Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
You know, if someone
told you there was like a simple
five-minute practice that couldmeasurably, you know,
quantifiably increase yourresilience to stress, you
probably just dismiss it.
SPEAKER_00 (00:12):
Okay, absolutely.
Another wellness fad for sure.
SPEAKER_01 (00:14):
Exactly.
But today we're doing a deepdive into something that's,
well, it's a confirmedblueprint.
It's validated by data.
SPEAKER_00 (00:22):
Aaron Powell That's
the key.
This is the exact protocol, thegoal, and you know, the most
important part, the evidencefrom users who really approached
this like a science experiment.
Right.
They weren't just trying to feelgenerally better.
They knew, and they use thespecific phrase, that they had a
relatively low heart ratevariability.
So the explicit mission was toraise it.
SPEAKER_01 (00:41):
Aaron Powell And
just for anyone who might not be
tracking this metric everysingle day, let's just quickly
frame why HRV is so important.
SPEAKER_00 (00:47):
Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_01 (00:47):
Heart rate
variability, it's that tiny
variation in time between yourheartbeats.
And it's really the bestnon-invasive sign of your
autonomic nervous system'shealth.
SPEAKER_00 (00:56):
It basically shows
how resilient and flexible your
system is.
SPEAKER_01 (00:59):
Yeah.
So low HRV means you're kind ofstuck in a stress response.
High HRV, that means you canadapt to things quickly.
SPEAKER_00 (01:09):
So the goal here
wasn't just some abstract
well-being, it was aboutimproving systemic adaptability.
And the powerful thing, theconfirmation we're starting
with, is that after they didthis technique for that specific
reason, it worked.
It worked.
The user confirmed their HRVresults, quote, went up.
And that for me moves this wholething from just anecdotal advice
(01:31):
into quantifiable success.
SPEAKER_01 (01:33):
Aaron Powell Okay,
so let's unpack how they got
there, because the motivation,the why behind it is, I think,
just as interesting as thetechnique itself.
SPEAKER_00 (01:40):
Aaron Powell What
stands out to me right away is
the research they did first.
This wasn't something they juststumbled upon.
They reported that theyproactively, quote, looked at
all the things that can raiseyour heart rate variability
before they even landed on thisspecific breathing technique.
SPEAKER_01 (01:53):
Aaron Powell That's
such a crucial point.
They really filtered through allthe noise to find a specific
physiological lever to pull.
SPEAKER_00 (02:00):
Exactly.
And once they found it, theexercise itself seems like it's
designed to be easy to follow.
We're talking about a practicethat's usually done with your
eyes closed.
Right.
And you're guided by an audiblecue, like chimes or some kind of
sound that tells you exactlywhen to inhale and exhale.
SPEAKER_01 (02:16):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (02:16):
So you don't have to
watch a clock or guess the
rhythm.
SPEAKER_01 (02:19):
The guide is so key
because as we'll get into, the
cadence isn't.
It's not what you do naturally.
SPEAKER_00 (02:25):
Not at all.
If you leave it to chance,you'll miss the target.
And the sources describe thisimmediate effect.
You know, they said once theygot into the flow, it feels
nice, and their mind just sortof it went pseudo random.
SPEAKER_01 (02:36):
Okay.
That phrase pseudo-random,that's fascinating to me because
that's often the biggest hurdlefor people trying traditional
meditation, right?
That frustration of trying toget your mind to be silent.
What do you think that means,pseudo-random?
SPEAKER_00 (02:50):
Aaron Powell I think
it implies a state where your
brain is absorbed, but it's notworking hard.
You're so focused on the task ofbreathing, on following that
sound.
SPEAKER_01 (02:59):
The chimes, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (03:00):
That it acts as a
kind of gentle override for all
that internal chatter.
Your brain is just occupiedenough that it stops generating
those, you know, linear,stressful thoughts.
SPEAKER_01 (03:10):
So it's not
stressed, it's just busy.
SPEAKER_00 (03:12):
Exactly.
It's a highly efficientprocessing mode.
It's relaxation you achievethrough a rhythmic task, which
is so much easier for mostpeople than trying to just empty
their mind.
SPEAKER_01 (03:21):
Aaron Powell Right.
It's a structured path to a calmstate, not just forcing yourself
to be still, but okay, to getthat actual physiological
result, that measurable jump inresilience.
We have to talk about theprecise recipe.
What is the magic number forthis coherence breathing?
SPEAKER_00 (03:38):
This is the absolute
core of it.
And it's a very specific tempo.
The entire cycle, the inhale andthe exhale combined, has to work
out to exactly six breaths perminute.
SPEAKER_01 (03:47):
Six breaths per
minute.
