Breathing Exercises

Every high-performing founder I know shares a hidden habit: chronic under-breathing. Watch yourself in the next product-fire drill—shoulders hunched, jaw clenched, quick chest inhales. That pattern dumps CO₂, nudges your body toward “threat mode,” and spikes cortisol. The good news: you can reverse it in under five minutes with science-backed breathing drills. Let's get nerdy about breathing! 1️⃣ Physiological Sigh – the 30-Second Circuit-Breaker Two short nose inhales (the second “tops off” the lungs), then a sloooow mouth exhale until empty. A Stanford RCT found that five minutes of this exhale-heavy pattern beat mindfulness at lowering anxiety and respiratory rate. When to use it: the split-second before you un-mute on a tense investor call. Pros: lightning-fast calm, no counting. Cons: looks dramatic behind glass-wall conference rooms. 2️⃣ Box Breathing 4-4-4-4 – the Rhythm Reset Inhale 4 sec → Hold 4 sec → Exhale 4 sec → Hold 4 sec. Cleveland Clinic notes it activates the parasympathetic brake and steadies heart-rate variability (HRV). When to use it: while the board deck loads and everyone’s staring at your face. Pros: easy to teach your team; pairs with Apple Watch “Breathe.” Cons: counting can hijack focus if you’re CO₂-intolerant. 3️⃣ 4-7-8 Breathing – the Night-Shift Down-Regulator Inhale 4 sec → Hold 7 sec → Exhale 8 sec. When to use it: laptop lid closes, but brain won’t stop scrolling roadmap slides. Pros: deep parasympathetic pull—great pre-sleep. Cons: the 7-second hold can feel claustrophobic if stress is already high. Why This Matters Under-breathing = low CO₂ (hypocapnia) → vasoconstriction + jittery focus. That’s the last thing you need when making important calls. Train longer, slower exhales and you’ll watch HRV—and decision clarity—climb. Proactive insight: Build a 14-day “CO₂-tolerance ladder.” Start each stand-up with a timed breath-hold after a normal exhale. Log the number next to KPIs. As the metric rises, so will team calm and cognitive bandwidth. In my life it has been amazing what a few breathing techniques can do for clarity and decision making. Avoid under-breathing and live a life that is more calm.

It’s 3 a.m. You’re wide awake. Your brain starts racing through tomorrow’s to-do list. You think, “How screwed am I going to be tomorrow?” Here’s what I tell my patients: Don’t get up. Don’t check the clock. Don’t grab your phone. Stay exactly where you are — and breathe. You’ve probably heard the old advice: “If you wake up, get out of bed and read in another room.” That sounds logical, but biologically, it backfires. Here’s why: Turning on a light, standing up, or moving around signals your body that it’s morning. Your pupils constrict, your heart rate increases, and your stress hormones rise. You’ve just told your nervous system: “Stay alert — we’re awake.” If you wake up in the middle of the night, try this instead: • Box breathing — 4 seconds in, hold 4, out 4, hold 4. • Progressive relaxation — slowly relax each muscle from your toes to your face. • Sensory awareness — feel the sheets, the temperature, the rhythm of your breath. • Mantra or prayer — anchor your mind with a simple phrase or thought. You’re not “wasting time” by staying still — you’re lowering cortisol, supporting recovery, and keeping your brain in a restorative state. Even if you don’t fall back asleep, you’ve still protected your circadian rhythm and given your body a break from stress.

