What Hillary Clinton Knows About Easing Anxiety
Yoga and the occasional glass of chardonnay weren’t the only remedies HRC says she turned to after the 2016 presidential election. Her other ritual? Alternate-nostril breathing. Find calm and focus with the yogi breath exercise Hillary Clinton praises in her memoir What Happened.
Step 1. Get in position.
Sit comfortably, with your back straight, and rest your left hand on your lap and right hand on your nose—ring finger or pinky on the left nostril, thumb on the right.
Step 2. Block and breathe.
Relax your eyes, close your right nostril and inhale through your left. Next, close both and hold your breath for a few seconds. Then release your thumb, and exhale through your right side, keeping your hand in front of your face.
RELATED: THIS BREATHING ROUTINE WILL KEEP YOU CALM ALL DAY LONG
Step 3. Reverse and repeat.
Begin again, inhaling through your right, and follow the cycle, which, as New York City psychologist Belisa Vranich, Psy.D., explains, releases the calming gas nitric oxide. This will stimulate your brain's vagus nerve to lower your heart rate—and ease anxiety.
This article originally appeared in the March 2018 issue of Women's Health. For more great advice, pick up a copy of the issue on newsstands now!
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