Heart coherence: The simple and free way to effectively manage your daily stress.
What does this consist of?
In practice, the exercise involves consciously breathing at a precise rhythm, guided by a free app, for a total of five minutes, three times a day. Nothing too complicated, and yet, the effects on the body's physiological reactions are surprising, considering the minimal investment of time and energy it requires. First, it's important to understand that cardiac coherence occurs when the nervous system is optimally balanced. In this state, the heart rate repeats itself through six cycles of acceleration and deceleration in symbiosis with breathing. So, technically, you can't control your heartbeat with thought alone, but you can achieve this indirectly through breathing. It's when this balance is established that the magic happens.
What are the effects of heart coherence on the body?
Five minutes of heart coherence reduces cortisol levels (the main stress hormone) for approximately four to six hours. This explains why it is recommended to do this exercise three times a day, at intervals that coincide with the end of its beneficial effects. It would therefore seem that practicing this exercise regularly also greatly promotes weight loss, which is not surprising since excess weight and stress are known to be closely linked. Weight loss then triggers a cascade of benefits inherent to weight loss itself, such as the prevention of heart problems, diabetes, and joint diseases, to name just a few.
Stress compared to a mammoth, for the sake of your understanding!
It's important to understand that being constantly under stress unnecessarily strains all of your body's systems, leading to premature aging and preventing you from using your energy for the right reasons. Stress is often explained by trivializing it with the famous example of the caveman facing the imposing mammoth. He will inevitably have to hunt it to survive, even though he knows the task will be arduous. At that moment, all his systems activate to optimize his performance and therefore his chances of survival. His heart rate accelerates, his pupils dilate, his breathing increases; only his digestion pauses, precisely to channel all his vital energy into the systems that will be useful to him at that precise moment. Finally, the caveman overcomes the difficult task, and all of his systems return to normal. The caveman has defeated the mammoth; he can now sleep peacefully!
What about today?
The problem with 21st-century man is that all his worries, responsibilities, duties, torments, and even his intense joys are a source of "mammoth" stress. It is therefore more crucial than ever to consciously tip the scales to create a balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Since we live in a world where everything is accelerating, we must adapt to this new reality more than ever by shifting the balance in every way possible. This concept is not new; for five thousand years, the great Eastern medical traditions have agreed that one can control one's physiology through mental and breathing concentration. What is new are the tools to be able to prove it scientifically!
All this to say…
Heart coherence is a simple, free, and exceptionally effective method for stress management. It goes without saying that other fundamental aspects of well-being should not be neglected, as they not only have powerful and complementary effects on stress management but also prevent the onset of many pathologies and can even halt existing symptoms. The importance of a healthy diet , physical activity, and access to alternative therapies such as Osteopathy, Massage Therapy, physiotherapy, etc., should not be overlooked. These can accelerate the process and even reverse the physical damage caused by years of imbalance. This article focuses solely on tools that allow you to take on more responsibility without breaking down. However, the potential importance of psychotherapy should not be forgotten. Its aim is to alleviate some of the burden you are unnecessarily carrying. We will discuss this in detail in a future article that I will share with you soon.
As promised, here is my favorite heart coherence app . I particularly like it because of the meditative sounds and the auditory support for my breathing. This allows me to practice the exercise with my eyes closed while still keeping pace, but there are dozens of apps that all perform the same function. The choice is yours.
P.S.: This article is based on several sources cited below, but I've really tried to simplify the concept of stress as much as possible, according to my current understanding. Please feel free to write to me and share your comments or questions in the comments section at the bottom of this page.
"Healing Stress, Anxiety and Depression", by David Servan-Schreiber (Robert Laffont, Pocket, 2003);
“Relaxation and meditation”, by Dominique Servant (Odile Jacob, 2007);
"Losing weight through cardiac coherence", by David O'Hare (Thierry Souccar Editions, 2008);
"Meditating to Stop Being Depressed", by Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal and John Kabat-Zinn (Odile Jacob, 2009).
