Every-body's Got a Heartbeat

The first sound we experienced was our mother's heartbeat. Before our parents knew our name (perhaps), they heard our heartbeat. This universal common experience is a soothing primal memory - like a drum beat.

So when we get stressed out, or our "engines run high" it makes sense to reconnect to the soothing rhythm of a resting heart beat.

When we take 6 nice, long, deep breaths in a minute (count up to 5 on the inhale and back from 5 on the exhale 6 times) we can "sync" our breath to a resting heartbeat and stimulate the vagus nerve. This nerve "turns on" the parasympathetic nervous system. In other words, it creates a physiological condition where we "tend/mend & befriend" or "rest & digest". We experience feelings of peace and ease, as opposed to the typical "fight/flight/flee" responses of stress.

Here is a great song for kids that affirms the universal delight of our shared heartbeats!

The next time you find yourself feeling stressed out - stop & breathe 6 times per minute, placing your right hand on your belly and your left hand on your heart. Let your vagus nerve sync your breath with a resting heartbeat to return to feelings of peace and ease.