Slow breathing is the quickest way to bring a racing pulse back down, whether before a difficult conversation, after a near miss on the road or when sleep won’t come. It works anywhere, takes about two minutes and needs nothing more than somewhere to sit and a count in your head.
sit upright and drop your shoulders
Sit on the front half of a chair with both feet flat on the floor and your back straight but not stiff. Let your shoulders fall away from your ears and rest one hand on your stomach, just below the ribs. Standing with your back against a wall works as well when there is no chair.
breathe in slowly through the nose
Breathe in through your nose for a count of four, roughly one count per second. Let the hand on your stomach rise while your chest stays almost still. If your shoulders lift, the breath is too high; start again and send it lower, as if filling a bottle from the bottom.
make the out-breath last longer
Breathe out through your nose or through slightly pursed lips for a count of six. Keep it smooth and even, without forcing the last of the air out. The longer exhale does the work: your heart rate dips a little every time you breathe out, so stretching it slows the whole rhythm.
keep the rhythm for ten rounds
Repeat the pattern of four in and six out ten times, with no pause between breaths. That is six breaths a minute, half the usual resting rate or less, and just under two minutes in total. A watch with a second hand helps the first few times; after that the count keeps itself.
The most common mistake is breathing in too deeply: a calm breath is slow, not big, and should never leave you light-headed.
