Did you know humming can soothe your nervous system?  We explore the stress-relieving power of Bhramari Pranayama, also known as humming bee breath, with marathon runner and activist Cal Calamia.

Summary: Cal Calamia, the first nonbinary winner of the San Francisco Marathon, explores Bhramari Pranayama, an ancient yogic breathing technique that uses humming to promote relaxation. Dr. Gunjan Trivedi later explains how this "humming bee breath" enhances heart rate variability and why it’s key to managing stress. Part of our ongoing series, Breathe Away Anxiety: https://tinyurl.com/4jyvkj4t

Time: 15 minutes, or as long as it feels right.

How To Do This Practice:

1. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose for 3-4 seconds.
2. Exhale for 6-8 seconds, making a gentle humming sound (like a buzzing bee) as you breathe out.
3. Adjust the timing of your inhale and exhale to find a rhythm that feels comfortable for you.
4. Continue the practice for as long as feels right, focusing on the sound and sensation of your breath.

Note: This version of Bhramari Pranayama, practiced without specific hand gestures (mudras), was studied by Dr. Gunjan Trivedi.

Guest: Cal Calamia is an activist, teacher, poet, and the first nonbinary winner of the San Francisco marathon.
Learn more about Cal: https://tinyurl.com/25ft296x

Guest: Dr. Gunjan Trivedi is the cofounder of Society for Energy & Emotions at Wellness Space in Ahmedabad, India.
Learn more about Dr. Trivedi and Wellness Space: https://tinyurl.com/r53x6x3x
Read Dr. Trivedi's study about Bhramari Pranayama: https://tinyurl.com/2xnjk6ah

Related Science of Happiness episodes:
How Breathe Away Anxiety (Cyclic Sighing): https://tinyurl.com/4jyvkj4t
How To Tune Out The Noise: https://tinyurl.com/4hhekjuh 

Related Happiness Break episodes:
Happiness Break: A Breathing Technique To Help You Relax (Cyclic Sighing): https://tinyurl.com/3dtwyk44
A Mindful Breath Meditation, With Dacher Keltner: https://tinyurl.com/mr9d22kr

Transcript: Coming soon.

Dr. David Spiegel guides you through cyclic sighing, a breathwork practice that helps reduce stress and anxiety. 

Summary: Dr. David Spiegel guides you through a simple yet powerful breathwork practice that can help reduce stress, anxiety, and boost overall well-being. Backed by Stanford research, this simple technique uses slow, controlled exhales to calm the nervous system and improve overall well-being.

Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3dtwyk44

Time: 5 minutes

1. Prepare: Find a comfortable seated or standing position in a quiet environment. Relax your shoulders and jaw. 
2. First Inhale: Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose. Start with your abdomen, allowing it to expand (diaphragmatic breathing) as you fill your lungs about halfway. Hold this breath briefly. 
3. Second Inhale: Continue inhaling through your nose, now expanding your chest to completely fill your lungs. Hold this combined breath (abdomen and chest filled) for a moment. 
4. Exhale: Exhale slowly and completely through your mouth. Make sure the exhale is gentle and lasts about twice as long as the combined inhales. 
5. Repeat the Cycle: Repeat the inhale sequence for a total of 3 cycles (or as desired): Start with a diaphragmatic inhale through your nose, expanding your abdomen. Follow with a chest expansion inhale through your nose to fill your lungs completely. Hold briefly after each combined inhale. Exhale slowly and completely through your mouth, ensuring it's twice as long as the inhales. 
6. Reflect and Relax: After completing the cycles, take a moment to observe how your body feels. Notice any sensations of relaxation, reduced tension, or a calmer state of mind.

Guest: Dr. David Spiegel is Willson Professor and Associate Chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is also the co-founder of the clinically backed self-hypnosis app Reveri.  

Read Dr. Spiegel’s cyclic sighing study here: https://tinyurl.com/mrxbkyr2

Related Science of Happiness episodes:
Breathe Away Anxiety (Cyclic Sighing): https://tinyurl.com/3u7vsrr5
How To Tune Out The Noise: https://tinyurl.com/4hhekjuh 

Related Happiness Break episodes:
A Mindful Breath Meditation, With Dacher Keltner: https://tinyurl.com/mr9d22kr

Follow us on Instagram: @scienceofhappinesspod

It’s important to take a moment to pause and take a long, slow exhale as we navigate life. In our podcast series, "Breathe Away Anxiety," we explore ancient breathing techniques alongside cutting-edge research that reveals the powerful effects of slow, controlled breathing on our mental and physical well-being. We also share Happiness Break meditations to guide you through these science-backed methods, helping you reduce anxiety and cultivate calm in your everyday life.

