced exhalation may help reduce stress, boost brain function, and improve respiratory health. It's also said to strengthen the abdominal muscles and improve digestion.

In this article, we'll look more closely at the benefits of Breath of Fire and provide detailed steps for how to do it.

Breath of Fire is a form of pranayama, or breath control. The practice of pranayama involves different types of breathing exercises in which you inhale, exhale, and hold your breath in a specific way, depending on the breathing technique you're doing. Pranayama is a primary component of yoga.

Breath of Fire is also known as "skull shining breath" or Kapalabhati. In Sanskrit, "kapal" means "skull" or "forehead" and "bhati" means "illuminating."

Breath of Fire is commonly done as part of Kundalini yoga, which involves:

During Breath of Fire, you inhale passively and exhale forcefully. The exhale, which requires you to contract your abdominal muscles, is the main focus of this technique.

Also, the inhale and exhale should be the same length, without any pauses in between. This is different from slow breathing exercises, which often involve longer exhales.

With this technique, the pattern of your breathing is more important than the speed. So, start slow if you're new to the technique. You can speed it up later on.

Breath of Fire is done in a seated position. It can last anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes, depending on your experience level and preference.

Although Breath of Fire hasn't been extensively studied, the existing research suggests some benefits of the practice. Some other benefits are anecdotal.

Relieves stress

A found that fast pranayama, including Breath of Fire, decreased stress levels in students.

According to the researchers, fast pranayama may help you feel calmer by reducing activity of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The SNS is responsible for your "fight or flight" stress response.

The study also found that fast pranayama may increase activity of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which regulates your "rest and digest" response.

Supports respiratory function

According to a , this breathing technique exercises your respiratory muscles. It also helps strengthen your diaphragm, a muscle that fills your lungs with air.

The study also notes that the short exhales help remove secretions from your airway passages, allowing your lungs to take in more air.

Enhances concentration

A found that fast pranayama, including Breath of Fire, may enhance brain functions such as memory, reaction time, and attention.

The researchers attributed this benefit to the stress-relieving effect of pranayama. Stress, after all, can make it hard to concentrate. They also noted that focusing on a specific breathing pattern reduces the focus on outside stressors.

And a found that Breath of Fire, when done with eye exercises, can decrease visual reaction time. This may help with concentration, as it improves how quickly you respond to visual stimuli.

Increases mindfulness

In a , students who practiced yoga pranayama experienced higher levels of mindfulness. The pranayama intervention included various techniques, including Breath of Fire.

Practitioners also report that the exercise forces you to be mindful of your breath, which enhances overall mindfulness.

Improves digestion

Breath of Fire engages your abdominal muscles, which may help with digestion.

For example, in a 2013 case report, the technique helped manage gastroesophageal reflux disease in a 62-year-old man. This may be due to its effect on stress, according to the report.

A 2015 study also suggests including Breath of Fire in a yoga practice to help manage symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. However, more research is needed to support this.

Strengthens abdominal muscles

According to anecdotal reports, Breath of Fire can double as an ab workout.

There haven't been any studies to support this benefit, but there's some merit to the claim. The breathing technique involves repeated contractions of your abdominal muscles, which may make them stronger, especially if you do this technique on a regular basis.

Still, more research is needed to confirm this effect.

If you'd like to try Breath of Fire, follow these steps:

This breathing technique may be unsafe for some people. You should avoid it if you:

are pregnant

have a respiratory infection or disorder

have a heart condition

have a spinal disorder

It's common to feel dizzy or lightheaded while practicing Breath of Fire. But always listen to your body. If you feel uncomfortable, stop and try slow breathing instead.

If you're new to pranayama, practice Breath of Fire slowly. This will give your body time to get used to the exercise.

Breath of Fire is a breathing exercise used in Kundalini yoga. It involves passive inhales and active exhales that are quick and powerful.

As a form of breath control, this breathing technique is associated with stress relief. It may also improve respiratory health, concentration, and mindfulness. Some claim it's beneficial for digestion and abdominal strength, but more research is needed.

If you're new to Breath of Fire, start slowly, aiming to do it for 30 seconds. Avoid this breathing technique if you're pregnant or have a heart, spinal, or respiratory condition.

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Breath of Fire Yoga: Benefits and How to Do It Correctly

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Breath of Fire is a breathing exercise used in Kundalini yoga. It involves passive inhales and active exhales that are quick and powerful.

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If you find yourself more bleary-eyed than bushy-tailed in the morning, try inviting some vitality into your day with an uplifting practice called "Breath of Joy." This three-part breathing technique entered the Kripalu tradition when the late yogini Lila Ostermann taught it to hundreds of teachers in the early 1970s. In its many variations, Breath of Joy remains a staple warm-up exercise in classes today.

The Breath of Joy awakens your whole system. It increases oxygen levels in the bloodstream, temporarily stimulating the sympathetic nervous system, circulating more prana, and gently stoking agni.

Through strong inhalations and synchronized arm movements, the practice awakens your whole system-increasing oxygen levels in the bloodstream, temporarily stimulating the sympathetic nervous system, circulating more prana, and gently stoking agni. A forceful exhalation lightly detoxifies the body and helps release pent-up tension.

After completing several rounds, the parasympathetic system (which sustains the body at rest) kicks in, leaving the mind calm and focused. The result is a state of homeostatic balance that the yogis call sattva. These qualities make Breath of Joy especially effective in managing mood. The practice counters the shallow upper chest breathing of anxiety by inviting the breath to fill every milliliter of the lungs. Like a strong bright wind, it also sweeps away the sluggishness of depression and infuses the mind with a serene sense of clarity.

Precautions

This practice may not be appropriate for everyone. Skip it if you have high blood pressure or if you suffer from any kind of head or eye injury, like migraines or glaucoma. If you start to feel light-headed, instead of light-hearted, stop for a minute and just breathe normally.

How to Practice Breath of Joy

To practice Breath of Joy, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and parallel, knees slightly bent.

1. Inhale one-third of your lung capacity and swing your arms up in front of your body, bringing them parallel to each other at shoulder level, with palms facing the ceiling.

2. Continue inhaling to two-thirds capacity and stretch your arms out to the side like wings to shoulder level.

3. Inhale to full capacity and swing your arms parallel and over your head, palms facing each other.

4. Open your mouth and exhale completely with an audible ha, bending the knees more deeply as you sink into a standing squat and swing your arms down and back behind you like a diver.

Repeat up to nine times. Don't force or strain the body or breath; simply be absorbed by the peacefully stimulating rhythm. Return to standing. Close your eyes and experience the effects. Notice how quickly your heart beats; feel the sensations in your face and arms, and the tingling in the palms of your hands.

Try a Variation

For a lighter, brighter mood, add a bija (seed) mantra to each arm movement. As you lift your arms out in front of you, silently inhale the sound of va; as your arms move to the side, intone the syllable ra; with arms overhead, the sound is ya. Finish by exhaling completely as you speak the sound of ha out loud.

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Awaken your whole system, calm and focus your mind, and ease depression.

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7 Best Breathwork Techniques and Exercises

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7 Best Breathwork Techniques and Exercises

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"Feeling stressed? Then just breathe."

We all know that paying attention to our breath can have a soothing and calming effect.

This simple practice of conscious breathing has inspired extensive research into the role of the breath in regulating the nervous system and our mental and physical health, alongside the expansion of breathwork practices with roots in ancient India and China.

This article explores the benefits and drawbacks of activating and relaxing breathwork and the purposes of different breathwork techniques. It then looks at breathwork training leading to certified practitioner status and the most popular breathwork books and apps.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Stress & Burnout Prevention Exercises (PDF) for free. These science-based exercises will equip you and your clients with tools to better manage stress and find a healthier balance in your life.

Understanding Breathwork and Its Benefits

The term "breathwork" includes a range of conscious interventions in our breathing process that have different purposes and effects on our health and wellbeing (Nestor, 2020).

The origins of breathwork can be traced back to the pranayama practices of the yogis of ancient India, and the qigong breathing exercises of ancient China. Both sets of breathing exercises are still used in the respective traditional medicine systems of ayurveda and Chinese medicine today (Nestor, 2020).

Breathwork practices have a range of proven health benefits, of which we've listed 10 below.

10 Benefits of breathwork

1. Breathwork dampens the acute stress response and can prevent the development of chronic stress-related health problems (Balban et al., 2023).

2. Deep abdominal breathing activates the body's relaxation response and helps to reduce blood pressure and improve circulation (Ma et al., 2017).

3. Regular breathwork boosts your energy and enhances immunity, while shallow breathing can weaken the immune system (Hof & de Jong, 2016).

4. Breathwork can help manage acute and chronic pain (Kabat-Zinn, 2013).

5. Breathing exercises can improve sleep quality and help with insomnia (Ma et al., 2017).

6. Mindful breathing can improve mood and benefit those with depression by helping ground them in the present moment. This overcomes the tendency to worry about the future or ruminate on the past (Burg & Michalak, 2011).

7. Breathwork can help improve sports performance both physically and mentally. It can enhance cardiovascular fitness, improve focus, and reduce performance anxiety during training and competition (Carter & Carter, 2016).

8. Breathwork can help improve focus and lengthen attention spans in those who struggle to sustain concentration (Carter & Carter, 2016).

9. Complex breathwork methods like holotropic breathwork and the Wim Hof method (see below for details) have been linked to enhancing addiction recovery and supporting catharsis in those suffering from post-traumatic stress symptoms (Hof, 2020; Grof, 2013).

10. Complex breathwork methods also offer a powerful method of self-exploration that can result in a deepening connection to reality, rather like psychedelic plant medicines. These breathwork methods can evoke experiences of bliss and union - or what are called non-ordinary states of consciousness - with life-changing consequences for practitioners (Grof, 2013).

Activating vs. Relaxing Breathwork

Breathwork can be broadly divided into two types: activating breathwork that energizes and stimulates and relaxing breathwork that soothes and calms.

Activating breathwork: Wim Hof breathing exercises

Wim Hof (2020) is a Dutch endurance athlete who developed a system to enhance performance, boost immunity, and reduce stress called the Wim Hof method.

The breathing exercises are one component of his method, which also includes cold exposure and mindset training. These practices have their roots in ancient Indian yoga practices, Tibetan Tummo meditation, and martial arts (Hof & de Jong, 2016).

These breathwork exercises involve deep breathing followed by a breath hold, a fast and deep recovery breath, a further hold, and then exhalation. This entire cycle is repeated in a specified number of rounds according to the practitioner's experience and proficiency.

Hof has participated in numerous studies investigating the effects of his breathwork techniques (Hof & de Jong, 2016). He claims it alkalinizes the blood and, when combined with the other practices in his method, improves oxygen uptake and optimizes all metabolic processes.

Practitioners report enhanced energy levels and euphoria after Wim Hof's activating breathwork exercises (Kopplin & Rosenthal, 2022). However, some unwanted effects are also possible. Hof's exercises should be practiced with caution or with a qualified breathwork instructor if possible. We discuss the potential drawbacks in the section below.

For now, if you're in good health overall, you can give this technique a try using Wim Hof's instructional video.

Relaxing breathwork: Andrew Huberman's physiological sigh

Andrew Huberman is an associate professor of neurobiology at Stanford University and hosts the highly successful Huberman Lab health and wellbeing podcast.

His research on breathwork and how it affects the nervous system focuses on relaxation to counter stress and what he calls the "physiological sigh" (Balban et al., 2023). This consists of a double inhale followed by an extended exhale, the type of breathing we do when sobbing or crying, or sometimes during the night when sleeping.

Huberman claims that this type of breathing cycle offloads an extensive amount of carbon dioxide which de-stresses our nervous system and promotes the parasympathetic nervous system's rest-and-digest relaxation response (Balban et al., 2023).

Studies based on the self-reports of practitioners claim it reduces stress almost instantly, and it is especially useful for managing anxiety, insomnia, and improving mood (Balban et al., 2023).

Research shows that sighing does indeed lower cortisol levels and heart rate variability (Vlemincx et al., 2017).

You can discover more about this in an interview with Dr. Huberman in the video below.

Safety and Contraindications When Using Breathwork

Breathwork is safe for most people but is best learned under the guidance of a qualified instructor.

While we have shared a couple of YouTube videos that are in the public domain and therefore deemed safe to practice at home, there are some contraindications (Othership, 2021) to practicing breathwork without direct supervision, including the following:

Cardiovascular disease (including high blood pressure)

A history of aneurysms anywhere in the body

Kidney disease

Asthma and other respiratory conditions

Epilepsy

Vision problems

Any other physical or mental health condition that could impair or affect the ability to endure deep physical and emotional release (such as recent injury, surgery, osteoporosis, or a history of psychosis)

If in any doubt, please contact your health care provider before beginning a breathwork practice.

Dangers of breathwork

If you're new to breathwork techniques, some can lead to hyperventilation (Othership, 2021). This is unpleasant and uncomfortable because you may experience:

Dizziness and light-headedness

Tingling in your limbs

Irregular heartbeat

Muscle spasms

Changes in vision because of a lack of oxygen

Ear ringing

If you hyperventilate, then slow breathing through your nose with one nostril closed will help regulate your breathing and reduce unpleasant symptoms.

3 Breathwork Techniques and Their Purposes

Breathwork techniques are varied, and it can be confusing to know where to start. Deciding what you want from taking up breathwork will help you choose.

The division between the activating or energizing techniques and calming relaxation techniques mentioned above can be applied to most breathwork in the short term. However, in the long term, many breathwork techniques will both revitalize and relax you by reducing stress because the better the quality of our rest-and-digest time, the more energy we will have overall (Carter & Carter, 2016).

Here, we will introduce three well-known breathwork techniques before going on to describe their purposes and effects.

1. Mindful breathing

Mindful breathing comprises focused, conscious attention to the breath while keeping the breathing cycle completely natural. The immediate short-term effect is to help bring our awareness into the present moment (Kabat-Zinn, 2013).

This is perhaps the simplest breathwork practice and is where many start. Despite its simplicity, the effects of a long-term practice can be profound and have been widely researched.

The practice of mindful breathing is usually combined with other mindfulness practices; however, studies of mindful breathing alone have found beneficial effects for those with anxiety (Decker et al., 2019), depressive rumination (Burg & Michalak, 2011), and young people with behavioral disorders (McFall & Jolivette, 2022).

If you would like to try a brief mindful breathing exercise for anxiety, try this one by Christiane Wolf, mindfulness and insight meditation teacher at Insight LA, California.

You can also find many more resources in our article What Is Mindful Breathing? Exercises, Scripts, and Videos.

2. Diaphragmatic breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing, sometimes referred to as belly breathing or deep breathing, is a breathwork technique for dealing with stress and other psychosomatic conditions (Ma et al., 2017).

Unlike mindful breathing, it involves a conscious intervention in the breath by contracting the diaphragm, expanding the belly, and deepening inhalation and exhalation. This decreases the frequency of the breathing cycle and maximizes blood gasses. It has been a common practice for martial arts practitioners and experienced meditators in Eastern religions for millennia (Gerritsen & Band, 2018).

This practice creates a calm body by triggering the parasympathetic nervous system, which then creates a calm mind. It is a useful self-regulation tool during periods of stress or anxiety.

A recent research study (Ma et al., 2017) found that diaphragmatic breathing improves focus and mood and reduces cortisol levels in the blood. This study concluded that this breathwork practice has important implications for health psychologists and health promotion.

If you'd like to try it, look at this Therapy in a Nutshell video tutorial with licensed marriage and family therapist Emma McAdam.

You can read a further discussion of this practice in our article The Power of Deep Breathing: 7 Techniques and Exercises.

3. Holotropic breathwork

Holotropic means "moving toward wholeness" (from the Greek holos, meaning "whole" and trepein, meaning "moving in the direction of something").

Holotropic breathwork practice aims to move practitioners toward wholeness by activating the natural inner healing process to release emotional blockages and trauma. Psychiatrist Stanislav Grof (2013) developed it when he had to discontinue his psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy research because of a change in US drug laws.

Grof (1971) noticed that deep trauma release during his LSD sessions was often accompanied by breathing changes and began experimenting with breathwork to establish its drug-free effects. He found that what he came to call holotropic breathwork could also evoke non-ordinary states of consciousness and energy release without LSD.

The holotropic breathwork process combines accelerated breathing with evocative music in a specially prepared setting.

People work in pairs and alternate the roles of breather and sitter. The breather lies down on a mat with their eyes closed and works with their breath and the music to enter a non-ordinary state of consciousness. The sitter accompanies them to provide support if needed. Neither sitters nor facilitators intervene or guide the process in any way.

Instead, the breathwork technique activates the practitioner's inner healing intelligence, including the perinatal and transpersonal dimensions, that naturally guide the process.

Grof (2000) developed a unique cartography of the psyche based on his observations and self-reported experiences of holotropic breathwork practitioners. When the practice connects the breather to perinatal memories in the womb and the birth process, a powerful healing experience can occur akin to a psychospiritual death and rebirth, as described in many world spiritual traditions.

You can read more about Grof's transpersonal cartography of the psyche in my article What Is Transpersonal Psychology? 9 Examples and Theories.

6 Tips for Your Workshops & Therapy Sessions

If you are interested in adding breathwork techniques and interventions to your work with others, here are some tips to help you prepare.

1. Before offering breathwork interventions, consider screening your clients or workshop participants to ensure they have no prior contraindications.

2. Ensure that clients have the right clothing and equipment so they can participate comfortably.

3. Explain what will happen, the proposed benefits, and the effects of the breathwork technique being introduced. It's especially important to explain what to expect during breathwork sessions that might release trauma.

4. Consider the soundscape. Will you use relaxing music or a natural sound backtrack to accompany the experience?

5. Consider lighting and ventilation to create a soothing atmosphere and sense of safety.

6. Ensure there is time to discuss and integrate the experience afterward.

Facilitator Training in Breathwork: 3 Certifications

If you searched online for "breathwork training," you will be overwhelmed with sponsored ads and course listings. We have selected the most reputable sources of breathwork facilitator training to help you focus your search.

The Global Professional Breathwork Alliance (GPBA, originally called the International Breathwork Training Alliance) was set up in 2001 to establish training standards for the ethical practice of breathwork, both dyadic and in groups. It offers a directory of member training schools offering GPBA-approved certification worldwide.

You can also look at the following programs for an idea of what is involved.

1. Breathing Space

Breathing Space offers a GPBA-approved 400-hour breathwork facilitator training course focusing strongly on what they term the Conscious Connected Breath.

It is structured into six modules that include a practicum where trainees receive five one-on-one breathwork sessions, lead five one-on-one breathwork sessions, and facilitate five group breathwork sessions.

Find out more on their website.

2. Soma Breath

Soma Breath offers an online Transformational Breathwork Coaching Certification course in a unique approach to breathwork that is currently being studied by Cambridge University.

The founder of the approach, Niraj Naik, who is also known as the "Renegade Pharmacist," developed the modality to heal himself from ulcerative colitis.

Read more about what's on offer on their website.

3. Holotropic breathwork training

The holotropic breathwork approach, techniques, and their purposes were described in brief above. If this modality interests you, then you can find out more from the holotropic website.

5 Best Breathwork Books and Apps

The short list below is a tiny sample of what's available regarding the fascinating subject of breathwork techniques. Hopefully, you will find it a useful starting point.

1. A Practical Guide to Breathwork: A Remedy for the Modern Human Condition - Jesse Coomer

Jesse Coomer is a leading breathwork facilitator. He wrote this book as a comprehensive guide to the full range of scientific researched approaches to breathwork to help optimize physical and mental health.

This is a practical, down-to-earth, science-based resource that will teach you how to use your breath to regulate your nervous system and all associated physiological and psychological processes in replicable ways, just by using focused conscious breathing.

The book is packed with exercises that use both activating and relaxing breathwork techniques as well as tips on how to build a daily practice around your existing routine.

Find the book on Amazon.

2. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art - James Nestor

This New York Times bestseller is a prize-winning scientific and cultural history of how human beings breathe and the health consequences of a range of breathing practices.

Nestor traveled the world interviewing medically trained respiratory experts, yogis, and breathwork specialists, among others, to explore how breathing more efficiently can optimize human functioning.

Find the book on Amazon.

3. Exhale: 40 Breathwork Exercises to Help You Find Your Calm, Supercharge Your Health, and Perform at Your Best - Richie Bostock

This book by "the breath guy," Richie Bostock, includes over 40 science-based conscious breathwork techniques to improve your performance, focus, mood, and wellbeing.

This book describes and explains a range of breathwork techniques from exercises used by Sufi meditators to the breathing skills of US Navy SEALs. It's a comprehensive resource designed to help you manage a range of health problems, including breathwork for stress and chronic pain and breathing exercises to boost your performance and creativity.

Richie Bostock is an experienced breathwork coach who writes with great clarity and authority on the science of breathwork and its real-world applications.

Find the book on Amazon.

4. Breathwrk app

Breathwrk is a popular health and performance app that helps people relax, focus, and improve performance and sleep quality by following their simple breathing exercises and classes.

Find the app on Google Play.

5. Othership app

Othership is a breathwork app that combines music and guided breathwork practices to help you self-regulate physically, mentally, and emotionally. The app provides both energizing and relaxing practices, as well as body sessions that include mindful movement.

Find the app in the App Store.

Find the app on Google Play.

17 Exercises To Reduce Stress & Burnout

Help your clients prevent burnout, handle stressors, and achieve a healthy, sustainable work-life balance with these 17 Stress & Burnout Prevention Exercises [PDF].
Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Resources From PositivePsychology.com

We have two more articles in addition to those already mentioned that include a range of breathing exercises and links to free worksheets.

1. 12+ Breathing Exercises for Managing Anxiety (Incl. PDF)

2. 7 Stress-Relief Breathing Exercises for Calming Your Mind

Additional worksheets include:

Breath Awareness While Waiting
This worksheet introduces a conscious breathing technique for managing anxiety and frustration when waiting for something to happen, such as giving a presentation, medical test results, or taking examinations.

Soothing Breath
This worksheet introduces a breathing technique used by Somatic Experiencing ® therapists to help clients regulate their body responses by using the breath and touch to self-soothe.

If you're looking for more science-based ways to help others manage stress without spending hours on research and session prep, this collection contains 17 validated stress management tools for practitioners. Use them to help others identify signs of burnout and create more balance in their lives.

A Take-Home Message

Breathwork is a popular health trend with a strong scientific evidence base showing wide ranging health benefits.

Working consciously with the breath can help regulate the nervous system, which benefits all other metabolic processes. Breathwork techniques can both energize and relax practitioners because over time they all reduce stress, which improves sleep quality and increases vitality.

However, be sure to find a qualified facilitator to guide your breathwork journey, if possible. For most people in good health, breathwork is safe, but those with an undetected health condition may be risking considerable discomfort or worse. Those with any existing physical or mental health condition would be wise to consult their health care provider before beginning a breathwork practice.

If you have had any interesting experiences of breathwork you'd like to share, let us know in the comments.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don't forget to download our three Stress & Burnout Prevention Exercises (PDF) for free.

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7 Best Breathwork Techniques & Exercises to Use

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The benefits and drawbacks of different breathwork techniques, as well as training options to become a certified practitioner.

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Breathing techniques are a form of breathwork used to improve well-being by reducing your stress response and easing anxiety. These breathing techniques bring awareness to your diaphragm, nostrils, lips, and thoughts to reduce stress.

Next time you're feeling stressed, there are 10 calming breathing exercises for anyone to try. Learn how to use breathing techniques to ease stress and anxiety.

Breathing Techniques Practical for Any Situation

Deep breathing techniques that involve engaging your diaphragm or belly can be done anywhere to help reduce stress, anxiety, and even curb panic attacks. Make sure you are comfortable without restrictive or too-tight clothing.

Simple Deep Breathing

The goal of simple deep breathing is to breathe deeply into your belly without forcing it to fill with air.

Try these steps:

1. Breathe in gently through your nose, counting from one to five.

2. Exhale slowly through your nose, counting from one to five again.

3. Continue the calming breathing exercise for at least 5 minutes.

Practice Makes Progress

Pursed-Lip Breathing

Pursed-lip breathing is particularly useful for people living with shortness of breath from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, or other lung conditions.

Try these steps:

1. Sit or stand with your neck and shoulders relaxed.

2. With your mouth closed, inhale through your nostrils for a count of two.

3. Exhale slowly and steadily through your mouth for four seconds, puckering your lips as if blowing a kiss.

Box Breathing

Box breathing is a four-sided approach in which each "side" is a step with the same amount of completion time. Picture yourself visually creating a box with your breath.

Try these steps:

1. Exhale slowly to a count of four.

2. Hold the empty lungs for a four-count.

3. Inhale slowly to a count of four.

4. Hold the air in your lungs for a count of four.

5. Exhale and begin the steps again.

Alternate-Nostril Breathing

Alternate-nostril breathing techniques (ANB), or Nadi Suddhi pranayama, involves inhaling slowly through one nostril at a time while closing the other nostril manually (i.e., with your fingertip).

Try these steps:

1. Sit with your legs crossed in a comfortable position.

2. Place left hand on left knee for support.

3. Lift right hand toward nose while exhaling completely.

4. Use your right thumb to block off your right nostril.

5. Inhale through your left nostril, hold a short pause, and then close the left nostril with your fingers.

6. Exhale, repeating steps for each nostril.

Lion's Breath

Lion's breath (Simha pranayama) involves opening your jaw wide, sticking your tongue out, and audibly roaring with your breath. For intermediate Lion's breath, you can stand in the Goddess yoga pose with your arms in the cactus position and skip to step three.

Try these steps:

1. Sit down in a comfortable position.

2. Spread your fingers on the floor or your knees for support.

3. Inhale slowly through your nose.

4. Holding the air in your lungs, open your jaw wide and stick out your tongue as far as it will stretch toward your chin.

5. Exhale forcefully while making a "ha" from your abdomen rather than your throat.

6. Breathe as usual for a few counts or reps.

You can repeat Lion's breath as needed, being aware of how you feel during the process.

Mindfulness Deep Breathing

Mindfulness breathing involves intentionally bringing awareness to the breath without trying to control the situation.

Try these steps:

1. Choose a pose that feels right for you.

2. Place a palm on your belly if it helps keep focus.

3. Close your eyes or keep a soft, unfocused gaze.

4. Breathe in slowly for a few counts, being mindful of the hand rising.

5. Hold the air in your lungs for a short pause.

6. Exhale slowly, paying attention to your hand falling.

7. Notice how different the inhale and exhale feel.

Resonance Breathing

Resonance breathing (coherent breathing) involves equal inhalation and exhalation or breaths per minute to improve oxygen supply and reduce stress response.

Try these steps:

1. Lie down, closing your eyes or softening your gaze.

2. Breathe in gently through your nose for a count of 6 seconds or around 6-6.5 breaths per minute.

3. Exhale gently with an equal inhalation-exhalation ratio, allowing your breath to slowly leave your body without forcing it.

4. Continue for up to 20 minutes daily, taking 2-minute break reps.

4-7-8 Breathing

Relaxing breath or the 4-7-8 breathing exercise is a quick way to calm the nervous system and help you fall asleep.

Try these steps:

1. Sit down with your spine straight.

2. Place your tongue tip against the ridge behind your upper front teeth. You'll keep this for the exercise duration.

3. Close your mouth and inhale slowly to a count of four.

4. Hold your breath for a count of seven.

5. Exhale fully, making a "whoosh" sound to a count of eight.

Bellow's Breath

Bellow's breath (Bhastrika) uses the diaphragm to increase breath capacity and oxygen supply. It is a more intermediate breathwork practice involving a series of active inhalations and exhalations.

Try these steps:

1. Sit in a comfortable position with an elongated, straight spine.

2. Take a few deep breaths at an even pace. Start with one breath per second.

3. Exhale forcefully by contracting the belly quickly.

4. Inhale deeply, letting your belly or abdominal muscles fully relax.

Benefits of Breathwork

Breathwork can have positively impact various areas of your life, including the following:

On Emotions

Breathwork has been shown to have a greater impact on calming stress levels than non-breathwork techniques, according to a 2023 review of randomized control trials on breathwork vs non-breathwork techniques for calming stress.

Mindfulness breathing, in particular, can be helpful for coping with big emotions. One 2019 study found a single 20-minute session of mindfulness breathwork was more helpful in reducing perceived levels of suffering in palliative or end-of-life caregivers compared with 20 minutes of supportive listening.

The benefits of breathwork extend to every body system. For example, a clinical research review shows regular alternate-nostril breathing has positive outcomes for the autonomic nervous system responsible for heart and lung (cardiopulmonary) systems. The increased supply of oxygen is also associated with increased cognitive functioning.

How Often Should You Do Breathing Techniques?

Including breathwork into your everyday routine is recommended for best results. To help establish a breathwork routine, aim to practice in the same spot once or twice daily.

Breathwork involves various breathing techniques to help calm the nervous system and improve overall mood and well-being. Practicing daily can help you establish a breathwork routine that can be employed to effectively reduce stress.

