How To Regulate Your Nervous System With Simple Breathing - Part 2 of 6

Your body is always reading signals from the outside world and from the inside of your chest. When stress ramps up, your breathing often becomes shallow and fast, and that pattern tells your nervous system to stay on alert. The good news is you have a built-in reset button you can use anywhere, anytime: intentional breathing. We kick off our series on nervous system regulation with breath work because it’s simple, free, and shockingly effective. 

We share a personal story from early yoga training that still surprises me, sitting in quiet space, focusing on deep breathing, and seeing real change show up in my body. From there, we connect the dots to what many experts (including physical therapists working on things like pelvic floor function, low back pain, and movement form) keep coming back to: proper breathing supports better training, better recovery, and better sleep quality. We also talk through why breath is unique, it’s automatic, but you can consciously control it, which makes it one of the most practical tools for stress management. 

You’ll learn how slowing your breath sends the message “I’m safe,” how that relates to the vagus nerve and the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest), and why the goal is awareness, not perfection. Then we practice together with a calming 4-count inhale and 6-count exhale pattern, plus a cozy “hot chocolate breathing” technique you can use when you need to come back to the present moment. If this helps you, share it with a friend, subscribe, and leave a review so more people can find these nervous system regulation tools.

Transcript

Why Breath Work Comes First

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to the Standex and Wine Podcast. I'm your host, Robin Hackney, and I am so thankful that you are here. Last week we talked about the signs of a dysregulated nervous system. And for the next few weeks, we are going to talk about ways to regulate your nervous system. Today we are starting with one of the fastest ways to influence it, and that is breath work.

A Yoga Assignment With Surprising Results

SPEAKER_00 0:23

So, 24 years ago, I entered the fitness industry, and one of the classes that I took was yoga in my personal training schooling, and I loved it. I fell in love with it and I knew I wanted to learn more. So I did a few different trainings. One of them I did in Omaha, and it was a nine-month program. And I would go up one weekend a month. We would have a class on Friday night, all day Saturday, all day Sunday, and then I would drive back Sunday night. And one of the exercises she gave us, my instructor gave us the very first weekend, I think, besides all the reading and the different postures that we were to explore was just sitting in a quiet space and breathing. Just deep breathing. And that was it. And I don't remember changing anything else that month. And I share the story all the time. So I feel like I would have remembered changing something else. But just by having that breathing and quiet time, I lost five pounds that month. So it shows you the power of breath and slowing down.

Why Breathing Changes Stress Signals

SPEAKER_00 1:32

I've also talked about working with Lindsay Graham. She's been on the podcast. She is a physical therapist that focuses on pelvic floor, but also other areas. She has helped me with my low back, she's helped me with my hips, working on form. And one of the things that she really stresses is proper breathing. And a lot of my guests go back to breath work because it's simple, it's free, it's effective, you can do it anywhere. In fact, my episode titled Breathe Better, Live Better, would be perfect for you to go back and listen to, and I'll put that link in the show notes. That conversation was about how breathing influences everything from lifting weights to sleep quality. And most people don't think much about breathing because we do it automatically. But breathing is unique because it is one of the few automatic functions we can consciously control. When we're stressed, think what happens. Our breathing becomes shallow and rapid. And that signals the body to stay alert and be prepared for danger. That is just how we are designed. When we intentionally slow our breathing, we send a different message. We tell the body that we are safe. And so you might hear people say, or you might be someone that says this to other people, just take a deep breath. And sometimes that can be annoying to hear, but really they're doing you a favor because by taking that deep breath, you are like almost doing a reset. And I would say, you know, more than one, but it is just a great way for you to control that and slow everything down. And this is where the vagus nerve comes in.

Guided 4 In 6 Out Practice

SPEAKER_00 3:11

The vagus nerve helps regulate many important functions, and it plays a major role in activating the parasympathetic nervous system. So you've probably heard of sympathetic, parasympathetic, the fight or flight. The parasympathetic parasympathetic nervous system is often called like the rest and digest mode. And a simple breathing practice can help lower stress, it can improve focus, it can create a sense of calm, and it might even help you lose weight like I did. I was shocked when that happened. So I thought we could practice something together. So we are going to inhale through your nose for four counts, we'll hold briefly, then we'll exhale slowly for six counts. So take a deep inhale through your nose, two, three, four, and hold. Exhale, two, three, four, five, six. Inhale through your nose for two, three, four, hold. Exhale, two, three, four, five, six. I'd invite you to hit pause right now and do that for two to three more minutes. And just notice what changes. How do you feel? Do you feel a little calmer? Do you feel more in control? Typically, that's what happens when we work with our breath. And the goal isn't perfection, the goal is more awareness. And remember, you may not be able to control every stressor in your life, but you can influence how your body responds. It is something that we truly can learn to do. And through the breath work, I think this is just a fabulous place for you to start.

Hot Chocolate Breathing Visualization

SPEAKER_00 5:08

And you might want to try implementing different practices. You can listen to the episode that I told you about. You can do some searches and find different breathing practices. If you ever have any that make you feel dizzy or lightheaded, obviously stop that. I have another one that I really like, and it's hot chocolate breathing. So just imagine that you're holding a cup of hot chocolate. Let's pretend it's winter, and maybe you're listening to this in the wintertime. Lucky you, it is so hot and humid here in Kansas today. Oh my gosh. Anyway, so you're holding that hot chocolate, or maybe it's a savory soup. And I want you to just take in all of the aromas in your nose with a deep inhale. And then cool it off with your breath as if you're just blowing out your mouth and truly trying to cool that off. So again, just visualize that you're holding that savory mug of whatever it is. Inhale all of those aromas. And then put your lips together, have that little opening, exhale like you're trying to cool that off, and do that two or three times and see if you like that. So just find a practice that works well with you. And I'm anxious to hear how it goes for

Share Feedback And What’s Next

SPEAKER_00 6:22

you. You know, as always, I would love to hear your feedback. You can email me at infospandaxandwine.com. You can text me at 913-392-2877. I love, love, love when I hear from people. It's not very often, so please, please message me. I would love to hear how it goes. Next week, we will talk about sensory grounding. I absolutely love it. And how reconnecting with your surroundings can help bring you back to the present moment. As I requested last week, if this is helpful for you, is going to be helpful for someone else, I would ask that you share the episode, that you share the link to the show, you tell them about this six part series that's coming up. Yeah, just ways that we can learn to regulate our nervous system. I am finding out that that is one of the biggest keys to wellness. And I'm excited to explore all of this with you. So until next time.