Everyday Practices
Back to Connection Mode
For Soothing the Nervous System
US$6 3 practices · 6 tracks · listen or download
Get the pack · US$6There’s a part of us whose job is to protect us. When something feels threatening, big or small, it fires first and asks questions later. In my book, Never Mind Your Mind, I call this Protection Mode. The heart speeds up, the breath gets shorter, and the calm, choosing part of us goes offline for a while.
Then there’s Connection Mode. This is where we feel grounded again. We can feel what we feel and still choose how we respond. We’re connected to ourselves, and to the people around us.
We all slip into Protection Mode, many times a day. Sometimes it’s sudden and loud, sometimes it creeps up so slowly that we don’t notice it’s happened. That’s being human. And with a little practice, the body can find its way back.
These three practices work through the body. They slow the breath and settle the nervous system, so the calmer, more connected part of you can come back online. Each one comes in a full version and a shorter one, for when time is tight.
What’s inside
I Need A Reset (Surrounded By Ambience)
2 versions
Full version · 16 minShorter version · 10 min
For when you need a well-deserved reset. After a short introduction, the practice guides the body to relax and ‘melt’ into the present moment, with the odd affirmation along the way. It finishes with a count up from 1 to 10, so you come back revived and ready for the rest of your day.
4–7–8 Relaxation Breathwork
2 versions
With affirmations · 5 minBreath only · 3 min
Guided 4–7–8 breathing: in for four, hold for seven, out for eight. I count you through at first, to help the rhythm settle in. As the counting carries on softly in the background, short soothing affirmations are layered in. The long, slow out-breath lets the body know it’s safe to rest, and the affirmations help that sense of steadiness land. The shorter one is the same 4–7–8 breathing, without the affirmations. The counts guide you in, then slowly fade away, leaving the soft sound of gongs. For the hard moments, when you just need the breath.
Coherent Breathing
2 versions
Full version · 5 minShorter version · 3 min
A simple, even rhythm: five seconds in, five seconds out. That’s around five to six breaths a minute, a pace that helps the heart and the breath fall into step with each other. In a few minutes, the body can begin to settle and the mind can quieten. There’s nothing to force here, just a gentle return to rhythm. Helpful for a spike of anxiety, or a quick reset during the day.