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10 Useful Breathing Techniques to Try Anywhere

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Breathing techniques for stress and anxiety have been the focus of research for around a decade. Here, find breathing techniques for all ages and levels.

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These nervous system regulation exercises and techniques will help to bring you from a state of overwhelm back to the safe zone.

Use these tools when:
These tools are split into small groups:
Breathwork, touch, voice, body, sound, meditation, life & nutrition, people & nature.

How It Works:
These exercises were developed by Peter Levine to create a 'settling' feeling where we can feel ourselves held in a 'container', where emotions/sensations are less overwhelming.
How To Do It: Helpful Resources:

How It Works:
There are a variety of hand positions that are really wonderful for helping you feel held and contained as well as calming the system.

You can use any of these in sequence or on their own. If you don't like one of them, feel free to replace it with something else or move on.
The 5 Hand Positions:

1. One hand on each side of your head

2. One hand on your forehead one on the back of your head

3. One hand on your forehead and one on your heart

4. One hand on your heart and one on your belly

5. One hand on your solar plexus and one at the base of your skull

How To Do It:

1. Get comfortable and take a few deep breaths

2. Take each hand position in turn, holding each for a few minutes (the whole thing should take about 15 minutes)

3. Feel yourself being held; the sense of support

4. Go slowly, taking slow, controlled breaths

5. Notice the shifting felt sense of your experience as you go through the steps

Or throughout the day you can simply take your favourite hand position when you are feeling overwhelmed or agitated and hold that for 5-10 minutes.

You could even include some breathing techniques as well or do some sighing/yawning/hissing/humming/singing as you hold the position.

How To Do It:

1. Give a big yawn. Go for it like you're gonna win the lottery if you yawn big enough

2. Lift hands above head and stretch outwards and upwards

3. Sigh on the exhale, being quite noisy about it

4. Maybe shake a bit, letting go of any tension

Helpful Resources:

How To Do It:

1. Breathe in, tensing the first muscle group tightly (but not to the point of pain) and hold for 3-5 seconds

2. Breathe out, completely relaxing the muscle group suddenly (not gradually)

3. Notice the difference in energy as you wait 10 to 20 seconds for the next muscle group

4. Repeat with the next muscle groups moving through your entire body.
Recommended Order of Muscle Relaxation:

Hands, wrists/forearms, biceps/upper arms, shoulders, forehead, eyes/nose, cheeks/jaws, mouth, back of the neck, front of the neck, chest, back, stomach, hips/buttocks, thighs, lower legs ( source)

Helpful Resources:

How It Works:
Yin is a great class for beginners. The classes are relaxed and relaxing, as you let gravity do most of the work.

The point is not to 'stretch' your muscles per se, but to foster harmony in body and mind by slowing down and paying attention to our body, our breath and our emotions.
Guided Yin Yoga Classes on YouTube:

How It Works:
'Qi Gong' means 'energy work'. The idea is to harness Qi -the life force-by opening energy pathways and moving energy around with thought and movement.
Guided Qi Gong Routines: Helpful Resources:

Different Ways of Walking:
Don't be fooled into thinking walking is 'just walking'. There are many different kinds of walking that have different effects.
My Personal Tips For Excellent Walking:

Make it aimless: don't try to get anywhere

Follow your nose: if you see an interesting nook somewhere, explore it!

Stay mindful: keep your senses focused onward on the sights and sounds of life

Mix up where you walk: fresh places engage the mind

Go walking at different times: try day, night, rain and shine

How It Works:
A meditative experience where you are bathed in the sounds from bowls, gongs, chimes, percussion and the like. They can last between 30 minutes and several hours.

The best are in-person sound bathes, do some Googling :). But there are some online versions below to get you started.
Online Sound Baths: Helpful Resources:

13. Autonomous Sensory
Meridian Response (ASMR)
Relaxation and tingles triggered by whispered words and repetitive sounds

How It Works:

ASMRtists record the soothing sounds of papping, crackling, crinkling, scrunching, stroking, whispering...all recorded with super sensitive microphones.

Weird, yet utterly relaxing.

Don't knock it until you've tried it!
Top 'ASMRtists':

14. Words of Wisdom and
Spiritual Readings
Wisdom from throughout the ages give us
the fortitude to deal with difficult circumstances

I have found words of wisdom and spiritual readings to be surprisingly comforting when life is at its bleakest!
Spiritual readings and teachings:

15. Mindfulness
Non-judgemental awareness of the contents of your experience

Important Note on Meditation and Trauma:
For some people, especially those with trauma, meditation can be very difficult as they are attempting to sit with a lot of survival stress in their system. This can do more harm than good or can even feel very unsafe. In this case, it is advisable to either find a different spiritual practice (perhaps something more physical like yoga) or to find specific trauma-informed meditations (check out Roland Bal or David Treleaven, for example).
How to Do It:
There are many different mindfulness techniques. Below is a very basic set of instructions that are helpful for calming the nervous system alongside some guided meditations.
Guided Mindfulness Meditations: Helpful Resources:

How It Works:
This is a form of meditation that builds concentration by focusing on a single object: your breath.
How to Do It: Guided Breath Meditations:

How to Do It:

1. Choose a mantra that suits you. You can use anything, but here are some classics:

1. Aum or Om: the universal vibration

2. Om mani padme hum: a Tibetan Buddhist mantra

3. Invoke the attribute you want to cultivate, e.g. calm, joy, peace etc.

2. Repeat the mantra in your mind (not too fast!)

3. Keep your attention on the mantra, watching it arise, disappear and arise again

4. Whenever you get lost in thought, come back to the mantra

5. This can be done in sitting meditation or during the day

Guided Meditation: Further Instructions and Resources:

How It Works:
People who live by the coast are healthier and spending time near water counteracts the depression and anxiety created by modern, tech-fuelled lifestyles.

The combination of vast expanses of water and the rustling white noise of the waves shrinks our self-centred ego and places our attention instead on the movement of life itself.

How It Works:
Many foods are scientifically proven to reduce anxiety. You are what you eat, after all.
Foods That Reduce Anxiety:
So get stuck into a dark-chocolate-drizzled salmon yoghurt!

20. Co-Regulation with Friends/Family/Partners
Nature gifted us the most powerful 'regulation technique': other people

How It Works:
Humans evolved to be hyper-social and to need connections to others.

Other people who make us feel safe influence our nervous systems, bringing us back to a state of rest and connection.

This is nature's way of regulating our nervous system and is utterly foundational!
Hallmarks of Most Excellent Co-Regulation:

Warm, calming presence

Safe, welcoming tone of voice

Verbal acknowledgement of distress

Physical attunement and mirroring

Eye contact

Ability to hold space

Lack of judgement

How to Do It:

Reach out to others. Even if you don't feel like it

Build a support network or join support groups

Notice if you are starting to isolate

Notice mental blocks to connection (negative inner voice, projection etc.)

Helpful Resources:

How It Works:
Hugs creates a sense of trust and safety, relieves stress, blood pressure, relaxes the body and strengthens the immune system. Among a million other benefits. Get hugging!

BUT! I find lots of people today are kind of rubbish huggers. They go in, give you a weak squeeze and retreat as soon as they can.

Don't get me started on the light back tappy thing. This is the hugging equivalent of getting a takeaway that's all rice and no sauce!
How to Do a Proper Hug:

1. Grab someone (who you know!) and give them a proper squeeze

2. Hold and breathe! Feel them!

3. Don't do the light tappy thing on the back - it's a sign of inauthenticity in the hug (a firm slap, however is encouraged)

4. Hold for 20 seconds or longer to allow the bonding hormone oxytocin to get in on the action!

Helpful Resources:

The tools in the article above are just one chapter of my FREE Nervous System Regulation MEGA-TOOLKIT.

This toolkit contains 115 tools that, along with a sprinkling of self-compassion, can help you to:

Calm anxious and fearful states 😨

Engage and uplift depressed states 🔥

Connect to your mind, body and spirit 🌳

Release emotional wounds 💨

Uncover the root of painful emotions 🔎

Gain greater emotional self-understanding 👋

Live in greater freedom and authenticity 🙏

Develop self-trust, self-acceptance and self-love ❤️

These nervous system regulation exercises and techniques will help to bring you from a state of overwhelm back to the safe zone.

Use these tools when:
These tools are split into small groups:
Breathwork, touch, voice, body, sound, meditation, life & nutrition, people & nature.

How It Works:
These exercises were developed by Peter Levine to create a 'settling' feeling where we can feel ourselves held in a 'container', where emotions/sensations are less overwhelming.
How To Do It: Helpful Resources:

How It Works:
There are a variety of hand positions that are really wonderful for helping you feel held and contained as well as calming the system.

You can use any of these in sequence or on their own. If you don't like one of them, feel free to replace it with something else or move on.
The 5 Hand Positions:

1. One hand on each side of your head

2. One hand on your forehead one on the back of your head

3. One hand on your forehead and one on your heart

4. One hand on your heart and one on your belly

5. One hand on your solar plexus and one at the base of your skull

How To Do It:

1. Get comfortable and take a few deep breaths

2. Take each hand position in turn, holding each for a few minutes (the whole thing should take about 15 minutes)

3. Feel yourself being held; the sense of support

4. Go slowly, taking slow, controlled breaths

5. Notice the shifting felt sense of your experience as you go through the steps

Or throughout the day you can simply take your favourite hand position when you are feeling overwhelmed or agitated and hold that for 5-10 minutes.

You could even include some breathing techniques as well or do some sighing/yawning/hissing/humming/singing as you hold the position.

How To Do It:

1. Give a big yawn. Go for it like you're gonna win the lottery if you yawn big enough

2. Lift hands above head and stretch outwards and upwards

3. Sigh on the exhale, being quite noisy about it

4. Maybe shake a bit, letting go of any tension

Helpful Resources:

How To Do It:

1. Breathe in, tensing the first muscle group tightly (but not to the point of pain) and hold for 3-5 seconds

2. Breathe out, completely relaxing the muscle group suddenly (not gradually)

3. Notice the difference in energy as you wait 10 to 20 seconds for the next muscle group

4. Repeat with the next muscle groups moving through your entire body.
Recommended Order of Muscle Relaxation:

Hands, wrists/forearms, biceps/upper arms, shoulders, forehead, eyes/nose, cheeks/jaws, mouth, back of the neck, front of the neck, chest, back, stomach, hips/buttocks, thighs, lower legs ( source)

Helpful Resources:

How It Works:
Yin is a great class for beginners. The classes are relaxed and relaxing, as you let gravity do most of the work.

The point is not to 'stretch' your muscles per se, but to foster harmony in body and mind by slowing down and paying attention to our body, our breath and our emotions.
Guided Yin Yoga Classes on YouTube:

How It Works:
'Qi Gong' means 'energy work'. The idea is to harness Qi -the life force-by opening energy pathways and moving energy around with thought and movement.
Guided Qi Gong Routines: Helpful Resources:

Different Ways of Walking:
Don't be fooled into thinking walking is 'just walking'. There are many different kinds of walking that have different effects.
My Personal Tips For Excellent Walking:

Make it aimless: don't try to get anywhere

Follow your nose: if you see an interesting nook somewhere, explore it!

Stay mindful: keep your senses focused onward on the sights and sounds of life

Mix up where you walk: fresh places engage the mind

Go walking at different times: try day, night, rain and shine

How It Works:
A meditative experience where you are bathed in the sounds from bowls, gongs, chimes, percussion and the like. They can last between 30 minutes and several hours.

The best are in-person sound bathes, do some Googling :). But there are some online versions below to get you started.
Online Sound Baths: Helpful Resources:

13. Autonomous Sensory
Meridian Response (ASMR)
Relaxation and tingles triggered by whispered words and repetitive sounds

How It Works:

ASMRtists record the soothing sounds of papping, crackling, crinkling, scrunching, stroking, whispering...all recorded with super sensitive microphones.

Weird, yet utterly relaxing.

Don't knock it until you've tried it!
Top 'ASMRtists':

14. Words of Wisdom and
Spiritual Readings
Wisdom from throughout the ages give us
the fortitude to deal with difficult circumstances

I have found words of wisdom and spiritual readings to be surprisingly comforting when life is at its bleakest!
Spiritual readings and teachings:

15. Mindfulness
Non-judgemental awareness of the contents of your experience

Important Note on Meditation and Trauma:
For some people, especially those with trauma, meditation can be very difficult as they are attempting to sit with a lot of survival stress in their system. This can do more harm than good or can even feel very unsafe. In this case, it is advisable to either find a different spiritual practice (perhaps something more physical like yoga) or to find specific trauma-informed meditations (check out Roland Bal or David Treleaven, for example).
How to Do It:
There are many different mindfulness techniques. Below is a very basic set of instructions that are helpful for calming the nervous system alongside some guided meditations.
Guided Mindfulness Meditations: Helpful Resources:

How It Works:
This is a form of meditation that builds concentration by focusing on a single object: your breath.
How to Do It: Guided Breath Meditations:

How to Do It:

1. Choose a mantra that suits you. You can use anything, but here are some classics:

1. Aum or Om: the universal vibration

2. Om mani padme hum: a Tibetan Buddhist mantra

3. Invoke the attribute you want to cultivate, e.g. calm, joy, peace etc.

2. Repeat the mantra in your mind (not too fast!)

3. Keep your attention on the mantra, watching it arise, disappear and arise again

4. Whenever you get lost in thought, come back to the mantra

5. This can be done in sitting meditation or during the day

Guided Meditation: Further Instructions and Resources:

How It Works:
People who live by the coast are healthier and spending time near water counteracts the depression and anxiety created by modern, tech-fuelled lifestyles.

The combination of vast expanses of water and the rustling white noise of the waves shrinks our self-centred ego and places our attention instead on the movement of life itself.

How It Works:
Many foods are scientifically proven to reduce anxiety. You are what you eat, after all.
Foods That Reduce Anxiety:
So get stuck into a dark-chocolate-drizzled salmon yoghurt!

20. Co-Regulation with Friends/Family/Partners
Nature gifted us the most powerful 'regulation technique': other people

How It Works:
Humans evolved to be hyper-social and to need connections to others.

Other people who make us feel safe influence our nervous systems, bringing us back to a state of rest and connection.

This is nature's way of regulating our nervous system and is utterly foundational!
Hallmarks of Most Excellent Co-Regulation:

Warm, calming presence

Safe, welcoming tone of voice

Verbal acknowledgement of distress

Physical attunement and mirroring

Eye contact

Ability to hold space

Lack of judgement

How to Do It:

Reach out to others. Even if you don't feel like it

Build a support network or join support groups

Notice if you are starting to isolate

Notice mental blocks to connection (negative inner voice, projection etc.)

Helpful Resources:

How It Works:
Hugs creates a sense of trust and safety, relieves stress, blood pressure, relaxes the body and strengthens the immune system. Among a million other benefits. Get hugging!

BUT! I find lots of people today are kind of rubbish huggers. They go in, give you a weak squeeze and retreat as soon as they can.

Don't get me started on the light back tappy thing. This is the hugging equivalent of getting a takeaway that's all rice and no sauce!
How to Do a Proper Hug:

1. Grab someone (who you know!) and give them a proper squeeze

2. Hold and breathe! Feel them!

3. Don't do the light tappy thing on the back - it's a sign of inauthenticity in the hug (a firm slap, however is encouraged)

4. Hold for 20 seconds or longer to allow the bonding hormone oxytocin to get in on the action!

Helpful Resources:

The tools in the article above are just one chapter of my FREE Nervous System Regulation MEGA-TOOLKIT.

This toolkit contains 115 tools that, along with a sprinkling of self-compassion, can help you to:

Calm anxious and fearful states 😨

Engage and uplift depressed states 🔥

Connect to your mind, body and spirit 🌳

Release emotional wounds 💨

Uncover the root of painful emotions 🔎

Gain greater emotional self-understanding 👋

Live in greater freedom and authenticity 🙏

Develop self-trust, self-acceptance and self-love ❤️

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Nervous System Regulation Exercises: 21 Practical Exercises to Calm - Drunken Buddha

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In this blog, I give you 21 practical techniques and exercises to help calm down an agitated or hyperaroused nervous system.

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Learn about the importance of your nervous system, what it is, and how regulating your nervous system helps you manage stress.

It's perfectly natural to feel stressed or anxious from time to time. It happens to everyone. But high stress can have an impact on your body, particularly your autonomic nervous system, the part of your body responsible for regulating your breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and digestion. By understanding how to regulate your nervous system, you can take proactive steps to manage stress, enhance your wellbeing, and live a more balanced life.

How does the automatic nervous system work?

The nervous system acts as the control center of your body. It's responsible for everything from your heartbeat to digestion and even the way you feel. One part of it, the autonomic nervous system, is extremely important when it comes to your emotional wellbeing. It can be divided into two main parts: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system, both of which utilize hormones to help prepare us for what our brain perceives as our needs.

More specifically, when the brain perceives a threat, it turns on the sympathetic nervous system, aka our "fight or flight" response. The symptoms you feel-racing heart, sweaty palms, is the body's way of preparing you for a stressful situation. The parasympathetic system, on the other hand, kicks in when our brain thinks it's a good time to recover, helping our body to calm down and recover.

Balance is key. Imagine the autonomic nervous system as a body of water with each side sending waves from the opposing shores. When the autonomic nervous system is balanced, both sides send waves of hormones in equal measure that diffuse each other and help us to feel in control. If the sympathetic nervous system pushes too many stress hormones we become anxious. If the parasympathetic nervous system pushes too many relaxation hormones we can feel muted and apathetic.

Our larger nervous system is important because it keeps nearly every aspect of your body working efficiently, but the autonomic nervous system within it is critical to our emotional health. When you encounter a stressful situation, your sympathetic nervous system helps you react appropriately by helping you spring into action. When it's time to recover, your parasympathetic nervous system helps you take a step back and relax. When you maintain a balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, your body is better equipped to respond appropriately to different situations, leading to better physical and mental health.

How stress impacts your nervous system

From tight deadlines at work to personal challenges at home, stress can come from anywhere. But what happens inside our bodies when we feel stressed?

When you're feeling stressed, your body has a natural response to prepare you to manage the situation and feeling, which is why you might notice your heart rate increasing, your palms getting sweaty, or your muscles tensing. These are all signs that the sympathetic system is getting ready to either face the challenge or escape from it, hence "fight or flight".

However, if our bodies are always in the state of high alert, problems can arise. Our bodies aren't designed to be constantly under stress. When the sympathetic system is working overtime and our bodies are continually flooded with cortisol and adrenaline, we can end up facing health issues. In the short term, we might feel tired, irritable, or have trouble sleeping. Over time, the continuous activation of the sympathetic nervous system can lead to us having more serious problems like high blood pressure, weakened immune function, and even heart issues.

What are the signs and causes of a dysregulated nervous system?

Sometimes, your body's way of responding to certain situations can fall out of sync. This off-balance state in your nervous system is called a dysregulated nervous system. There are many common signs that show your nervous system might be off track.

Recognizing these signs and understanding the causes is the first step in taking charge of your nervous system's health and restoring the balance, inviting your parasympathetic nervous system to activate and promote relaxation, lower blood pressure, steady breathing, and digestion.

Here are some of the signs you may be experiencing a dysregulated nervous system.

There are also many stressors that can disrupt nervous system balance, including:

How to regulate your nervous system: 13 techniques to restore balance

If you ever feel off-balance or just need a moment of calm, try these simple techniques to help regulate your nervous system. Whether through deep breathing, mindfulness, or even a good laugh, find what works best for you and prioritize your nervous system's health.

1. Try a physiological sigh or other breathing exercises

A physiological sigh is a natural deep breathing pattern consisting of two quick inhales followed by a longer exhale. It can help calm the sympathetic system and activate the parasympathetic system.

💙 Explore deep breathing and learn to Breathe Like the Ocean with Jeff Warren.

2. Move your body

Exercise can be a great way to relieve stress and regulate the nervous system. Take a walk, practice yoga, or dance around your living room to your favorite song. Physical activity may help release tension and help your body feel more relaxed.

💙 Learn how Movement can change your life and ease your mind with Dr. Rangan Chatterjee in The 4 Pillars of Health.

3. Use a weighted blanket

A weighted blanket may activate your parasympathetic nervous system through deep pressure touch. This form of therapy uses touch and feeling sensations as a calming technique. The combination of a weighted blanket and the activation of your parasympathetic nervous system can help to naturally relax your body and calm your mind.

💙 Feel the weight of deep pressure touch, and learn to release the burdens you don't have to carry with Jay Shetty's Put Down the Weight meditation.

4. Meditate to help calm your mind

Meditation can offer many benefits, including helping to reduce stress and restore the nervous system. Try sitting in a quiet space, closing your eyes, and focusing on your breath or a calming phrase. This may help center your thoughts and calm your mind.

💙 Defuse Stress with Kindness in this 8-minute meditation on rebalancing your mind and ridding your body of stress.

5. Introduce mindfulness into your routine to help reduce stress

Focusing on mindfulness, or being present in the current moment can be therapeutic and help ground you and remind you to exist in the now. Try grounding yourself by feeling the earth beneath your feet, the texture of an object in your hand, or the feeling of wind against your skin.

💙 Relax into your body and learn to Slow the Swirl in Your Mind in less than two minutes a day.

6. Sing or laugh

Singing and laughing can both stimulate the vagus nerve, the main nerve in your parasympathetic nervous system, which can help you feel relaxed. Singing and laughing also increase your intake of oxygen, which can help with improving energy and mood.

💙 Discover the root of laughter in What Is Happiness with happiness expert Shawn Anchor.

7. Give yourself a massage or a hug

Touch can be a powerful tool for relaxation. Give yourself a healing massage by gently rubbing your temples, neck, arms, or feet, where stress can often be stored. Or try wrapping your arms around yourself for a hug, which can provide comfort and a sense of security.

💙 Indulge in the power of physical touch while listening to Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith's Understanding Body Messages soundtrack for an extra dose of self-love.

8. Try tapping

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is an emerging practice that involves gently tappingspecific points on your body while focusing on a calming phrase. Some common areas to engage in tapping include the outer palm, center of your forehead, below your nose, and below your lip, just to name a few.

💙 Learn how to Overcome Stress and Anxiety to further calm your nervous system.

9. Place your feet on the earth

Preliminary evidence suggests that direct contact with the ground (known as earthing) may help calm the nervous system and bring it back into balance. Grounding yourself can be as simple as placing your bare feet on the earth.

💙 Offer gratitude for the world around you in this Daily Calm meditation, Earth, led by Tamara Levitt.

10. Connect with nature

Step outside and feel the sun on your skin or listen to the birds. Nature can have a calming influence and may promote mindfulness and a feeling of being present, both of which can be naturally relaxing.

💙 Connect with nature and connect with yourself with We Are Nature by Jay Shetty.

11. Take a cold shower

The shock of a cold water shower can jolt the nervous system. This may help reduce stress.

💙 Prepare yourself for discomfort and expand the boundaries of your comfort zone in this episode of the Daily Jay, Cold Showers.

12. Use co-regulation

Co-regulation is where people tune into each other's emotional states, which can help stabilize and balance the nervous system. This can mean talking to someone you trust and practicing empathy, as sharing and experiencing feelings can be a great way to regulate emotions.

💙 Broaden your personal horizons and learn the importance of establishing Relationships with Others.

13. Prioritize sleep

Sleep is when our bodies rejuvenate, rest, and become restored. During sleep, our brain not only rests but also uses this time to allow its neurons to communicate with one another, leading to regulation. Sleep can also help clear your mind from stressors, which help you wake feeling refreshed.

💙 Soothe yourself to sleep with Calm's Gently Back to Sleep playlist.

How to regulate nervous system FAQs

How do you rebalance your nervous system?

Rebalancing your nervous system means getting back to a state where you feel calm and centered. You can try practicing deep breathing exercises, spending time in nature, or taking short breaks during the day. Regular sleep, a balanced diet, and talking to someone you trust can also help.

How do you regulate an overactive nervous system?

If you feel overly jittery, anxious, or just can't seem to relax, your nervous system might be in overdrive. To calm it down, start by taking deep breaths. This simple act can signal your body to relax. Consider avoiding caffeine or other stimulants as they can make things worse, and, instead, engage in calming activities, such as reading, listening to soft music, or practicing mindfulness to help regulate an overactive nervous system. If these feelings persist, speak with a healthcare professional for personalized advice.

What are the symptoms of an overstimulated nervous system?

An overstimulated nervous system can make you feel restless and anxious or even cause physical symptoms like a racing heart. Other signs might include trouble sleeping, feeling on edge, or being easily startled. Some people might experience headaches, muscle tension, or digestive problems. If you notice these signs, listen to your body and take steps to calm down.

How do I know if my nervous system is messed up?

If your nervous system isn't functioning properly, you might experience signs like constant fatigue, difficulty concentrating, or feeling overly anxious or depressed. Physical signs can range from sleep issues to digestive troubles. Remember, your body has its own ways of letting you know when something isn't right, so pay attention to these signals and seek advice if needed.

What are the signs of a dysregulated nervous system?

A dysregulated nervous system can show up in various ways. Common signs include feeling anxious, having unexpected panic attacks, and struggling with sleep. You might also experience digestive problems, feel tired all the time, or have muscle pain with no obvious cause. Recognizing these signs is the first step toward finding balance and feeling better. If you have concerns, reach out to a healthcare professional.

Calm your mind. Change your life.

Mental health is hard. Getting support doesn't have to be. The Calm app puts the tools to feel better in your back pocket, with personalized content to manage stress and anxiety, get better sleep, and feel more present in your life.

Learn about the importance of your nervous system, what it is, and how regulating your nervous system helps you manage stress.

It's perfectly natural to feel stressed or anxious from time to time. It happens to everyone. But high stress can have an impact on your body, particularly your autonomic nervous system, the part of your body responsible for regulating your breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and digestion. By understanding how to regulate your nervous system, you can take proactive steps to manage stress, enhance your wellbeing, and live a more balanced life.

How does the automatic nervous system work?

The nervous system acts as the control center of your body. It's responsible for everything from your heartbeat to digestion and even the way you feel. One part of it, the autonomic nervous system, is extremely important when it comes to your emotional wellbeing. It can be divided into two main parts: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system, both of which utilize hormones to help prepare us for what our brain perceives as our needs.

More specifically, when the brain perceives a threat, it turns on the sympathetic nervous system, aka our "fight or flight" response. The symptoms you feel-racing heart, sweaty palms, is the body's way of preparing you for a stressful situation. The parasympathetic system, on the other hand, kicks in when our brain thinks it's a good time to recover, helping our body to calm down and recover.

Balance is key. Imagine the autonomic nervous system as a body of water with each side sending waves from the opposing shores. When the autonomic nervous system is balanced, both sides send waves of hormones in equal measure that diffuse each other and help us to feel in control. If the sympathetic nervous system pushes too many stress hormones we become anxious. If the parasympathetic nervous system pushes too many relaxation hormones we can feel muted and apathetic.

Our larger nervous system is important because it keeps nearly every aspect of your body working efficiently, but the autonomic nervous system within it is critical to our emotional health. When you encounter a stressful situation, your sympathetic nervous system helps you react appropriately by helping you spring into action. When it's time to recover, your parasympathetic nervous system helps you take a step back and relax. When you maintain a balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, your body is better equipped to respond appropriately to different situations, leading to better physical and mental health.

How stress impacts your nervous system

From tight deadlines at work to personal challenges at home, stress can come from anywhere. But what happens inside our bodies when we feel stressed?

When you're feeling stressed, your body has a natural response to prepare you to manage the situation and feeling, which is why you might notice your heart rate increasing, your palms getting sweaty, or your muscles tensing. These are all signs that the sympathetic system is getting ready to either face the challenge or escape from it, hence "fight or flight".

However, if our bodies are always in the state of high alert, problems can arise. Our bodies aren't designed to be constantly under stress. When the sympathetic system is working overtime and our bodies are continually flooded with cortisol and adrenaline, we can end up facing health issues. In the short term, we might feel tired, irritable, or have trouble sleeping. Over time, the continuous activation of the sympathetic nervous system can lead to us having more serious problems like high blood pressure, weakened immune function, and even heart issues.

What are the signs and causes of a dysregulated nervous system?

Sometimes, your body's way of responding to certain situations can fall out of sync. This off-balance state in your nervous system is called a dysregulated nervous system. There are many common signs that show your nervous system might be off track.

Recognizing these signs and understanding the causes is the first step in taking charge of your nervous system's health and restoring the balance, inviting your parasympathetic nervous system to activate and promote relaxation, lower blood pressure, steady breathing, and digestion.

Here are some of the signs you may be experiencing a dysregulated nervous system.

There are also many stressors that can disrupt nervous system balance, including:

How to regulate your nervous system: 13 techniques to restore balance

If you ever feel off-balance or just need a moment of calm, try these simple techniques to help regulate your nervous system. Whether through deep breathing, mindfulness, or even a good laugh, find what works best for you and prioritize your nervous system's health.