We explore cyclic sighing, a simple breathing technique that can help lift your mood and lower anxiety.

Summary: Cyclic sighing is a breathing exercise that involves inhaling through your nose, filling your lungs, and then slowly exhaling through your mouth. The idea is to inhale briefly but deeply, and then exhale for longer. Research suggests that the slow exhale is what's most relaxing. We hear from pro-surfer Sarah Gerhardt about and Stanford scientist David Spiegel. 

Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3u7vsrr5

Time: 5 minutes

1. Prepare: Find a comfortable seated or standing position in a quiet environment. Relax your shoulders and jaw. 
2. First Inhale: Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose. Start with your abdomen, allowing it to expand (diaphragmatic breathing) as you fill your lungs about halfway. Hold this breath briefly. 
3. Second Inhale: Continue inhaling through your nose, now expanding your chest to completely fill your lungs. Hold this combined breath (abdomen and chest filled) for a moment. 
4. Exhale: Exhale slowly and completely through your mouth. Make sure the exhale is gentle and lasts about twice as long as the combined inhales. 
   Repeat the Cycle: Repeat the inhale sequence for a total of 3 cycles (or as desired): Start with a diaphragmatic inhale through your nose, expanding your abdomen. Follow with a chest expansion inhale through your nose to fill your lungs completely. Hold briefly after each combined inhale. Exhale slowly and completely through your mouth, ensuring it's twice as long as the inhales. 
5. Reflect and Relax: After completing the cycles, take a moment to observe how your body feels. Notice any sensations of relaxation, reduced tension, or a calmer state of mind.

Guest: Sarah Gerhardt is a pro-surfer chemistry professor based out of Santa Cruz, California

Guest: Dr. David Spiegel is Willson Professor and Associate Chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is also the co-founder of the clinically backed self-hypnosis app Reveri.  

Read Dr. Spiegel’s cyclic sighing study here: https://tinyurl.com/mrxbkyr2

Related Science of Happiness episodes:
How To Tune Out The Noise: https://tinyurl.com/4hhekjuh 

Related Happiness Break episodes:
A Mindful Breath Meditation, With Dacher Keltner: https://tinyurl.com/mr9d22kr

Dr. Kristin Neff guides us in a self-compassionate touch exercise, and shares the many research-backed reasons to cultivate kindness towards oneself.

Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5xt3mz3h

Summary: Dr. Kristin Neff guides us through various practices of self-compassionate touch, such as placing hands over the heart or cradling the face, to provide comfort and support. Research shows that self-compassion can improve mental and physical well-being and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress. 

Guest: Dr. Kristin Neff is an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin's department of educational psychology. She's also the co-author of 'Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout,' which offers tools to help individuals heal and recharge from burnout.

How To Do This Self-Compassionate Touch Practice:
 
Take a moment to try these different touches and see which feels most supportive to you. Whenever you feel stressed or upset, or just need some extra support, use this compassionate touch to remind yourself that you’re here for you. Research shows the practice works best when practiced regularly.

Duration: 20 seconds, practiced daily or as often as you can.

Find a comfortable space. Sit or stand somewhere you feel relaxed and at ease. Try out these practices while thinking kind words to yourself, as though you were comforting a dear friend in distress.

1. Touch Your Heart: Place both hands gently over the center of your chest, one on top of the other. Apply just enough pressure to feel connected, but not uncomfortable. Focus on the warmth of your touch.  

2. Feel Your Strength: If it feels right, make a gentle fist with your left hand, symbolizing strength, and place it over your heart. Rest your right hand on top of the fist to combine the feeling of strength and love.  

3. Cradle Your Face: Gently cup each of your cheeks with your hands, holding your face as you would a loved one in distress. Let the touch be soft and caring.  

4. Support Your Core: Place both hands over your solar plexus, just below your ribcage, and imagine you're holding and supporting your core. This can be particularly comforting if you're feeling fear or deep emotions.  

5. Give Yourself a Hug: Cross your arms, resting each hand on the opposite shoulder. Gently squeeze yourself, adjusting the pressure to feel comforting but not overwhelming.