Okay, so that's one full breathevery 10 seconds.
SPEAKER_00 (03:51):
Yep.
Five seconds in, five secondsout.
SPEAKER_01 (03:53):
My first thought is
why that number?
Is that optimal for everyone?
What's so special about six?
Why not five or seven?
SPEAKER_00 (03:59):
That's a great
question.
And that six breaths per minutenumber comes up again and again
because it corresponds almostperfectly with the body's
natural resonance frequency.
Right.
It's where your heart rate, yourblood pressure, and your
breathing all kind of sync up.
When you breathe at thatspecific slow tempo, you're
maximizing gas exchange, andthis is the key for our goal.
(04:20):
You are actively optimizing thebalance of your nervous system.
You're basically mechanicallyforcing your body into a deep
state of physiological calm.
SPEAKER_01 (04:29):
And one of the
participants even noted that
they, quote, don't spontaneouslybreathe at that cadence.
They said they naturally breathequite a bit faster.
SPEAKER_00 (04:36):
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01 (04:37):
Which just confirms
that to get into that zone, you
have to consciously slowyourself down.
You have to override that fasterbaseline.
SPEAKER_00 (04:44):
You do.
And that's usually where it getshard, right?
Yeah.
You start focusing on yourbreath and then your mind
wanders, am I doing this right?
How much time is left?
Totally.
But the source material gives usthis brilliant, like attested
strategy for keeping the rhythmand keeping your mind from
wandering off.
SPEAKER_01 (04:58):
Okay, tell us about
this counting strategy.
This sounds like it addressesthe main problem people have.
SPEAKER_00 (05:03):
It does.
The idea was to do a secondarycounting task.
Something just complex enough tostop your mind from grifting,
but not so complex that itdistracts you from your breath.
SPEAKER_01 (05:13):
So what did that
look like?
SPEAKER_00 (05:14):
The specific pattern
they used was very structured.
It was something like five, one,one, one, two, one, three, and
so on.
SPEAKER_01 (05:21):
Okay, let's break
that down.
What is that pattern actuallyachieving?
SPEAKER_00 (05:24):
So the main number,
the one, two, three, that's
tracking your progress throughthe session, maybe the minute
count.
But the other numbers arereinforcing that six breaths per
minute structure.
It's like an internal metronome.
SPEAKER_01 (05:37):
Ah, I see.
SPEAKER_00 (05:38):
If you stop
counting, you know you've lost
the rhythm.
It's a little trick to keep yourprefrontal cortex just lightly
engaged with a simple numericaltask.
SPEAKER_01 (05:47):
Which then frees up
the deeper parts of your brain
to just focus on the actualphysiological part of it.
SPEAKER_00 (05:51):
Precisely.
SPEAKER_01 (05:52):
That is so
practical.
Instead of just telling someoneto focus, which, you know, fails
for almost everyone, this givesyou a structured anchor.
You're basically hiding thephysiological work inside a
simple mental puzzle.
SPEAKER_00 (06:05):
It's not just about
slowing your breath, it's about
controlling your mind's abilityto interfere with that process.
And that's how you stick to thatprecise cadence you need for the
HRV improvement.
SPEAKER_01 (06:16):
It's a perfect loop
of rhythmic, sound, and mental
focus.
SPEAKER_00 (06:20):
Exactly.
An impenetrable loop.
SPEAKER_01 (06:22):
Okay, now let's
pivot to how you actually
implement this.
SPEAKER_00 (06:24):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (06:25):
Because this is
where it gets really important
for anyone listening who has abusy schedule.
How long do you do it and when?
SPEAKER_00 (06:31):
Well, the initial
exercise they tested was only
five minutes, which is a great,you know, low barrier way to
start and just establish thecadence.
SPEAKER_01 (06:39):
Sure.
Anyone can find five minutes.
SPEAKER_00 (06:40):
But the user's
ongoing goal, their baseline,
was to aim for 10 minutes a day.
SPEAKER_01 (06:45):
But the real data,
the thing that really moved the
needle for them, came when theyupped that commitment.
SPEAKER_00 (06:50):
Absolutely.
We always hear consistency ismore important than duration,
but in this case, duration had ahuge payoff.
SPEAKER_01 (06:56):
What did they find?
SPEAKER_00 (06:57):
They reported that
if they were able to increase
the practice to 20 minutes aday, the impact on their heart
rate variability results becamesignificantly noticeable.
Wow.
It really suggests a doseresponse relationship.
10 minutes maintains the habit,sure, but 20 minutes is where
that nervous systemrecalibration really starts to
accelerate.