1. Try a physiological sigh or other breathing exercises

A physiological sigh is a natural deep breathing pattern consisting of two quick inhales followed by a longer exhale. It can help calm the sympathetic system and activate the parasympathetic system.

💙 Explore deep breathing and learn to Breathe Like the Ocean with Jeff Warren.

2. Move your body

Exercise can be a great way to relieve stress and regulate the nervous system. Take a walk, practice yoga, or dance around your living room to your favorite song. Physical activity may help release tension and help your body feel more relaxed.

💙 Learn how Movement can change your life and ease your mind with Dr. Rangan Chatterjee in The 4 Pillars of Health.

3. Use a weighted blanket

A weighted blanket may activate your parasympathetic nervous system through deep pressure touch. This form of therapy uses touch and feeling sensations as a calming technique. The combination of a weighted blanket and the activation of your parasympathetic nervous system can help to naturally relax your body and calm your mind.

💙 Feel the weight of deep pressure touch, and learn to release the burdens you don't have to carry with Jay Shetty's Put Down the Weight meditation.

4. Meditate to help calm your mind

Meditation can offer many benefits, including helping to reduce stress and restore the nervous system. Try sitting in a quiet space, closing your eyes, and focusing on your breath or a calming phrase. This may help center your thoughts and calm your mind.

💙 Defuse Stress with Kindness in this 8-minute meditation on rebalancing your mind and ridding your body of stress.

5. Introduce mindfulness into your routine to help reduce stress

Focusing on mindfulness, or being present in the current moment can be therapeutic and help ground you and remind you to exist in the now. Try grounding yourself by feeling the earth beneath your feet, the texture of an object in your hand, or the feeling of wind against your skin.

💙 Relax into your body and learn to Slow the Swirl in Your Mind in less than two minutes a day.

6. Sing or laugh

Singing and laughing can both stimulate the vagus nerve, the main nerve in your parasympathetic nervous system, which can help you feel relaxed. Singing and laughing also increase your intake of oxygen, which can help with improving energy and mood.

💙 Discover the root of laughter in What Is Happiness with happiness expert Shawn Anchor.

7. Give yourself a massage or a hug

Touch can be a powerful tool for relaxation. Give yourself a healing massage by gently rubbing your temples, neck, arms, or feet, where stress can often be stored. Or try wrapping your arms around yourself for a hug, which can provide comfort and a sense of security.

💙 Indulge in the power of physical touch while listening to Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith's Understanding Body Messages soundtrack for an extra dose of self-love.

8. Try tapping

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is an emerging practice that involves gently tappingspecific points on your body while focusing on a calming phrase. Some common areas to engage in tapping include the outer palm, center of your forehead, below your nose, and below your lip, just to name a few.

💙 Learn how to Overcome Stress and Anxiety to further calm your nervous system.

9. Place your feet on the earth

Preliminary evidence suggests that direct contact with the ground (known as earthing) may help calm the nervous system and bring it back into balance. Grounding yourself can be as simple as placing your bare feet on the earth.

💙 Offer gratitude for the world around you in this Daily Calm meditation, Earth, led by Tamara Levitt.

10. Connect with nature

Step outside and feel the sun on your skin or listen to the birds. Nature can have a calming influence and may promote mindfulness and a feeling of being present, both of which can be naturally relaxing.

💙 Connect with nature and connect with yourself with We Are Nature by Jay Shetty.

11. Take a cold shower

The shock of a cold water shower can jolt the nervous system. This may help reduce stress.

💙 Prepare yourself for discomfort and expand the boundaries of your comfort zone in this episode of the Daily Jay, Cold Showers.

12. Use co-regulation

Co-regulation is where people tune into each other's emotional states, which can help stabilize and balance the nervous system. This can mean talking to someone you trust and practicing empathy, as sharing and experiencing feelings can be a great way to regulate emotions.

💙 Broaden your personal horizons and learn the importance of establishing Relationships with Others.

13. Prioritize sleep

Sleep is when our bodies rejuvenate, rest, and become restored. During sleep, our brain not only rests but also uses this time to allow its neurons to communicate with one another, leading to regulation. Sleep can also help clear your mind from stressors, which help you wake feeling refreshed.

💙 Soothe yourself to sleep with Calm's Gently Back to Sleep playlist.

How to regulate nervous system FAQs

How do you rebalance your nervous system?

Rebalancing your nervous system means getting back to a state where you feel calm and centered. You can try practicing deep breathing exercises, spending time in nature, or taking short breaks during the day. Regular sleep, a balanced diet, and talking to someone you trust can also help.

How do you regulate an overactive nervous system?

If you feel overly jittery, anxious, or just can't seem to relax, your nervous system might be in overdrive. To calm it down, start by taking deep breaths. This simple act can signal your body to relax. Consider avoiding caffeine or other stimulants as they can make things worse, and, instead, engage in calming activities, such as reading, listening to soft music, or practicing mindfulness to help regulate an overactive nervous system. If these feelings persist, speak with a healthcare professional for personalized advice.

What are the symptoms of an overstimulated nervous system?

An overstimulated nervous system can make you feel restless and anxious or even cause physical symptoms like a racing heart. Other signs might include trouble sleeping, feeling on edge, or being easily startled. Some people might experience headaches, muscle tension, or digestive problems. If you notice these signs, listen to your body and take steps to calm down.

How do I know if my nervous system is messed up?

If your nervous system isn't functioning properly, you might experience signs like constant fatigue, difficulty concentrating, or feeling overly anxious or depressed. Physical signs can range from sleep issues to digestive troubles. Remember, your body has its own ways of letting you know when something isn't right, so pay attention to these signals and seek advice if needed.

What are the signs of a dysregulated nervous system?

A dysregulated nervous system can show up in various ways. Common signs include feeling anxious, having unexpected panic attacks, and struggling with sleep. You might also experience digestive problems, feel tired all the time, or have muscle pain with no obvious cause. Recognizing these signs is the first step toward finding balance and feeling better. If you have concerns, reach out to a healthcare professional.

Calm your mind. Change your life.

Mental health is hard. Getting support doesn't have to be. The Calm app puts the tools to feel better in your back pocket, with personalized content to manage stress and anxiety, get better sleep, and feel more present in your life.

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How to regulate your nervous system? Try these 13 techniques - Calm Blog

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Learn about the importance of your nervous system, what it is, and how regulating your nervous system helps you manage stress.

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Naturally Strengthening the Nervous System

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Naturally Strengthening the Nervous System

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Billions of cells come together to form the human body. These building blocks are the most basic units of life that work in complete symphony as a coordinated whole to enable all our bodily functions.

Our ability to move around, eat, breathe, reproduce, and carry out every activity that qualifies us as living beings depends upon the proper functioning of these cells.

When your body is presented with a stimulus, the different cells in different organs work in tandem to produce a proper response. This coordination is helmed by the nervous system, which is the motherboard of the body. It consists of a complex network of the autonomic, motor, and sensory nerves, which are involved in everything that the body does.

The nervous system reacts to changes both outside and inside the body by using electrical and chemical means for the transmission and reception of messages to and from the brain, the spinal cord, and other sensory organs. It plays a vital role in many important functions of the body, including regulating breathing and digestion, controlling movements, and regulating temperature.

Symptoms of a Weak Nervous System

Symptoms of a weak nervous system vary depending upon which part of the system is affected and may be mild or severe.

Some of these symptoms are:

Shortness of breath

Headaches

Excessive sweating

Muscle weakness

Poor memory

Difficulty concentrating

Twitching

Pain

Numbness and burning sensations in the hands and feet

Tips to Strengthen the Nervous System

Here are 10 ways you can improve the functioning of your nervous system.

Lifestyle changes

Adopting the following lifestyle changes can help improve the functioning of your nervous system.

1. Practice deep breathing

This simple yet effective technique can be very beneficial for those with a weak immune system. It can help you relax and reduce stress.

Deep breathing improves your body's healing abilities and counteracts the effects of stress and anxiety. (1)

How to do:

1. Lie down or sit in a comfortable position, putting your hands on your abdomen.

2. Take a deep breath through your nose, expanding your abdomen and then filling your lungs with air.

3. Hold your breath for 3 seconds. Then, breathe out slowly through your mouth and empty your lungs.

4. Continue to inhale and exhale deeply for 5 to 10 minutes.

5. Enjoy a short session of deep breathing 2 or 3 times a day.

2. Walk barefoot

Walking barefoot on the moist earth, soft grass, or a sandy beach for about 30 minutes daily can greatly benefit your nervous system and overall health.

Walking barefoot enables the electrons of the earth's surface to transfer into your body. This, in turn, promotes physiological changes and improves your health.

A 2012 study published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health highlights the manifold benefits of "earthing" (walking barefoot), such as improvement in blood viscosity, heart rate variability, inflammation, cortisol dynamics, sleep, autonomic nervous system balance, and stress level. (2)

Walk barefoot on grass, particularly in the morning, to balance your nervous system.

3. Spend time in the sun

Sunlight helps regulate the nervous system by helping the body produce vitamin D.

A 2013 study published in Pharmacological Reports shows the connection between vitamin D deficiency and increased risk of diseases of the central nervous system, particularly schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis. (3)

Also, a 2009 study published in Psychoneuroendocrinology highlights the role of vitamin D ₃ in central nervous system functioning, especially in relation to nervous system pathologies and aging. (4)

Expose your body to early morning sunlight without using any sunscreen for 10 to 15 minutes daily to boost your vitamin D levels.

You can also get vitamin D from certain foods. Salmon, tuna, milk, eggs, and fortified breakfast cereals are rich in vitamin D.

You can opt to take a supplement, only after consulting with your doctor.

4. Try yoga and meditation

Make yoga and meditation a part of your daily routine to strengthen your nervous system. (5)(6) The combination of the three elements of yoga - poses ( asanas), meditation ( dhyana) and proper breathing practice ( pranayama) - helps strengthen the peripheral nervous system.

Furthermore, yoga is good for elevating mood, reducing cortisol levels, boosting the immune system, and increasing overall physical and mental well-being.

Some of the yoga poses that are beneficial for the nervous system include:

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose)

Viparita Dandasana (Inverted Staff Pose)

Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand Pose)

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)

Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand Pose)

Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend Pose)

Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose)

Shavasana (Corpse Pose)

Note: As it is essential to do yoga poses in a proper manner, seek the help of an expert to learn the poses before practicing them on your own.

5. Exercise is an effective stimulant

Regular exercise is also important in strengthening the nervous system.

A 2005 study published in Current Sports Medicine Reports, points out that regular exercise has profound effects on numerous biologic systems in the body, including the central nervous system, and can influence psychological well-being and cognitive function. (7)

Walking, running, jogging, swimming, and bicycling are a few examples of physical activities that can be helpful in keeping the nervous system healthy.

Consult your doctor to find out what exercises will be most suitable for you.

6. Fix yourself an Epsom salt bath

An Epsom salt bath can also be beneficial for the nervous system. It helps muscles and nerves to function properly. (8) The magnesium present in this ingredient also helps increase the mood-elevating hormone serotonin in the brain, (9) which reduces stress and promotes relaxation.

How to use:

1. Add 1 cup of Epsom salt to warm bathwater and stir thoroughly.

2. Soak in this water for 20 minutes.

3. Enjoy an Epsom salt bath once or twice a week.

Dietary interventions

Following the given dietary interventions can help ensure a healthy nervous system.

1. Add magnesium to your diet

This mineral is important for a healthy nervous system. The deficiency of magnesium has an inhibitory effect on several neurotransmitters that support signal transmission between nerve cells. (10)

Furthermore, it aids the body's production of serotonin, which relaxes the nervous system and elevates mood. (9) It even promotes muscle relaxation.

How to consume:

Eat foods rich in magnesium. Spinach, dark chocolate, lettuce, bananas, apricots, almonds, walnuts, lentils, brown rice, and pumpkin seeds are a few examples of such food.

You can also opt for a magnesium supplement. Consult your doctor for the correct dosage.

2. Consume foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids

Start eating foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids in order to reduce the risk of a weak nervous system.

Omega-3 fatty acids - eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) - are important for the development and functioning of the central nervous system. These fatty acids are necessary for proper neuron functioning and to improve nerve transmissions.

A 2008 study published in Neuromolecular Medicine points out the neurological benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, specifically in reducing the risk of neurodegenerative conditions and acute neurological injury. (11)

How to consume:

Include foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. Flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, sardines, salmon, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, spinach, and canola oil are a few examples.

You can opt to take omega-3 fatty acid supplements, after consulting your doctor.

3. Drink green tea

Green tea has a positive impact on your nervous system. L-theanine, an amino acid found in green tea, helps increase levels of dopamine and serotonin. (12) This, in turn, improves mood and reduces stress.

Furthermore, the caffeine in green tea helps increase alertness, focus, concentration, and thinking ability. (13)

Also, green tea is packed with antioxidants, which benefit the cardiovascular autonomic nervous system and reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.

How to consume:

1. Add 1 teaspoon of green tea leaves or a green tea bag to 1 cup of hot water.

2. Cover and steep for 5 minutes.

3. Strain, sweeten with raw honey and drink it.

4. Drink only 2 to 3 cups of green tea daily.

4. Chamomile helps your mind relax

This popular herb can be used as a mild sedative to calm the nerves and reduce anxiety. It can even be helpful in dealing with hysteria, nightmares, insomnia, and other sleep problems.

A 2012 study published in Phytotherapy Research found positive effects of chamomile essential oil on central nervous system functioning. (14)

How to consume:

Add 2 teaspoons of dried chamomile to 1 cup of hot water. Cover and steep for 5 minutes. Strain, add raw honey for the taste, and drink it. Drink 2 to 3 cups of chamomile tea daily.

Also, add a few drops of chamomile essential oil to warm bath water and soak in it for 15 minutes to soothe your nerves.

The study of essential oils has increased dramatically. Many medical benefits from essential oils are now being characterized at the biochemical level. A comprehensive and up-to-date review article summarizes the usefulness of essential oils in the context of the nervous system. (15)

How Does The Nervous System Work?

The nervous system is broadly divided into the following:

Central nervous system: Consists of the brain and spinal cord, which serve as the control panel of the body to process the information received from all parts of the body as well as the environment.

Peripheral nervous system: Consists of vast neural networks that connect your central nervous system to the rest of your body.

The nervous system follows a three-part process:

1. The central nervous system receives sensory input from the body as well as any external stimuli through specialized nerve cells known as neurons.

2. The sensory message received is then processed and interpreted by the central nervous system.

3. Finally, the central nervous system relays the message for an appropriate response via the neurons in the form of electrical impulses to different sensory organs.

Problems With Your Nervous System Can Occur Due to:

Poor blood circulation (16)

Compression of the nerves

Nerve dysfunction

Side effects of drugs or toxic substances (18)

Nutritional deficiencies of vitamins B₆ and B₁₂ and magnesium (19)(20)

Furthermore, chronic stress increases the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and affects the autonomic nervous system. (21)

This results in hyperactivity, cardiovascular stress, muscle tension, and other intensified functions, thus leading to the malfunction of nerve cells and other problems.

Additional Tips

Do not smoke or use other tobacco products.

Get plenty of rest and sleep after a long hectic day.

Get your blood sugar and high blood pressure under control.

Drink plenty of water and other fluids, as dehydration is not good for the nervous system.

Limit your intake of caffeinated and alcoholic drinks.

Strive to learn new skills to increase your attention span and keep you focused.

End a bath with a few seconds of a cold shower to stimulate your nervous system. However, avoid the head region.

Do not use non-prescribed medicines.

Protect yourself from head injuries and accidents.

Final Word

Any trouble with the nervous system can seriously affect your quality of life since it controls the functioning of the entire body. The above listed lifestyle and dietary measures can help strengthen and preserve your nervous system to avoid such problems.

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10 Natural Ways to Strengthen Your Nervous System - eMediHealth

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Learn about the symptoms of a weak nervous system and possible risk factors. Also find out how to strengthen your nervous system.

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How to Rewire Your Brain: 6 Neuroplasticity Exercises

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It mind sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, but rewiring your brain is actually a thing, and it’s not as hard as you’d think.

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Neuroscientist Says- 3 Exercises to Stop Stress and Anxiety

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Neuroscientist Says- 3 Exercises to Stop Stress and Anxiety

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A neuroscientist shares the 3 exercises she does to stop stress and anxiety—in ‘just a few minutes’

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We all experience moments of deep anxiety. But there are ways to train the brain and body to shift to a calm and relaxed state. Neuroscientist Tara Swart Bieber shares three quick and simple exercises she does to reset her nervous system.

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Somatic stretching is helpful for your body, mind, and spirit - an accessible way to nurture yourself, release tension and stress, and recover from pain and injury. Here are seven exercises to get you started.
According to fitness professional Sadie Nardini, a Yoga Alliance-registered yoga teacher, somatic stretching provides practitioners with lasting, true flexibility. That happens because you've stopped working with your muscles and instead started working with your brain to keep your muscles relaxed and ready, rather than overactive and tense. As Nardini explains in her DailyOM course, Somatic Stretching to Relax and Release, somatic exercises - gentle, intentional, and active movements - melt away tension and stress because you're allowing your brain to help you release your body.

Meredith Sands Keator, director of Somatic Stretch, explains in a video that the goal is to begin where you're comfortable and then gently stretch - not reach - right into the edge of resistance and breathe there. "You're actually going in and breathing into the edges of where we're comfortable and where we're not," she says, likening it almost to "a mime in a box, finding where your resistance begins and then just gently leaning against it."

Get Started with These 7 Somatic Stretching Exercises

Yoga and reiki teacher Michelle Taylor, who spoke with DailyOM for this story, says that somatic exercises "aim to reestablish the mind-body connection" and are mostly performed in sitting or supine positions, which allow you to ground yourself, turn inward, and focus on your body's sensations.

She suggests starting with the following poses, repeating each stretch for one to two minutes before moving on to the next one. Mindfully and slowly move from one pose to the next in whatever way suits your body best, so long as you are listening to your body and bringing intention and awareness to each movement. Whether you choose to do these in the morning to start your day, after a workout when your body is warmed up, or at the end of the day to unwind, you'll find yourself feeling less tense, from head to toe.

Interested in learning more? Check out Somatic Exercises to Relax and Release

1. Neck Release

Sitting comfortably, tuck your chin to your chest, relaxing into the stretch slowly while you take deep breaths. Then, release your chin and tilt your head to one side (to bring your ear to your shoulder without forcing), relaxing into the stretch. Tilt your head to the opposite side to balance out your neck. Repeat the sequence from the beginning.

2. Seated Cat-Cow

Take a seat in a kneeling or cross-legged position. Place your hands on your knees, then inhale and pull your chest upward, stretching and opening the front side of your body, including the front of your neck (if that's accessible to you). Then, exhale and curl into yourself, tucking your chin to your chest and rounding your back. Repeat.

3. Embryo Pose or Child's Pose

You may be familiar with this pose from yoga work. Kneel and sit on your knees, then lean forward, keeping your seat on your heels and resting your forehead on the floor. Move your arms so that they land on the ground on either side of your legs, palms facing up, or place your arms outstretched ahead of you with your palms facing down. Repeat.

4. Supine Spinal Twist

Lie on your back with your legs flat, then bring your arms out to your sides with your palms facing down so your body is in a T position. Bend your right knee so it points upward, then slowly drop your right knee over to the left side of your body, twisting your spine and lower back. Turn your head toward your left fingertips. Carefully release your hips back to the floor, then repeat with the other side.

5. Waterfall

Lie down on your back with your hands on the floor next to you, palms facing up. Bring one knee at a time up to your chest, then lengthen both legs straight up, keeping your knees slightly bent if you find that is more comfortable for you. Hold this position for a few gentle, slow breaths. When you are ready to get out of the pose, bend one leg into your chest at a time, then place your legs on the ground.

You can also elevate your hips with a block or perform this pose against a wall for more support.

6. Seated Torso Circles

Seated in a cross-legged position, with your hands resting on your knees, gently rotate your torso in clockwise circles in time with your breaths, then counterclockwise for the same number of rounds. Focus on isolating the movement and keeping your sit bones down and your legs steady.

7. Bridge Pose

Lie on your back with your knees bent, pointing up, and your feet flat on the floor, toes pointing forward. Place your arms alongside you with your palms facing down. Pressing down on your palms and feet, slowly raise your hips off the floor so you are making a "bridge" with your body, stopping when your hips are lined up with your knees. Try not to let your hips dip while you hold for a few breaths, then carefully release your hips back to the ground before repeating the bridge movement.

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7 Somatic Stretching Exercises for Flexibility and Stress Relief

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When you allow your mind to help you release tension and stress through somatic exercises, your whole body will feel better.

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Join Peabody Institute faculty, Jen Graham, as she leads you through a gentle movement series to promote mind-body connection and well-being.

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Somatic Exercises to Improve Mental Health

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Somatic Exercises to Improve Mental Health

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Try These Somatic Exercises to Improve Your Mental Health

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Somatic exercises are movements to improve well-being. Click here to download a resource of five somatic exercises for mental health that you can do at home.

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Yoga Poses & Asanas - Basic to Advanced | Yoga Journal

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Browse our extensive yoga pose library, with a vast collection of basic poses, advanced poses, seated and standing poses, twists, and bandha techniques.

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Asanas: Meaning, Definitions and Purposes

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Asanas: Meaning, Definitions and Purposes

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Table of Contents

#2 The science of asanas
#2.1 84 asanas to attain
#2.2 Yogasanas - creating health, joy and blissfulness

#3 Asana Siddhi
#3.1 Asana mastery and perception
#3.2 Ease and stability - the third limb of yoga
#3.3 Creating a device to receive the divine

#4 Fine-tuning your asanas
#4.1 Flexibility during asanas
#4.2 The sequence of the asanas
#4.3 Why you shouldn't speak during asanas
#4.4 Breathing easy during yogasanas
#4.5 Why focusing on the breath is essential during asanas
#4.6 Why yogic practices are often done in sets of three
#4.7 Closing your eyes
#4.8 Toe to toe
#4.9 Heel to perineum
#4.10 Asanas: Exploring how the body and mind work
#5 Still more on asanas
What is an Asana?

Sadhguru: An asana is a posture. There are innumerable postures your body can take. Among these, certain postures have been identified as "yoga asanas" or yogasanas. " Yoga " means that which takes you on to a higher dimension or higher perception of life. So, that kind of posture which leads you to a higher possibility is called a "yogasana."

Asanas and Emotions

You may have noticed that for different mental and emotional situations that you go through, your body naturally tends to take a certain posture. If you are happy, you sit one way. When you are unhappy you sit another way. When you are peaceful you sit one way, if you are angry you sit another way. Many times, you can tell what is happening with someone by just observing the way they are sitting, have you noticed?

Based on this, conversely is the science of asanas - by consciously getting your body into a certain posture, you can also elevate your consciousness. You can change the very way you feel, think, understand, and experience life by sitting in a particular way.

Asanas and Awareness

Yogasanas are not exercises. They are very subtle processes of manipulating your energy in a certain direction. It needs to be done with a certain level of awareness. There are various levels of doing asanas. You can practice asanas just physically, or more deeply, being aware of the breath, sensations, reverberations, being aware of the nadis, or with appropriate mantras. You can even do asanas without moving a limb. That is also possible.

The Science of Asanas

The science of asanas is known as hatha yoga. "Ha" means sun, "ta" means moon. The first process of yoga is to bring balance between the masculine and feminine in you. Otherwise there will be no scaling of consciousness. This is why Shiva is known as Ardhanarishvara - one half of him is a woman, another half of him is a man. He is a man and the very embodiment of manhood.

At the same time, he is also woman, because without bringing this balance, without cultivating these two dimensions within us, there is no reaching towards the peak, there is no question of a human being flowering to his fullest possibility. That is why the first dimension of yoga that you practice is hatha yoga. That means the yoga of the sun and the moon is bringing balance between the masculine and the feminine. That is the first step to take.

84 Asanas to Attain

Among the Yogasanas, there are 84 basic asanas through which one can elevate his consciousness. When we say 84 asanas, do not think of them as just 84 postures. These are 84 systems, 84 ways of attaining. Out of this, if you have mastery over even a single yogasana, everything that is worth knowing in the existence can be known.

Yogasanas - Creating Health, Joy and Blissfulness

Right now, when you are trying to do hatha yoga, the biggest barrier is the limitations of your body. In fact, whatever human beings want to do, the biggest barrier is their body and mind. What should have been a stepping stone has turned into an obstacle, simply because they have not explored it considerably.

After a profound and thorough exploration of the human system, the yogic system identified 84 asanas as yogasanas, 84 postures through which you can transform your body and mind into a great possibility for your ultimate wellbeing. Most other spiritual processes talk about putting down the body because the body is an obstacle. If you want to sit and meditate, your legs tell you, "I need to stretch. I need to walk." When we ask you in the morning to stretch your body, you say, "No, I want to rest." If you do an asana and we ask you to stretch, you say, "No, I don't want to stretch." But if we ask you to sit unmoving, your body wants to stretch. Likewise, it has to eat, it has to sleep, it has to relieve itself - the body needs so many things.

Taking charge of your life

The body is a constant manifestation of various levels of compulsiveness, depending upon the type of information that has gone into the system. The information that is imprinted upon your physiological system is what we refer to as the karmic body. This information determines how much compulsiveness you suffer from, and how much freedom you naturally enjoy within yourself.

In hatha yoga, we are not concerned about who our fathers and forefathers were, what kind of genetics and karmic substance we received from them, and what we have imbibed in the process of living. It does not matter what has happened until this moment - we have decided to take charge of our life.

This is what a yogasana means - you are taking charge of your life. You are transforming your body and mind into a possibility in your life.

In the Indian tradition, if you are a serious practitioner of yoga, no astrologer will want to make a prediction for you, because even he understands that you have taken charge of your life. This is what a yogasana means - you are taking charge of your life. You are transforming your body and mind into a possibility in your life. It is becoming a passage, not a block.

The process of transforming the body, changing the texture of the body, changing the fundamental information in the body, which makes it go in certain compulsive patterns, needs a certain determination, forcefulness, and adamancy. You are not willing to give in to the cycles of compulsiveness. You go the way you want to go.

Creating the right atmosphere

Ha and tha describe sun and moon. Hatha is about bringing a balance between the two. If these two dimensions are balanced within you, naturally, the body becomes a conducive place to live in for your being. If you mess up the place around you, you can move elsewhere. But if you mess up the body from within, you cannot go elsewhere until you die. As long as you live in this life, the body is the abode of your existence.

You must decide what purpose your body should serve. We will do the appropriate yoga for that.

It is important that an atmosphere is conducive rather than being compulsive. If your home is a very compulsive place, you will feel suffocated. Every situation, every atmosphere is set up for a certain purpose. Your home may be set up for one kind of purpose. The ashram may be set up for another kind of purpose. An industry or a business may be set up for a different kind of purpose. Every atmosphere should serve the purpose that we have set it up for. You must decide what purpose your body should serve. We will do the appropriate yoga for that.

If your idea of a good life is being one step ahead of others, we will do one type of yoga. If you do not compare yourself to others, but you want to find your ultimate potential in terms of activity, we will do another kind of yoga. If all you want to do is dissolve into the ultimate nature of existence, we will do yet another kind of yoga. We can practice yoga in different ways.

Enhancing perception

An individual human being becomes who he or she is only because of what he or she perceives. You are who you are right now only because of what you have perceived in your life until now, and you will be who you will be only because of what you will perceive in future. The whole system of yoga is about enhancing perception.

The 84 yogasanas represent 84 alignments, because existence as we know it now is seen as the 84th creation.

If you hold the posture right, if your alignment is right, it matches with the cosmic alignment in some way. The 84 yogasanas represent 84 alignments, because existence as we know it now is seen as the 84th creation. The memory of these 84 creations is reflected in our body.

We are trying to release and activate this memory. If one gets into these 84 postures, or if one masters a single posture and approaches the remaining 83 through that, one can know everything that has happened in creation until now, because the memory of that is within one's system in a codified way. If this memory touches another dimension outside of yourself, it can be activated and ignited.

Yogasanas are a powerful means to connect. Do not forget, yoga means union. Union means two have become one. There are only two in existence - you and the rest of existence. In the rest of existence you may identify individual entities, but essentially, there are only two - you and the rest of existence - because there are only two dimensions of experience within you. You do not know what is up and down in this cosmos. You do not know what is forward and backward. These are all things that we have made up for convenience. Essentially, there are only two dimensions of experience - inner experiences and outer experiences.

Even the most wonderful qualities that one may have will go waste, simply because of lack of balance. Hatha yoga brings this balance.

Yoga is about creating a union between these two dimensions - inner and outer, you and the rest, you and the other. When there is no "you" and "the other," when there is just "you" and "you," that is yoga.

Asanas are a physical form of approaching this ultimate union, because the physical body is the easiest thing to work with. If you try to come to this union with your mind, it will play too many tricks. With the body, at least you know whether it is doing it right or not, whether it is cooperating or not. If you push the mind too hard, it will make you believe all kinds of things and dump you the next day. The body is a more reliable factor. If you work with it sensibly, the yogasanas can definitely lead to ultimate union.