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

• How to Feel Better About Yourself
• Give Yourself A Break
• If You Want to Be More Productive, Cut Yourself Some Slack

Related Happiness Break mediations:

• What to do When you're Struggling, With Spring Washam

We explore the science behind how self-compassionate touch can help us feel better about ourselves.

Link to transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4nm5827f

Summary:  Brittany Luce, host of NPR's "It's Been A Minute," shares her experience with self-compassionate touch. She did it for 20 seconds, almost daily. to quiet her inner critic and foster self-compassion, especially during moments of stress or self-judgment. 

Researcher Eli Susman also shares the fascinating science behind this practice, and how despite being short and sweet —it may still be an effective way to cultivate self compassion -- especially if you find ways to make it a habit.

How To Do This Self-Compassionate Touch Practice:
Take a moment to try these different touches and see which feels most supportive to you. Whenever you feel stressed or upset, or just need some extra support, use this compassionate touch to remind yourself that you’re here for you. Research shows the practice works best when practiced regularly.

Duration: 20 seconds, practiced daily or as often as you can.

Find a comfortable space. Sit or stand somewhere you feel relaxed and at ease. Try out these micro practices while thinking kind words to yourself, as though you were comforting a dear friend in distress.

1. Touch Your Heart: Place both hands gently over the center of your chest, one on top of the other. Apply just enough pressure to feel connected, but not uncomfortable. Focus on the warmth of your touch.  

2. Feel Your Strength: If it feels right, make a gentle fist with your left hand, symbolizing strength, and place it over your heart. Rest your right hand on top of the fist to combine the feeling of strength and love.  

3. Cradle Your Face: Gently cup each of your cheeks with your hands, holding your face as you would a loved one in distress. Let the touch be soft and caring.  

4. Support Your Core: Place both hands over your solar plexus, just below your ribcage, and imagine you're holding and supporting your core. This can be particularly comforting if you're feeling fear or deep emotions.  

5. Give Yourself a Hug: Cross your arms, resting each hand on the opposite shoulder. Gently squeeze yourself, adjusting the pressure to feel comforting but not overwhelming.

Guest: Brittany Luse is an award-winning journalist, cultural critic. and host of the NPR podcast “It's Been a Minute.”

Learn more about Luse: https://tinyurl.com/3bjt6v7m
Follow Luse on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmluse
Listen to the NPR podcast "It's Been A Minute": https://tinyurl.com/3uek8ey8

Guest: Eli Susman is a researcher and Ph.D. Candidate in Psychology at UC Berkeley
Read Eli Susman's study on self-compassionate touch: https://tinyurl.com/2uh783z8

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

• How to Feel Better About Yourself
• Give Yourself A Break
• If You Want to Be More Productive, Cut Yourself Some Slack

Related Happiness Break mediations:

• What to do When you're Struggling, With Spring Washam

Letting go of our regrets can motivate us to improve and help us grow. Alex Elle, a certified breath work and writing coach, guides us through a meditation to forgive and accept ourselves.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5dzrzm4z

How to Do This Practice:

1. Take a deep breath. As you exhale, remember all you have done in the past that led you to come to be where you are today.

2. Remember that you are allowed to forgive yourself and let it go. Give yourself permission to release any shame that you’re carrying. Forgive yourself.

3. Think of the good things about yourself. Trust your worth and acknowledge that you are evolving. Remember, you are worthy of good things even when you think you are now.

4. When you’re ready, you can bring your attention back to the present moment. Take a few deep breaths in through the nose, and out through the nose. Drop your shoulder and unclench your jaw.

5. If you’d like to take this practice a step further, you can write your own letter of self forgiveness, it can start with “Dear self, I forgive you for …”

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Alex Elle is a certified breath work coach, author and restorative writing teacher. Her new book, How We Heal, will come out soon.

• Learn more about Alex and her new book: https://www.alexelle.com/about
• Follow Alex on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex/
• Follow Alex on TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@easewithalexl

Science of Happiness Episodes like this one

• How to Forgive Your Father: https://tinyurl.com/2p98e3cy
• Nine Steps to Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/mwwhbrs6

Happiness Break Related Episodes

• A Meditation for Seeking Forgiveness, With Shelly Tygielski: https://tinyurl.com/yynvm6av
• Radical Acceptance, With Tara Brach: https://tinyurl.com/4k3f563m

Message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod.  E-mail us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

What if you had a magic wand and could better the world in any way? What would you do? We explore a practice shown to help you find your purpose and feel more motivated, resilient and fulfilled in life.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/bp7wv7ft

Episode Summary

What’s your greater purpose in life? It’s a tough question, especially if you’re feeling uncertain about your future. In this episode, our guest explores that very question—and gets handed a magic wand with the power to make the world a better place.

