A dead simple breathing exercise can help you short circuit stress, according to Stanford’s Andrew Huberman.

BY JESSICA STILLMAN, CONTRIBUTOR, INC.COM@ENTRYLEVELREBEL

For Inc.

Photo: Getty Images

Many of us think of breathing as the most boring and natural thing in the world. We do it all day every day without thinking. But a host of experts insist we’re underappreciating the incredible power of our breath.

You may have heard something similar from your yoga teacher, but hard science agrees that changing how you breathe can have profound effects on your mental and physical health. Learning to breathe more deeply can turn around debilitating chronic health conditions, while simple breathing exercises help cure insomnia. And according to Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and Stanford professor, changing how you breathe can also halt stress in its tracks.

A kill switch for your stress response

This insight comes from a massive five-hour podcast with ex-Navy Seal officer Jocko Willink. If that seems like an excessively hefty time commitment to you, Medium writer Charlotte Grysolle has helpfully excavated 15 actionable tricks from the conversation. If you’re at all interested in the broader conversation around body hacking and self-improvement, her article is well worth a read in full.

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