In the meantime, before this alignment with the ultimate happens, by getting into the postures, inner alignment happens, which will naturally create a chemistry of healthfulness, joyfulness, and blissfulness - and above all balance.

Balance is something that modern societies have ignored, and they are paying a huge price for it. Whatever your intelligence, whatever your competence, education, and qualifications - if you do not have the necessary balance, you will not succeed. You will not go very far in your life. The most important thing for people who are seeking to be successful - whether in the corporate sector, in politics, in the military, or any other field - is balance. Only if you have a balance that is not disturbed by external situations, are you capable of making use of the competence and intelligence within you. Otherwise, even the most wonderful qualities that one may have will go waste, simply because of lack of balance. Hatha yoga brings this balance.

Asana Siddhi

People who have taken up hatha yoga as their way of life generally take up one asana for their life's sadhana. This is known as Asana Siddhi. Asana Siddhi means one is able to sit in a particular way with absolute ease. For most people, whichever way they keep their body, it is not at ease.

If you sit, it is not comfortable. If you stand, it is not comfortable. If you lie down, it is not comfortable. What the hell to do with this? If you give your body to the process of yoga, slowly the body becomes at ease. If you sit like this, it is absolutely at ease. It is not trying to be some other way.

Asana mastery and perception

A thinking mind cannot understand how a man can spend his whole life wanting to sit in a particular way. But everything that can be perceived can be perceived, by having mastery over a single physical posture. What you are calling as yogasanas is just to get this body geometrically in line with the cosmic geometry. If you learn to just hold it right, you can download the whole cosmos. This is yoga. If you simply sit right, everything that's worth knowing can be known to you from within.

Ease and Stability - The Third Limb of Yoga

Patanjali describes the third limb of yoga, which is the asana, as " Sthiram, Sukham Asanam" - if you are comfortable and stable, that is all the asana is about. Because "comfort" is such a misused word, maybe a closer word to "sukha" in English would be "ease." It simply means that your body is at ease, your mind is at ease, and your energy is at full vibrance and balance. Now you are naturally meditative. You will find full potential to your life.

Creating a Device to Receive the Divine

The reason why hatha yoga has become ugly is because people start taking it like a circus. The way hatha yoga is happening in the West scares me, because all kinds of things are done in the name of yoga that are not yoga. Recently, I was playing golf with a group of young people and they asked, "What do you do?" I just ignored the question and took my shot and kept walking. They asked somebody who was walking with me, and he said, "He teaches yoga." Immediately, they ran up to me and said, "Can you teach us something that will give us six-pack abs?" I said, "I can give you 14 if you are interested."

This is not about sculpting your body and showing it off. This is to make the body into a fantastic vessel, a fabulous device to receive the Divine. Hatha yoga is a phenomenal process, but today, many physical therapists and experts are writing books on hatha yoga, making people believe it is an exercise system. It is not an exercise system. Studio yoga is unfortunately just the physical aspect of it. Teaching only the physical aspect of yoga is like having a stillborn baby. If you want a living thing, it needs to be taught in a certain way. In a proper atmosphere, with a certain sense of humility and inclusiveness about the whole process, hatha yoga is a very fantastic process. If I do a two-day hatha yoga program, people will burst with tears of ecstasy simply doing asanas, and that is the way yoga needs to be done.

Fine-tuning your Asanas

Flexibility During Asanas
Questioner: Does the amount of flexibility and the parts of the body that are flexible indicate something about the person's mental state, their personality, or even their karmic structure?
Sadhguru: That would be a very prejudiced way of looking at life. Let's not get into judgments about people around you. That somebody is not able to bend or sit on the floor could have many reasons. It would be obnoxious and unnecessary to judge people like that. But to look at the question of flexibility in general - a muscle is useful only if it is flexible. Wherever the body wants 100% rigidity, it produced bones. Wherever it wants 75% rigidity, it produced tendons. Wherever it wants 50% rigidity, it produced cartilages. Wherever it wants total flexibility, it produced muscles. The body structure is made up of different levels of flexibility. If every part of the body was flexible, you would sit like a bean bag.

Rigid muscles and rigid brains are no good. Only when your brain and muscles are flexible, they are useful.

Some parts of the body are rigid, some are semi-rigid, some are flexible - it is done in an intelligent manner. It should be kept the way the Creator intended it to be. A three-year-old child will be flexible enough to do any asana. You lost this flexibility because of disuse, because you are trying to save your body for the grave. You want to be in a good shape when you go, but you are not in a good shape when you are here.

Increased acidity creates rigid muscles

If there is no injury or damage of any kind to the muscles and they still are tense and rigid, you are probably generating acids in your body. You can notice this - if on a particular day, you are in a mentally tense state, the next day you will find it much harder to bend. If the acid level increases, the muscular structure tends to become rigid.

Emotions and acidity

Rigid muscles and rigid brains are no good. Only when your brain and muscles are flexible, they are useful. If you sit here joyfully, the body will not generate acids. But if you are angry even for five minutes, the acid level in your blood will increase dramatically, to the extent that it is actually poisoning you, and it is this poison that makes the muscular structure rigid. Other than that, lack of flexibility may be cultural, because you are simply not used to sitting on the floor or using your body much. In any case, we cannot judge human beings by their flexibility in the sense, "Tell me which asana you cannot do and I will tell you who you are."

The Sequence of the Asanas
Questioner: What is the importance of the sequence in which we are doing the asanas? Can we change the order?
Sadhguru: The order is not something that you or I invented - it arises from the observation of how not only the physical body but the whole human system functions.

The right postures create comfort

In your system, there is something called skeletal comfort, muscular comfort, organ comfort, and energy comfort. If you sit in a reclining chair, your muscles will be comfortable, but your joints will be strained. You may have noticed that if you travel for some time sitting reclined in a plane or a car, by the time you reach your destination, you will be exhausted. If you sit up straight, this will not happen. If you sit in a recliner, only your muscles are relaxed, but there is a lot of stress on the skeletal system, and above all, on your organs. The vital organs in the trunk are not firmly fixed with clamps and bolts or flanges but hang in connective tissue like in nets. If you sit in a recliner, especially in a moving vehicle, your organs will suffer enormously. In a moving vehicle, you must always sit straight, so that your organs have greater comfort. If you lean back, one organ will press on the other.

Lying down after food

This is why they say you should never lie down right after food. In India, they always told you that you must eat before or just after sunset, and leave at least four hours before you go to bed, because the food should have left the stomach by then. If the stomach is full and you lie down, it presses on other organs. Let's say you have one or one-and-a-half kilogram of food in your stomach and you lie down for a few hours, depending upon how you are lying, this weight could cause serious damage.

The order of the asanas is not according to my or your preference, it is the way the human system is made.

Don't disjoint your energy

In Hatha Yoga, this organ comfort is always considered. Energy comfort is also considered. Your energy functions in such a way that if you activate one aspect of your energy without activating another aspect of it, your system will become disjointed. There are many disjointed bodies everywhere. Disjointed energy means living a broken life. Somehow, you may manage to live long, but no matter what enters your life, you will not be complete. You may win the lottery, you may get married to the best man or woman in the world, you may pray 24 hours of the day - no matter what you do, you will live a disjointed life.

Asana order activates the system correctly

The order of the asanas is not according to my or your preference, it is the way the human system is made. We need to activate it from one end to the other. Sudden activation of a certain part will lead to disjointedness. Life situations can be such that there is no choice about how to act and no system to it - you may have to jump into action whichever way it comes. But if you have activated your system in a certain way, whatever situation occurs in your life, you will be able to take it without causing too much disturbance to your system.

One can distinctly see this - if you do proper classical yoga, whatever situations you face, they will not leave you scattered. This preparation creates a certain integrity in the system. So the order of asanas is not by choice, it is according to the way the human system is structured.

Why You Shouldn't Speak During Asanas
Questioner: Why should we not speak when doing an asana or correct others while they are in an asana?
Sadhguru: An asana is a dynamic way of meditating. Because you cannot sit still, you do something else to become meditative. To take you back to the Yoga Sutras - Patanjali said sthiram sukham asanam. That which is absolutely stable and comfortable is an asana. This means your body is at ease, your mind is at ease, and your energy is vibrant and balanced. Asanas are a preparatory step to come to a state of being naturally meditative. In a way, asanas are a dynamic way of meditating. To think that when you are meditating, you can have a conversation is ridiculous. The same goes for asanas. Speaking triggers a number of changes in your system. You could check this yourself. First sit quietly and check your pulse rate. Then speak intensely and check your pulse rate - it will be very different. The pulse is just one example. Speaking not only changes the physiological parameters - even the energy parameters change dramatically. Above all, without focus, how to do an asana?

Asanas are a preliminary meditative state. You cannot talk in your meditation.

Speaking can cause serious imbalance

Once, I was invited to speak in a yoga studio in the US. This lady is an Isha meditator and she had been a yoga teacher for many years. When I came to her yoga studio, music was playing, and she was in ardha matsyendrasana, talking non-stop into a microphone to the group. When I saw this, I wanted to leave, but she recognized me, said "Hi," jumped up out of the asana, and came towards me. I took her aside and told her this is not the way to teach yoga because it brings serious imbalances to one's system, and it turned out that she actually was suffering from them.

She gave up teaching after some time, and these issues disappeared. There should be no talking while doing an asana, and no going into any asana whenever you feel like it. I have seen people doing some asana during a bathroom break, because they want the world to know that they are doing yoga. This is silly. If you are able to sit without the need to run to the bathroom, without the need to talk to anyone, without the need to drink anything - that is a good advertisement for you if you are doing yoga. You do not have to get into a posture to tell everyone that you are doing yoga.

Can disturb focus and stability

As a rule, you never ever speak in postures because focus, breath, and what happens to your energy system are most important. And above all, asanas are a preliminary meditative state. You cannot talk in your meditation. If you speak while doing an asana, you will disturb the breath, the mental focus, and the stability of your energy system.

Conscious corrections avoid damage

To the question of corrections - in a way, physically correcting someone would amount to using props. If the teacher makes the corrections clear, people should be able to consciously correct the asana. Otherwise, later, they will make the same mistakes again. Another aspect is, if they are already in a certain state and you try to physically correct the posture by touching them, you could cause damage. To give an example - just moving my finger involves so many things. My muscles, ligaments, skeletal system, mind, and energy have to work in a certain way. Suppose you hold my finger and move it, it is a completely different matter. So the teacher should tell you until you understand how it should be done, but you should make the effort to do the correction from within.

Breathing Easy During Yogasanas
Questioner: Sadhguru, people who come to the yoga class with experience in aerobics or other types of exercise tend to breathe through their mouth while doing yogasanas. Does it make a difference whether we breathe through the nose or mouth? And why should we breathe slightly deeper than normal?
Sadhguru: If you are running at a certain pace, there is a tendency to open your mouth because breathing through your nostrils may not be sufficient. But you never ever breathe through your mouth during asanas. This is not an aerobic exercise - asanas are about building internal strength of the organs and the whole system. Within a few weeks of practicing asanas, naturally, your system will become more capable and your pulse rate will decrease.

Breathing through the mouth is both unaesthetic and unscientific. You should always breathe through your nasal passage.

Nasal passage purifies and adjusts air

Breathing through the mouth is both unaesthetic and unscientific. You should always breathe through your nasal passage - except in emergencies. If you are just born and they hold you upside down, or you are running a marathon and your pulse rate goes beyond a certain level, or it is your last breath and you want to live for one more minute - then it is all right. Otherwise, always breathe through your nostrils because the nasal passage is there for this purpose - make use of it. There are many benefits to this. One is the purification of the air. Another is that the temperature of the air gets adjusted to your body temperature before it enters the lungs, which is important.

Build up your ability to breathe

In yogasanas, there is absolutely no necessity to breathe through your mouth. You should never push yourself to the point where you have to open your mouth. You must steadily build it up in such a way that your ability to breathe keeps increasing. We say you should breathe slightly deeper than normal because otherwise, if you go into an extreme position and I say "breathe normally," you will not get enough oxygen and after some time you will gasp. Any gasp is an aberration in the breath. Any aberration in the breath naturally has an effect on various aspects of the body.

Air temperature and mixture

If you breathe in hot air, even if you are at sea level and there is enough oxygen, you will gasp as if you were in high altitude. The human body is comfortable at a certain temperature and it needs a certain air mixture. When I used to ride my motorcycle across the country and I would go up a mountain, from about 4000-5000 feet above mean sea level, the oxygen becomes less and the engine starts behaving differently. Since I always wanted the same level of power, I would stop, open up the carburetor, make the necessary adjustments, and only then ride on. If you come down to sea level, the engine starts knocking and you have to adjust the cylinder head again.

Bringing the body to ease

Recently, I was at the Volvo truck plant and they were showing me the electronic instruments that are attached to the engine nowadays. It detects the efficiency of the firing inside the internal combustion engine, the fuel temperature, the oil temperature, and if there is any small aberration, it informs the driver that this is what is happening. The driver may not be educated enough to make use of this information, so there is another computer which is correcting all these things. For a truck that is lugging up to 130 tons, even a small change in engine performance will translate into a big overall performance drop.

This is just a small imitation of what your body always does. Even a small change in the air temperature will affect it, but the body has correction measures if you are breathing properly. It will correct itself for the rareness of air and for even a small change in the air temperature.

Benefits of building your system

This time when we went to Kailash, we were at an altitude of over 16,000 feet for almost eight, ten days. Except for the Sherpas who always live in that altitude, I was the only one who did not take altitude-sickness medication, even though all the other participants were practicing more yoga on a daily basis than I do. But if you build your system over a period of time, you can enjoy the benefits on all levels, all the time - not only in high altitude. If the body comes to ease, the other possibilities open up.

If the body is not at ease, the other possibilities will not open up because everything is focused on making the physical part right.

Creating ease to explore other dimensions

This is what yoga is about - you want to bring your body to such a state of ease that you do not even know whether your body exists or not. You cannot forget the parts of your body that hurt right now. You can only forget what is at ease. To bring the body to such ease, you must breathe slightly deeper than normal, and over time, in any asana, if you are in the perfect posture, your breath should become normal. If your body is in good shape and you are within a certain age range, after about 12 to 18 months of intense practice, you will come to a point where in a full asana posture, there will be no need to breathe deeper than normal anymore. Just the normal breath will be more than enough, without gasping. If you remain in the full posture for one minute and there is no aberration in your breath or your pulse rate, it means your body is coming to ease. If it comes to such a state of ease, there will be no dis-ease. And if there is no state of dis-ease in you whatsoever, then the body has energy to explore other dimensions of life. Otherwise, the body keeps you busy for the rest of your life.

Why Focusing on The Breath is Essential During Asanas
Questioner: Why should we focus on the breath during asanas?
Sadhguru: Your mind and emotions need a single object to focus on. If both of them stay with the same object, you are at maximum ease. If your body goes in one direction, your mind goes in another, and your emotions go in yet another direction, you will be struggling. Let's say you have a job that you are very involved with, a family at home, and an affair on the side, you will be in a lot of mess - never at ease. Only if your body, mind, and emotions are focused in one direction, you will be at total ease.

The reliability of the breath

Nothing and no one - neither your job nor your wealth nor your family nor your love affair - are as reliable as your breath. As long as you live, it will always be there. It is the most steady and reliable thing to focus your mind on. If while doing an asana, you do not focus your mind onto the breath, it will go all over the place. Therefore, focus on the breath.

If I take away your breath now, you and your body will fall apart. It is your breath which holds you and your body together. This , as we call it in yoga, is like a thread that ties you and your body together.

The link between body and breath

If you constantly stay with your breath, if you really travel with it, one day, you will understand where you and your body are linked. Once you know this, you can hold your body at a distance, and all your trouble and suffering will be over. All the trouble and suffering in your life arise from your body and your mind. If you can hold your body and your mind at a distance to yourself, this is the end of suffering. And only when there is no fear of suffering, a human being will dare to explore his life at full stride. So, being with the breath is very important.

One thing is your mind has a steady companion to stay with. Anyone may leave you, but your breath will not leave you until you die. And another thing is it will transport you to a place where you and your body are linked. If you don't want your life to be determined by multiple factors of compulsiveness, if you want to do or undo your life by choice, it is important to know this place.

Why Yogic Practices are Often Done in Sets of Three
Questioner: Yogic practices are often done in sets of three. Is there a reason why?
Sadhguru: There are many ways to look at this. This is a dialectical culture. A story will say one thing, but it means something else. It is intentionally structured that way to evolve our logic. If you approach everything in life 100% logically, you will be very crude. Somewhere you have to touch the gray. If everything is black or white for you, no one can be with you. You think you are logically correct but no one can stand you because it is gross logic. So we evolved another kind of logic.

The limits of logic

In modern science, they call it "fuzzy logic," which is a good way to describe it. But this is more than fuzzy logic - this is dialectical culture. Most Asian countries and large parts of Africa are dialectical cultures, but here in India, we evolved this into a completely different process, particularly using it to describe anything spiritual. Dialectical cultures expressed things not 100% logically. On the surface, it looks like a fantastic story. But if you dig deep enough, there is logic to it.

You know, yoga started with Adiyogi, and one of his names is Tripurantaka. I will cut the story short because with Indian stories, even a sub-story will last for days, and this is intentional, because the idea of the story is to take you logically into an illogical realm. Otherwise, it is very difficult for a human being to rest your logic because that is the only thing that has seen you through life till now.

If I say, "Rest it. Surrender. We will do something with you," you may say, "Yes," but you will hold on to your logic. If something does not fit into your logic, your mind will naturally reject it. So the story logically takes you to a place beyond your present level of logic. I will not tell you the whole story because that would take a whole day.

Conquering three dimensions

There was a rakshasa king. Rakshasa is generally translated as demon, but they are not necessarily demons. They are a different kind of people who do not subscribe to the laws of society. A rakshasa is one who is ruled by his own passions, his own lust, and his own needs. Conquest, rape, and grabbing things are normal for him. This rakshasa king became very powerful, so powerful he built three cities floating in the sky. He ruled these cities and whenever he wanted, he came to the earth and ravaged it. There was no competition for him. He was such a warrior and his armies were so strong, no one could stop him. He terrorized all the others - human beings and gods.

At that time, the god population in the country was more than the human population. We had 330 million gods, even then, and not that many people! That many gods and yet this man had no sanctity for anything. He just ravaged everything that he saw. No one could kill him; no one could conquer him. They called all the devas. All the heroes went to fight against him, but he not only vanquished them, he disgraced them in every possible way. He made sure that he was the power.

At that time, Shiva had his eyes closed. They went to him and pleaded for years, but he did not open his eyes - he was somewhere else. Then Vishnu found a way to make him open his eyes and they told him, "Only you can stop this man." But the rakshasa had taken a boon that no individual city of his could be destroyed by any army. Shiva saw that he could not shoot down these cities individually - he had to shoot down all three at once. So he shot a single arrow that went through all the three cities and they fell down.

Life happens between threes

Tri-pura means "three cities." Tripurantaka means "one who ended Tripura." The story of Shiva demolishing all the three cities with a single arrow refers to the three fundamental dimensions of who you are. This can be expressed in many different ways. In terms of qualities, these three dimensions are called tamas, rajas, and sattva. In terms of physical manifestation, we call them pingala, sushumna, and ida. These three nadis are the manifestation of who you are. Then there are the three forces earth, moon, and sun. And the three dimensions of one's existence here: past, present, and future.

Essentially, life is happening between these three. You can see it as past, present, and future. Or you can see it as ida, sushumna, and pingala. Or you can see it as earth, sun, and moon. If you try to conquer only one out of the three, you will be on an endless ride because the three are internally one. In yoga and in spiritual process, a lot of people are trying to take charge of only one thing, which is a desperate endeavor.

Victory requires conquering all three

The message is: unless you shoot all three of them at once, you will never be victorious. It is a spiritual message given in an elaborate story. How he became a Tripurantaka is a whole book by itself. How he fought the Tripura, the many weapons he used, what all happened - all these things describe the struggles of a human being trying to conquer one aspect of his life. Someone wants to conquer his mind without conquering his energy - he can try as hard as he wants - it is not going to happen. Someone tries to discipline the body without taking charge of the mind and energy - do what you want, it is not going to happen. Mind, body, energy; sun, moon, earth - all these are three. Unless they are shot with a single arrow, they will not fall.

Closing Your Eyes
Questioner: Sadhguru, why should we keep our eyes closed in most of the asanas?
Sadhguru: If you close your eyes, the world disappears - unless you have your own false world in your head. Right now, I am looking at you. If I close my eyes, you are gone for me. Unless your imagination is running wild because you have no control over it, if you close your eyes, the world is gone for you.

Disengage and internalize

When you do an asana, you want to internalize everything. One basic step towards any internalization is to close your eyes. If you eat something very good, if something hurts, if something is nice, if you really want to experience something, you close your eyes. This happens naturally when you want to internalize something, because out of the five senses, your vision is the most outwardly engaging process.

Best way to shut off the world

If you lose your vision, you lose 50% of your engagement with the world. The other four senses - smell, touch, taste, and hearing - together make up for the remaining 50%. If you lose your vision, your sense of hearing and your sense of smell will improve, but fundamentally, especially for a human being, vision is the most dominant sense.

By contrast, a dog for example perceives the world through its sense of smell. It knows who you are not by looking at you but by smelling you. But for a human being, since your vision is the most dominant sense for you, once you close your eyes, half the world is shut off. So, internalization works best when your eyes are closed.

Toe to Toe
Questioner: Sadhguru, why should the big toes or heels touch in certain asanas?
Sadhguru: When you bend forward, your heels should always touch because the muladhara should be tight. Otherwise, bending forward, there is a natural movement towards the muladhara, which we want to arrest. In a way, the sole of the foot is a minor manifestation of the whole body. If the toes touch, suddenly the whole system functions differently. You will see in India, if somebody dies, they will take an organic string and tie the big toes together as this prevents certain things from entering the system.

Creating a complete circuit

You do not always know what atmosphere you are in. When the big toes touch, you do not take in what is around you, plus you become a complete circuit by yourself. You are anyway a full-fledged life, though most human beings experience themselves as half a life. If they do not have certain things, they will feel empty.

One aspect of yoga is to set up your energies in such a way that if you sit here, you are complete by your own nature - you do not need anyone or anything to make you complete. If you interact, it is a contribution, and not a seeking to fulfill yourself.

Establishing your wholeness

This is a clear way of setting yourself up in such a way that you are not a vested interest - not out of morality or ethics but by your own nature, because you are complete within yourself. To establish this sense of completeness, it is important to keep the toes together. In certain asanas, either the big toes should be together or your muladhara should be supported. That way, you are constantly working towards making yourself into a complete process, so this sense of incompleteness, this sense of not being whole will go away.

Heel to Perineum
Questioner: In asanas such as ardhasiddhasana, vrikshasana, and yogamudra, the heel should touch the perineum. What if this is anatomically not possible or if it slips?
Sadhguru: If you partially sit on the heel, it will always touch this three-fourth of an inch space that the perineum is. Whether the heel slips or not depends on how comfortably it goes to the perineum. Once you become more flexible, it will stay there. When you do janurshirsasana for example, do not move the heel away for your convenience. The important thing that you want to create in these asanas is full pressure on the muladhara.

Asanas: Exploring How the Body and Mind Work
Questioner: Namaskaram, Sadhguru. Whenever I try to stop any negative emotion like anger, it only becomes stronger. How can I get a grip on how my mind works?
Sadhguru: If you try to stop what you don't want, only that will happen. This has always been the nature of your mind and the human mind as such. The whole system of yoga is about experientially exploring the nature of your body and your mind.

When you get up in the morning and do your asanas, it is not because it is a stretching exercise, as a whole lot of idiots across the planet describe it. Yes, you have to stretch to do it, but fundamentally, it is an exploration of your body and your mind. Because the biggest problem in your life is, you are trying to live here without having a grasp of the two basic vehicles without which you cannot go through this life - the physical body and the mind.

Understanding the vehicle

How comfortably you travel through life depends on how deeply you have grasped your body and your mind. For the journey to be comfortable, the vehicle has to be good, and you must understand the vehicle - how it behaves, what it does, and why it does what it does. This is not enlightenment - this is necessary even if you only want to live an ignorant life. They used to say, "Ignorance is bliss" - if that was true, the world should be blissed out by now.

An experiential exploration

Even if you have chosen to be ignorant because you think it is blissful, to walk through this world, you must have a grasp of this body and this mind. Otherwise, doing anything is a problem. I will not go into this further intellectually, because then you would get all wound up. That is why the yogic system is an experiential exploration without trying to go into it intellectually.

When you do your asanas, you explore the nature of your body and your mind. If you move your fingers in a certain way, your mind will function accordingly. Everything that you do with your body does something with your mind. You will not come to this understanding by reading a book. It will come to you only by exploration. If you close your eyes and try to forcefully remove something from your mind, you will never be successful. This is the most basic and at the same time the most important realization that everyone needs to come to. Without this realization, you will make a complete mess out of yourself. If you are not so sharp in your head, it will be okay. But if you are sharp, you will cut yourself all over, and before anyone can save you, you will be mutilated.

Every day, such mutilated human beings come to me and say, "Sadhguru, I'm interested in enlightenment." First fix the wounds, or at least stop causing further wounds, because you have a very sharp knife.

Exploring the fundamentals

Even to shave themselves, a whole lot of men cut their faces. I have seen people bleeding in the face because they want to cut themselves close and it gets closer than planned. Understanding the fundamentals, grasping as to how your mind functions, does not come from an intellectual analysis - it is an exploration. What you need to do is, hold your body in one posture, and see your mind functions in a certain way. Hold your body in another posture, and see your mind functions in a different way.

When you do your asanas, you explore the nature of your body and your mind.

Hatha Yoga is preparatory

If you stay in an asana and breathe properly, as you go through this process, the mind will go into various states. This exploration is the most fundamental aspect of yoga. Hatha Yoga is not the peak - it is preparatory. If you try to go to the peak without that preparatory step, you will probably crash.

At least 80% of humanity will not be able to do any kind of meditation in their life unless they do some kind of physical preparation. The very way they sit, the very way they move their body, it is clear that they cannot meditate, no matter how hard they try. Some amount of physical preparation is needed, because body and mind are not two separate things - or is your brain outside your body? What happens to your little finger happens to the brain. What happens to the brain happens to the little finger. It works both ways. The brain is not a separate entity by itself.

Doctors have learned about the body by dissecting dead bodies - if you open a dead body and cut out different organs and keep them in different places, it is all separate. But that is not how your body is - it is all one. Only to a discriminating scalpel it is separate, but for a living human being, it is all one. That is why the yogic system is designed the way it is.

What you resist will manifest

As an experiment, try to resist the things that you want. You will see they will manifest strongly within you. If you want something to happen, try to not make it happen. It will definitely happen. That is because you are in a state where when you want to put your mind in first gear, it goes into reverse gear. This is not the best way to do things, but you could try this to understand that this is how it is right now - if you resist something, only that will happen.

Doing your sadhana - It works!

From tomorrow, get up at five o' clock in the morning, have a cold shower, and start your sadhana at 5:30, every day. After some time, so many things which were a problem in your mind will be gone. Just do your hatha yoga for an hour a day - it works. But if you want to understand how it works, what the mechanism and the process are, it takes a lot of effort and time. To make it work does not take much. But if you want to know the whole intricacy of what makes it happen, why it happens the way it happens, why a particular asana has a particular effect, then it is lifetimes of study.

Those who want to benefit from the technology should simply learn to use it. For those who want to know the basis and the science behind the technology, it is lifetimes of work. It took me three lifetimes to understand how it works. I am assuming you are smarter than me because you have come to me, and after all the things I do - no sweetness, no promise of heaven, no miracles, not even a pleasant word, no hug - you are still here. So, assuming you are smart, it is a lifetime of work.

Still more on Asanas

Sitting Still - Settling the Mind and Body Sadhguru answers a question on what it takes to sit still for long periods of time, and speaks about the importance of settling the mind, body, emotion and energies.

What Kind of Clothes Should You Wear For Yoga? Sadhguru looks at the importance of the right kind of clothing during sadhana, and the need to avoid metallic objects on the body at this time.

Why An Empty Stomach is Essential for Hatha Yoga Practice Sadhguru answers a question on why Hatha Yoga should be practiced on an empty stomach, and explores the nature of the body and how Hatha Yoga influences it.

Why You Shouldn't Drink Water While Practicing Yoga Sadhguru looks at the importance of maintaining the right body conditions during hatha yoga, and explains why we shouldn't drink water during practice.
Editor's Note: Isha Hatha Yoga offers an annual 21-week Hatha Yoga Teacher Training as well as several intensive hatha yoga modules, taught by teachers across the world. Find a Hatha Yoga teacher near you
Editor's Note: Subscribe to the official Sadhguru YouTube channel to watch new videos every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

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Yogasanas: All about the 84 Types of Asanas and Beyond | Sadhguru

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Transform your body and mind with Yoga asanas! Discover Sadhguru's wisdom of this ancient practice for health and ultimate wellness.

