Coherent breathing is a technique in which a person intentionally controls their breathing rate to help relax and calm their body, regulate their heart rate, and remove themself from a fight-or-flight response or adrenaline spike. The primary goal of coherent breathing is to increase the length of each breath, in turn sending signals to your brain to slow down your heart rate. There are several benefits for coherent breathing techniques. Its primary benefits may be activating the body’s natural relaxation response, reducing stress, improving mood, increasing cardiovascular wellness, improve insomnia, reducing anxiety, also a shift from major depression to minimal depression, and it helps individuals with dysfunctional breathing patterns or who have chronic shallow breathing to help fully utilize their diaphragm and break the habit of breathing from the chest rather than taking full deep breaths. Coherent breathing is simple enough that you can practice it anywhere such as waiting in line at the store or at the work desk in the office because no one can tell you are practicing it.

Breathing should occur at a rate of five breaths per minute. The intent is for each inhalation and exhalation cycle to last 6 seconds each, for a total of 12 seconds per breath Breath normally and through your nose. Relax your shoulders, neck, face, jaw and mouth. Inhale for six counts, Exhale for six counts; Repeat for a minimum of five minutes. It was practiced for 20 minutes per day for 21 days in a study to minimal depression. Eventually, the person should learn to dwell in the state of coherent breathing.