Belly breathing actually stimulates a major nerve in the…

Belly breathing actually stimulates a major nerve in the body called the vagus nerve. When stimulated, it sends a message to the heart and lungs to slow down, and this is a powerful and reliable way to calm and soothe anxiety. Here is how to do it: Inhale slowly and deeply through your nostrils, breathing into what feels like the bottom of your belly. Feel your belly come out. You should strive to look like a Buddha-belly out as far as pos-sible. It helps to place your hand on your belly to make sure it is expanding as you inhale.

— from The Heart in the Cockpit (Emotion/Awe/Anxiety/Regret/Empathy) · It's Not Always Depression: Working the Change Triangle to Listen to the Body, Discover Co

In the book

So stop interrogating why you are anxious — that is its own rabbit hole; what triggered the worry matters far less than how you answer it. The second kind works on the body: when the wave rises, do not fight it but let it come, get curious about it, and watch it crest and pass — and help the body along by breathing slow and deep from the belly, which stimulates the vagus nerve and tells the heart and lungs to stand down. The third kind gives shapeless worry a shape. […] When you are stuck in a traffic jam fuming, picture a friend who has died and ask what he would give to be stuck in this very jam — your whole perspective turns to gratitude. Tame anxiety with tools, not willpower. Breathe from the belly to calm the body; let the wave rise and pass without fighting it; schedule your worry instead of letting it run loose all day; and remember that worry steals today's peace without touching tomorrow's trouble. Decide by regret, then forgive yourself. Facing a hard choice, ask of each path, will I regret this? — and take the road with no regret. — The Heart in the Cockpit (Emotion/Awe/Anxiety/Regret/Empathy)

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