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Human beings have been saluting the sun for millennia. Many people consider the sun a source of life - especially those in agrarian cultures, who rely on crops and farming for sustenance and economy.

One of the very first yogic texts, the Vedas (which was said to be created around 1500-1200 B.C.) included many prayers and rituals that ancient yogis would offer to the sun every day.

In modern times, the practice of yoga has shifted to include more physical practices (asana), and the Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskara) are now practiced as a moving prayer in honor of this powerful star (Side note: Did you know the sun is a star? How cool is that?!) ( 1).

Sun Salutations are often taught within movement-based yoga settings.

While their original intention may have been more ritualistic and prayer-based, these dynamic sequences became popular over time for their ability to both warm up the body quickly and move the body in many directions.

The series are traditionally breath-based, meaning that each movement happens on a portion of the breath. For this reason, some scholars and researchers have explored the cardiovascular benefits of the series ().

The three best-known Sun Salutations are classified by the letters A, B, and C, although not all yoga lineages apply these labels to exactly the same sequences. See below for the full sequences.

Tadasana (Standing Mountain Pose)

Directions:

1. Stand at the top of your mat with your arms by your sides. Your feet can be together or hip-width apart.

2. Align your ankles, knees, and shoulders so your body is symmetrical.

3. With your arms by your sides, turn your upper arm bones to face each other with your palms forward, opening your chest.

4. Keep your chin parallel to the floor.

Utthita Hastasana in Tadasana (Arms Extended in Mountain Pose)

Directions:

1. On an inhale, reach your arms up and in line with your ears.

2. Some lineages add a slight backbend at the top of this movement.

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

Directions:

Ardha Uttanasana (Half Forward Bend)

Directions:

Chaturanga Dandasana (Half-Plank Position)

Directions:

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog)

Directions:

1. On an inhale, roll over the tops of your toes so you're pressing into the tops of your feet. Press your arms toward straight.

2. Keep your thighs lifting away from the floor as your tailbone reaches toward your heels. Ensure your abs are engaged.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog)

Directions:

Ardha Uttanasana (Half Forward Bend)

Directions:

1. On an exhale, step forward or jump to land with your feet between your hands.

2. On an inhale, reach your chest forward and lift your torso halfway up, with a long spine.

3. Your hands can be flat outside of your feet, on your outer legs, or on blocks.

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

Directions:

Utthita Hastasana in Tadasana (Arms Extended in Mountain Pose)

Directions:

Tadasana (Standing Mountain Pose)

Directions:

1. Stand at the top of your mat with your arms by your sides. Your feet can be together or hip-width apart.

2. Align your ankles, knees, and shoulders so your body is symmetrical.

3. With your arms by your sides, turn your upper arm bones to face each other with your palms forward, opening your chest.

4. Keep your chin parallel to the floor.

Tadasana (Standing Mountain Pose)

Directions:

1. Stand at the top of your mat with your arms by your sides. Your feet can be together or hip-width apart.

2. Align your ankles, knees, and shoulders so your body is symmetrical.

3. With your arms by your sides, turn your upper arm bones to face each other with your palms forward, opening your chest.

4. Keep your chin parallel to the floor.

Utkatasana (Chair Pose)

Directions:

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

Directions:

Ardha Uttanasana (Half Forward Bend)

Directions:

Chaturanga Dandasana (Half-Plank Position)

Directions:

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog)

Directions:

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog)

Directions:

Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior 1), right side

Directions:

1. Step your RIGHT foot forward between your hands and spin your back foot flat, so your toes are turned out to the side and the arch of your back foot is in line with the heel of your front foot.

2. Bend your front knee and, on an inhale, lift your pelvis and torso upright, opening your chest to the side.

3. Bring your arms straight in line with your shoulders, reaching them long and straight. Or bring your palms to touch in the center of your chest.

Chaturanga Dandasana (Half-Plank Position)

Directions:

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog)

Directions:

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog)

Directions:

Virabhadrasana 1 (Warrior 1), left side

Directions:

1. Step your LEFT foot forward between your hands and spin your back foot flat, so your toes are turned out to the side and the arch of your back foot is in line with the heel of your front foot.

2. Bend your front knee and, on an inhale, lift your pelvis and torso upright, opening your chest to the side.

3. Bring your arms straight in line with your shoulders, reaching them long and straight. Or bring your palms to touch in the center of your chest.

Chaturanga Dandasana (Half-Plank Position)

Directions:

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog)

Directions:

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog)

Directions:

Ardha Uttanasana (Half Forward Bend)

Directions:

1. Step or hop to the top of your mat.

2. On an inhale, reach your chest forward and lift your torso halfway up, with a long spine.

3. Your hands can be flat outside of your feet, on your outer legs, or on blocks.

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

Directions:

Utkatasana (Chair Pose)

Directions:

Tadasana (Standing Mountain Pose)

1. Stand at the top of your mat with your arms by your sides. Your feet can be together or hip-width apart.

2. Align your ankles, knees, and shoulders so your body is symmetrical.

3. With your arms by your sides, turn your upper arm bones to face each other with your palms forward, opening your chest.

4. Keep your chin parallel to the floor.

Tadasana (Standing Mountain Pose)

Directions:

1. Stand at the top of your mat with your arms by your sides. Your feet can be together or hip-width apart.

2. Align your ankles, knees, and shoulders so your body is symmetrical.

3. With your arms by your sides, turn your upper arm bones to face each other with your palms forward, opening your chest.

4. Keep your chin parallel to the floor.

Utthita Hastasana in Tadasana (Arms Extended in Mountain Pose)

Directions:

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

Directions:

Ardha Uttanasana (Half Forward Bend)

Directions:

Anjanayasana (Low Lunge Pose), right side

Directions:

1. On an exhale, step your LEFT foot back and lower your LEFT knee to the floor, keeping your front knee bent.

2. As you inhale, lift your torso upright with your arms in line with your ears, reaching up.

Plank Pose to transition

Directions:

1. Place your hands on either side of your front foot.

2. Lift your back knee and step back to Plank Pose.

Knees-Chest-Chin to transition

Directions:

Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

Directions:

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog)

Directions:

Anjanayasana (Low Lunge Pose), left side

Directions:

1. On an exhale, step your LEFT foot between your hands and lower your RIGHT knee to the floor.

2. Bend your front knee.

3. As you inhale, lift your torso upright with your arms in line with your ears.

Plank Pose to transition

Directions:

1. Place your hands on either side of your front foot.

2. Lift your back knee and step back to Plank Pose.

Knees-Chest-Chin

Directions:

Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)

Directions:

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog)

Directions:

Ardha Uttanasana (Half Forward Bend)

Directions:

1. Step or jump forward on an exhale.

2. On an inhale, reach your chest forward and lift your torso halfway up, with a long spine.

3. Your hands can be flat outside of your feet, on your outer legs, or on blocks.

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

Directions:

Utthita Hastasana in Tadasana (Arms Extended in Mountain Pose)

Directions:

Tadasana (Standing Mountain Pose)

Directions:

1. Stand at the top of your mat, with your arms by your sides. Your feet can be together or hip-width apart.

2. Align your ankles, knees, and shoulders so your body is symmetrical.

3. With your arms by your sides, turn your upper arm bones to face each other with your palms forward, opening your chest.

4. Keep your chin parallel to the floor.

In addition to yoga's plethora of general benefits, Sun Salutations have some unique advantages all their own.

Sun Salutations improve mobility of your entire body

In 2019, a study looking at the kinematics (the study of objects in motion) of Sun Salutations found that the alternating movements in the series increased mobility in most of the body's joints ().

Sun Salutations connect you to your breath

Sun Salutations are breath-based sequences, meaning that each movement within the series is traditionally performed in coordination with your breath.

Sun Salutations are ritualistic

These powerful sequences are rooted in deep breathing and often considered a moving meditation.

Sun Salutations offer cardiovascular benefits

In addition to the study mentioned earlier, another 2021 study found that just 10 minutes of Sun Salutations - which the researchers classified as "high intensity Hatha yoga" - was enough to raise participants' heart rate ().

This is promising for people who don't often have time for a long workout.

Sun Salutations are accessible

You can intensify or pare down these sequences, depending on what you prefer to do on any particular day.

Sun Salutations reduce stress

A recent study found that the Sun Salutations had a much more significant impact on practitioners' anxiety and stress levels than aerobic exercise did ( 5).

Because Surya Namaskara A and B are dedicated to the sun, they can be nice to practice first thing in the morning. You may notice that many studios and practitioners face east because it's the direction of the sunrise.

Even so, you can perform Sun Salutations at any time of day, particularly given which sequence you choose to do.

In certain yoga lineages, the third common Sun Salutation sequence, Surya Namaskara C, is sometimes called Chandra Namaskara, meaning "Moon Salute," and is performed in the late afternoon or evening.

The beauty of the Sun Salutations is that they are their own form of warmup. Some lineages, such as the Ashtanga method, start every class in Tadasana and go directly into the sequence. Other lower intensity classes may spend the entire class building up to one round.

Depending on how much time you spend being active during the day, you may want to consider a light warmup beforehand.

For example, you can come into a tabletop position first to warm up your wrists or hold a longer Downward Dog in the beginning while you pedal your legs and let your body settle.

Surya Namaskara A typically consists of 9 poses. It generally precedes Surya Namaskara B.

Surya Namaskara B is a 17-pose sequence. It tends to be more rigorous and is often taught in higher intensity classes. It generally comes after the A series.

Surya Namaskara C differs from lineage to lineage. For example, in the teacher Satchidananda's lineage, Integral Yoga, the postures that make up the C flow are similar to poses that make up the Chandra Namaskar, or the Moon Salutation Flow, in other lineages.

In other Vinyasa styles, such as the YogaWorks method, some teachers will call beginner's Sun Salutations Surya Namaskara C. These are Sun Salutations that are broken down and include a lot of modifications.

Sun Salutation C is a bit of a wild card in that it can be done in anticipation of Sun Salutation A, later in the sequence, or as a stand-alone sequence.
If you have tight hamstrings, try this:
Bend your knees in any pose where you're folded down toward the floor, like Downward-Facing Dog, Uttanasana, or Ardha Uttanasana.
If you need to build core strength, try this:
Put your knees down for Chaturanga or Plank Pose.
If you have lower back pain or tightness, try this:

In poses where you are folded and your legs are straight, consider bending your knees.

Avoid Upward-Facing Dog and stick to Cobra Pose.

If you have tight shoulders, try this:

Any time your arms are overhead and in line with your ears (Utthita Hastasana, Downward-Facing Dog, Utkatasana, Warrior 1, Low Lunge), take your arms wider than shoulder width into more of a V-shaped position.

In Downward-Facing Dog, you can turn your hands and arm bones out to exaggerate external rotation of your shoulder joint, which helps keep your neck spacious.

If you have neck pain, try this:

Don't worry about looking up whenever you lift your arms (as in Chair Pose, Warrior 1, or Low Lunge). Look straight ahead instead.

In Chaturanga, try shifting forward before lowering, which prevents your neck from collapsing.

Remember, these are breath-based flows, meaning that traditionally there is half a breath or 1 full breath per movement. If you are unable to do this cadence, try lengthening your hold of the posture rather than rushing your breathing.

Modifications do not necessarily make the poses easier. Modifying a pose is not cheating or taking the easy route. Variations and modifications are excellent ways to learn how to engage the proper muscles and move from the right muscles.

Though this is a dynamic sequence that moves fairly quickly, there's no need to rush. Feel free to take extra breaths in poses or hold poses for as long as they feel good to you.

The Sun Salutations are well-rounded movement sequences that help you connect to your breath and body. They are dynamic, which means they can also be a whole lot of fun!

While they have historic roots, you can spice them up in many ways and adapt them to how you feel on any given day.

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Sun Salutation Sequences A, B, and C: A Complete Guide

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The Sun Salutation sequences are a great way to wake up your body at any time of day. Here's how to do all three.

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It's no secret that sitting at a desk all day can wreak havoc on our bodies as well as our mental wellbeing. Slouching over your computer will cause back, neck, spine and even leg pain. So, how can you overcome it? A few simple yoga stretches will do the trick!

You don't need to spend hours practicing a routine or spending hundreds to attend fancy yoga classes. Instead, you can simply incorporate the 10 stretches listed below into your daily routine. Even if it's a quick stretch by your desk!

Here are 10 easy yoga poses to follow.

1. Desk chaturanga pose

Hate normal push-ups? Me too! The desk chaturanga makes push ups super easy with the desk supporting most of your weight. To build some upper body strength, rest your hands on your desk (shoulder width apart) and step your feet back so that you're in a diagonal push up position. Once you have the correct form, inhale and you push yourself in towards the desk and pull your elbows towards your ribs. Exhale as you press your chest back up to your starting position. Repeat this 10-15 times and do as many repetitions as you want spaced throughout the day.

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2. Seated crescent moon pose

The moon crescent is a great stretch to lengthen and release some side and shoulder tension, and it's a perfect pose to perform in the office. With your feet firm on the ground, sat at a 90-degree angle, raise your arms above your head and clasp your palms together. Inhale and move your arms and upper body to one side. Enjoy the stretch for a few seconds before exhaling and returning back to your starting position. Repeat on the other side. Repeat 10 times on each side and carry out this desk exercise as often as you need to in order to relieve some stress.

3. Desk upward dog pose

Even if you're not a regular yoga goer, you've most likely heard of the downward dog pose - well, the upper dog pose is this in reserve. It's a great way to open your chest and shoulders. Start by standing at a 45-degree angle with your hands touching your desk, your arms lengthened and your legs straight, without arching your back. Slowly slide your head and body up so you are now reaching and lengthening your arms, back and shoulders upwards. Hold this pose for 5 to 10 breaths and release back to your starting position. Repeat as many times as you like.

4. Chair pigeon pose

As we sit down for long hours at a stretch, we tend to place more pressure on one side of our body, which is why the chair pigeon pose is a great exercise to loosen the hip muscles and restore some balance. To perform this pose effectively, sit at a 90-degree angle with your feet firmly on the ground, cross your left leg over your right and keep your foot fully flexed. Pull your left knee in towards you slightly so that you can feel a stretch towards the outer part of your thigh. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat on the other side for at least five repetitions.

5. Seated figure four pose

This pose is also essential to release tension around your hip joints - something that happens to anyone with a desk job. The form of this pose is the same as the above; sat at a 90-degree angle with one ankle over the opposite knee. But unlike the chair pigeon pose, you will rest your hand on the raised knee to push it downwards and open your hip flexor muscles. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat on the opposite side. Perform this pose as regularly as you need to avoid permanent hip injury.

6. Stork pose

When performing the stork pose, think of yourself as a tree that needs to elongate its roots - well, in your case, limbs. To perform this pose, stand by your chair with your feet firmly on the ground. Raise one knee up and pull your leg into your body by grasping your leg (just under your knee) and hold this pose for 10-15 seconds. If you can't balance on your own, start off by holding onto the chair with your free hand. After performing this pose for a while, you should start to build better core stamina that will help you hold a better posture while you sit.

7. Desk eagle arms pose

This beginner level yoga pose is great for anyone who works a desk job to strengthen their back, neck and shoulder muscles. To perform this exercise, sit at a 90-degree angle and raise your arms towards your face, cross your arms and interlock your palms. Hold for 5-10 seconds and repeat the sequence by swapping the crossed arm. This stretch may seem hard to achieve at the beginning, but once you repeat it a few times, it should be easier to interlock your palms and stretch out your fingers in the process.

8. Seated twist pose

The twist pose is a common exercise that's performed during any cool down routine, so you may already be familiar with it. It's intended to open up your back and stretch your obliques, entire back and shoulders to release any tension. So that you aren't getting onto the floor (and receiving weird looks in the office) we've adapted this so it's work-friendly. Start by sitting at a 90-degree angle and place your left arm behind your left hip, place your right hand, palm facing up on your left thigh and twist to the left side. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat on the right side, alternating until you feel re-energized.

9. Sit and stand pose

Think of an easier version of the squat when it comes to the sit and stand pose - an exercise needed to build up your glute and upper thigh muscles. To perform this exercise, start by standing in front of your chair (as if you're about to sit on it). Take a deep breath and raise your arms while you lower yourself in to your chair, exhale and repeat for 15-20 repetitions. Perform this exercise as frequently as you can throughout the day to increase your heart rate, which, in turn, will burn fat.

10. Standing seal pose

The standing seal pose is a great way to complete your daily exercise as it works to stretch your spine, legs and open your shoulders. To perform this exercise, start with your legs hip width apart and interlock your fingers behind your back and start to release into a forward fold position. Take a few deep breaths in and out before you come up to your starting position. Repeat a few times until you feel well stretched and relaxed.

It's no secret that working a desk job is harmful for our health, so to make sure that we stay as active as possible, it's important to incorporate a few stretches into your daily routine. You don't have to dedicate hours in the gym, but your body will thank you for stretching it out and releasing some much-needed stress and tension. And to ensure that you actually stick to it, why not make it into an office competition to see who can perform the best yoga poses throughout the day?

Which of these poses do you already practice? Let us know by leaving a comment in the section below.

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Office Yoga: 10 Exercises to Help You Stay Active

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Try these office yoga poses and release the built up tension and stress, all while sitting at your desk!

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Your work desk holds your family photos, stacks of paperwork, and your mid-afternoon snack stash.

Did you know it's also a great spot to practice yoga at work?

Office yoga at work is an extremely beneficial way to improve your energy levels, relieve pain in that lower back or those sore shoulders. When you've been sitting for too long, and you're ready for a stretch break, there are plenty of moves you can do right where you are.

Forget fancy equipment and complicated poses. It's time to find your inner Zen, even with phones buzzing and fluorescent lights glaring overhead. Play your favorite yoga playlist in your earbuds and dive right in.

Today, we're sharing eight yoga poses made for busy professionals looking to squeeze a little more out of their break time. Best part? You don't even need to change out of your work clothes!
Keep in mind: We always recommend starting out your office yoga path with a private yoga class at work. Yoga at work helps boost energy levels, and even reduce sickness absence (yay for healthier employees using less sick days)! Our highly-trained yoga instructors come to your office! The class will focus on countering the negative effects of stress, burnout, and prolonged desk sitting.
Ready to learn more? Let's get started.

Begin with Your Breath

Before you enter into any of these yoga at work poses, take a few seconds to focus on your breath.

Sit at the front edge of your chair to create a straight line from your ears to your hips. Your knees should be even with your hip joints, and your feet should rest flat on the floor, directly under your knees. If you can't adjust your chair to get this pose right, prop a book under your hips or feet for proper alignment.

Trying your best to tune out the distractions around you, close your eyes, and establish smooth breathing from your diaphragm. Notice how your upper abdomen and lower hips expand when you inhale and fall as you exhale. When you feel ready, you can begin the various poses.

1. Seated Twist

One of the best ways to practice yoga at your desk? Start with a simple seated twist.

Start by sitting in your chair with your back against the backrest. As you inhale, lift your arms over your head and as you exhale, twist to your right, placing both hands on the right armrest for support. Sitting in an armless chair? Place your right hand on the seat, behind your pelvis, and place your left hand on your right thigh.

Lengthen your spine with every inhale, allowing your body to stretch deeper into the pose. Hold the pose on each side for up to 60 seconds, and then switch sides.

2. Shoulder Rolls

You know your back tenses, and your fingers feel strained after a day in front of the screen. Yet, did you realize your shoulders and chest also feel this stress?

Shoulder pain at work doesn't have to be a given. Why not do a few simple rolls to wiggle back your range of motion?

As you inhale, draw your shoulders up toward your ears and bring them back down. Then, on the exhale, move them down and forward. Repeat this motion two more times in the same direction, then reverse it.

3. Wide-Legged Forward Bend

Chances are, you've done some version of this yoga pose while looking for that pen or paper clip you dropped! Now, it's time to learn the proper technique.

Starting standing up, move your knees and feet a little wider than hip-distance apart. Rest your hands on your hips. As you exhale, fold forward from the hips, being careful to keep your spine straight. A bend in the knees is a great way to modify the pose if needed.

Hold this pose for a few seconds, then move your hands down your legs. This motion allows your spine to round. If you can, rest your hands on the floor between your feet, but don't sweat if you aren't there yet!

Find your sweet spot and hold the pose for 30 to 60 seconds. Then, release and use your leg and abdominal muscles to pull you back up.

4. Seated Figure Four Pose

This pose is ideal for stretching the deep muscles that surround your hip joints. It feels especially great after a marathon work session where you looked up or walked around for hours!

Begin by resting your outer left ankle on your right thigh. Holding your left ankle with your right hand and placing your left hand on your left knee, release an exhale. As you do, fold forward from your hip joints as far as you comfortably can, remembering to keep a straight spine.

Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, then switch sides.

5. Seated Back Bend Pose

Feeling a little indigestion after that team lunch-and-learn? The fan pose offers a gentle belly stretch and also strengthens your immune system.

Sit at the front edge of your chair, placing your feet on the floor.

Your back should be off the chair, and your spine should be straight, not curved. Lean forward and reach your arms back behind you grabing the back of the chair. Work to keep your elbows as straight as you can.

Pull your shoulder blades back and inhale, noticing how your shoulders relax into the pose. When you're ready, release the pose and sit up straight.

6. Seated Crescent Moon Pose

You might not think about your side body too often, but you'll notice when it gets tight after a long day at the office. Keeping it strong is the key to a healthy and happy neck and shoulders.

Sitting in your desk chair, lift your arms over your head, and place your palms together. Lean to the right, and hold this pose for two to three breaths before switching sides.

7. Stork Pose

Have you ever noticed it's hard to get up out of your chair at the end of a busy workday? That's because your hips tighten and your glutes and hamstrings weaken. So, you rely on your back and even your neck to hoist you into a standing position at closing time.

The standing thigh pose can help!

Stand in front of your desk or chair and hold it for stability. Pressing your feet down into the floor, lift your right knee and hold it with your right hand.

Take a few breaths in this stretch. As you inhale, pull in your abdomen, guide your tailbone toward your heel and lengthen your right knee into the floor. Add a simple balance aspect by lifting your left arm.

Exhale to come out of the pose and switch sides.

8. Wrist and Finger Exercises

Of course, we can't forget to relieve and stretch our most valuable office resources: our fingers, hands, and wrists!

Every two hours, stretch your arms to each side or overhead. Then, draw 5 to 10 circles inward and outward through your wrists. To remove any extra built-up tension, spread your fingers wide and close them into a quick fist, repeating this move five to 10 times.

You can also stretch each arm out before you, alternating inward and outward bends. Use your other hand to counter stretch, and hold each side for five to 10 breaths.

Yoga At Work Made Easy

We know you're busy, and your day is chocked-full of things to do. We also know you care about your health and want to prioritize it, even amid a jam-packed work schedule.

That's what makes these office yoga poses so convenient. In a few seconds, you can help melt away mounting tensions and create a personal oasis that leaves you feeling recharged and ready to tackle anything that comes your way.

If you feel uneasy about doing these poses without an instructor, we're here to help! Yoga Beyond the Studio specializes in yoga for beginners, offering personalized classes to meet you right where you are.

Book Private Yoga At Work

Want to learn other yoga moves you can implement at the office? Book a Yoga at Work class! We also offer private Yoga at Home classes designed around your needs and on your schedule. We'll help you combat that 3 p.m. slump, one stretch at a time!

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Office Yoga: 8 Yoga Poses You Can Do At Work - Yoga Beyond The Studio

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Your work desk holds your family photos, stacks of paperwork, and your mid-afternoon snack stash. Did you know it's also a great spot to practice yoga at work? Office yoga at work is an extremely beneficial way to improve your energy levels, relieve pain in that lower back or those sore shoulders.

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Our body and brain can cope with a short night's sleep occasionally, but when it happens too often-or all the time-we become more than merely tired. Everything we do feels more difficult. We can't think clearly, can't focus properly, and become irritable and anxious.

When we feel tired, we're likely to choose less nutritious foods because we want a quick energy boost, and don't want to waste our limited energy preparing better meals. We're also likely to opt out of exercising due to feeling tired and lethargic. Both these tendencies can lead to deteriorating health as a result of poor nutrition, weight gain and reduced cardiovascular health.

Fortunately, there are a few ways we can encourage our bodies to switch off and slip into sleep at night. One of the most effective is yoga. Yoga's naturally calming movements and soothing techniques help prepare the mind and body for rest, allowing you to drift into a deep sleep effortlessly. Below, we explore the benefits of yoga for sleep and 5 bedtime yoga poses you can practice each night for a nourishing night's rest.

Why we need good sleep

Scientific studies have found poor sleep to be linked to a higher risk for health conditions including obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure , heart disease, stroke and poor mental health. Being short on sleep has been found to have effects on the brain similar to alcohol-we make poor decisions, and are more prone to accidents and injury.

Our bodies perform a lot of repair and maintenance functions while we sleep. This is one of the reasons why people who are ill or have recently had surgery tend to sleep a lot. The brain itself relies on sleep time to consolidate memories. There is also a special housekeeping function in the brain that only occurs during sleep. The brain's version of the detoxifying lymphatic system (called the glymphatic system) activates during sleep and clears toxins and wastes out of the brain tissues and into the bloodstream for removal.

Put simply, the brain takes out the trash while we sleep. Good sleep is perhaps the most effective 'detox' we can practice.

How to Get Better Sleep

It's important to have a range of strategies on hand to help our body and brain get the rest and recovery it needs. While practicing yoga for sleep in bed is a popular way to ease your body into rest, there are many steps you can take to shift towards longer and deeper sleep. Use as many of them as you can and build them into your routine, especially the relaxing bedtime yoga routine we share below. It will help you settle into sleep mode and sleep more deeply.

Start your day with a dose of sunlight. This helps to set your body clock to your sleep schedule, and lower your melatonin production during your waking hours. When your body is primed to recognize bright mornings and dim evenings, it gets better at producing sleep hormones to deliver good sleep at the time you want it.

2. Cut out caffeine before bed

Stop caffeine at least six hours before bedtime. Caffeine may not make you feel alert for that long, but it is still present in your brain, filling up some very important receptors that need to be free for our brain's sleep chemicals to make contact. Remember that there is caffeine in chocolate, green tea and energy drinks as well as regular tea and coffee.

Be physically active during the day, completing more vigorous activities at least four hours before bedtime. Physical activity leads to better sleep; this applies to various yoga styles and other activities like walking or strength training . As bedtime approaches, physical activity should be gentle and relaxing so that your body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate can lower in preparation for sleep. Bedtime yoga includes gentle yoga poses and breathing exercises that shift your mind into rest mode and relaxes the body.

Practice stress management activities regularly. These should be activities that work for you. is an excellent option. Walking or relaxing in nature might suit you better. Meditation and breathing exercises are also effective stress relieving practices that can help you fall into a deep sleep at night.

Stop alcohol at least three hours before bedtime. Alcohol may make you feel drowsy, but it interferes with your sleep cycle. With alcohol on board, you don't get enough REM sleep or deep sleep. These sleep stages are vital for brain health and feeling refreshed after sleep.

6. Avoid bright lights and screens

Light fools your body, lowering production of the hormone melatonin that should be helping you get to sleep. If you can't avoid screens altogether, try using night-time filters on your devices, or buying some blue light blocking glasses.

Benefits of Bedtime Yoga

A comfortable bedtime yoga practice helps to prepare your body and mind for relaxation and rest. Yoga has many positive effects on our physiology , including on the part of our nervous system that shifts us into "rest and digest" mode.

When we are stressed, busy or feel threatened, our sympathetic nervous system activates the protective "flight or fight" mode that makes sleep impossible. We stay alert, ready to deal with the threat-even if the threat is a business meeting happening tomorrow. In order to sleep, we need to change the activity in our nervous system. We need to help our body to understand that there is no immediate threat, and it is safe to rest.

Gentle yoga and slow breathing exercises have consistently been found to be very effective in activating the parasympathetic nervous system. This is how relaxation begins. The parasympathetic nervous system overrides the stress responses and shifts the body into "rest and digest" mode by triggering the body to make relaxing changes like lowering the heart rate and blood pressure. Apart from helping you relax and get a good night's rest, bedtime yoga can also provide the following benefits:

5 Bedtime Yoga Poses for Better Sleep

This bedtime yoga routine will help you gently stretch and relax tense muscles, and shift your body into rest mode by activating the parasympathetic nervous system.

Start by getting ready for bed and turning the lights down. You can practice these yoga poses for sleep in bed, so there is no need to get up and move when the routine is complete. Your gaze should be relaxed, or your eyes may be closed.

1. Half Saddle Pose

1. Lie on your back with your legs straight. You may like to rest your hands on your lower ribs or belly to focus on your breath while resting in each pose.

2. Bend your right knee and draw your right foot upward to rest on the bed to the side of your right hip.

3. Your right thigh should remain alongside your left thigh, but will be rotated inward.

4. Hold the pose for 2-4 minutes.

2. Sleeping Deer Pose

1. While in the Half Saddle Pose described above, lift your left foot and bend at the hip and knee to rest the right knee or lower thigh.