Most people hold their breath when the pressure's on. Here is how you can breathe through it. During stressful days, trouble with my kids, and intense negotiations, I'd catch myself practically suffocating. Shallow breaths. Tight chest. Racing thoughts. I feel like I can't breathe. Or I exhale loudly at my desk. As if I were in life-or-death situations. Literally. The result? ↳ I react instead of responding with clarity ↳ I make decisions to escape discomfort, not solve problems ↳ People around me feel my tension and mirror it But, our brains need oxygen to function properly and think clearly. Our nervous system only calms down if there is enough oxygen. I decided a couple of years ago that I needed to consciously focus on breathing. I looked up the word breathwork and what it is about. I booked holidays in sports hotels for going to attend these courses. What I always struggled with is having a quick overview of the most used techniques that I could look up at any time. Now I have summarised for you what I have learned in the past few years. Here are 8 breathing techniques that changed how I feel: 1️⃣ Relaxing Breath (4-7-8) → Purpose: Unwind before sleep - releases tension and calms your mind → Pattern: Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7 counts, exhale for 8 counts 2️⃣ Equal Breathing (4-2-4) → Purpose: Release tension - relax your body and become more present → Pattern: Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 2 counts, exhale for 4 counts 3️⃣ Deep Belly Breathing (5-5) → Purpose: Restore energy and calm yourself → Pattern: Inhale for 5 counts, exhale for 5 counts 4️⃣ Nose-Belly Breathing (3-6-9) → Purpose: Reset during mid-crises overwhelm - gives you a power recovery → Pattern: Inhale for 3 counts, hold for 6 counts, exhale for 9 counts 5️⃣ Soundless Nose Breathing (5-15) → Purpose: Your baseline for general use - keeps you calm → Pattern: Inhale for 5 counts, exhale for 15 counts 6️⃣ Energizing Breath (4-2) → Purpose: Wake yourself up - boost your energy and alertness → Pattern: Inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 2 counts 7️⃣ Box Breathing (4-4-4-4) → Purpose: Before a task - sharpen concentration and improve performance → Pattern: Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, exhale for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts 8️⃣ Extended Exhale (4-6) → Purpose: Anytime in between activities - quiet your mind and relieve stress → Pattern: Inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 6 counts 💡 This is the power of breath: ↳ Breath is a lifeline between your outer world and your inner body. ↳ Breath is something you can control. ↳ Breath is free. ↳ Breath is the ultimate power to be present. ↳ It is up to you to use this tool! My GO TO technique is #5. While I walk (the dog), I always! focus on my breath. Let me know: Which is your favorite? 👇 --- ❇️ Follow me Dr. Angela Kerek MBA 🔄 Share to help those who need to hear this 💚 Like the post 📬 FREE weekly Newsletter: I share strategies for Winning Inside: Join me on the journey: https://lnkd.in/dp9Q__2t**

As the Founder of EQ@Amazon, I've delivered EQ trainings to hundreds of thousands of people. One of the most popular techniques I've shared all over the world to help people increase calm and boost cognitive efficiency is mindful breathing. Breath control techniques have been scientifically proven to : 🌟 Reduce anxiety 🌟 Promote relaxation 🌟 Change the electrical state of neurons 🌟 Sharpen the mind 🌟 Improve performance What's not to like?! One of my favorite techniques was popularized by the Navy SEALs, and it's called "box breathing." It's pretty simple: 👉 Inhale through the nose for a 4-count 👉 Hold for a 4-count 👉 Exhale through the mouth for a 4-count 👉 Hold for a 4-count Do this for six cycles, and it physiologically changes the state of your body. It gets more oxygen to your brain and it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which downregulates heightened emotions (anger, fear, anxiety) and decreases heart rate and blood pressure. (This actually a form of pranayama or breath control, which has been around for thousands of years). Next time you want to reduce stress levels, increase calm, and improve brain function, use this technique. The great thing is that you can do it anytime and anywhere--before a challenging meeting, during a meeting, to start your day, to end your day. It can provide benefits in a variety of situations! Read more about the science here: https://lnkd.in/gyxVcdCn

If you ever get anxious before a BIG meeting or presentation, try this technique Navy SEALs use to stay calm under pressure: You’ve probably heard someone tell you: “Just take a deep breath.” It's well-intentioned advice, but only half the answer. When you’re nervous, shallow or erratic breathing can make anxiety worse. What you need is a controlled, proven method to signal safety to your brain. It’s called Box Breathing, and here’s how it works: Picture a box with 4 equal sides Each side = 4 seconds • Breathe in for 4 seconds • Hold for 4 seconds • Breathe out for 4 seconds • Hold again for 4 seconds Repeat for 4 rounds On top of that: While you're doing it, think calming thoughts. Instead of just focusing on the breath, pair it with soothing reminders: • “This will pass.” • “I’ve handled harder things before.” • “I’m safe. I’m prepared. I’ve got this.” When your body and brain both get the message that you're safe, the technique works even faster I use this before speaking on stage, recording videos, or anytime I need to calm my nerves.

You don’t need a breathwork app. You need a nervous system reset that takes 30 seconds. Here’s how to start a breath practice without the wellness fluff: Don’t call it mindfulness. Don’t pretend it’s spiritual. Just understand this: Your autonomic nervous system is either helping you think clearly, or choking your performance. I’ve worked with surgeons during mid-bleedouts, CEOs in boardroom showdowns, and founders just 10 seconds from panic attacks. The fastest intervention? The physiological sigh: Two quick inhales through the nose One long exhale through the mouth Repeat for 60 seconds That’s it. Not for vibes. Not for enlightenment. To lower cortisol, boost HRV, and restore clarity. Fast. This is not optional for high-performers. Your nervous system runs your decision quality, emotional regulation, and cognitive edge. So skip the meditation cushions. Do this in your car. On your stairs. In the bathroom between back-to-back calls. You don’t need “motivation.” You need a tool that works. And this one? It works in operating rooms, quarterly calls, and on Thursdays. #Recover #UpwardARC