Daily Breathwork Reset: Five Minutes to Recharge Your Mind and Body

A single five-minute session of diaphragmatic breathing can lower your cortisol levels by up to twenty-three percent. In our last session, we talked about finding your rhythm to recharge. This is how you find that rhythm at its source. So let's begin. Find a comfortable position. Seated with your spine tall, or lying on your back.

Whatever allows you to feel supported. Close your eyes when you feel ready. Bring your awareness to your body. The points of contact between you and the surface beneath you. The weight of your hands in your lap. The air on your skin. Now, take one hand and place it on your upper chest. Take your other hand and place it on your belly, right over your navel.

We will breathe in and out through the nose. The only thing you need to focus on is the hand on your belly. As you breathe in, your intention is to let the belly expand, to rise and meet your hand. As you breathe out, the belly gently falls. The hand on your chest… should remain relatively still. Most of our daily breathing is shallow, stuck in the chest.

Today, we send the breath deeper. Let’s try it together. A slow, deep breath in through your nose, filling the belly. Feel it rise. And a long, slow exhale through the nose. Feel the belly fall. Again. Inhale. The belly expands. Exhale. The belly softens. Just like that. There’s no need to force it. Simply allow the breath to travel down, past the chest, into the deepest part of your lungs.

Allowing the diaphragm to do its work. Breathing in… one… two… three… four… Breathing out… one… two… three… four… five… six. Letting the exhale be just a little longer than the inhale. This is what signals safety to your nervous system. This is the reset. Now… let go of the count. Find your own rhythm.

The natural, unforced cadence of your body. Inhaling, the belly is full. Exhaling, the belly is soft. If your mind wanders, that’s okay. That's what minds do. Just notice where it went… and gently guide your attention back. Back to the feeling of your hand rising and falling. Noticing the coolness of the air as it enters your nostrils.

And the warmth as it leaves. Each breath is an anchor to this present moment. There is nothing else to do. Nowhere else to be. Just this breath. And the next. Feel the stillness settling in. The quiet space that exists between the end of your exhale… and the start of your next inhale. Rest here. This is the space where the work gets done.

One more deep breath in. The deepest one yet. Fill the belly completely. And a long, slow, complete exhale. Let it ALL go. Allow your breathing to return to its natural pace. Keep your eyes closed for another moment. Notice how you feel. A little quieter. A little more grounded. Bring some gentle movement back to your fingers and toes.

When you feel ready, slowly open your eyes. You just changed your chemistry. Carry that stillness with you.