2. Relax the left knee toward the bed.

3. Hold the pose for 2-4 minutes.

3. Eye of the Needle Pose

1. From Sleeping Deer Pose as described above, lift your left foot and place it on the bed, keeping the left knee bent and pointed towards the ceiling.

2. Lift the right foot, turn the knee to the outside, and rest the right ankle on the left thigh close to the knee.

3. Grasp the right thigh or shin, reaching the left hand through the 'eye of the needle' created by the crossed legs.

4. Use your arms to draw the knee towards your chest, creating a gentle stretch.

5. Hold the pose for 2-4 minutes.

4. Cat Pulling its Tail Pose

1. From Eye of the Needle Pose, unwind your legs and roll towards your right side.

2. Create a twist with your hips facing towards the right side, while rolling your shoulders back so your chest faces the ceiling.

3. Tuck your right foot towards your buttocks and grasp it with your left hand.

4. The left leg is bent at hip and knee, with the knee resting on the bed in line with the hips.

5. Your head may be turned towards the left to extend the twist further up the spine.

6. Hold the pose for 2-4 minutes.

5. Sleeping Butterfly Pose

1. From Cat Pulling its Tail Pose, release your foot and come out of the twist by turning your hips to lie on your back.

2. Bend your knees and draw your feet as close to your groin as possible, bringing the soles of your feet together.

3. Hold the pose for 2-4 minutes.

Repeat this sequence of poses on the other side of your body.

Breathing Exercises for Better Sleep

1. Easy Abdominal Breathing

Relax in a comfortable sitting position and observe the flow of your breath.

Your breath should fill your lungs and cause your belly to expand and contract.

Gently slow down and deepen your breath so you are inhaling to a count of four, and exhaling to a count of four.

This count should feel comfortable. If it isn't, adjust your count to a rate that suits your body.

2. Niyantrit Shwas (Regulated Abdominal Breathing)

This breathing exercise involves more control than the easy breathing and focuses on lengthening the exhalation time. This helps to slow the heart rate and shift the body further into resting mode.

Sit in a comfortable position.

Place both hands on your knees in Chin Mudra.

Breathe in gently and with control for a count of four.

Breathe out gently and with control for a count of eight.

Adjust your count if necessary, but keep it slow and maintain the ratio (the exhale is twice the length of the inhale).

Complete eight to twelve rounds of Regulated Abdominal Breathing (Niyantrit Shwas).

Time to Sleep

Once you have completed this bedtime yoga routine, s lowly and gently shift into your preferred sleeping position. Observe your slow, natural breath. Consciously relax your body. You may know of areas you hold tension, such as your shoulders or the muscles around your eyes. Ensure all these areas are relaxed, and allow yourself to drift into sleep. Practice this gentle yoga sequence in bed each night and notice as your sleep quality, physical health and emotional well-being improve.

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Benefits Of Bedtime Yoga + 5 Poses For Better Sleep

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Good sleep is vital. This bedtime yoga for sleep routine will prepare your body and mind for bed and boost your energy, health and well-being.

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Our body and brain can cope with a short night's sleep occasionally, but when it happens too often-or all the time-we become more than merely tired. Everything we do feels more difficult. We can't think clearly, can't focus properly, and become irritable and anxious.

When we feel tired, we're likely to choose less nutritious foods because we want a quick energy boost, and don't want to waste our limited energy preparing better meals. We're also likely to opt out of exercising due to feeling tired and lethargic. Both these tendencies can lead to deteriorating health as a result of poor nutrition, weight gain and reduced cardiovascular health.

Fortunately, there are a few ways we can encourage our bodies to switch off and slip into sleep at night. One of the most effective is yoga. Yoga's naturally calming movements and soothing techniques help prepare the mind and body for rest, allowing you to drift into a deep sleep effortlessly. Below, we explore the benefits of yoga for sleep and 5 bedtime yoga poses you can practice each night for a nourishing night's rest.

Why we need good sleep

Scientific studies have found poor sleep to be linked to a higher risk for health conditions including obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure , heart disease, stroke and poor mental health. Being short on sleep has been found to have effects on the brain similar to alcohol-we make poor decisions, and are more prone to accidents and injury.

Our bodies perform a lot of repair and maintenance functions while we sleep. This is one of the reasons why people who are ill or have recently had surgery tend to sleep a lot. The brain itself relies on sleep time to consolidate memories. There is also a special housekeeping function in the brain that only occurs during sleep. The brain's version of the detoxifying lymphatic system (called the glymphatic system) activates during sleep and clears toxins and wastes out of the brain tissues and into the bloodstream for removal.

Put simply, the brain takes out the trash while we sleep. Good sleep is perhaps the most effective 'detox' we can practice.

How to Get Better Sleep

It's important to have a range of strategies on hand to help our body and brain get the rest and recovery it needs. While practicing yoga for sleep in bed is a popular way to ease your body into rest, there are many steps you can take to shift towards longer and deeper sleep. Use as many of them as you can and build them into your routine, especially the relaxing bedtime yoga routine we share below. It will help you settle into sleep mode and sleep more deeply.

Start your day with a dose of sunlight. This helps to set your body clock to your sleep schedule, and lower your melatonin production during your waking hours. When your body is primed to recognize bright mornings and dim evenings, it gets better at producing sleep hormones to deliver good sleep at the time you want it.

2. Cut out caffeine before bed

Stop caffeine at least six hours before bedtime. Caffeine may not make you feel alert for that long, but it is still present in your brain, filling up some very important receptors that need to be free for our brain's sleep chemicals to make contact. Remember that there is caffeine in chocolate, green tea and energy drinks as well as regular tea and coffee.

Be physically active during the day, completing more vigorous activities at least four hours before bedtime. Physical activity leads to better sleep; this applies to various yoga styles and other activities like walking or strength training . As bedtime approaches, physical activity should be gentle and relaxing so that your body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate can lower in preparation for sleep. Bedtime yoga includes gentle yoga poses and breathing exercises that shift your mind into rest mode and relaxes the body.

Practice stress management activities regularly. These should be activities that work for you. is an excellent option. Walking or relaxing in nature might suit you better. Meditation and breathing exercises are also effective stress relieving practices that can help you fall into a deep sleep at night.

Stop alcohol at least three hours before bedtime. Alcohol may make you feel drowsy, but it interferes with your sleep cycle. With alcohol on board, you don't get enough REM sleep or deep sleep. These sleep stages are vital for brain health and feeling refreshed after sleep.

6. Avoid bright lights and screens

Light fools your body, lowering production of the hormone melatonin that should be helping you get to sleep. If you can't avoid screens altogether, try using night-time filters on your devices, or buying some blue light blocking glasses.

Benefits of Bedtime Yoga

A comfortable bedtime yoga practice helps to prepare your body and mind for relaxation and rest. Yoga has many positive effects on our physiology , including on the part of our nervous system that shifts us into "rest and digest" mode.

When we are stressed, busy or feel threatened, our sympathetic nervous system activates the protective "flight or fight" mode that makes sleep impossible. We stay alert, ready to deal with the threat-even if the threat is a business meeting happening tomorrow. In order to sleep, we need to change the activity in our nervous system. We need to help our body to understand that there is no immediate threat, and it is safe to rest.

Gentle yoga and slow breathing exercises have consistently been found to be very effective in activating the parasympathetic nervous system. This is how relaxation begins. The parasympathetic nervous system overrides the stress responses and shifts the body into "rest and digest" mode by triggering the body to make relaxing changes like lowering the heart rate and blood pressure. Apart from helping you relax and get a good night's rest, bedtime yoga can also provide the following benefits:

5 Bedtime Yoga Poses for Better Sleep

This bedtime yoga routine will help you gently stretch and relax tense muscles, and shift your body into rest mode by activating the parasympathetic nervous system.

Start by getting ready for bed and turning the lights down. You can practice these yoga poses for sleep in bed, so there is no need to get up and move when the routine is complete. Your gaze should be relaxed, or your eyes may be closed.

1. Half Saddle Pose

1. Lie on your back with your legs straight. You may like to rest your hands on your lower ribs or belly to focus on your breath while resting in each pose.

2. Bend your right knee and draw your right foot upward to rest on the bed to the side of your right hip.

3. Your right thigh should remain alongside your left thigh, but will be rotated inward.

4. Hold the pose for 2-4 minutes.

2. Sleeping Deer Pose

1. While in the Half Saddle Pose described above, lift your left foot and bend at the hip and knee to rest the right knee or lower thigh.

2. Relax the left knee toward the bed.

3. Hold the pose for 2-4 minutes.

3. Eye of the Needle Pose

1. From Sleeping Deer Pose as described above, lift your left foot and place it on the bed, keeping the left knee bent and pointed towards the ceiling.

2. Lift the right foot, turn the knee to the outside, and rest the right ankle on the left thigh close to the knee.

3. Grasp the right thigh or shin, reaching the left hand through the 'eye of the needle' created by the crossed legs.

4. Use your arms to draw the knee towards your chest, creating a gentle stretch.

5. Hold the pose for 2-4 minutes.

4. Cat Pulling its Tail Pose

1. From Eye of the Needle Pose, unwind your legs and roll towards your right side.

2. Create a twist with your hips facing towards the right side, while rolling your shoulders back so your chest faces the ceiling.

3. Tuck your right foot towards your buttocks and grasp it with your left hand.

4. The left leg is bent at hip and knee, with the knee resting on the bed in line with the hips.

5. Your head may be turned towards the left to extend the twist further up the spine.

6. Hold the pose for 2-4 minutes.

5. Sleeping Butterfly Pose

1. From Cat Pulling its Tail Pose, release your foot and come out of the twist by turning your hips to lie on your back.

2. Bend your knees and draw your feet as close to your groin as possible, bringing the soles of your feet together.

3. Hold the pose for 2-4 minutes.

Repeat this sequence of poses on the other side of your body.

Breathing Exercises for Better Sleep

1. Easy Abdominal Breathing

Relax in a comfortable sitting position and observe the flow of your breath.

Your breath should fill your lungs and cause your belly to expand and contract.

Gently slow down and deepen your breath so you are inhaling to a count of four, and exhaling to a count of four.

This count should feel comfortable. If it isn't, adjust your count to a rate that suits your body.

2. Niyantrit Shwas (Regulated Abdominal Breathing)

This breathing exercise involves more control than the easy breathing and focuses on lengthening the exhalation time. This helps to slow the heart rate and shift the body further into resting mode.

Sit in a comfortable position.

Place both hands on your knees in Chin Mudra.

Breathe in gently and with control for a count of four.

Breathe out gently and with control for a count of eight.

Adjust your count if necessary, but keep it slow and maintain the ratio (the exhale is twice the length of the inhale).

Complete eight to twelve rounds of Regulated Abdominal Breathing (Niyantrit Shwas).

Time to Sleep

Once you have completed this bedtime yoga routine, s lowly and gently shift into your preferred sleeping position. Observe your slow, natural breath. Consciously relax your body. You may know of areas you hold tension, such as your shoulders or the muscles around your eyes. Ensure all these areas are relaxed, and allow yourself to drift into sleep. Practice this gentle yoga sequence in bed each night and notice as your sleep quality, physical health and emotional well-being improve.

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Benefits Of Bedtime Yoga + 5 Poses For Better Sleep

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Good sleep is vital. This bedtime yoga for sleep routine will prepare your body and mind for bed and boost your energy, health and well-being.

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METTA MEDITATION

The practice of Metta meditation is a beautiful support to other awareness practices. One recites specific words and phrases evoking a "boundless warm-hearted feeling." The strength of this feeling is not limited to or by family, religion, or social class. We begin with our self and gradually extend the wish for well-being happiness to all beings.

There are different descriptions of the practice. The following is a basic set of instructions from the book "The Issue at Hand" by Gil Fronsdal written as a gift to the community. It is freely given.

Brief Instructions for Loving-Kindness Meditation

To practice loving-kindness meditation, sit in a comfortable and relaxed manner. Take two or three deep breaths with slow, long and complete exhalations. Let go of any concerns or preoccupations. For a few minutes, feel or imagine the breath moving through the center of your chest - in the area of your heart.

Metta is first practiced toward oneself, since we often have difficulty loving others without first loving ourselves. Sitting quietly, mentally repeat, slowly and steadily, the following or similar phrases:

May I be happy. May I be well. May I be safe. May I be peaceful and at ease.

While you say these phrases, allow yourself to sink into the intentions they express. Loving-kindness meditation consists primarily of connecting to the intention of wishing ourselves or others happiness. However, if feelings of warmth, friendliness, or love arise in the body or mind, connect to them, allowing them to grow as you repeat the phrases. As an aid to the meditation, you might hold an image of yourself in your mind's eye. This helps reinforce the intentions expressed in the phrases.

After a period of directing loving-kindness toward yourself, bring to mind a friend or someone in your life who has deeply cared for you. Then slowly repeat phrases of loving-kindness toward them:

May you be happy. May you be well. May you be safe. May you be peaceful and at ease.

As you say these phrases, again sink into their intention or heartfelt meaning. And, if any feelings of loving-kindness arise, connect the feelings with the phrases so that the feelings may become stronger as you repeat the words.

As you continue the meditation, you can bring to mind other friends, neighbors, acquaintances, strangers, animals, and finally people with whom you have difficulty. You can either use the same phrases, repeating them again and again, or make up phrases that better represent the loving-kindness you feel toward these beings. In addition to simple and perhaps personal and creative forms of metta practice, there is a classic and systematic approach to metta as an intensive meditation practice. Because the classic meditation is fairly elaborate, it is usually undertaken during periods of intensive metta practice on retreat.

Sometimes during loving-kindness meditation, seemingly opposite feelings such as anger, grief, or sadness may arise. Take these to be signs that your heart is softening, revealing what is held there. You can either shift to mindfulness practice or you can-with whatever patience, acceptance, and kindness you can muster for such feelings-direct loving-kindness toward them. Above all, remember that there is no need to judge yourself for having these feelings.

Excerpts gratefully reprinted from the book The Issue at Hand by Gil Fronsdal, guiding teacher of Insight Meditation Center. Click here to view full text or download a PDF format.

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Founded by Frank Ostaseski, Metta Institute is a catalyst for individual and cultural change. Inspired by Buddhist tradition, they offer educational programs integrating the spiritual dimensions of living, dying and transformation.

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Radical Act of Love: Loving-Kindness Meditation

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Radical Act of Love: Loving-Kindness Meditation

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As the pace of our lives continues to accelerate, driven by a host of forces seemingly beyond our control, more and more of us are finding ourselves drawn to engage in loving-kindness meditation, in this radical act of being. We are moving in the direction of meditative awareness for many reasons, not the least of which may be to maintain our individual and collective sanity, or recover our perspective and sense of meaning, or simply to deal with the outrageous stress and insecurity of this age.

By stopping and intentionally falling awake to how things are in this moment, purposefully, without succumbing to our own reactions and judgments, and by working wisely with such occurrences with a healthy dose of self-compassion when we do succumb, and by our willingness to take up residency for a time in the present moment in spite of all our plans and activities aimed at getting somewhere else, completing a project or pursuing desired objects or goals, we discover that such an act is both immensely, discouragingly difficult and yet utterly simple, profound, hugely possible after all, and restorative of mind and body, soul and spirit right in that moment. It is indeed a radical act of love just to sit down and be quiet for a time by yourself.

Formal loving-kindness meditation can function to soften one's relationship to overwhelmingly afflictive mind states, so that we can avoid succumbing completely to their energies. It makes them more approachable and it makes them less intractable.

Loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity are rigorous meditation practices, used for the most part to cultivate one-pointed concentrated attention, out of which the powers of these evoked qualities emerge, transfiguring the heart. Just naming these qualities of heart explicitly and making their role explicit in our practice may help us to recognize them when they arise spontaneously during mindfulness practice. As well as to incline the heart and mind in that direction more frequently, especially in difficult times.

These practices, and in particular loving-kindness meditation, can often serve very practically as a necessary and skillful antidote to mind states such as ferocious rage, which may, at the time of their arising, be simply too strong to attend to via direct observation unless ones practice is very developed. At such times formal loving-kindness meditation can function to soften one's relationship to such overwhelmingly afflictive mind states, so that we can avoid succumbing completely to their energies. It makes them more approachable and it makes them less intractable.

But with practice direct observation itself, on its own, becomes the embodiment of loving-kindness and compassion all by itself, and is capable of embracing any mind state, however afflictive are toxic. And in the seeing of it and the knowing of it-in open-hearted non-reactive, nonjudgmental presence-we can see into the nature of the anger or grief for whatever it is. And in the seeing, in the embracing of it, in the knowing of it, as we have seen, it attenuates, weakens, evaporates, very much like touching a soap bubble or like writing on water. What emerges in such moments is nothing less than loving-kindness itself arising naturally from extended silence, without any invitation because it's never not already here.

A 40-Minute Loving-Kindness Meditation

1. In a dignified sitting posture or lying down, whatever you prefer, bring your awareness to the breath and the body as a whole. Breathe and rest here, establishing a relatively stable platform of moment-to-moment awareness, riding on the waves of the breath.

2. When you feel comfortable resting with the flow of your breathing, picture someone in your life who loves you, or who loved you unconditionally. Evoking and giving yourself over to feeling the qualities of the selfless love and kindness they accord you, or accorded you, and the whole aura or field of their love for you-right here right now breathing with these feelings, bathing in them, resting in the warmth and radiance of their heartfelt embracing of you just as you are. Or drinking in the experience that you are unequivocally and unconditionally loved and accepted as you are-without having to be different, without having to be worthy of their love, without having to be particularly deserving.

In fact, you may not feel particularly worthy or deserving. That does not matter. It is in fact irrelevant. The relevant fact is that you were or are loved. Their love is for you, just as you are. For who you are now, already, and perhaps always have been. Allowing your own heart to bask in these feelings, to be cradled in them, entrained into them. To be rocked moment by moment in the swinging rhythmic beating of the loving heart of another. And in the cadences of your own breathing, allowing your heart to be held and bathed in this way, by the warmth of this radiant pulsing field of loving-kindness meditation.

3. If you encounter some difficulty in bringing to mind or conjuring up such a person from memory in this moment, then see if you can imagine someone treating you in that way. And imagine with great vividness the feelings of love and kindness and regard. And that can actually serve equally well in this practice.

4. Whenever you feel ready, see if you can become the source as well as the object of these same feelings. In other words, take on these feelings for yourself as if they were your own rather than those of another. Lingering as best you can with the rhythmic beating of your own heart. Cradling in your own heart these feelings of love and acceptance and kindness for yourself beyond judgment of any kind. Just basking in feelings of loving kindness akin to the all-loving embrace of a mother for her child-Where you are simultaneously both the mother and the child. Resting here in these feelings as best you can, from moment to moment. Bathing in your own kind regard. Your own complete acceptance of yourself as you are right here in this very moment. Letting this feeling be self-sustaining, natural, in no way forced or coerced.

Rest in Loving-Kindness Meditation

5. In resting here in this field of loving-kindness, this embrace of loving-kindness, you may find it useful to whisper to yourself the following phrases, or hear them being whispered to you by the wind, by the air, by your breath, by the world, or even asserted more strongly with great feeling: May I be safe and protected and free from inner and outer harm. May I be happy and contented. May I be healthy and whole to whatever degree possible. May I experience ease of well-being.

6. Gently at your own pace, over and over, inwardly whispering, inwardly hearing, feeling, sensing, affirming: May I be safe and protected and free from inner and outer harm. May I be happy and contented. May I be healthy and whole to whatever degree possible. May I experience ease of well-being.

May I be safe and protected and free from inner and outer harm. May I be happy and contented. May I be healthy and whole to whatever degree possible. May I experience ease of well-being.

7. At first, it may feel artificial to be saying such things to yourself or even thinking about them. After all, who is this "I" who is wishing this? And who is the "I" who's receiving these wishes? Ultimately, both vanish into the feeling of being safe and free from harm in this moment, into the feeling of being contented and happy in this moment, the feeling of being whole in this moment, since you already are whole. The feeling of resting in ease of well-being far from the dis-ease and fragmentation we endure so much of the time. This feeling, this very feeling, is the essence of loving-kindness.

But, you might object, if this is a selfless practice, why am I focusing on myself? On my own feelings of safety and well-being? On my own happiness?

8. But, you might object. If this is a selfless practice, why am I focusing on myself? On my own feelings of safety and well-being? On my own happiness? One response would be: because you are not separate from the universe that gave rise to you and so are as worthy an object of loving-kindness as anything else or anyone else. Your loving-kindness cannot be either loving or kind if it does not include yourself. But at the same time you don't need to worry. It's not limited to yourself. Because the field of loving-kindness is limitless. If you like, you can think of the loving-kindness meditation, as we've been engaging it up to this point, on a relative level at least, as tuning your instrument before you play it out in the world. In this case, tuning the instrument is itself a huge act of love and kindness not a means to an end.

9. Once you have established a fairly stable field of loving-kindness around yourself and have lingered here for a time in the feeling of being held and cradled and rocked in its embrace, you can intentionally expand the field of the heart just as we sometimes expand the field of awareness in the mindfulness practice. We can expand the field of loving-kindness around our own heart and our own being, inviting other beings either singly or en masse into this growing embrace. This is not always so easy to do. And so it's helpful to start with one person for whom you naturally harbor feelings of loving-kindness, and only if you care to explore it. Otherwise, you can simply keep embracing yourself as the recipient of your own love and kindness, either using the phrases we are already using or modifying them to suit yourself.

Open Your Heart

10. So, if you are open to expanding the field of loving-kindness out from your own heart and your own body and your own being, in your mind's eye and in your heart, evoking for now the feeling or image of an individual, a person for whom you have great affection, someone you were close to emotionally. Can you hold this person in your heart with the same quality of loving-kindness that you have been directing towards yourself? Whether it is a child or a parent, a brother or a sister, a grandparent or other relative near or distant, a close friend or a cherished neighbor, singly or together. Breathing with them or him or her in your heart. Holding them in your heart. Imagining them in your heart as best you can. Because, just to let you know, this practice is so intrinsically powerful that none of the imaging of yourself or others needs to be very vivid for it to be hugely effective. And wishing them well: May she, he, they be safe and protected and free from inner and outer harm. May she, he, they be happy and contented. May she, he, they be healthy and whole to whatever degree possible. May she, he, they experience ease of well-being.

Linger, moment by moment, in the field of loving-kindness within your own heart. With these phrases as you voice them silently to yourself, and even more with the feeling behind them. Repeating them in order over and over, not mechanically, not like a mantra, but mindfully with full awareness, knowing what you're saying. Feeling the intention behind the feeling, the intention and feeling behind each phrase. May she, he, they be safe and protected and free from inner and outer harm. May she, he, they be happy and contented. May she, he, or they be healthy and whole to whatever degree possible. May she, he, or they experience ease of well-being.

11. Here, whenever you're ready, if you care to, you can invite into the field of the loving heart, those for whom your relationship is more neutral, or even people you don't know at all, or who you have only heard of secondhand friends of your friends for instance. And again, cradling him, her, or them in your heart, wishing them well: May she, he, or they be safe and protected and free from inner and outer harm. May she, he, or they be happy and contented. May she, he, or they be healthy and whole to whatever degree possible. May she, he, or they experience ease of well-being.

If you find the mind wandering or you find yourself struggling at a certain point, just as in the cultivation of mindfulness, just notice what's going on in the mind.

12. If you find the mind wandering or you find yourself struggling at a certain point, just notice what's going on in the mind. Perhaps feeling the sense of struggling in maybe even maintaining your focus or your concentration. And simply, over and over again, including yourself in the field of loving-kindness and coming back to the phrases whispered, spoken inwardly to yourself, resting in the feeling radiating out of those phrases, and underneath that, out of your heart. Moment by moment by moment, with whoever it is, singly or together, to whom you're sending loving-kindness.

13. And from here, if you care to, you can once again expand the field of awareness to include one or more individuals who are actually problematic for you in one way or another, with whom you share a difficult past, perhaps. Who may have harmed you in one way or another who for whatever reason you consider to be more of an adversary or an obstacle than a friend. This does not mean that you are being asked to forgive them for what they may have done to hurt you, or to cause you or others harm. You are simply recognizing that they too are human beings, that they too have aspirations, that they too, in all likelihood, desire to be happy and safe.

14. So, as best you can, and only to the degree that you feel ready for it, or at least open to experimenting with it, extending loving-kindness to them as well, for all the difficulties and problems lying between you: May she, he, or they be safe and protected and free from inner and outer harm. May she, he, or they be happy and contented. May she, he or they be healthy and whole to whatever degree possible. May she, he or they experience ease of well-being.

Just as with the cultivation of mindfulness, where we can rest with one object of attention or expand the field to include varying levels of objects of attention, so in this loving-kindness meditation we can linger for days, weeks, months, or years at differing levels of the practice, all of which are equally valid and equally healing, and all of which ultimately include each other.

Turn Your Attention Inward for a Moment

15. So, if you wish to cultivate loving-kindness and direct it only toward yourself now, in this period of practice, that is perfectly fine and you can just keep and sustain that dimension of the loving-kindness meditation underneath my voice and what I'm saying. Or if you care to direct loving-kindness only toward those who you know and love, or even one person over and over again, that is just fine too. Any level at all at which you care to cultivate and direct loving-kindness is fine, is perfect. And ultimately embodies all the others anyway. For, over time, it's likely (since your own capacity for loving, whether you know it or not, is infinite; that is simply the nature of love, that it's limitless and therefore actually an infinite supply) that you may find yourself naturally drawn to invite more and more beings into the field of loving-kindness radiating from your own heart and your own being in all directions, inwardly and outwardly. Or you may find that at times they just slip in, unbidden somehow. This is interesting to note. If you are not consciously inviting them in, how come they are showing up anyway? And how are they getting in? Hmmmm... Maybe your heart is bigger and wiser than you think?

16. In the spirit of the boundlessness of the heart and of love itself, we can expand the field of loving-kindness even further to include our neighbors and neighborhood, our community, our state, our country, the entire world if you will. You can include your pets, all animal life, all plant life, all life, the entire biosphere, all sentient beings. You can also get very specific and include specific people, even political leaders in the field of your loving-kindness. Difficult as that may be if you differ strongly with them and find yourself judging them and even their basic humanity harshly. All the more reason for including them. Being human, they are worthy of loving-kindness and perhaps will respond to it by softening in ways your mind cannot possibly imagine. And perhaps the same goes for you as well.

You can also specifically include in the field of loving-kindness of those less fortunate than yourself who are exploited at work or at home. All those who are imprisoned justly or unjustly. All those who are at the mercy of their enemies. All those who are hospitalized or sick or dying. All those who are caught up in chaos, who are living in fear, who are suffering in any way shape or form. Whatever brought them to this point in their lives, just as we do, they all want to experience ease of well-being rather than dis-ease and fragmentation, just as we do. They all want to be happy and contented. They all desire to be whole and healthy. They all desire to be safe and free from harm.

So we recognize this way in which we are all united in our common aspiration to be happy and not to suffer and we wish them well: May all beings, near and far, be safe and protected and free from inner and outer harm. May all beings, near and far, be happy and contented. May all beings, near and far, be healthy and whole to whatever degree possible. May all beings, near and far, experience ease of well-being.

May all beings, near and far, be safe and protected and free from inner and outer harm. May all beings, near and far, be happy and contented. May all beings, near and far, be healthy and whole to whatever degree possible. And man all beings, near and far, experience ease of well-being.

17. And it need not stop here. Why not include the entire Earth in the field of loving-kindness? Why not embrace the very earth that is our home? That is an organism in its own right, that is in a sense one body, a body that can be thrown off balance by her own actions, conscious and unconscious, in ways that create huge threats to the life it nurtures and to the intelligences embedded within all aspects of that life, animal and plant and mineral that interacts so seamlessly in the natural world. And so we can expand the field of the loving heart even further the field of our loving kindness.

Once again, to include this time the planet as a whole and out beyond that the entirety of the universe in which our Earth is merely an atom and we, not even a quark.

May our planet and the whole universe be safe and protected and free from inner and outer harm. May our planet and the whole universe be happy and contented. May this planet and the universe be healthy and whole. May our planet and the whole universe experience ease of well-being. May our planet and the whole universe be safe and protected and free from inner and outer harm. May our planet and the whole universe be happy and content. Make our planet and the whole universe be healthy and whole. May our planet and the whole universe experience ease of well-being.

18. So, in the final moments of our time together, rest here in the radiance and luminosity of your own intrinsic beauty, your own intrinsic love, your own intrinsic kindness. Whether you are using words or not, at whatever level you choose or intuitively you are drawn to. Radiating loving-kindness inwardly and outwardly near and far. And as this formal period of practicing together comes to an end, with the sound of the bells, affirm inwardly that this practice can be nourished on a regular basis if you are drawn to keep it alive and vibrant. Just as can all the other practices we have been engaging in together and affirming for yourself and for others, if you like, the old Navajo saying, which I extend to you now: May you walk in beauty. May you and all beings near and far walk in beauty.
The above is adapted from Jon Kabat-Zinn's Guided Mindfulness Meditation Series 3, available . This guided loving-kindness meditation is designed to accompany Jon Kabat-Zinn's book The Healing Power of Mindfulness and the other three volumes based on Coming to Our Senses.

