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3 Ways to calm your body in less than 2 minutes

By on February 7, 2022

By Christen Shaker

Did you know your own breath can be one of your greatest allies in protecting your energy and resilience?

The holiday decorations are slowly being put away, the New Year has rung in. You’ve probably made a resolution or 2 you’re unsure you’ll really be able to keep. If anything the past couple years have taught us, it’s the importance of resilience!

My favorite definition of resilience can be found right in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “the ability of something to return to its original shape after it has been pulled, stretched, pressed, bent, etc.” Over the past couple years, have you felt stretched? Pressed? Bent? Pulled?

If you’re like me, the answer is yes! I’m going to share with you 3 easy, free techniques you can use right now to maintain your resilience and protect your energy.

The big secret about them? They’re available anytime you need and you’re already doing it all day, every day. They come from your own breathing.

One of the quickest ways to get exhausted and burned out is to just keep going without stopping. “Suck it up, Buttercup!” as a roommate of mine used to say. You push down emotion, exhaustion, and/or pain, and just keep moving on to the next thing until you can just get everything done.

I call this the great illusion because there’s always going to be something to get done. Instead of reaching a goal and being satisfied, something else comes up so you push harder, and harder. Then you wonder why you’re tired, unmotivated, and begin to mentally beat yourself up.

You feel like a failure for not being able to do it all when you’re not giving yourself the rejuvenation you need. You’re now on a hamster wheel that’s hard to get off of.

The 3 techniques below I learned from 3 amazing teachers. It’s not a question of if something will knock you out of alignment, it’s when it’ll happen, and how you’re able to handle it. I use these same techniques to help me protect my energy, feel rejuvenated, and maintain my resilience while keeping my body calm.

1: Dr. Andrew Weil’s 4-7-8 breathing technique

It’s very simple and doing the technique 3 times in a row can calm your body in less than 1 minute.

First, place your tongue on the roof of your mouth just behind your teeth.

Next, inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7 counts, and exhale for 8 counts audibly and forcefully.

If you’re new to using your breath as a method of body calming, then holding your breath for 7 seconds may feel like a long time. It’s okay, you may have to practice to feel comfortable with it.

Dr. Weil recommends doing the technique 4 times in a row, twice per day. This can take a good 4-6 weeks to get used to doing so take it easy on yourself and just start with what you can do and build from there. 4 times maximum in one sitting tends to be enough.

Of course if you feel faint at any time, stop and go back to your normal breathing.

This is great to use on those nights when you’re lying awake at night and can’t sleep or trying to wind down after a situation that has your adrenaline pumping!

2: Inhale for 3 counts, exhale for 3 counts

I learned this from my breathwork mentor Juliana. It’s as simple as it sounds and it’s something you can do as much as you need. Just do this at a pace that feels comfortable for you.

A great time to use this is when you’ve experienced an emotional situation, but you’re not in a place to really allow yourself to fully embrace how you’re feeling (Like at work, dealing with your kids, or if you’re in healthcare…a code). It’s a great solution because it keeps energy moving instead of pushing your emotions down.

This is a great band-aid until you can get to a safe place to let it out.

3: Make your exhale longer than your inhale (ex. Inhale 4 counts, exhale 8 counts)

I learned this from a breathwork coach named Kelly in Atlanta. Making your exhale longer than your inhale helps stimulate the vagal nerve, which in turn relaxes your body.

I love to use this when I feel like the environment around me is turning into chaos. You know the feeling. It gets busy around you all of a sudden and before you know it it’s hard to sit still.

Running around being busy and hyper, but not being effective and you’re not really sure why things got crazy. You kind of feel like a chicken with your head cut off, as they say.

A simple 2 minutes of deep breathing with longer exhales engages the vagal nerve to calm your nervous system and can help improve decision making. This helps me feel grounded, I can feel my body calming down in the moment so I can focus on what’s important…instead of starting to stress eat!

To sum it all up, your breath is one of your best allies! We all need air to live, but by knowing how to optimize your breathing you can also use it to improve your quality of life. Implementing these techniques can help you feel grounded, maintain your resilience, recover faster, and protect your energy.

As we learn to navigate this new post-COVID world, I urge you not to get caught up in the pressure of things you “should” do or the societal extremes it can be so easy to get caught up in. It’s important to be gentle with ourselves, allow ourselves and others grace to be human, and just breathe.

Which technique do you think you’ll like the best?

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Christen Shaker is a nurse, trained Breathworker, and Master Empowerment Coach who knows what it takes to thrive in healthcare. Christen specializes in blending empowerment coaching with breathwork to help nurses and women in healthcare experiencing burnout or looking to avoid it. Christen has been a nurse over 20 years and intimately understands the inner struggles of bedside nurses and women in healthcare.

Christen studied at Columbia State Community College, Grand Canyon University, Simply Woman Accredited Trainer (S.W.A.T.) Institute, and the Nashville School of Breathwork. Christen has attended Loving Relationships Trainings in Atlanta, GA and is a member of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation.

Social links:
IG- @coachingwithchristen
FB: Coaching with Christen
website: coachingwithchristen.com

Feature Slider Image by Dingzeyu Li

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