What is Wave Breathing? The One-Minute Stress Relief Tool Every Burnt-Out Woman Needss

What Is Wave Breathing? A Gentle, One-Minute Technique to Calm Your Mind and Centre Your Body

Hi sunshine,

Let’s take a breath together. In through the nose for 3... and out through the nose for 6. As you breathe in feel your tummy, ribs, chest fill up; as you breathe out, feel your chest, ribs, tummy cave in and empty.
Feel that tiny shift? That’s not just air moving—it’s you coming home to yourself.

If your days have been filled with to-do lists, emotional load, or a constant stream of thoughts running wild in your mind, I want you to know this: you’re not alone. You’ve been carrying so much for so long—and you MUST take a moment to come back to you. That’s where wave breathing comes in. It’s a gentle, grounding technique I teach  my clients when life feels like too much—and it only takes one minute.

Cause you know I'm a GREAT BELIEVER in the POWER of 1-minute resets!

In this blog, I’m going to walk you through:

• What wave breathing is and where it comes from

• Why it’s so effective for calming stress and anxiety

• How to do it (without needing a single wellness gadget or extra hour in your day)

• When to use it—and how to go deeper if it resonates

And if that one minute feels good (spoiler alert: it will), I’ll show you how to keep that feeling going with my digital offering, Got A Minute?—15 one-minute stress relief tools for just €12.

So, settle in, sunshine, grab a herbal tea or my favourite golden spiced, cinnamon sprinkled flat white. This is your moment.

So...What Is Wave Breathing?

Wave breathing is exactly what it sounds like—a flowing, wave-like breath that rises and falls through your body. It’s a somatic technique rooted in ancient Taoist practices and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), used to restore balance to the nervous system and reconnect you with your body’s natural rhythm.

Here’s how it works: you place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. As you breathe in through your nose, the breath flows gently through your belly, ribs, and chest—rising like a tide. And as you exhale, the breath releases from your chest, ribs, then belly—falling like a gentle wave.

It’s slow. Intentional. Restorative. And yes—shockingly effective.

This isn’t just about breathing. It’s about creating space in your body to feel, release, and regroup. You’re not just oxygenating your system—you’re telling your nervous system: “You’re safe now. You can rest.”

Women often come to me saying, “I don’t even know how to breathe anymore.” And it makes sense—we’ve been trained to hold our bellies in, hold our emotions in, hold everything in. Wave breathing helps us let go, gently and safely.

Why It Works (Even When Nothing Else Does)

Let’s be honest: most stress relief advice feels like another thing to add to your to-do list. Journaling. Running. Meditating for 45 minutes. They all have merit, but ALL OF  YOU tell me  when you're running on fumes, life  feels overwhelming—it's just plain impossible to follow advice.

That’s why wave breathing is different. That's why I teach you 1-minute resets. Because YOU CAN TAKE A MINUTE.

This practice speaks directly to your nervous system—not your to-do list. When you breathe in this slow, wave-like pattern, you activate your parasympathetic nervous system—aka your “rest and digest” mode. This signals your body that it’s safe to slow down, release tension, and shift out of fight-or-flight. and you're gently pumping your diaphragm allowing the tense muscle to release and soften, which in turn allows more oxygen to fill your lungs and travel to every cell.

It doesn’t require effort. It doesn’t demand perfection. You don’t even have to “clear your mind” (cause let me let you in on a little secret-you can't clear your mind, or quieten your thoughts YOU MUST UNLOAD them). All I ask is that you show up for one minute—and let your breath do the rest.

And here’s the magic: when you do this with your hands on your chest and belly, you add a somatic feedback loop. You’re not just breathing; you’re feeling your breath, anchoring your awareness back into your body. This creates a powerful mind-body connection that so many of us have been missing.

Women I work with say things like:

“I went from about to have a meltdown to ‘pshhh I got it.’”
“I was on the verge of tears, and now I feel human again.”
“That one breath saved me in the middle of a tough meeting.”

It’s not a gimmick. It’s your biology—finally working for you instead of against you.

How to Do Wave Breathing (Without Overthinking It)

Let’s keep this beautifully simple. Wave breathing doesn’t require any fancy setup, yoga mat, or quiet room. You can do it in your car, in between meetings, while your coffee brews, or when you're about to cry in the laundry room (we’ve all been there).

Here’s your step-by-step:

1. Sit or stand comfortably.
No need for lotus pose. Just soften your knees and feel the ground beneath you.

2. Place one hand on your chest, and one on your belly.
This helps you track where the breath is flowing—and connect with your body in real-time.

3. Close your eyes if that feels safe.
Or soften your gaze. Whatever helps you turn inward, even just a little.

4. Inhale slowly through your nose.
As you breathe in, feel the breath move from your belly → ribs → chest, like a gentle rising wave.

5. Exhale slowly through your nose.
Feel the breath leave from your chest → ribs → belly, like the wave falling back to shore.