When he started MBSR, Jon Kabat-Zinn didn't have a detailed plan-just passion and an inkling that lots of good would come of it. He recently spoke with Mindful about his new MasterClass and shared insights on mindfulness and meditation. Read More

Loving-kindness is not a mystical quality reserved for sages and saints. In fact, you likely already experience it often. With practice, you can learn to recognize loving-kindness in yourself and others. Read More

Explore these simple practices to embrace self-compassion, send love to the people you hold dear, and open your heart. Read More

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This Loving-Kindness Meditation is a Radical Act of Love

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Jon Kabat-Zinn leads a loving kindness meditation for deep healing. Follow this practice to soften states of rage that are difficult to face.

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Key points

Listen to your body and give it exactly what it needs, including rest and nourishment.

Allow yourself to really experience your emotions, even difficult ones.

Express yourself creatively, and spend time on the activities you care about.

Be patient and forgiving to yourself, and set boundaries where you need them.

Imagine if you have to spend the next 60 years stuck in an unbreakable relationship. You have to go everywhere together, do everything together, and experience life's every joy and pain together. Would you rather this be a person you love, someone who also loves you? Or would you rather it be a just-tolerable neighbor you're stuck tolerating forever?

Now the twist: This person is yourself. After all, you have to spend every day with you, for the rest of your life. You can either put up with yourself, occasionally being at odds or maybe even frequently irritated with this anchor. You could be dismissive towards yourself or even put yourself down, sowing doubt in your dreams or sabotaging your efforts to grow.

Or you could be kind and empathetic and gentle. If given the choice, which relationship would you rather be in? And if it's the loving one, how can you go about cultivating that love? Let's explore a few good places to begin:

1. Listen to your body.

Our bodies are our most valuable asset. Without them, we can't enjoy good food, smell flowers, learn new skills, fall in love, challenge our assumptions, hug our families; and bodies are precious because they're irreplaceable. But we often go around using our bodies as tools, pushing them as hard as they'll go. I know I'm certainly guilty of often not paying attention to my body until something goes wrong.

What happens if we pay more attention to our body's needs? We would rest during our busy days and give ourselves the best chance for quality sleep at night. We would eat more nourishing food, spend more time in nature, and probably stretch more often. Exactly what your body needs only you know. And if you really listen, you'll begin to rekindle a loving relationship with it.

2. Give yourself permission to feel.

Emotions are never inherently good or bad. They're simply natural reactions we have to situations, and often the best tools our brains have for communicating danger, injustice, connection, desire, and need. If we label emotions as "bad," we pile on shame and guilt and frustration simply for being human. If we allow and appreciate our emotions, instead, we'd have greater self-awareness and self-compassion.

Next time you feel anxious, or furious, or desperate, don't automatically shut your emotions down and try to create "positive vibes only." Ask yourself, instead, what this emotion tells you about your current situation. You may find that there's sorrow hiding under the anger, or confusion behind that frustration. These can be valuable clues about what your next steps should be. You may choose not to act out what the hot emotion wants you to do (e.g., you don't have to punch a wall just because you feel angry) but at least you are on the same page with yourself instead of fighting both your own feelings and the difficult situation.

3. Express yourself, gain mastery.

Humans are restless, creative creatures. We simply need to express ourselves. You may not think of yourself as creative because you've never taken painting lessons or been confident with a piano, but not all creativity fits into the box of traditional arts. Maybe you're the dinner party comedian who cracks people up. Or you've always got the best Halloween costume. There might be an incredible wine sommelier living within you if only you'd turn your appreciation into effort. Perhaps your dream is to run a marathon on every continent.

One of the greatest ways you can love yourself is to give yourself the satisfaction of mastery and freedom of expression. Dig into something you care about and give yourself the permission to fail.

4. Forgive yourself, and be patient.

Of course, when we give ourselves the chance to explore new things, we also risk failing and making mistakes. Sometimes the consequences of these mistakes are severe. They uproot our relationships with people we love, change the direction of our financial or physical health, make us question our own moral integrity.

Shame and guilt can really sting, but there's a good reason for that. For us social animals with moral brains, these self-conscious emotions hold us accountable to ourselves and to each other. But they're not as helpful when they linger and fester; it's hard to make true amends or grow from your mistakes when you're weighed down by self-hatred.

How do you forgive yourself? Start by fully taking responsibility for your role in whatever mistake you made, and also letting go of the parts that were not your responsibility. Be realistic about this. Then, acknowledge why you did what you did-perhaps in a moment of impulsive defensiveness, you undermined a colleague in front of your boss without considering how much your words would affect their position in the company. Maybe you were feeling so low about yourself and your relationship that you took comfort in someone in a way that betrayed your partner. These are not excuses for your mistakes. They are honest acknowledgments that will help you to understand what happened so you can begin to make things right.

Last but not least, be patient. Just as it takes time to forgive someone else, it takes time to forgive yourself, too. Actively show yourself compassion and take actions to make amends; don't punish yourself, because I bet you don't need more reminders about the weight in your stomach.

5. Set boundaries and be your own best advocate.

Loving yourself means valuing yourself. When you value someone, you respect and advocate for them instead of taking advantage of them. Often, we're good at valuing other people, but stumble when it comes to ourselves. For example, we could be riled up on behalf of a friend who deserves a pay raise but make excuses to procrastinate negotiating our own salary. Maybe we'd never think to drop a pile of paperwork unannounced at a coworker's desk and beg them into doing us yet another favor, but when a colleague does this to us, we have a hard time saying, "No."

What are we telling ourselves? We don't think we deserve respect. How can you love and treasure someone if you don't even respect them?

Set boundaries for yourself, even with your closest family and friends. Stick to them kindly but firmly. Practice assertive communication skills often. Practice saying "no" to unreasonable requests in the mirror. Practice asking for what you need in the mirror, too, whether it's a salary commensurate with your expertise or your partner's acknowledgment of a past hurt. When it feels tough, pretend you're standing up for your best friend.
LinkedIn and Facebook image: Kichigin/Shutterstock

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5 Ways to Develop Self-Love, and Why You Need To

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The most important relationship you have in life is the one with yourself.

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Having a Self-Relationship: 9 Ways to Make it Healthy

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Developing a healthy relationship with yourself can improve every aspect of your life.

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Your relationship with yourself is arguably the most important relationship in life. Self-relationship is the foundation of everything else-even altruism. It's easy to identify pathological aspects of self-relatedness-negative narcissism, overwhelming shame about ourselves, overly solipsistic perspectives, an inability to relate to and empathize with others, and so on. It is likewise easy to identify traits which we associate with others being in a good place, having their act together, showing good interpersonal skills, appearing successful by conventional definitions, and so on. It's easy to take things for granted-even being able to focus on oneself in such a way is a marker of being very fortunate in the first place.

One's relationship with oneself is crucial to proper development. It's about healthy self-love. We learn so much from key figures-parents, siblings, family, peers, and other adults-about how to relate with oneself. What is good, and what is bad-what pleases them, and what they clearly don't like. Early in development, relationships with others shape the relationship with oneself. There are intrinsic tendencies about the relationship with oneself as well. As we grow up, the way we are treated by others, and the way those others deal with themselves, serve as important factors influencing how we address ourselves as adults.

They say that, if we have parents who find a good-enough balance for how they meet their own needs with the demands of their children, then presumably the kids will have a better chance of growing up to have a similarly healthy balance. Neither will they overly sacrifice their own aspirations and energy to child-rearing, nor will they fall into the trap of being neglectful as a result of pursuing their own activities. Further, the way that parents balance these self-other needs in coordination with one another is a key model for kids, who see if they share the responsibilities well, given their individual proclivities-or whether there is negative conflict from feelings about one person not being around enough, and the other person getting stuck with all the work to the point where they don't have enough time or headspace for themselves.
Going beyond self-care
However, I believe in spite of all the talk about self-care and self-compassion, mindfulness meditation, self-help, and related familiar subjects, it has been hard to pin down what it really means, and what it really takes, to develop and sustain a good relationship with yourself. Having a really good relationship with myself means that, while I know that I need other people in many ways, by adulthood my relationship with myself has become crucial in making the most of my remaining years. I want to move toward a secure self- attachment.

For me, what it means to have a good relationship with myself is to aim for being a very good friend to myself (not my "best friend," though it sounds nice to say "Be your own best friend"). In addition to being very good friends, which I see as primary (though others may have a different set of priorities, or it may shift), I think we serve in many roles to ourselves-parent, sibling, child, mentor, and in more intimate ways. Without thinking especially of sexual intimacy, it is fair to say that one's relationship with oneself is the most intimate relationship a person ever has.

After all, of all the seven-plus billion people on the planet, I am the only person about whom I have firsthand experience and any chance of direct access to my inner world. Sure, we can be so close to other people as to practically know what they are thinking-which is great-but we are unique to ourselves among all other human beings in this one respect. And on top of it, we know the same thing is true for all other people (and any other sentient beings we may encounter).

It's funny-if we get married, we usually vow to provide for the other person in all the important ways. It's a formal, legally binding contract. But do we ever take such a vow with ourselves, to promise to take care of ourselves to the best of our ability, no matter what?
How can I have a good relationship with myself?
This is a list of what I've come up with at this point in time. A lot of it will be familiar, and a lot of it bears repeating. It can be easy to drop repetitive things, even when they are good for us, because it gets humdrum. Hopefully, some of this is a new perspective in an important way.

1. Set intention and cultivate awareness. Set the overarching goal, over a span of years, to keep moving toward a good relationship with yourself, with the understanding that what this entails will change over the years.

2. Plan for the short, middle, and long term. As part of being thoughtful regarding cultivating a great relationship with oneself, it is important to set priorities for different time frames. Having realistic goals, and setting milestones and steps for each goal, are proven ways to stay on the right track. Realize that motivation in the short term is often based on reward (for example, feeling great you started a new class you've always wanted to take), but over the longer haul, motivation becomes less exciting, and more about maintaining habits and avoiding dropping new behaviors. Therefore, blending novelty with long-term satisfaction is a good general recipe. The long-term rewards are an investment which comes due down the road-often just when you need them-but it can be easy to focus too much on immediate gratification.

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3. Adopt an attitude of curiosity and acceptance. Recognize that change is inevitable, and generally good to embrace without excess fear. Only over time do we come to see areas which are truly stable and may define who we are to ourselves and others. Be wary of making changes, however, which have not been fully explored, or making decisions which don't seem or feel right in some ways, or getting stuck in indecision.

4. Prioritize basic self-care.Sleep, nutrition, activity, rest, recreation, and mental habits are the foundations of sustainable self-care. These are the very basic behavioral building blocks which constitute having a good relationship with oneself. Being connected with one's body and providing for the body as a good custodian as well as holistically are crucial, and on top of that, the proper care of one's physical needs makes everything else work better and shows us on an ongoing basis that we actually care about ourselves. This builds trust in oneself over time, rather than feelings of betrayal. Mental habits are a kind of behavior, and can take a while to shift, but are equally important and easy to overlook-and harder to maintain when hungry, poorly fit, sleep-deprived, or not experiencing enough play, affection, or rest in one's life when by oneself or with others.

5. Be kind to yourself. This doesn't mean "letting yourself off the hook" or shirking responsibility, but it does mean working toward appraising yourself without destructively aggressive criticism or blame. People are often blame-dependent regarding self-appraisal and self-correction, and more often then not, excessive blaming leads to less effective change. To the extent it is unavoidable, accept blaming-but work toward being kind and gentle, while also being candid and taking responsibility.

6. Seek others who fit your goals. In addition to being around people who treat you well, it's helpful to have relationships with others who also seek to have a good relationship with themselves, both because they are good models, and also because you can support one another in your efforts. It's impossible to completely avoid toxic people for most of us, so manage those relationships with care.

7. Cultivate realistically optimistic behavior. Perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking is the enemy of sustainable change. Many people I know want everything to get fixed in a short period of time. This almost always leads to failure and maintains a negative cycle of self-blame, and more "cracking the whip." Much of the time, this crosses into the dark place of self-abuse and punishment, which is not a recipe for healthy change, but people sometimes say it is better than nothing. While it is good to accept one's needs for maladaptive defenses and the survival use they had, it's a bad idea to cling too strongly to them. Some level of frustration with oneself, getting "sick of" how things are or "tired" of being the same way, often precedes change, though. Setting goals we can achieve, and building on them, is a standard and effective alternative. For instance, instead of demanding that I go the gym four days a week for one hour each time and messing that up the first week-I can set a goal of going at least once for half an hour, and after that, everything is gravy. And if I don't meet that goal, it carries over into the next week.

8. Have a personal crisis plan. Sometimes life deals us a really bad hand, or we make a decision which we regret and hate ourselves for. At these times, it's helpful to have a personal crisis plan, because these are times in which we are also most vulnerable to falling back on old habits and justifying self-abuse. The simplest plan is to expect these times may come and be prepared with ways of understanding how we are feeling, which keep us focused on long-term intentions and goals while dealing with the immediate issue. Writing down our thoughts for this eventuality and referring to them, and having a couple of close people available for such times to help keep things in perspective, can be very effective. If you know you tend to reject help at such times, stay on top of that, because it is the thread which causes everything else to unravel.

9. Maintain meaningful activity. Rather than having a static definition of success, work toward having regular activities which provide satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. Work is important, and not everyone has a job they love, but it is important to find ways to make it meaningful-this may be about changing what you actually do, or focusing on how you work and what it means in your current job. Having a sense of integrity for the quality of one's own work can be a personal standard that lends meaning to a job which is externally not that engaging. Likewise for activities outside of work-hobbies, recreation, and volunteer activities-and meaningful personal and love relationships. Your own mind can be a source of great fascination and entertainment.

10. Establish good habits. Start your day in such a way that you increase the likelihood of having a day which supports your self-relationship goals. Some people find it useful to write down daily goals the night before and review them first thing in the morning. Others hold these ideas in mind and can review them mentally. Regardless, within a short time after waking, remind yourself of your long-term intentions and goals, review key practices you want for that specific day, and rehearse how you want to address problematic activities in your day. Of course, I'm not suggesting that everything be planned out and tightly controlled-spontaneity is critical-but it's good to keep our intentions and goals in mind so that we can behave in ways which further them.

11. Speak differently to yourself. If you tend to speak harshly to yourself (out loud or in your head), when you notice you are doing that, learn to interrupt the action and take a reflective step back. Notice how you feel-is your heart rate higher, do you feel agitated, are you speaking fast and critically with yourself? Think about slowing down and being kind and gentle with yourself, let yourself calm down, reappraise the situation, and try again. Some people find it helpful to have conversations out loud with themselves-under the right conditions, doing so can be very useful.

12. Avoid the "selfish trap." A good number of us are raised to see practically anything to do with taking care of ourselves as bad and, specifically, "selfish." Of course, being overly self-centered is problematic for relationships, and ultimately self-destructive. We may think everything for ourselves is an indulgence and a luxury. Many of the things we see as extras are really necessities. Some actual luxuries are great from time to time, and I feel grateful and lucky to have such opportunities, because they aren't always there.

However, when family and culture or religion teaches that nearly everything to do with looking after one's needs is selfish, there is a problem. A lot of the time, this is coupled with punishment, either psychological ("You're a bad girl, because you were selfish") and/or material (for example, going to bed without dinner, getting hit, or worse). We tend to internalize the same damning moral judgments which we dole out on ourselves. This is reinforced by belief systems which extol the virtues of extreme self-sacrifice, even martyrdom-leading to what classical analysis call "moral masochism." All these factors are roadblocks to a good relationship with oneself, and it is important to recognize and work on them. Recognize that being "self-ish" can be defined in positive and negative ways.

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12 Keys To A Great Self-Relationship, Starting Now

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Being a great friend to yourself unlocks long-term happiness.

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Cultivating a Better Relationship with Yourself: A Journey to Self-Compassion

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Cultivating a Better Relationship with Yourself: A Journey to Self-Compassion

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Cultivating a Better Relationship with Yourself: A Journey to Self-Compassion

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Neglecting the most important relationship we’ll ever have – the one with ourselves. Cultivating self-compassion can help.

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Stressful interpersonal connections may lead to health problems, such as heart disease.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it's the importance of social ties and human connections. Not only do they improve your emotional well-being, but they can bring physical benefits.

"Having nurturing relationships is protective of mental health and overall brain health," says Dr. Jennifer Gatchel, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

However, while positive relationships can boost health, the opposite is often true when it comes to problematic relationships. Chronic emotional stress may put you at higher risk for a number of health problems.

A study published March 2, 2021, in the Journal of the American Heart Association, for example, found that women who reported having high levels of social strain were more likely to have a heart attack or die of cardiovascular disease during nearly 15 years of follow-up than women who did not. To determine this, researchers asked women how many people in their life irritated them, were too demanding of them, excluded them, or tried to "coerce" them in their daily life. Based on their answers, the women were categorized as having low, medium, or high social strain. Those who scored in the high category were 9% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than women who scored in the low category. Another 2019 study, published by the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, found that women who reported high levels of social stress had lower bone density six years later. The authors speculated that stress may harm bone health because stress raises blood cortisol levels, which may be linked to bone thinning. Troubled ties with others may also lead to other physical or mental health problems.

Defining a difficult relationship

A stress-inducing relationship can be one with a partner, a family member, a friend, or a professional colleague. People may find themselves at odds with others for many reasons. The pandemic and political polarization that has occurred in recent years may be exacerbating factors for some, says Dr. Gatchel. Relationship stress is often particularly challenging for people who are in a role as caretaker for a child, ailing adult relative, or partner.

"Caring for a spouse or a loved one can lead to increased stress, which puts you at risk for depression or physical health problems if the you don't feel supported," says Dr. Gatchel.

Identifying a toxic trend

While your relationships with others may seem like they are outside of your control, there are things you can do to take them in a more positive direction, Dr. Gatchel says. The first step is identifying a problematic dynamic. A trying relationship typically comes with some warning signs, she says. These include

feeling burned out or depleted after interactions

having negative thoughts about the relationship

feeling like the relationship is imbalanced - that one person gives or takes more than the other

feeling that you are not valued or respected by the other person.

Look at the patterns of the relationship over time. Has it been more take than give? Is it stressful? "If you recognize those signs in yourself, it's a red flag to take a closer look," she says.

Tips for healthier relationships

Do your part to help form healthy relationships with others by practicing some good habits, says Dr. Jennifer Gatchel, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Be an empathetic listener. Practice paying close attention when someone is speaking to you, and take the time to understand what the person is saying. "This can often be done by reflecting back some of their statements to them, to reinforce that you have gotten the point and that they are being heard," says Dr. Gatchel.

Share the spotlight. When someone is talking to you about a problem, keep the focus on them; avoid turning it into a discussion about an issue that you might be facing.

Stay calm. If you can, keep calm during discussions to ensure that they are constructive rather than destructive. If you aren't able to stay calm in the moment, step back and ask to revisit the conversation later when you are in a better place.

HALT. Remember the acronym HALT. When you are upset about something, first ask yourself if you are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. If so, "halt" in order to first address those needs, and then revisit the problem.

Interact in person. Sometimes a stressful relationship can be made worse by social media. People may have more aggressive confrontations online than they do in person. "I would say in general, limit social media exposure," says Dr. Gatchel. Reducing time online encourages direct communication, either in person, by phone, or on video, which can often be far less contentious than words spoken from behind a keyboard, such as in text messages.

Emphasize the positive. "Research increasingly supports associations between intentional practices of gratitude and positive mental health, which can extend to improved relationships," says Dr. Gatchel. Such practices can include getting into the habit of writing down two or three specific things that you are grateful for each day. "These things can include anything, including a positive interaction with a friend or partner," she says. "If so, don't be shy about sharing it or making a point of expressing this appreciation to the person."

Making a change for the better

If you do determine that a relationship is detrimental, that doesn't mean you necessarily have to cut ties with the person, but you will need to make some changes.

Establish boundaries. If there is a person in your life who is difficult, setting boundaries can help put the relationship back on track. You can be there for someone and still establish limits, so that the relationship isn't so taxing. While burnout is common in caregiver relationships, it's a feature of other relationships as well. For example, it may stem from a friendship with someone who is in constant need of emotional support, which may feel draining. Solve the issue by setting clear limits. If the friend calls with a problem, establish a time to discuss it, rather than always jumping the second she calls.

"You can express concern; say, 'I'm sorry to hear that, and about what you are going through. I can't talk right now, but can I give you a call tonight or this weekend to talk about it,'" says Dr. Gatchel.

If you have differences with someone, setting boundaries can also make certain that you aren't forced outside of your comfort zone. This might occur if a friend calls and asks you for a favor you don't feel comfortable performing.

"You would have to evaluate if you feel safe and comfortable with that. If not, be clear that you want to help them, but you'll need to do that in another way," says Dr. Gatchel.

Prioritize your own well-being. Establishing boundaries with a child, grandchild, spouse, or other family member can be more challenging than it is with a friend. In these instances, it may be more about designating space for yourself to recharge and reset. This is something that many people have been unable to do during the pandemic.

"People were being asked to do more than they ever would and had to maintain a marathon pace for a really long time," says Dr. Gatchel.

To get needed breaks, hire child care or enlist help from a professional, a friend, or a family member. Don't underestimate your need to recharge.

"There is only so much nonstop care that you can provide," says Dr. Gatchel.

It's okay to ask for support. It's like what flight attendants say before takeoff: put the oxygen mask on yourself before you then help someone else, says Dr. Gatchel.

Protect your health. You should also take steps to mitigate the stress you are experiencing as a result of unhealthy interactions with others. Practice self-care. Make time for physical activity, mindfulness relaxation practices, and activities that you enjoy. Sometimes activities that tap into the senses, such as gardening, coloring, painting, or even something as simple as sorting beads can help you relax, says Dr. Gatchel. Also, be certain to make time for good friends who are a source of support for you. And pay attention to your physical needs. Try to get the right amount of sleep. "Sleep is central to mood, as well as your anxiety and energy level," says Dr. Gatchel. The same is true of a healthy diet and getting enough physical activity.

Achieve some distance. Sometimes when a relationship is no longer positive, taking a step back can help. For example, if you have a friend who doesn't make you feel valued or who is critical or negative, you might want to continue the friendship, but take a closer look to see if it should occupy less of your time.

"Friendships change, relationships change, circumstances change," says Dr. Gatchel. "Investing less in some relationships is normal even if you're not clear why you're having negative feelings toward that person."

Open the lines of communication. Depending on the relationship, you can sometimes address problems directly. "Just be open with them about it," says Dr. Gatchel. For example, if a relative doesn't believe in getting vaccines and you do, it may be worth a conversation. The relationship at its core might not be problematic, but that topic puts you at odds. If you continue to disagree, setting boundaries about what you can and cannot discuss is one way to address these conflicts.

When you are talking to someone about a tense subject, be certain to use positive communication strategies. "Use 'I' statements," says Dr. Gatchel. "For instance, 'I've noticed that when we have this discussion, things seem to get heated.' And avoid using 'you' statements that might sound more accusatory, such as 'You always want to argue about this.'"

Ultimately, these strategies can help put many relationships in a better place and protect you from health-harming strain.

Image: © fizkes/Getty Images

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Fostering healthy relationships - Harvard Health

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Stressful relationships have lasting effects on physical and mental health. To help solve these problems, people should set boundaries, communicate clearly, and take actions to protect their own we...

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Human beings are social by nature. The connections we build with others are critical to social, emotional, and physical health. Knowing how to maintain interpersonal relationships can help you build a support system that provides strength as you cope with life's challenges.

This article discusses things you can do to maintain strong interpersonal relationships with loved ones, friends, colleagues, and others in your life. It also covers why these relationships are so important and what you can do when they do end.

What Is an Interpersonal Relationship?

In order to form and maintain strong bonds with others, there needs to be a mutual give-and-take when it comes to sharing information with one another. People need to open up to you, but you also have to be willing to let others in and share details about your experiences, emotions, and opinions.

After all, it is through this mutual sharing that you get to know each other. This process, known as self-disclosure, forges bonds and deepens intimacy between people.

Consider how you might feel if someone you care about did not share important information with you about things that are happening in their life. You might be left feeling that they don't trust you or that they don't consider you a close friend.

Letting others in isn't always easy. By sharing, you are showing them that you trust and care for them-and giving them the opportunity to show the same care in return.

In order to maintain interpersonal relationships, work on learning to be open with the people in your life. Allow yourself to be vulnerable. Look for opportunities where you can let people get to know the "real" you.

Maintain Boundaries

Being open doesn't mean you should give others unlimited access to your thoughts, feelings, or time. Healthy boundaries are also a vital foundation of any strong relationship. It is important not only to establish these boundaries but to enforce them as well.

A boundary in your interpersonal relationships might look like having limits on when you spend time together or expectations for when you will be there for one another. It can also involve how much you are willing to share about yourself emotionally, physically, and even digitally.

These boundaries are important in your relationships with other people, but they're also important for your relationship with yourself.

It's important that others respect your boundaries, but it is just as important for you to respect theirs. Respecting these boundaries shows that you care about each other's values, goals, emotions, and needs.

Good communication is essential in any relationship, but it's important to remember that communicating well involves being able to listen.

Active listening involves being engaged with what your conversation partner is saying. You're not just being quiet and letting them say their piece-you're reflecting on their words, paraphrasing what they have said to show you are listening, and asking questions you may have.

Listening shows that you care. It shows that you are involved in the other person's life and interested in what they have to say.

Listening is a great way to learn more about the other person. It also allows you to offer support and emotional validation, which can go a long way toward making the other person value you as a friend and confidant.

Tips for Active Listening

Show Respect

To maintain interpersonal relationships, you should also show respect for others. This doesn't mean you have to agree with everything they say or do what they want to do. However, It does mean you should show that you value their feelings, opinions, time, and interests.

When showing respect in interpersonal relationships, you should:

Avoid disparaging the things they enjoy

Keep the commitments you've made to them

Show up on time

Be mindful of their feelings

Listen to them, even when you disagree

Be Empathetic

Empathy involves being able to put yourself in another person's shoes and feel what they feel. It means you see things from their perspective and feel their pain as if it was your own.

Interpersonal relationships benefit from empathy in many ways. When you show that you feel what someone else is feeling, it helps the other person gain a sense of belonging. It helps others feel understood, and that understanding serves as a foundation for trust and closeness in a relationship.

Research also suggests that in addition to strengthening relationships, empathy also fosters kindness, cooperation, and helping behaviors and improves mental health.

Other Tips

Why Relationships Matter

Research has found that interpersonal relationships can have a number of important benefits for physical and psychological health. Some of these include:

When you have strong interpersonal relationships, you may feel more motivated to engage in behaviors that are good for your health. Research has found that people who participate more in social relationships are also more likely to eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and avoid smoking.

When Relationships End

Not all relationships are healthy, and sometimes you might need to let go of a toxic or painful relationship. In addition, some relationships are limited in duration simply by the nature of the connection-your relationship with a coworker, healthcare professional, or teacher, for example, may end based on various transitions in your life.

Other relationships may end for various reasons, including a breakup, divorce, a move, or death. Remember that it is normal to feel a range of emotions when a relationship ends, including sadness, anger, or grief.

A Word From Verywell

Being able to maintain strong interpersonal relationships plays a critical role in both your physical and emotional well-being. Think about the qualities that you value the most in your relationships- such as trust, respect, friendship, kindness, and honestly-and work on showing others those same virtues.

While it can be easy to get caught up in the busyness of everyday life, make it a habit to spend time cultivating and protecting your relationships with the people who matter the most. A little time, attention, and effort can ensure that you are giving people the support they need and that you get the same support in return.

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How to Maintain Interpersonal Relationships

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Human beings are social by nature. The connections we build with others are critical to social, emotional, and physical health. Knowing how to maintain interpersonal relationships can help you build a support system that provides strength as you cope with life's challenges.

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Mindfulness in Positive Relationship Cultivation

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Mindfulness in Positive Relationship Cultivation

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Haven’t heard of your vagus nerve? It’s the longest cranial nerve in your body. And it helps your body regulate relaxation. If you’re looking to improve your stress levels, you can naturally strengthen your vagus nerve with these tips.

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7 Ways to Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve and Why It Matters

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7 Ways to Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve and Why It Matters

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No one likes feeling stressed out. But what if you had a "calm-down" channel running through your body that you could switch on when you need a dose of self-soothing? We bet you would.

That's the idea behind vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), which means using certain simple, easy wellness practices to activate your vagus nerve. But before we discuss how to do it, here's a quick primer on the vagus nerve.

What Is the Vagus Nerve?

