Hi ,

What do you think the most helpful calming strategy is to help you settle your nerves when you do public speaking?

HINT: This strategy is even MORE helpful than mindfulness and meditation, according to The Moxie Institute’s research.

It is something that you are doing RIGHT NOW.

Have a guess?

It’s breathing! But wait, not just any kind of breathing. The breathing method that is proven to calm down our nervous system is belly breathing. 

Belly breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, engages your diaphragm and your abdominal muscles to fully support your respiratory function AND helps calm you down.

I prefer to use the term belly breathing when I teach this method, because diaphragmatic breathing is a mouthful, plus, we can’t see our diaphragm like we can see our beautiful bellies move in and out.

Belly breaths are scientifically proven to lower your heart rate and help get you out of your fight or flight nervous system response.

To be clear, you do not actually breathe from your belly.

However, when you use belly breaths to FULLY engage your breath support, you will lower your heart rate to feel a greater sense of calm.

You can try my simple belly breath exercise right now for yourself.

It takes less than one minute.

Calming Belly Breath Exercise:

1. Start by sitting or standing in an upright and comfortable position.
2. Place your hands gently on your belly, near your navel.
3. Breathe in on an inhalation for 4 slow counts, and as you inhale, imagine that you're filling up your belly like an air balloon. Notice how your hands fill out as you inhale.
4. Next, breathe out on an exhalation for 4 slow counts, and as you exhale, imagine that you're deflating the same air balloon slowly. Notice how your hands move in with your breath on your exhalation.
5. Repeat your calming belly breath exercise for 4 cycles of inhalations and exhalations. Notice how much more calm and centered you feel after you do this exercise.

Do you feel a difference after doing this exercise?

My public speaking students share with me that this same exercise helps them feel more relaxed before they speak at a meeting, give a presentation, and even in their daily life conversations.

You can use this same helpful exercise whenever you need it.

I suggest you practice doing these belly breaths daily so you can create and maintain a consistently calm baseline for yourself.

Stay Calm & Breathe On,

Voice Coach Jessica Neighbor

P.S. Did you enjoy doing this exercise? You can do more calming exercises just like this one in my 5 Day calming challenge. Details coming soon!