Learn how to calm your body and nervous system at any moment using this simple breathing practice.
This video is no longer available for free viewing!
If you purchased the Event Resource Package, click here to login.
Want to learn more about owning the recordings for life?
About Rick Hanson, PhD
Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and New York Times best-selling author. His books are available in 26 languages and include Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakeable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness, Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha’s Brain, Just One Thing, and Mother Nurture. He edits the Wise Brain Bulletin and has numerous audio programs. A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA and founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, he’s been an invited speaker at NASA, Oxford, Stanford, Harvard, and other major universities, and taught in meditation centers worldwide. His work has been featured on the BBC, CBS, and NPR, and he offers the free Just One Thing newsletter with over 120,000 subscribers, plus the online Foundations of Well-Being program in positive neuroplasticity that anyone with financial need can do for free.
Want to Get Unlimited Access to All Summit Recordings, Plus Earn CE Credit?
What do you think? Leave a comment below!
152 Comments
gloria de Leon
October 16, 2019 at 6:22 pm
Thank you very much. I needed to be calm just now since I was reading the last book ” On Grief and Grieving ” of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, MD and David Kessler. I had a flashback of my deceased son from Brain Cancer. It’s has been very hard emotionally, he was my only son. Thanks again
Karolina
October 16, 2019 at 6:19 pm
Great exercise. I will try this with my students.
Liz McGrath
October 16, 2019 at 6:09 pm
Great exercise – easy and very calming
Thelma
October 16, 2019 at 6:05 pm
Thank you! I really enjoyed it, I feel so much better! It so helpful and very simple.
Gabriela
October 16, 2019 at 6:04 pm
Great way to start!Thank you! I will practice this 3 stages.
María Laura Weiss
October 16, 2019 at 6:01 pm
Thanks for your calm and teaching us how to be calm.
Sunitha
October 16, 2019 at 5:52 pm
I did this first thing in the morning and it felt so good. Thank you!
Danielle McCorkel
October 16, 2019 at 5:41 pm
I will be trying this with my students tomorrow.
Thank you.
Donna
October 16, 2019 at 5:32 pm
Simple, yet useful strategies to foster calm in the classroom. Thank you 🙂
Ariadna Simoneau
October 16, 2019 at 5:28 pm
Nice practice. Thanks!
casey sasner
October 16, 2019 at 5:17 pm
wish I had used this today to start off a restorative circle– it went well but would’ve been even better with this. I love the “I belong here” and “I’m basically good” statements. I’m sure I’ll use this soon!
Laura Thompson
October 16, 2019 at 4:43 pm
” It’s ok to be here right now”, ” right now we are basically ok”. I will do this with my kiddos tomorrow!
Anna Nicpon
October 16, 2019 at 4:23 pm
I like the three simple things you can do to feel calm. Today I really needed to watch this, it was a rough day in second grade. Every day we have time set aside for mindfulness. I feel I can’t get calm because some students are not participating.
Robyn
October 16, 2019 at 2:08 pm
Perfect for calming after returning from putting my 1st graders on their buses in the pouring rain! I like how simple and yet how truly calming this practice is! Looking forward to more!
sunita
October 16, 2019 at 1:44 pm
Thank you, really needed this to call it a day. Have noted and will share with my students in class tomorrow.
Jan Burns
October 16, 2019 at 1:39 pm
All of these practices are short and easy to include in any setting. We just have to remember to do them!
I find this relatively easy as a one-off too. The practice is about stating and re-stating that intention for calm and inner stillness at the beginning of your day or activity until it just becomes ‘the way you are all the time’. Inner discipline to make that time or moment is, I’m guessing the key to success in calming urges and sympathetic nervous system responses. So you succeed in checking the impulse to act or to get on with it and start doing, to draw breath’ and engage parasympathetic nervous system, even when the situation seems to require urgency such as a child hurting itself. It’s often counter-intuitive and hard to remember without lots of practice, and very hard to teach successfully especially to people with deep seated trauma responses, emotional disregulation or learning disability.
Mairead
October 16, 2019 at 12:25 pm
Thanks so much very calming
Annette Jacobs
October 16, 2019 at 12:02 pm
I cannot get the practive challenge to come on. Thanks for the help.
