I have a special treat for you – a way to fall asleep (or get back to sleep) in just 3 minutes. 

It’s called the 3, 5, 7 Breath and it’s based on a popular breathing technique advocated by Dr Andrew Weil. This exercise gets you to inhale through the nose for 3 counts, hold the breath in for 5, and exhale through the mouth for a count of 7. 

Doing this just 4 times helps regulate the hormone cortisol, which controls your sympathetic nervous system, or your fight or flight response. It will help you move into your parasympathetic nervous system or your rest and digest response instead. 

Like many of you, I’m part of the “sandwich generation” a generation of women who are caring for young children and elderly relatives at the same time. Until recently I have been caring for my older Mother whilst being mum to my toddler of 3 years and to put it lightly, everyday is busy.

Here is another exercise that really helped me relax in under 3 minutes. 

We’re going to do that by using a breathing technique called Box Breathing. This is where you breath in for a count of 4, hold the breath in for 4, breath out for another count of 4 and hold the breath out for 4. 

The breathing pattern resembles a square or box shape and helps to balance your nervous system, allowing you to relax and refocus. 

Here is why I am so passionate about being a Breathwork Facilitator: not only has it helped me to do this transformative work with others, it has also become my go-to healing modality for myself, and now I am on a mission to make this super accessible for ordinary people (including the sandwich generation) and certify hundreds of breathwork facilitators around the work.

You are going to do a breath of under 3 minutes to become more radiant. It’s called Ocean Breathing because you constrict your throat and make the sound of the ocean waves lapping up onto the shore with each inhalation and exhalation. 

Thanks to the throat constriction you are activating your parasympathetic nervous system, particularly the vagus nerve. This technique increases energy (and heat) as well as releasing tension from the body and improving concentration so you will radiate your way to a calmer day.