becoming genius

"When the mind is agitated, change the pattern of the breath."
Patanjali

Breathing used to be so simple.  We arrived on the planet, inhaled, and our autonomic nervous system (ANS) took it from there.  Our ANS generously manages bodily processes without our full intentionality: dilating eyes, sweating armpits, beating hearts, etc.  No Post-It note necessary.

But all this not having to pay attention means we can unknowingly drift into a suboptimal lane (let's call it stress).  This is where intentional breathing comes in.  Thich Nhat Hanh calls mindful breathing and mindful walking foundational.  When we nail those, we naturally flow into mindful driving, mindful parenting, mindful eating, mindful everything.

The benefits of mindful breathing include thinking and functioning at a higher level...couldn't we all use that?  Andrew Huberman, Stanford neuroscientist, recommends "physiological sighing."  Discovered in the 30s, but only recently brain-documented, it offers a quick and very powerful stress reset.  Here's how to do it:  double inhale through the nose, then exhale fully through the mouth.  The first inhale should practically fill the lungs while the second inhale, a "sip," tops things off.  Exhaling long and slow releases some serious carbon dioxide.  Practice this once or twice, and you will feel calmer immediately.