The physiological sigh is one of the strongest simple breath patterns for quickly reducing physiological arousal. There's research—including work associated with Stanford—showing its effectiveness.
Your body already uses this pattern naturally—often during sleep or when crying—to reset the nervous system. We're just doing it deliberately.
How it works
- Inhale through the nose
- At the top, take a quick extra 'sip' of air
- Long, slow exhale through the mouth, like fogging a window
We'll do three together. If you feel dizzy, do fewer rounds or return to normal breathing.
Practice
Physiological Sigh
A quick, research-backed breathing technique to calm your nervous system in real-time.
Notice: did anything shift? Even 2% matters. This is also discreet—you can do it after a difficult email, before a meeting, before you walk in the front door.
Lesson 4 of 1429% complete