Discover rhythm breathing. This can be done at home within 5 minutes. Giving yourself time to decompress is important. For everyone that is dealing with stress, anxiety, and feeling overwhelmed — this blog is for you!

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So many of you give everything you have to your families and your careers. But when are you able to find time for yourself? It’s just not that easy to do. We often hear that it feels like one day blends right into the next often resulting in feelings of depletion. Please know that life doesn’t have to be like this.

Managing our stress, anxiety and overall energy is really important and deserves to be a non-negotiable part of your day.

Short, focused bouts of meditation is our favorite way to hit reset. It creates a space to release all of the clutter that we’re holding on to. One of the most powerful meditations is surprisingly simple. It’s called Rhythm Breathing, and just 5 minutes a day is a great place to start.

Although meditation can be performed truly anywhere, our recommendation is to find a comfortable seated position. It can be in a chair or on the ground. Explore different seated positions until you find one that allows you to be still for 5 minutes or longer.

Setting up in a place that is relatively free of distraction is advantageous, especially when you’re first developing a meditation practice.

Start Your Rhythm Breathing Practice:

• Once comfortably seated, close your eyes and rest your hands in your lap
• Maintain closed eyes and a closed mouth
• Inhale through your nose for 2 seconds with ease
• (When starting out, use 2 or 3 seconds for each phase. If it feels ok to use 4 or 5 seconds, go for it. Please know that the recommendation is to find a duration that works for you. Also, shoot to keep the same duration for each phase to establish a rhythm)
• Hold your breath for 2 seconds. Remain calm.
• Exhale your breath through your nose with ease
• Hold your breath for 2 seconds. Remain calm.
• Repeat this cycle for as long as it takes to bring your focus inward on your breath and off of the previously racing thoughts.

It’s important to understand that the objective isn’t to prevent thoughts from coming into the forefront of your mind, but rather, acknowledge them when they do and be willing to let them go.

We recommend a 5-minute practice in the morning, preferably before anyone else in the house is awake, to start your day from a place of grounded presence.

If you don’t sleep as well as you’d like, a short practice before bed is incredibly helpful in calming your mind so you can rest easy. Nearly all of our stress is due to our thoughts about the past or the future. By focusing on our breath, we are pulled into the present moment where you are safe and can find a calm sense of peace.

We encourage you to give this a try today, and let us know how it goes! If you know of anyone who might benefit from this, feel free to share it with them.

Breathe easy, friends.