Feeling wired, tired, or like you’re one minor inconvenience away from a meltdown? Samesies.
But here’s the good news: you can teach your body how not to live in constant fight-or-flight mode, beginning with nervous system regulation. One of the most powerful tools for this? Your breath.
We tapped Sepideh Eivazi, a member of the Breath Initiative at the Global Wellness Institute and a guide to executive leaders and wellness pros around the world, to break it all down.
What is nervous system regulation?
In short, it’s your body’s ability to come back to center after stress.
“Nervous system regulation is the foundation of sustainable success and emotional intelligence,” Sepideh says. “When regulated, the nervous system supports clarity, creativity, connection, and presence. Regulation isn’t about avoiding stress; it’s about cultivating the capacity to respond with resilience.”
When your nervous system is out of whack, it might show up like this:
- Racing thoughts
- Trouble sleeping
- Chronic tension
- Emotional numbness or overwhelm
- Always feeling behind, unsafe, or like you have something to prove (imposter syndrome)
Basically, “your body is stuck in survival mode, even when you’re not in immediate danger,” Sepideh explains.
How can breathwork help calm the nervous system?
“Breathwork is powerful because it bypasses the thinking mind and works directly with the body’s stress circuitry,” Sepideh tells us. “It calms the amygdala, activates the vagus nerve, and restores a sense of safety. In that space, you begin to remember your worth, not as an idea, but as an embodied truth.”
Breathwork for nervous system regulation:
Below, Sepideh shares a simple breathwork exercise to try when you’re feeling overwhelmed:
1. Inhale through the nose for four counts.
2. Hold for four counts.
3. Exhale through the mouth for eight counts.
4. Repeat for two to three minutes.
“Then, place one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Whisper to yourself, “I’m safe to slow down.” Let the exhale be your signal to return to the body, not abandon it,” she says.
If you need something even more fast-acting, Sepideh suggests these two techniques that can help shift you out of fight-or-flight mode:
1. Coherent Breathing – Inhale for five seconds, and exhale for five. Repeat.
2. Physiological Sigh – Take two short inhales through your nose, followed by a long exhale out your mouth.
How often do you need to do it?
Consistency is more important than perfection. “You don’t brush your teeth once and expect lifelong dental health,” Sepideh says. “Same with your nervous system. The body learns through repetition. Even five minutes a day rewires your stress response.”
Final Thoughts
Breathwork is about so much more than just wellness. “It’s about liberation,” Sepideh says. “When you regulate your nervous system, you stop recycling inherited patterns. You stop mistaking urgency for importance. You create space to choose something new,” she explains.
“In a world that profits off your disconnection, breathwork is a quiet rebellion, a radical act of presence, a return to what’s real.”
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