Executive Breathing

Choose a spot that feels comfy, snug, and safe, where you won’t be interrupted

Sit, lie down, or stand tall. Relax jaw, shoulders, and neck by gently rotating them left to right or front to back.

Pick a color and shape. Choose any hue or shape for your “breath” (e.g., silver ribbon, blue mist, yellow arrow, or a favorite cartoon figure).

 Inhale through your nose

Visualize the colored breath entering your nostrils, gliding past the throat, through the chest, and downward toward the belly).

Let the chest and belly gently expand to allow as much air as possible, a gold standard to tell when is the feeling of it's “touching” the area behind your belly button. (At the beginner stage, can try to feel it with your hand).

Soft hold between 3–5s, based on your comfortable level, pay attention to the change of heart rate while fighting against the urge of letting the breath out all at once. Keep the body loose; no straining.

 Exhale through the mouth, slow and smooth.

 Picture the color flowing out, belly softening and lowering.

 Tiny pause (1s). Notice the quiet at the bottom of the breath.

 Repeat 4–8 rounds. Use a simple cue like “in-soften / hold-steady / out-slow.”

 Tips:

 Aim for longer exhales than inhales to downshift the nervous system.

 If nasal breathing is blocked, inhale gently through pursed lips instead.

 Safety:

 Skip the hold if you have medical condition, e.g. respiratory/cardiac issues.

 Stop or return to normal breathing if you feel dizzy, tight, or uncomfortable.

 The “push to the belly button” is imagery—keep the breath easy, never force it.