Stress Relief Tool #5

Breathe into your Heart: Quick Coherence®

Adapted from the Institute of HeartMath.

The Institute of HeartMath has done extensive research on the how the patterns of the rhythms of the heart reflect our emotional and nervous system states.

When we are stressed, anxious, frustrated, out of sorts… our heart’s rhythms become disorganized or what is called an incoherent pattern. The heart sends electromagnetic signals to the brain, which then trigger the release of stress hormones.

To bring the heart back into a coherent pattern, you need to focus your breathing on your heart.

The Quick Coherence® Technique developed by the Institute of HeartMath, helps you get back into a coherent state.

It uses the power and intelligence of your heart to relieve stressful thoughts and emotions, allowing you to achieve inner calm quickly, where clear thinking and solutions are found.

It’s a very powerful and quick technique you can use anywhere.

Here are the 3 easy steps for Heart Breathing/Quick Coherence®

1. Heart Focus. Focus your attention on the area around your heart, the area in the center of your chest. If you prefer, place your hand over the center of your chest to help keep your attention in the heart area.

2. Heart Breathing. Breathe deeply, but normally, and imagine that your breath is coming in and going out through your heart area. Continue breathing with ease until you find a natural inner rhythm that feels good to you.

3. Heart Feeling. As you maintain your heart focus and heart breathing, activate a positive feeling. Recall a positive feeling, a time when you felt good inside, and try to re-experience the feeling. One of the easiest ways to generate a positive, heart-based feeling is to remember a special place you’ve been to or the love you feel for a close friend or family member or treasured pet. This is the most important step.

This is a quick stress reliever for whenever you are needing fast relief.

You can take this further and be proactive by taking Heart Breathing breaks throughout the day. By repeatedly doing this exercise throughout your day, you are building a habit of heart coherence. It feels good and you will find you want to immediately focus in on your heart as soon as any stressful feelings begin to emerge.

Let me know how this Quick Coherence® tool works for you!

I’m excited to hear!