6. Repeat 3–6 times.
Even one round can create a shift. But if you have a minute, go for three full cycles. Remember that energy work is cumulative, so's breathwork, 3 rounds is great, 6 rounds sets you up for success!

7. Let go of perfection.
This isn’t about “doing it right.” It’s about showing up. Some breaths may feel shallow or uneven—that’s okay. Just come back to your wave. And if you cannot feel the wave, let it go, and just concentrate on breathing in through the nose, and breathing out for a little longer through the nose. Simple as that!

This is your nervous system’s version of pressing a reset button. You don’t have to fix yourself, force anything, or even “feel better” right away. Just trust that each wave is doing its job—softening, soothing, and reconnecting you with yourself.

And if you’d rather be gently guided through it, I’ve got you.
👉 Click here to watch my video & try the wave breathing practice now.
It’s short, it’s sweet, and it might just be your new favourite minute of the day.

When to Use Wave Breathing (And How to Know You Need It)

Here’s the truth: you don’t need a “perfect” moment to use this breath. In fact, wave breathing is made for imperfect moments—the ones that feel messy, rushed, or on the edge of too much.

Here are some signs it’s time to drop into your wave:

• You’re feeling overwhelmed, scattered, or mentally “up in the clouds”

• Your chest feels tight and your shoulders are creeping toward your ears

• You’re doom-scrolling instead of doing the thing you need to do

• You’re about to lash out, break down, or check out

• You can’t remember the last time you took a full breath

And sometimes, the cue is subtler:

• You’re transitioning between roles (from work mode to mum mode, for example)

• You’re prepping for a hard conversation

• You’re stuck in indecision or emotional clutter

• You just want to feel more like yourself

The beauty of wave breathing is that it doesn’t ask anything of you. It simply invites you back—to your body, to this moment, to the calm that’s always available underneath the chaos.

Try setting gentle breath cues throughout your day:
🕗 One wave before you check your emails
🕓 One wave before you pick up the kids
🛏️ One wave as you crawl into bed

Your breath is your built-in reset button—and the more you use it, the more it becomes second nature.

If That Felt Good… You’re Going to LOVE Got A Minute?

Here’s the thing: if just one round of wave breathing brought you even a flicker of peace, imagine what 15 days of soothing, somatic tools could do for your nervous system.

That’s exactly what I’ve created in my digital mini-course, Got A Minute?—a collection of 15 one-minute mind-body practices designed for busy, overwhelmed women like you.

This isn’t a course you have to “find time for.” It’s a lifeline you can return to anytime—especially when you feel like you don’t have time at all.

Each of the tools inside is rooted in the same holistic healing methods I use in my private coaching: breathwork, movement, Taoist/TCM-based practices, and simple body awareness cues that interrupt the spiral of stress and bring you back to your centre.

And the best part? They’re all under 60 seconds.

For just €12, you’ll receive:

• 15 daily video exercises sent straight to your inbox

• A mix of calming and energizing practices (so you get what you need, when you need it)

• Support for emotional overwhelm, brain fog, tension, and burnout

• My most powerful, beginner-friendly techniques—no fluff, just fast relief

Women who’ve tried it say things like:

“I felt anxious but once I reached ‘Holding Up The Sky’ I felt a wave of calm wash over me.”
“I did the tapping routine and stopped my anxiety attack in its tracks.”
“I feel like myself again—for the first time in weeks.”

You don’t need more advice. You need real, usable relief.

👉 Click here to grab Got A Minute for just €12
And let’s get you back to the calm, focused, vibrant version of you.

Your Joy Isn’t Gone—It’s Just Buried

Sunshine, I want to remind you of something you may have forgotten: your peace, your calm, your grounded energy—it’s all still in there. It’s not gone. It’s just buried under responsibilities, pressure, perfectionism, and a whole lot of noise that was never yours to carry in the first place.

Wave breathing is one way to start unburying it. It’s a gentle return. A soft homecoming.

And Got A Minute? is here to hold your hand as you go even deeper.

You don’t need to wait until you hit a wall. You don’t have to push through another meltdown. You don’t have to keep wondering, “When do I get to feel like me again?”

You can start now. One breath. One minute. One tiny act of care that ripples outward.

You are worthy of that. You are ready for that. And I’ve got you, every step of the way.

Remember: You've Got this and I've Got You!

👉 Say yes to Got A Minute for just €12
Let’s take the next step—together.

P.S. Want to try the wave breathing exercise before diving into the full course? Click here to watch the practice—and give your nervous system the reset it’s been craving.

Pssst… Wanna Hang Out in My Inbox? 💌
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✔️ Quick, easy resets to melt stress & boost energy
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✔️ Simple, small steps that lead to BIG shifts

💛 Plus, you’ll get instant access to my FREE  video library, full of QiGong, Shiatsu, Breathwork & all things (w)holistic healing! 

👉 Join the inbox fam here! 

(P.S. It’s totally free, and you can unsubscribe anytime—but I bet you won’t want to!) 😘