"The vagus nerve is a major component of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the 'rest and digest' response," says Caroline Leaf, PhD, a clinical neuroscience and mental health researcher based in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Also called cranial nerve 10 (or cranial nerve X), the vagus nerve starts in a portion of your brain called the medulla and then branches down both sides of your throat, connecting with your tongue, heart, and digestive organs, according to StatPearls. In other words, it's a communication channel that runs between your gut and brain.

Because it has such a wide reach, the vagus nerve "allows the main organs of the body to communicate," says Dr. Leaf. "As such, it's responsible for the way your body reacts to stress."

When stimulated, your vagus nerve can move your body from a fight-or-flight state of stress to a rest-and-digest state of relaxation - and it's both supportive and essential to overall health. "Engaging the vagus nerve's calming effects can help regulate the body's stress response," Leaf says. What's more, research has shown that doing this regularly may help prevent and treat certain psychiatric disorders that involve stress, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety.

The wonderful thing about the vagus nerve is that although it's located inside your body, it's easy to activate on your own, quickly and for free. Here are seven DIY vagus nerve exercises to do just that.

Feeling calmer already? We hope so.

How to Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve

1. Let Yourself Have a Full-Body Laugh

Laughter makes you feel good, connects you with others, and is one of the best medicines for stress. "Laughter has been shown to stimulate the vagus nerve," says Leaf. But for this to work, you'll need to encounter humorous situations that make you let out a big, out-loud guffaw - quietly chuckling in your head just won't cut it. So, turn on a movie or comedian who cracks you up, schedule a night out with friends you always have a good time with, and send that LOL meme to a loved one so they can get the benefits, too.

2. Meditate Daily, Even for a Few Minutes

One of the great things about meditation is that your only real job is to bring awareness to what is present, like your breathing, and calm your mind. When a stressful thought pops into your head, you can simply acknowledge its presence, without judgment, and imagine it floating on by. And while this awareness practice can help calm you down, the breathing changes that accompany meditation - namely, slow, deep breathing - also stimulate the vagus nerve to quell stress, according to one study. If meditation is intimidating or you don't know where to start, you can start small. Try it for one to five minutes - whatever time you have available - and consider guided meditations on an app, like Headspace or Calm, to direct your breath and focus.

3. Take a Handful of Deep Breaths

Even though deep breathing is a large component of meditation, you can use deep breathing outside of meditation, making it even more accessible. (You can do it anytime, anywhere, and you don't need to close your eyes or clear your mind.) While there are many different types of breathwork - from box breathing to 4-7-8 breathing or lion's breath - you can dabble in them all and practice the one that most resonates with you.

"Just make sure you're taking deep belly breaths rather than shallow chest breaths," says Carrie Howard, a certified clinical anxiety treatment provider in Gunter, Texas. And take the time to home in on what you need at the moment, she suggests. "Take several deep breaths until you start to feel the anxiety lessen; it's more effective than saying you must do deep breathing for a certain amount of time, because response time will vary from person to person, and the intensity of your anxiety response will fluctuate in different situations as well," says Howard. Remember: This is about cultivating a practice that you can use again and again to soothe stress in the moment.

4. Hum Your Favorite Tune

Give a little hum right now. How good does that feel on the back of your throat? You might feel comforting vibrations there, too.

"That vibration from the throat to the chest is the vagus nerve vibrating," says Jennifer Anders, PsyD, of Yellowpine Therapy in Boulder, Colorado. "I find myself using this technique when I'm in a moment of acute discomfort or distress," she explains. "Humming really blunts the effects of the way I'm experiencing stress to help calm me down."

What's more, it's been shown to have a physiological effect on the body, too. People with hypertension who used "bee humming breathing" (a yogic breath where you hum like a bee on the exhale for as long as possible) for five minutes benefited more from reduced blood pressure than a control group, according to one randomized controlled trial.

5. Splash Your Face With Cold Water

Tapping into the power of cold-water therapy is trendy - but there's good reason to give it a shot, as it can stimulate your vagus nerve. Cold showers, a cold plunge in a bath, or immersing your face in ice cold water for several seconds can do it, says Howard.

But don't feel like you have to try cold exposure if you don't want to. "Not everyone's body is fit for the cold," says Dr. Anders. "Cold is probably most helpful for people who lean more toward depression, but for someone already on edge and anxious, cold might not be the best thing," she says. Think about it: When you have depression, you're generally moving slower - physically and mentally. But with anxiety, you're more amped up. That's why a more activating activity like cold exposure might lift you up if you have depression, but may be too triggering if you're dealing with anxiety. Pick the VNS practices that feel best to you.

6. Gargle Water in the Back of Your Throat

If you're not into splashing cold water on your face when you're stressed, try sipping some water to gargle instead.

"Gargling with water can activate the muscles in the back of the throat connected to the vagus nerve," says Leaf. She recommends gargling for 30 seconds to one minute. Make sure you're directing water to the back of your throat (without choking, of course) rather than keeping it up at the front of your mouth.

7. Massage Your Outer Ear

The outside of the ear contains a branch of the vagus nerve, called the Arnold's or Alderman's nerve, according to research. That makes vagus nerve massage something that you can do right now as you're sitting at your computer or phone. There are various ways you can do it (with the help of videos on YouTube), but you'll generally gently massage the inner part of your ear using slow circles, pull your ear, and massage the area behind and below your ear.

One study found that a head and neck massage also activated the body's de-stressing response, possibly because it targeted the vagus nerve, though the authors note that massage tends to make people breathe in a deeper, more relaxed way, which could have the same benefits.

The Bottom Line

All these DIY practices are safe for most people, and free to do at home. Regular vagus nerve stimulation supports your overall health by engaging your body's parasympathetic nervous system, or your "rest and digest" mode, to bring a sense of calm to your body and mind so you can better deal with stressful moments and improve your resilience against life's challenges.

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Learn how to stimulate your vagus nerve to soothe stress and feel calmer, among other possible health perks. Use these 7 simple, free DIY wellness practices.

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A women's circle is a gathering of women who come together to support and empower each other. These circles have been a part of human history for thousands of years, and they continue to be an important part of women's lives today.

Benefits of Women's Circles

Here are some of the benefits of joining or starting a women's circle:

1. A Safe and Sacred Space

Women's circles provide a safe and sacred space for women to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences without fear of judgment or criticism. The circle is a space where women can be vulnerable, authentic, and truly themselves.

2. Connection and Community

Joining a women's circle can help women feel less isolated and more connected to other women in their community. The circle provides an opportunity to meet new people, make friends, and build a supportive community.

3. Empowerment and Personal Growth

Women's circles can be empowering and transformative, helping women to develop a greater sense of self-awareness, self-confidence , and self-love. The circle is a space where women can explore their inner selves, set intentions, and work towards personal growth and transformation.

4. Ritual and Ceremony

Women's circles often include rituals and ceremonies that honor the cycles of nature, the seasons of life, and the divine feminine. These rituals can be grounding, healing, and transformative, helping women to connect with their inner wisdom and intuition.

5. Inspiration and Creativity

Women's circles can be a source of inspiration and creativity, providing a space for women to explore their passions, talents, and creativity. The circle is a space where women can share their ideas, dreams, and visions, and receive support and encouragement from other women.

How to Start a Women's Circle

Creating a Safe Space

Here are some tips for creating a safe and welcoming environment:
Establish Guidelines
Setting guidelines for the group can help create a sense of structure and safety. It can be helpful to establish guidelines around confidentiality, respect, and inclusivity.

For example, the group could agree to keep everything shared within the circle confidential, to listen without judgment, and to respect each other's beliefs and backgrounds.
Create a Welcoming Environment
The physical environment can also play a significant role in creating a safe and welcoming space.

Consider factors such as lighting, seating arrangements, and decor. Soft lighting and comfortable seating can help create a cozy atmosphere, while simple decor can help create a calming environment.
Encourage Active Listening
Active listening is an essential skill for creating a safe and supportive environment. Encourage everyone in the group to practice active listening by focusing on the speaker, asking questions, and avoiding distractions.

This can help create a sense of trust and openness within the group.
Check-In Regularly
Regular check-ins can help ensure that everyone in the group feels heard and supported.

Consider starting each meeting with a brief check-in where everyone has an opportunity to share how they're feeling. This can help create a sense of community and support within the group.

Finding Participants

Starting a women's circle requires finding participants who are interested in joining. There are several ways to find participants, including:

Word of Mouth: One of the most effective ways to find participants is through word of mouth. Encourage current members to invite their friends and family members who may be interested in joining the circle. This can help attract participants who are already familiar with the group and its goals.

Social Media: Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can be great tools for finding new participants. Create a page or group for the women's circle and share it with your network. Encourage members to share the page with their friends and family members who may be interested in joining.

Community Events: Attend community events and meetings to connect with other women who may be interested in joining the circle. Share information about the group and its goals, and encourage interested women to attend a meeting or event.

Online Forums and Groups: There are many online forums and groups dedicated to women's issues and interests. Join these groups and forums and share information about the women's circle. This can help attract participants who are interested in the group's goals and values.

Facilitating the Circle

When it comes to facilitating a women's circle, it's important to create a safe and welcoming space for all members. The facilitator should aim to guide the conversation without dominating it, and to encourage participation from all members. Here are some tips for facilitating a successful women's circle:

Set the tone: Start the circle with a brief meditation or grounding exercise to help members connect with each other and the space. Establish guidelines for the conversation, such as speaking from the heart, listening without judgment, and respecting confidentiality.

Encourage participation: Make sure all members have an opportunity to speak and be heard. Encourage active listening and reflection on what others have shared. If someone is hesitant to speak, invite them to share their thoughts in writing or through a creative activity.

Guide the conversation: As the facilitator, it's important to keep the conversation on track and ensure that everyone has a chance to contribute. Use open-ended questions to encourage deeper reflection and discussion. Avoid giving advice or trying to solve problems for others.

Maintain boundaries: It's important to maintain a safe and respectful space for all members. If someone is disruptive or disrespectful, address the behavior while still respecting their feelings and perspective. If a member shares something that requires professional help, provide resources and encourage them to seek support.

Choosing a Format

When starting a women's circle, one of the most important decisions is choosing the format. There are various formats to choose from, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Here are some of the most common formats for women's circles:

Open Circle

An open circle is a format where anyone can attend, and there is no set agenda or structure. Open circles are great for women who are looking for a casual, flexible gathering where they can connect with other women and share their experiences. Open circles can be held in public spaces like parks or community centers, or in private homes.

Closed Circle

A closed circle is a format where a group of women meets regularly, and the circle is closed to new members. Closed circles are great for women who are looking for a more intimate, supportive gathering where they can build deep connections with other women. Closed circles often have a set structure and agenda, and members are expected to attend regularly.

Theme-Based Circle

A theme-based circle is a format where each gathering has a specific theme or topic. Theme-based circles are great for women who are looking for a structured, focused gathering where they can explore a particular topic or issue. Themes can be anything from self-care and spirituality to social justice and activism.

Ritual Circle

A ritual circle is a format where the gathering includes a specific ritual or ceremony. Ritual circles are great for women who are looking for a spiritual or transformative experience. Rituals can be anything from meditation and prayer to dance and chanting.

Online Circle

An online circle is a format where the gathering takes place online, through video conferencing or social media platforms. Online circles are great for women who are looking for a convenient, accessible gathering that they can attend from anywhere in the world. Online circles can be open or closed, and can have a variety of formats.

When choosing a format for a women's circle, it's important to consider the needs and preferences of the participants. Some women may prefer a more structured, focused gathering, while others may prefer a casual, flexible gathering. It's also important to consider the logistics of the gathering, such as the location, time, and frequency. Ultimately, the format should be chosen based on what will best serve the needs of the women involved.

Selecting a Venue

When selecting a venue for a women's circle, it's important to consider a few key factors to ensure the space is conducive to the group's needs and goals. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Accessibility

Choose a venue that is easily accessible for all members of the group. This includes considering factors such as transportation, parking, and physical accessibility for those with disabilities. It's also important to ensure that the venue is located in a safe area.

Size

The size of the venue will depend on the number of attendees expected. It's important to choose a space that is large enough to comfortably accommodate everyone, but not so large that it feels empty or impersonal. A good rule of thumb is to choose a space that can accommodate 10-15% more people than expected, to allow for unexpected guests.

Atmosphere

Consider the atmosphere of the venue and how it aligns with the goals of the women's circle. For example, a cozy living room or outdoor garden may be ideal for a more intimate, relaxed gathering, while a larger conference room may be better suited for a more formal or structured meeting.

Amenities

Check to see what amenities are available at the venue, such as seating, tables, lighting, and sound equipment. It's also important to consider whether the venue has access to restrooms and a kitchen or food prep area if refreshments will be served.

Cost

Finally, consider the cost of the venue. While it's important to choose a space that meets the group's needs, it's also important to stay within budget. Consider whether the venue offers any discounts for non-profit or community organizations, or if there are any other ways to reduce the cost, such as sharing the space with another group or holding the meeting during off-peak hours.

Establishing Guidelines

When starting a women's circle, it's important to establish guidelines to ensure that everyone feels safe, comfortable, and respected. All circle participants should agree on these rules, and they should periodically review them to make sure they are still applicable and effective.
Some common guidelines for women's circles include:

Confidentiality: Members should agree to keep everything discussed in the circle confidential, unless otherwise agreed upon by the group. This creates a safe space for women to share their thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or repercussions.

Active listening: Members should agree to listen actively and attentively to each other without interrupting or judging. This creates a supportive and empathetic environment where women can feel heard and understood.

Respect: Members should agree to respect each other's opinions, beliefs, and values, even if they differ from their own. This creates a non-judgmental and inclusive space where all women feel welcome.

Participation: Members should agree to participate in the circle to the best of their ability, whether that means sharing their thoughts and feelings or simply listening to others. This creates a sense of community and connection among the group.

Timekeeping: Members should agree to arrive on time and stay for the duration of the circle, unless otherwise agreed upon by the group. This creates a sense of commitment and respect for each other's time.

Maintaining the Circle

Once a women's circle has been established, it is important to maintain it. Here are some tips on how to do so:

Consistency: Consistency is key. Women's circles should meet regularly and at the same time and place if possible. This helps to establish a routine and makes it easier for participants to plan around it.

Communication: Communication is important to maintain a healthy circle. Participants should be encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings in an open and honest manner. It is also important to establish boundaries and guidelines for communication to ensure everyone feels safe and respected.

Themes: Women's circles can be themed around a variety of topics such as self-care, spirituality, or personal growth. It is important to choose themes that are relevant and meaningful to the participants.

Activities: Activities can help to keep the circle engaging and interesting. These can include guided meditations, journaling exercises, or group discussions.

Guest Speakers: Bringing in guest speakers can add variety and new perspectives to the circle. Speakers can be invited to share their expertise on topics such as mindfulness, nutrition, or self-care.

Celebrations: Celebrating milestones such as birthdays or accomplishments can help to build a sense of community within the circle.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some good topics for a women's circle?

Some good topics for a women's circle include self-care, personal growth, relationships, spirituality, and creativity. It's important to choose topics that resonate with the participants and are relevant to their lives.

How do you create a safe space for a women's circle?

Creating a safe space for a women's circle involves setting clear boundaries, establishing guidelines for respectful communication, and fostering an atmosphere of trust and confidentiality. It's important to create an environment where participants feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or criticism.

What are some opening rituals for a women's circle?

Opening rituals for a women's circle can include lighting candles, smudging with sage, setting intentions, and sharing a moment of silence. These rituals can help participants to connect with each other and set the tone for the circle.

How do you find participants for a women's circle?

Finding participants for a women's circle can involve reaching out to friends and acquaintances, posting on social media, and advertising in local community centers or wellness centers. It's important to be clear about the purpose and format of the circle to attract the right participants.

What are some ways to incorporate meditation into a women's circle?

Incorporating meditation into a women's circle can involve guided meditations, silent meditations, or movement meditations such as yoga or dance. It's important to choose a meditation style that resonates with the participants and to create a comfortable and peaceful environment for the practice.

How do you handle conflicts that arise in a women's circle?

Handling conflicts that arise in a women's circle involves listening actively, acknowledging feelings, and working towards a resolution that honors everyone's needs. It's important to establish a process for conflict resolution beforehand and to remind participants of the guidelines for respectful communication.

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How to Start a Women's Circle: A Step-by-Step Guide - Basics by Becca

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Starting a women's circle can be a powerful way for women to connect with one another, share experiences, and support each other. Women's circles have been around for centuries, and they can take many different forms depending on the needs and interests of the group. Whether you're looking to star

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Amid a year of chaos and uncertainty, like many women, I've been looking for connection and community. Despite strong friendships, I've felt lonely. I work at home alone and live with my husband and two small children. I've missed the magic of being with other women.

So when Issy Shelton, a holistic therapist and founder of Lemon and Ginger Wellbeing hosted a women's circle, I decided to go. I was intrigued - I'm a slightly sceptical spiritualist and while I'm open to trying most things, I like my wellness rooted in reality. A gathering with likeminded women and a cup of tea sounded like, well, my cup of tea.

Under a full moon, I arrived at a beautiful yurt in the Oxfordshire countryside for the circle. Slightly apprehensive, I was soon reassured by the welcoming faces of 11 other women. And I'm so glad I went - I discovered women's circles are unique and powerful, and that the act of gathering with other women is a revolutionary act of sisterhood in a society that likes to keep us busy and apart.

What is a women's circle?

The relatively simple practice of women coming together to sit and share is nothing new - circles have been taking place for thousands of years. At their simplest, women's circles are where women sit together in a circle around a central alter (which can be anything from a candle to an intricate crystal grid). There are opportunities to talk and listen, and usually you hold something like a crystal or stick when it's your turn to speak.

Importantly, other women don't offer advice or pass judgement. It's not therapy, but a safe space to hear and be heard. The point isn't to problem solve and that can be a relief, especially if you are prone to overthinking about the right thing to say.

There's no set way for women's circles to run and the rituals of each are different. Some incorporate movement, songs, craft, food, moon phases or pulling tarot cards. Women's circles can be whatever you want them to be. A chance to tap into your inner feminine goddess if you want, or simply a place to sit down with other women and find sisterhood.

Women's circles date back to pre-historic times, when women would gather to prepare food and share stories. However, the feminine tradition of the circle was disrupted as society developed and became more linear. Recently though, women's circles have been having a resurgence, popping up in living rooms, yoga studios, yurts and festivals around the world. Instagram boosts 160,000 #womenscircle posts. Jennifer Aniston is said to be a fan.

We're hardwired for connection so after lockdowns and social distancing it's no surprise we're searching for community. "I felt a real craving for sisterhood during the pandemic," said Issy when we spoke following the circle. "There is no space in women's lives for community which is why we need these structured places to find it."

There are a growing number of women like Issy hosting circles. Gemma Brady, founder of Sister Stories has been training women to host circles for three years and has seen a rise in interest recently, training over 150 women in the last year. Gemma said likely factors in the rising popularity are "a craving for connection and community, an environment to explore our rich inner world without judgement, and primal desire for ritualised spaces to gather."

It should be easy to get together with other women but in a modern world where we are trying to have it all, it's hard. Women's relationships are not prioritised and women forming groups without men are often written off as silly, witchy or unnecessary. But that does a huge disservice to the power they hold.

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What are women's circles? Here's why they might just be the radical act of self-care you've been searching for

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Annabel Lee writes for GLAMOUR about why she joined a women's circle and how it turned out to be the radical act of self-care she'd been searching for.

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A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO NERVOUS SYSTEM REGULATION

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A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO NERVOUS SYSTEM REGULATION

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If you are brand new to nervous system regulation, here's everything you need to know.
What is Nervous System Regulation?

Nervous System Regulation is what allows us to shift flexibly between different nervous system states in response to internal and external stressors. A balanced nervous system can "spring back" easily in response to stress just like a rubber band. A dysregulated nervous system often gets "stuck" in a state like fight or flight or shutdown.

Why does this matter?

To highlight the importance of nervous system regulation, we'll refer to Dr. Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory which proposes that, our nervous system potentiates and limits our range of behavior, and significantly influences the way we experience the world around us. Let that sink in for a moment: our nervous system significantly influences the way we experience the world around us. The implications of this impact all areas of our life, whether we are consciously aware of it or not.

This is why, at NEUROFIT, we are deeply passionate about helping people develop what we have coined "Nervous System Fitness," which is a measure of:

The overall flexibility, balance and resilience of the nervous system; and

The ability of the nervous system to adapt to changes in the environment, and to respond to demands placed upon it.

Without a strong nervous system baseline, we are more susceptible to: On the plus side, the benefits of a regulated nervous system are numerous and include:
Identifying Your Nervous System State

At NEUROFIT, we help our app members and clients optimize their nervous system by first identifying which of the 6 different states they are currently in. Here, we will give a brief outline of each primary and "mixed" state along with a helpful diagram for your reference.

Ventral Vagal

The ventral vagal circuit is responsible for the body's "rest and digest" response. This circuit is activated when the body is safe and relaxed. When the ventral vagal circuit is activated, the heart rate slows, blood pressure decreases, and the digestive system is able to function properly. The ventral vagal circuit also supports social engagement behaviors.

Example: Imagine you're 30 minutes into catching up with a longtime friend. There's a great sense of ease, openness and happiness that seems to be effortlessly present. You feel relaxed and joyful - you're in Ventral Vagal.

Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight or Flight)

The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the body's "fight or flight" response and mobilizes defensive behaviors. This circuit is activated when the body is under stress or in danger. When the sympathetic nervous system is activated, the heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, and the body's muscles are primed for action. Here we commonly experience anxiety, overthinking/looping thoughts, anger, and tension.

Dorsal Vagal (Freeze)

The dorsal vagal circuit is responsible for the body's "freeze" response. This circuit is activated when the body is overwhelmed by stress or danger. When the dorsal vagal circuit is activated, the heart rate and blood pressure drop dramatically, and the body's muscles tense up in order to protect itself.

The Play State

The Play State is a combination of the Ventral Vagal State and the Sympathetic State. By coupling Ventral Vagal safety with the high energy of the Sympathetic State, the nervous system learns to be activated without feeling threatened or responding with aggression. Instead of dropping straight from rest-and-digest into a stress response, play teaches the nervous system to remain balanced, open, and creative, even when we may perceive some stress.

The Stillness State

The Stillness State combines Ventral Vagal's openness with Dorsal Vagal's immobilization. Similar to how Play builds resistance to the Sympathetic State, Stillness builds nervous system resistance to Dorsal Vagal - the body's natural shutdown/freeze response to excessive stress. Stillness helps us learn to remain calm under stress, and increasing our familiarity with it also makes it easier to fall asleep at night as many of the same neural pathways are used.

The Overwhelm State

The Overwhelm State is a combination of both the Dorsal Vagal State and the Sympathetic activation energy. When in this state, we commonly experience feelings like hopelessness, panic, and despair.

What is Nervous System Dysregulation?

Nervous system dysregulation is a condition in which the body's stress response becomes constantly activated, even in the absence of a stressful situation and long after a stressful or perceived threat has passed.

When stress becomes more prolonged, it builds up in the nervous system. As the nervous system holds onto more and more stress, it becomes less flexible, and more prone to moving into fight or flight or shutdown responses. This is due to excessive "Allostatic Load" - how far the nervous system has deviated from its normal resting baseline due to stored stress. Allostatic load, or the cumulative wear and tear on the body from stress, can take a major toll on productivity and performance if not managed properly (see diagram).

How to Find Balance

Understanding the different nervous system states and most importantly, noticing when you are in a dysregulated state, is the first step to creating a more resilient and flexible nervous system. Likewise, incorporating daily habits and somatic balance exercises will drastically improve your overall health and well-being.

Get Started with NEUROFIT

Within the NEUROFIT app, we have created a streamlined process for tracking your daily habits (i.e. sleep-wake cycle, diet, social and online content intake) along with a full catalog of BALANCE exercises that are recommended based on your current nervous system state (and resourced from real-time user data). The good news? All of this takes as little as 5 minutes a day!

Start your 6-week nervous system reset with the NEUROFIT App.

If you are brand new to nervous system regulation, here's everything you need to know.
What is Nervous System Regulation?

Nervous System Regulation is what allows us to shift flexibly between different nervous system states in response to internal and external stressors. A balanced nervous system can "spring back" easily in response to stress just like a rubber band. A dysregulated nervous system often gets "stuck" in a state like fight or flight or shutdown.

Why does this matter?

To highlight the importance of nervous system regulation, we'll refer to Dr. Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory which proposes that, our nervous system potentiates and limits our range of behavior, and significantly influences the way we experience the world around us. Let that sink in for a moment: our nervous system significantly influences the way we experience the world around us. The implications of this impact all areas of our life, whether we are consciously aware of it or not.

This is why, at NEUROFIT, we are deeply passionate about helping people develop what we have coined "Nervous System Fitness," which is a measure of:

The overall flexibility, balance and resilience of the nervous system; and

The ability of the nervous system to adapt to changes in the environment, and to respond to demands placed upon it.

Without a strong nervous system baseline, we are more susceptible to: On the plus side, the benefits of a regulated nervous system are numerous and include:
Identifying Your Nervous System State

At NEUROFIT, we help our app members and clients optimize their nervous system by first identifying which of the 6 different states they are currently in. Here, we will give a brief outline of each primary and "mixed" state along with a helpful diagram for your reference.

Ventral Vagal

The ventral vagal circuit is responsible for the body's "rest and digest" response. This circuit is activated when the body is safe and relaxed. When the ventral vagal circuit is activated, the heart rate slows, blood pressure decreases, and the digestive system is able to function properly. The ventral vagal circuit also supports social engagement behaviors.

Example: Imagine you're 30 minutes into catching up with a longtime friend. There's a great sense of ease, openness and happiness that seems to be effortlessly present. You feel relaxed and joyful - you're in Ventral Vagal.

Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight or Flight)

The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the body's "fight or flight" response and mobilizes defensive behaviors. This circuit is activated when the body is under stress or in danger. When the sympathetic nervous system is activated, the heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, and the body's muscles are primed for action. Here we commonly experience anxiety, overthinking/looping thoughts, anger, and tension.

Dorsal Vagal (Freeze)

The dorsal vagal circuit is responsible for the body's "freeze" response. This circuit is activated when the body is overwhelmed by stress or danger. When the dorsal vagal circuit is activated, the heart rate and blood pressure drop dramatically, and the body's muscles tense up in order to protect itself.

The Play State

The Play State is a combination of the Ventral Vagal State and the Sympathetic State. By coupling Ventral Vagal safety with the high energy of the Sympathetic State, the nervous system learns to be activated without feeling threatened or responding with aggression. Instead of dropping straight from rest-and-digest into a stress response, play teaches the nervous system to remain balanced, open, and creative, even when we may perceive some stress.

The Stillness State

The Stillness State combines Ventral Vagal's openness with Dorsal Vagal's immobilization. Similar to how Play builds resistance to the Sympathetic State, Stillness builds nervous system resistance to Dorsal Vagal - the body's natural shutdown/freeze response to excessive stress. Stillness helps us learn to remain calm under stress, and increasing our familiarity with it also makes it easier to fall asleep at night as many of the same neural pathways are used.

The Overwhelm State

The Overwhelm State is a combination of both the Dorsal Vagal State and the Sympathetic activation energy. When in this state, we commonly experience feelings like hopelessness, panic, and despair.

What is Nervous System Dysregulation?

Nervous system dysregulation is a condition in which the body's stress response becomes constantly activated, even in the absence of a stressful situation and long after a stressful or perceived threat has passed.

When stress becomes more prolonged, it builds up in the nervous system. As the nervous system holds onto more and more stress, it becomes less flexible, and more prone to moving into fight or flight or shutdown responses. This is due to excessive "Allostatic Load" - how far the nervous system has deviated from its normal resting baseline due to stored stress. Allostatic load, or the cumulative wear and tear on the body from stress, can take a major toll on productivity and performance if not managed properly (see diagram).

How to Find Balance

Understanding the different nervous system states and most importantly, noticing when you are in a dysregulated state, is the first step to creating a more resilient and flexible nervous system. Likewise, incorporating daily habits and somatic balance exercises will drastically improve your overall health and well-being.

Get Started with NEUROFIT

Within the NEUROFIT app, we have created a streamlined process for tracking your daily habits (i.e. sleep-wake cycle, diet, social and online content intake) along with a full catalog of BALANCE exercises that are recommended based on your current nervous system state (and resourced from real-time user data). The good news? All of this takes as little as 5 minutes a day!

Start your 6-week nervous system reset with the NEUROFIT App.

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A Beginner's Guide to Nervous System Regulation - NEUROFIT

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Discover the key to a balanced and resilient nervous system in our beginner's guide to nervous system regulation. Learn how NEUROFIT can help you optimize your nervous system state for improved health and well-being. Start your 6-week reset with the NEUROFIT App today!

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Somatic therapy is a form of body-centered therapy that looks at the connection of mind and body and uses both psychotherapy and physical therapies for holistic healing. In addition to talk therapy, somatic therapy practitioners use mind-body exercises and other physical techniques to help release t…