Part 2: A Simple Tool to Start Feeling More Present, Calm, and Peaceful Today with Annelies Richmond

Are there certain important parts of your life that are frequently triggering a stress response? Do you feel yourself distracted, with your mind often somewhere other than the here or now? Research shows that on average 50% of our attention is in the past or future. Which means we are not being truly engaged in half our life.

In part 1 of my interview with breath expert, Annelies Richmond, we discussed how our breath removes past traumas, freeing us to live more in the present; how it calms our stress and anxiety, allowing us to find more joy in our daily activities; and the way it helps us not be reactive to our environment, but in control of our inner state.

In this part 2 of our interview, Annelies leads us through a simple breathing exercise that can be done daily to positively stimulate the body’s vagus nerve, which oversees a vast array of crucial bodily functions (including controlling our mood, immune response, digestion, and heart rate). She discusses the best frequency and timing of this breathing technique, as well as how to learn more.