Patricia
October 16, 2019 at 11:43 am
Thanks, to locate ourselves safely in a chair, versus our internal story line, to remember that we are basically ok as we notice our breathing, and lengthen our exhalation, all gives a moment to settle down, or restart our day, experience the intention of feeling calm, vs trying to respond to every thing at once and getting frustrated.
Thank you. Let’s share this simple and effective technique…. calm!
Marcela
October 16, 2019 at 11:15 am
I wonder how this is done with a highly emotionally deregulated young child (under age of 8) when you are helping them to calm down. Co regulating works but it would be helpful to see how
Laura Moavero
October 16, 2019 at 11:13 am
Your voice is so calm and gentle…thank you for sharing your incredible knowledge. Can’t wait to try it out in class tomorrow👏🏻⭐️
Laura Moavero
October 16, 2019 at 11:13 am
Your voice is so calm and gentle…thank you for sharing your incredible knowledge. Can’t wait to try it out in class tomorrow- Laura Moavero (South Africa)
Patricia Zacarias
October 16, 2019 at 11:12 am
Nice Practice!
Thank you so much!
Beth Dyer
October 16, 2019 at 11:08 am
Thank you for these simple tools. After many years teaching middle school, I’m excited to see if these tools will help me in substitute teaching and my part time work mentoring a group of at risk 13 year olds.
Renay Montgomery
October 16, 2019 at 10:51 am
Oh my: Deep breathing is the first tool i share with my young students. We inhale by pretending to smell a beautiful flower. We exhale by blowing out a candle.
Thank you… I feel supported. Great Dr. Hansen.
Thank you. This is really nice. Will be sharing with my friends and colleagues.
Cesar Roman
October 16, 2019 at 9:54 am
Thank you, for sharing this practice and knowledge!
K. Harley
October 16, 2019 at 9:51 am
Additional ideas to add to my practice.
Kristy
October 16, 2019 at 9:43 am
Thanks for such an easy practice! I think that leaving my eyes open will help me to learn to deal with issues at work when I can’t step away to meditate or walk.
Keri
October 16, 2019 at 9:26 am
Thank you for walking us through this basic but very beneficial practice. Looking forward to more in the days to come!
Gena Galenski
October 16, 2019 at 9:04 am
Will help with addiction behaviors and during stress-filled moments.
I don’t work in a classroom, I work with people inflicted with dementia.
Carolina Borges
October 16, 2019 at 8:59 am
Happy to have started my morning with a message and practice like this! Thank you!
Laura nathanson
October 16, 2019 at 8:58 am
Nice— logical and simple. And best— it works!
Tracy
October 16, 2019 at 8:53 am
I can see the play button but, when I press it, I get a white screen and no video
Debbie Collier
October 16, 2019 at 8:52 am
We use this practice in our after school program – it’s a “mini rotation” at the beginning of the afternoon. At first, the kids giggled, but now they enjoy the consistency of this “work” to get our day started.
Debbie Collier
Canyon ISD Kids
Canyon, Texas
Rocio Aspillaga
October 16, 2019 at 8:49 am
It was so simple and so helpful. It is , as you said, something that you can easily take it to the classroom.
Thank you so much
Thank you very much. I needed to be calm just now since I was reading the last book ” On Grief and Grieving ” of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, MD and David Kessler. I had a flashback of my deceased son from Brain Cancer. It’s has been very hard emotionally, he was my only son. Thanks again
Great exercise. I will try this with my students.
Great exercise – easy and very calming
Thank you! I really enjoyed it, I feel so much better! It so helpful and very simple.
Great way to start!Thank you! I will practice this 3 stages.
Thanks for your calm and teaching us how to be calm.
I did this first thing in the morning and it felt so good. Thank you!
I will be trying this with my students tomorrow.
Thank you.
Simple, yet useful strategies to foster calm in the classroom. Thank you 🙂
Nice practice. Thanks!
wish I had used this today to start off a restorative circle– it went well but would’ve been even better with this. I love the “I belong here” and “I’m basically good” statements. I’m sure I’ll use this soon!
” It’s ok to be here right now”, ” right now we are basically ok”. I will do this with my kiddos tomorrow!