How To Do The Magic Wand Practice

1. Set aside 15 minutes to reflect and write. 
2. Think about the world you live in – your home, your community, and the world at large.
3. Imagine you’ve been given a magic wand, and you can change anything you want to change in the world. What would you want to be different? Why? Describe your ideal world in writing.
4. Now, reflect on what it would take to change the world in this way. Is there anything you can do to help move the world closer to this ideal? If so, explain how; if not, explain why not.

Guest: Selina Bilal is a UC Berkeley undergraduate student who is studying psychology, and a Fellow at Greater Good Science Center, where we produce The Science of Happiness

Expert Guest: Kendall Cotton Bronk is a professor of psychology in the Division of Behavioral & Social Sciences at Claremont University. 

• Learn more about Bronk’s work: https://tinyurl.com/3s9sjp2d
• Connect with Bronk: https://tinyurl.com/3p5cepy3

Science of Happiness Episodes like this one

• How to Find Your Spark in Life: https://tinyurl.com/yc8j9a4u
• What’s Your “Why” in Life? https://tinyurl.com/2vnaswpt

Happiness Break Related Episodes

•  A Meditation to Inspire a Sense of Purpose: https://tinyurl.com/54uuvh7z
• Visualizing Your Purpose, With Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/3jvnv35y

Message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod.  E-mail us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Our happiness is interconnected with the well-being of others, both people and the natural world. Step outside of you can, or imagine the outdoors from wherever you are now, and join us for a meditation that’ll help us be better stewards of the natural world.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/y3yfjsxa

Episode Summary

A meditation on how we can give back to the earth, led by indigenous activist, artist, and scholar Dr. Lyla June Johnston.

How To Do This Practice

1. Sit and take four deep breaths to honor the four sacred directions.
2. Take a moment to stop, and step outside and see what  life flourishes from. 
3. Take notice of the little things – a bird bath that provides a safe place for the birds to drink and to bathe. 
4. Think about how you can give a small gift to life., Maybe you could plant fruit or nut-bearing trees that could feed you,your neighbors, and the wildlife around you.
5.  Following this meditation, think about ways that you can make this a reality. You could order a bird bath from your local feed store. 
6. Think of the metaphor of the bird bath. A bird bath is a human creation. And it's a gift to birds. It doesn't benefit us at all. It truly is just a gift to a species outside of our own. 
7. Reflect on how this is truly what human beings were born to do – born to be givers, stewards, and caretakers of the earth.

Guest Host: Dr. Lyla June Johnston is an indigenous activist, artist, and scholar from the Naaneesht'ezhi Taach'iinii clan of the Diné Nation. 

• For more on her work: https://www.lylajune.com/
• Watch her TED talk: https://tinyurl.com/frbe5ya9
• Follow her on instagram: https://tinyurl.com/bdfbf8yx
• Follow her on X: https://tinyurl.com/4jj57n25
• Follow her on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/3cskuh7x

Science of Happiness Episodes like this one

• How to Do Good for the Environment (And Yourself): https://tinyurl.com/dmsr2wkm
• The Healing Effects of Experiencing Wildlife: https://tinyurl.com/murmd98b

Happiness Break Related Episodes

• How to Be in Harmony in Nature—Wherever You Are, With Yuria Celidwen: https://tinyurl.com/ynxeeb7a
• Contemplating Our Interdependence With Nature, With Dekila Chungyalpa: https://tinyurl.com/erz2f5de
• Feeling the Awe of Nature From Anywhere, With Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/y4mm4wu9

Message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod.  E-mail us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

With the U.S. election swiftly approaching, the political divide can feel overwhelming. But what happens when we recognize the limits of our knowledge? 

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/83a5wbkp 

Episode Summary

When we internally acknowledge the limits of our knowledge, we create space to engage with other points of view. Allowing new perspectives in can help us better assess arguments, and decrease hubris. We will hear from psychologists Tania Israel and Daryl Van Tongeren about embracing opinions different from our own.

