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VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

We use our Access Calm technique and its variations in two separate contexts. 

First is in moments of acute stress. Let’s say you’re sitting in the big meeting about to stand up to give a very important presentation and you’re feeling overwhelmed. Or you’re on a first date or job interview and you’re getting nervous. Or you’re late for a flight and there’s a long security line and you’re worried you’ll miss your flight. Or you’re laying in bed and can’t fall asleep. 

You can practice the Access Calm breathing technique in any of these scenarios and within a few seconds your heart rate will lower and you’ll feel more relaxed. You don’t have to be seated or close your eyes. And you’ll notice that your thoughts will actually start to change as soon as your body no longer feels like it’s under attack. 

In moments of acute stress, we practice Access Calm until we feel better. That might mean just a few seconds, taking two or three breaths, or it might mean staying with it for a few minutes. It’s like pulling the emergency brake on stress. But it’s worth mentioning here, that our goal is to not need to pull the emergency brake....ever.  This is why establishing a daily practice is so important. By sitting down every day to practice Access Meditation, you’re reconditioning your mind and body to feel the opposite of overwhelmed--which is underwhelmed. 

This brings us to the second scenario where we use the Access Calm breathing technique, which is immediately preceding the Access Stillness mental technique as part of our daily practice.  When you practice the breathing technique prior to the mental technique, the breathing sets up a much more profound overall experience. It acts as an amplifier. It’s like comparing a diver taking a dive from the edge of the swimming pool and then taking that same exact dive from the 10-meter platform. Because of its orientation, the same dive from the 10-meter platform has considerably more amplitude and impact

Here’s how it works. The mind and body are connected. When you practice the breathing technique, Access Calm, its primary impact is on your body and its secondary impact is on your mind. So your body starts to settle down first into a deep state of rest and relaxation and your mind follows. 

So Imagine starting here. 

When you do the breathing technique first, we're at a much more settled place than if you just started the mental technique without it. It gives you a big head start, a launching pad. Settling your body down first helps settle and de-excite your mind much faster. When you use the Access Calm breathing technique prior to the Access Stillness mental technique, you practice it for 3 to 5 minutes. It’s this important sequence of unique techniques that produces incredibly powerful transformative results.