Physiological Sigh: A 5-Minute Breathwork Practice to Calm Your Nervous System

Nervous System Tools  |  5 min read  |  Includes guided video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lowWmzO7oDE

The Physiological Sigh | Guided Breathwork with Nichole Ondersma

If you've ever felt that buzzing, can't-settle feeling at the end of a long day — the kind where your body is still running even though you desperately want it to stop — you're not alone. For so many of us, stress has become our default state. We push through, we hold it together, we show up. And somewhere along the way, we forget that our body has its own built-in tools to help us come back to ourselves.

The physiological sigh is one of those tools. It's simple, it's free, and it works — often in just a few breaths.

What Is the Physiological Sigh?

The physiological sigh is a breathwork technique gaining attention in both neuroscience and somatic therapy circles. Unlike many breathing practices that require focused training or extended sessions, this one takes just a few minutes — and you can do it lying on the floor, sitting at your desk, or parked in your car before you walk through the front door.

The technique is straightforward: take one long inhale through the nose, followed by a shorter inhale, and then a long exhale through either the nose or mouth. That double inhale is the key for changing muscular patterns in the diaphragm by sending a message through the phrenic nerve. The extended exhale activates the parasympathetic nervous system—the part of you that knows how to rest.

Why Nervous System Regulation Matters — Especially for Parents

Chronic stress doesn't just feel bad — it changes how we think, react, and connect with the people we love most. When our nervous systems are stuck in high gear, we lose access to the part of ourselves that is patient, present, and grounded. We snap. We disconnect. We run on fumes.

Research tells us that nearly 50% of parents report feeling overwhelmed by stress on most days. If that number resonates with you, please hear this: that is not a personal failing. That is a nervous system that has been carrying too much for too long without enough support.

Practices like the physiological sigh give your body a way out of that loop. Not perfectly. Not permanently on their own. But as a starting point — a moment of genuine relief that is always available to you.

How to Practice the Physiological Sigh

In the video above, I guide you through a full 5-minute practice. Here's a quick overview so you know what to expect:

1. Find Your Position

Lying on the floor is ideal — it gives your body full permission to release. But a reclined chair or comfortable seated position works beautifully too. Comfort is queen here. You might want something under your head, a support under your knees, or a blanket. Take a moment to settle in.

2. Begin the Breath Pattern

Take one long inhale through the nose, followed by a shorter inhale, and then a long exhale through either the nose or mouth. Your sternum gently rises toward your chin with each inhale. The exhale is where the nervous system softens.

3. Body Scan as You Breathe

As you settle into the breath, bring gentle awareness to your feet, legs, pelvis, spine, shoulders, arms, and face. You're not trying to fix anything — just sensing, gathering information, connecting. Notice where you feel heavy, where you feel tight, and where there might be a little more space than before.

4. Check In with Yourself

After about five minutes, pause and notice. Is your breath a little more spacious? Does something feel quieter? That subtle shift — that's your nervous system beginning to downshift. It's real. And with practice, it becomes easier to access.

A Personal Note

The nervous system practices I share with clients — including this one — were not learned in theory alone. They were forged during one of the hardest seasons of my life, when I was navigating a contentious divorce while parenting two neurodivergent children who needed me to be steady even when I wasn't sure I could be.

These practices helped me stay oriented. They helped me respond rather than react. They helped me give my kids a sense of safety even when circumstances were far from calm.

I share them because I know they work — not just clinically, but in real life, in the middle of real hard things.

Want to Take This Further?

A single breathwork practice can be a genuinely powerful reset. But if you're living with chronic stress — if your nervous system has been in overdrive for months or years — you deserve more than a five-minute fix. You deserve sustained, compassionate support.

My Somatic Stress Reduction offering is a skills-based, non-therapeutic program designed specifically for individuals, parents, caregivers of all kinds, and groups who are ready to downshift the stress response and build a more grounded, connected life. It's focused, it's practical, and it's done together — because healing is so much easier when you're not doing it alone.

→ Learn more about Somatic Stress Reduction  |  → Reach out to connect

About Nichole Ondersma

Nichole Ondersma is a somatic practitioner and therapist specializing in nervous system support for individuals, parents, and caregivers of all kinds. Drawing from Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems, and over 23 years of clinical experience, she helps growth-oriented people downshift chronic stress and reconnect with what — and who — matters most. Her practice is grounded in one simple belief: you don't have to do this alone.