Yoga teachers and scientists agree on one thing:  deep breathing can be beneficial. But if the goal is to decrease stress, what if we’ve been doing it all wrong?

According to an article on Inc.com, neuroscientist and Stanford professor Andrew Huberman recommends what he calls the “psychological sigh,” a simple breathing technique that acts like a kill switch for the body’s stress response.

It works like this: when you breathe in, the diaphragm causes the chest to expand, leaving slightly more room for your heart. In response, your heart expands slightly, causing the blood inside to flow more slowly. As Medium writer Charlotte Grysolle explains, “Neurons in the heart pay attention to the rate of blood flow, so they signal to the brain that blood is moving more slowly to the heart. The brain sends a signal back to speed the heart up. So, if your inhales are longer than your exhales, you’re speeding up your heart.”

The converse is also true. When you exhale, everything within the chest cavity contracts, causing your blood to speed up, and neurons tell the heart to slow down. So if you are stressed, your heart is pounding, and you want to calm down quickly, Grysolle continues, “you need to make your exhales longer and more vigorous than your inhales.”

Enter Huberman’s “psychological sigh.” It’s a simple breathing pattern that short-circuits the body’s stress response, allowing you to calm down quickly. It looks like this:

• Two short inhales through the nose
• One long exhale through the mouth
• Repeat one to three times

Others have elaborated on this technique, but the key is longer exhales than inhales.

So the next time you’re feeling panicky, have to make a presentation, or take a penalty kick, give it a try. Controlling physiological stress can be as simple as sighing.

Stillman, Jessica. “A Stanford Neuroscientist Says This Simple Breathing Exercise Is Like a Kill Switch for Stress.” Inc.com, 16 Aug 2022, https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/stress-relief-stanford-breathing-technique-psychological-sigh.html?sf169391737=1&mkt_tok=ODg0LUZTQi0zMDcAAAGG101EsaLoJhKCu-YCi2d_v3oWJdks2_0rhh3BflcgQl6B6kflLK_gsqP2OtnuStadyzvEH8wYlhfHhf_cSb-C_rd2ZYsfmyyBCLSz2U54aGc.

Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash