High achievers are always on the lookout for tools and techniques to help them excel at what they do. That edge can come in the form of inner training, including meditation and mindfulness, and practices based on neurology and psychology. In this article, Joey Klein, Inner Matrix Systems’ CEO, offers a powerful yet easy-to-use tool to help you turn off your brain’s fight or flight mechanism – the four-sided breath technique.
IMS defines a high achiever as anyone looking to do what they do in the best way they can, whether that’s an entrepreneur running a large organization or a mom or dad wanting to master parenting in a particular way.
The four-sided breath is an effective tool for creating a little space so you can think clearly when you feel angry or agitated. It gives the space needed so you won’t say or do something you might later regret.
We all have those daily moments when we feel overwhelmed by stress or anxiety. This technique is a great way to help you relax, calm down, and access a little bit of peace and centeredness whenever you choose to use it. It’s surprisingly simple to do.
To perform the four-sided breath:
- Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth, wherever it is comfortable.
- Put a gentle smile on your face and focus on your lower abdomen.
- Breathe in through your nose slowly (count 4 seconds) down to your lower abdomen
- Hold your breath for a slight pause, then exhale slowly (count 4 seconds) through your nose.
Repeat this cycle four or five times. You’ll find that you are more relaxed and clear-minded. You can focus better and will be able to take action from your best self.
The four-sided breath and similar techniques are part of an arsenal of tools developed to provide an internal skill set that includes emotional intelligence, emotional development, and thinking strategies.
Employing neurobiology – the branch of the life sciences that deals with the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the nervous system – Inner Matrix Systems offers training for anyone with a desire to improve their life.
Developing a habit of identifying and naming the long-term results that you want to fulfill on a daily basis helps to inform all of the micro-steps that you take each day. That consistent routine ensures that you will do all of the things that will hit the mark you want to hit.
The IMS training system focuses on developing what drives your choices, decisions, and actions: your internal mechanisms, emotional intelligence, and thought strategies. They train people to manage their inner game to perform at the level they want to achieve.
About Inner Matrix Systems
Inner Matrix Systems, based in Denver, is a personal mastery training system for high achievers. For more than twenty years, IMS has delivered a proprietary methodology that rewires, trains, and aligns the nervous system, emotions, and thought strategies to create real-life results. CEO, Joey Klein, and IMS have worked with more than 80,000 individuals from around the world through both live and online training programs, as well as one-on-one coaching. Clients have included: Boeing, IBM, Dell, Google, Panda Express, Coca Cola and The World Health Organization. Joey is the author of The Inner Matrix: Leveraging the Art & Science of Personal Mastery to Create Real Life Results (June 2021).