SPEAKER_01 (07:17):
So if you're really
trying to improve a low HRV
score, you need to be thinkingabout that 20-minute mark, maybe
even split up during the day.
SPEAKER_00 (07:24):
That's a great point
because the consistency rule
still applies.
The source says the practice wasdone at least once and sometimes
twice a day.
SPEAKER_01 (07:31):
So the key is making
it stick.
And that brings us to the mostpractical part of this whole
thing the integration strategy.
SPEAKER_00 (07:39):
Yes.
This wasn't something theyscheduled for 4 a.m.
in a silent, soundproof room.
They built it into the littlegaps, the in-between moments of
their day.
SPEAKER_01 (07:48):
And I love the
flexibility they showed.
They said the specific timingdepended entirely on, quote,
where I am and what else isgoing on.
It's not rigid.
SPEAKER_00 (07:56):
Let's break down the
two examples they gave, because
I think they show a deeperstrategy than just, you know,
convenience.
SPEAKER_01 (08:01):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (08:02):
So in one indoor
context, the user paired the
breathing immediately afterdoing air squats.
SPEAKER_01 (08:07):
Okay, that pairing
is so intentional.
Air squats are a quick burst ofphysical effort.
That pushes your system a littlebit into a sympathetic fight or
flight state.
Right.
So by immediately followingthat, with 10 or 20 minutes of
this coherence breathing, you'retriggering a really powerful
parasympathetic rebound, a rapidcooldown.
SPEAKER_00 (08:29):
That's it.
That immediate conscious shiftfrom high gear to low gear.
That's likely what maximizes theHRV benefits.
You're actively teaching yournervous system how to quickly
move out of a stress state.
SPEAKER_01 (08:39):
Instead of just
letting it happen passively over
like an hour.
SPEAKER_00 (08:42):
Exactly.
SPEAKER_01 (08:43):
And the second
example is even more uh outside
the box.
It connects the practice tobeing in the water and even the
weather.
SPEAKER_00 (08:50):
Yeah, this one's
great.
The user describes doing thebreathing after a session of
treading water in a pool.
They'd get out, sit in the sun,and then immediately start the
practice.
SPEAKER_01 (08:58):
So again, it follows
physical exertion.
But this time it's layered withnatural elements like the warmth
of the sun, which are alreadycalming.
SPEAKER_00 (09:07):
Mm-hmm.
It helps facilitate that shift.
SPEAKER_01 (09:09):
It's like a
conscious ritual for recovery.
You're using one trigger, theend of the physical activity to
start the breathing protocol,and then you're using a second
environmental factor, the sun,to make it even more effective.
SPEAKER_00 (09:20):
You're leveraging
every tool you have to signal
safety and calm to your body.
And that kind of linkage is whatmakes the habit stick and makes
the physiological impact soprofound.
SPEAKER_01 (09:31):
Okay, so let's put
all these pieces together for
everyone listening.
What's the final take out here?
SPEAKER_00 (09:36):
I think we have an
incredibly clear, tested
protocol that is backed by real,measurable results.
The absolute key is that precisecadence.
SPEAKER_01 (09:45):
Six breaths per
minute.
SPEAKER_00 (09:46):
Six breaths per
minute, which is physiologically
optimized to balance yournervous system.
And the duration sweet spotseems to be aiming for 10
minutes a day, but with a clearreason to push for 20 if you
want to see a noticeable shift.
SPEAKER_01 (09:59):
A noticeable shift
in your resilience and your
actual HRV scores.
SPEAKER_00 (10:02):
And critically, the
success isn't just about the
technique, it's about the when.
The real value here is thatvalidated link between slowing
your breath and getting ameasurable positive outcome.
Especially when you pair thepractice directly with physical
activity to speed up recovery.
SPEAKER_01 (10:20):
That evidence is
what drives the consistency.
SPEAKER_00 (10:23):
100%.
SPEAKER_01 (10:23):
And that consistency
is always the real challenge,
isn't it?
So you now have the fullblueprint, from the specific
counting trick to the durationgoals.
But since the sources showedsuch success by integrating this
with existing activities likeright after air squads or
getting out of the pool, itleaves us with a really
important final thought for youto explore.
SPEAKER_00 (10:44):
To make this work,
to maximize your results, you
should consider which twoelements of your current daily
routine could be reliablyanchored with this 10 minute
coherence breath.
It shouldn't be about finding anew block of time.
It should be about filling atransition.
SPEAKER_01 (10:57):
Right.
Is it the moment after you parkyour car, but before you get
out?
Is it right after a toughworkout, or maybe right before
you start deep work?
SPEAKER_00 (11:05):
Finding that perfect
recurring anchor point.
That's really the final step tomoving your HRV from low to
high.