A Harvard-trained MD explains Dr. Herbert Benson's relaxation response, a built-in counterforce to stress that slows breathing and heart rate. She walks you through a chime-and-breath exercise to train your nervous system to reset, and connects the practice to sleep, digestion, and immune function.
Chapters
Most people think that relaxation is what you do after all the work is done, but that's backwards. And in the next 60 seconds, I'm gonna show you how to turn the relaxation response into an everyday habit so that your brain has a reset button before stress takes over. I learned this from Harvard cardiologist Dr. Herbert Benson. He showed that the body has a built-in physiological response that is opposite of the stress response. I've taught tens of thousands of people from high-performing students and professionals to musicians at the Juilliard School, and here's what I learned. You don't build calm by hoping that you're gonna remember when you're stressed in that moment. You actually build the calm by practicing it every day. That's why I created the Relax to Soar Planner. The R stands for relaxation response. Let's take a quick pause and elicit the relaxation response. Listen and focus on the sound of this chime until the sound goes completely away. Ready? Breathe. That's it. One chime, one deep breath. Once your brain learns how to restore calm, you can use it in those moments that you need it the most. So if you want to relax to soar, follow me for more science-backed tips. In the stress response, your heart rate goes up, your breathing rate goes up, your muscles tense up, and your thoughts get narrow. In the relaxation response, your breathing, respiration slows, your muscles relax, and you're open to new ideas and learning. So R is the relaxation response. And once you have that down, once your brain knows how to manage the stress so that you can coach yourself, coach your own thoughts and behaviors, then you can get onto eating clean, love and laughter, avoiding toxins, and exercise. The relaxation response is how you get your brain ready to do all of the other work. The relaxation response is how you get your brain to get ready to do all the other work. So if you want to relax to soar, follow me for more science-backed tips.
