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Breathing Protocols to Calm Down

Parasympathetic ('rest and digest') protocols. Enhance by lying down, closing your eyes, relaxing your forehead, bringing a slight smile, and listening to soothing music.

Guidelines for Calming

  • • Breathe low into your belly, avoid filling your chest
  • • Your shoulders should not move with your breath
  • • Only your diaphragm should be active
  • • Smooth, even, controlled breaths — no exaggeration
  • • Try the 90/90 position: hips and knees at 90°, propped on a chair

Practice: 1:2 Breathing (4,0,8,0)

Notation: 4,0,8,0

Round 1 of 8

Inhale

4

Breath Rate & Autonomic State Explorer

See how your breathing rate shifts your nervous system state.

6 bpm
1:2

Deep parasympathetic — profound calm, healing mode

At 6 bpm with 3.3s inhale / 6.7s exhale. Longer exhales (1:2) enhance parasympathetic activation. Deep parasympathetic — profound calm, healing mode.

Reflect

How did your breath practice affect your state? What protocol worked best?