A Quick and Effective Relaxation Technique to Calm Your Nerves Today!

This simple breathing exercise, called Respiratory Biofeedback, was designed by Dr. Philip Maffetone as a quick, yet extremely effective method of moving your body from a highly stressed or agitated state, to a quieter, calmer state in just five minutes.

Do this twice per day. It’s best performed relaxed, in a lying position, although slightly reclined while sitting is also effective.

  1. Place your hands or arms on the middle of your abdomen and keep them relaxed. This sensation and weight provide a biofeedback effect on the diaphragm and abdominal muscles during movement. Be sure that – as you inhale, your lower abdomen rises, and as you exhale it should fall. Your shoulders and upper rib cage should not be lifting while you inhale. Focus on your abdomen rising while taking a breath from deep down (below your belly button).
  2. Close your eyes.
  3. Breathe easy and deep. Most people can comfortably, slowly inhale for about five to seven seconds, then exhale for the same five to seven seconds. If five to seven seconds makes you feel out of breath or dizzy, adjust the time—try three to four seconds during inhalation, for example, and the same for exhalation.
  4. Continue respiratory biofeedback for about five minutes.

It’s important that you do not fall asleep, or even start drifting into sleep, which produces delta brain waves (we want to produce alpha brain waves to calm your central nervous system). If you start getting sleepy after two minutes, perform respiratory biofeedback for just less than that time and gradually work up to five minutes—but always avoid getting sleepy. If you consistently get sleepy during respiratory biofeedback, there may be other sleep-related issues such as sleep deprivation or sleep apnea (often caused by excessive refined foods in the diet).

As a powerful self-therapy, respiratory biofeedback can be performed once or twice daily or more if necessary. By correcting muscle imbalance and improving the nervous system, it can also help control pain, correct and prevent injuries, and overall, reduce stress.

Author: Dr. Philip Maffetone

With: Therese Bolat (Maffetone)