How To Do This Practice

Reflect on an issue you feel strongly about. Ask yourself the following questions when listening to someone’s opinion that differs from your own:

1. How can other people help me to develop a broader or deeper understanding of this topic?
2. Whose story isn't being told here?
3. What's the perspective I'm not seeing? 
4. Check in with yourself as you're reading the news, are you just saying, “I agree with that perspective” or are there moments in which you can say, “This challenges me.”

This episode was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, as part of our project on “Expanding Awareness of the Science of Intellectual Humility.” To learn more, go to ggsc.berkeley.edu/ih.

Today’s guests: 

Our guest host today is Allison Briscoe-Smith, a psychologist and Senior Fellow at The Greater Good Science Center.

Tania Israel is a psychology professor at UC Santa Barbara and author of the new book Facing the Fracture: How to Navigate the Challenges of Living in a Divided Nation.

Daryl Van Tongeren is a psychology professor at Hope College and author of the book Humble: Free Yourself from the Traps of a Narcissistic World.

• Learn more about Allison Briscoe-Smith: https://tinyurl.com/p3eexvkf
• Take BerkeleyX: Bridging Differences by Allison Briscoe-Smith: https://tinyurl.com/58z9vmvb
• Read Facing the Fracture: How to Navigate the Challenges of Living in a Divided Nation, by Tania Israel: https://tinyurl.com/yeyw7k6j
• Read Humble: Free Yourself from the Traps of a Narcissistic World, by Daryl Van Tongeren: https://www.darylvantongeren.com/books

Science of Happiness Episodes like this one:

A Way to Make Work More Meaningful: https://tinyurl.com/mtpay9jw

The Questions to Ask Yourself in an Argument: https://tinyurl.com/3uajhp4t

When It’s Hard to Connect, Try Being Curious: https://tinyurl.com/nhzj52vc

Making Difficult Interactions More Respectful: https://tinyurl.com/bddafcrw

Happiness Break Related Episodes:

A Meditation For Connecting In Polarized Times, With Scott Shigeoka: https://tinyurl.com/y6e4vdsd

Direct message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. You can also e-mail us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Loving-kindness meditation, or “metta,” has its roots in Buddhist traditions that date back thousands of years. Studies show it can help nourish your capacity to express love, feel more satisfied in life, and enhance brain areas involved in emotional processing and empathy. 

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5h3nfwjb

Episode Summary

Dacher guides us in a meditation that has been practiced over thousands of years. Together, we will mentally extend goodwill, kindness, and warmth towards others and ourselves, in a series of mantras. 

How To Do This Practice

1. Find a comfortable position, you may lie down or be seated.
2. Bring your attention and awareness to the breath at the belly. Inhale and exhale, noticing sensations of breath. 
3. Bring to mind someone who you really believe has your best interests in their heart.
4. Choose just one person and bring them to mind as though they were next to you.
5. Imagine them truly wishing for you to be happy and fulfilled. Imagine their smile. Feel their intention of goodness. 
6. For a couple more breaths, really take in this wish for your happiness and joy from this person who cares for you.
7. Now letting go of the image of this person, relax into these sensations and feelings for just a couple breaths.
8. With this feeling of support and happiness, bring to mind someone who could really use some extra love.
9. Now repeat to yourself, “May you be safe. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease.”
10. As you inhale, draw in this intention. And as you exhale, send it out.
11. Twice more—inhale, drawing in this intention. And then exhale, sending out.
12. Release the image of this person. And just notice the sensations in your own body.

Today’s Host: Dacher Keltner 

Science of Happiness episodes like this one:

• 24 Hours of Kindness: https://tinyurl.com/3dnye335
• Being Kind Is Good for Your Health: https://tinyurl.com/2afe5v79
• How to Love People You Don’t Like: https://tinyurl.com/5sj388yj

Happiness Break related episodes:

• Wrap Yourself in Kindness, With Jack Kornfield: https://tinyurl.com/3cd6xj23
• How to Be Your Own Best Friend, with Kristin Neff: https://tinyurl.com/yc8emecm
• Wishing Others Well, With Anushka Fernandopulle: https://tinyurl.com/3w2sn96m

This episode was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation on "Spreading Love Through the Media".

Tell us about your experiences practicing loving-kindness meditation! 

Direct message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. You can also e-mail us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Have you ever known you were dreaming while you were asleep? Our guests try practices to help induce lucid dreams, and we hear what they can teach us about consciousness.