I like the three simple things you can do to feel calm. Today I really needed to watch this, it was a rough day in second grade. Every day we have time set aside for mindfulness. I feel I can’t get calm because some students are not participating.
Perfect for calming after returning from putting my 1st graders on their buses in the pouring rain! I like how simple and yet how truly calming this practice is! Looking forward to more!
Thank you, really needed this to call it a day. Have noted and will share with my students in class tomorrow.
All of these practices are short and easy to include in any setting. We just have to remember to do them!
Thank you! Doing a mindfulness project with three second grade classes 🙂 Perfect timing.
Also use in my Health classes.
Wonderful start to summit and day! Thank you so much!
It was a nice relaxing morning doing this activity.
Simple and clear. Exactly what I need for my third grade student. Thank you.
I find this relatively easy as a one-off too. The practice is about stating and re-stating that intention for calm and inner stillness at the beginning of your day or activity until it just becomes ‘the way you are all the time’. Inner discipline to make that time or moment is, I’m guessing the key to success in calming urges and sympathetic nervous system responses. So you succeed in checking the impulse to act or to get on with it and start doing, to draw breath’ and engage parasympathetic nervous system, even when the situation seems to require urgency such as a child hurting itself. It’s often counter-intuitive and hard to remember without lots of practice, and very hard to teach successfully especially to people with deep seated trauma responses, emotional disregulation or learning disability.
Thanks so much very calming
I cannot get the practive challenge to come on. Thanks for the help.
Thanks, to locate ourselves safely in a chair, versus our internal story line, to remember that we are basically ok as we notice our breathing, and lengthen our exhalation, all gives a moment to settle down, or restart our day, experience the intention of feeling calm, vs trying to respond to every thing at once and getting frustrated.
Thank you. Let’s share this simple and effective technique…. calm!
I wonder how this is done with a highly emotionally deregulated young child (under age of 8) when you are helping them to calm down. Co regulating works but it would be helpful to see how
Your voice is so calm and gentle…thank you for sharing your incredible knowledge. Can’t wait to try it out in class tomorrow👏🏻⭐️
Your voice is so calm and gentle…thank you for sharing your incredible knowledge. Can’t wait to try it out in class tomorrow- Laura Moavero (South Africa)
Nice Practice!
Thank you so much!
Thank you for these simple tools. After many years teaching middle school, I’m excited to see if these tools will help me in substitute teaching and my part time work mentoring a group of at risk 13 year olds.
Oh my: Deep breathing is the first tool i share with my young students. We inhale by pretending to smell a beautiful flower. We exhale by blowing out a candle.
Thank you… I feel supported. Great Dr. Hansen.
Very simple explanation , so easy to follow.
Wonderful way to bring attention and focus to the present. I loved it!
Simple, but very effective. I can definitely utilize the practice for patient who experience stress on a daily basis.
Short, succinct, easy to do. Now the practice! Thank you for the lovely instructions and your offering!
I really enjoyed this. I plan to add telling students that right now, we are basically ok. As simple as that is, it is reassuring. I like it!
Very calming. Thank you.
Thank you. Very clear and simple, short but effective. Just what is needed in the classroom. Sent with loving kindness.
Thank you. This is really nice. Will be sharing with my friends and colleagues.
Thank you, for sharing this practice and knowledge!
Additional ideas to add to my practice.
Thanks for such an easy practice! I think that leaving my eyes open will help me to learn to deal with issues at work when I can’t step away to meditate or walk.
Thank you for walking us through this basic but very beneficial practice. Looking forward to more in the days to come!
Will help with addiction behaviors and during stress-filled moments.
I don’t work in a classroom, I work with people inflicted with dementia.
Happy to have started my morning with a message and practice like this! Thank you!
Nice— logical and simple. And best— it works!
I can see the play button but, when I press it, I get a white screen and no video
We use this practice in our after school program – it’s a “mini rotation” at the beginning of the afternoon. At first, the kids giggled, but now they enjoy the consistency of this “work” to get our day started.
Debbie Collier
Canyon ISD Kids
Canyon, Texas
It was so simple and so helpful. It is , as you said, something that you can easily take it to the classroom.
Thank you so much
No problem.
Very easy
M