Guided Practices

Guided Practices for Everyday Life

This page gathers simple practices you can use to settle your nervous system, reconnect with your body, and come back to yourself when life feels loud. Some of these are breath based, some are somatic awareness exercises, and some focus on reflection and gentle self inquiry.

These practices are for education and personal development only. They are not medical, psychological, or crisis care. They are meant to sit alongside coaching, not replace therapy, medical treatment, or emergency support.

Move slowly, listen to your body, and stop any practice that increases distress, dizziness, or pain. If you are in crisis, please use the crisis resources on this site and reach out for live support.

Feeling overwhelmed or activated

Choose one of the activities from the Short Grounding Practices section and try it gently for a few minutes.

You do not need to do everything on this page. One small step is enough…

Crisis Resources

If you are thinking about harming yourself or feel unable to stay safe, please contact:

  1. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
  2. Visit 988lifeline.org for chat and additional information
  3. Visit NAMI.org for education, support groups, and local affiliate contacts

Guided practices are not a substitute for urgent help.

If you are outside the United States, search for your country’s crisis hotline or contact your local emergency number.

Short Grounding Practices

Box Breathing Reset

A short, structured breath pattern to help calm the nervous system and bring your attention back into the present moment. Useful when you feel scattered, tense, or stuck in racing thoughts.

Find a comfortable seated position, feet on the floor if possible.

  1. Breathe in through your nose to a slow count of 4
  2. Hold your breath for a count of 4
  3. Exhale through your mouth to a count of 4
  4. Pause with empty lungs for a count of 4

Repeat this for three to five rounds. Return to your normal breath and notice any shifts in your body or mind. Stop if you feel dizzy, panicked, or strained.

5 Senses Grounding

A quick practice to orient to the room around you and reduce mental spinning by using sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste.

Look around and slowly name to yourself:

  • 5 distinct objects you see
  • 4 things you can feel through touch
  • 3 things you can hear
  • 2 things you can smell
  •  1 thing you can taste

You can do this silently in your mind. There is no right answer. The goal is gentle attention, not perfection.

Somatic Awareness and Mind Body Practices

Micro Body Scan

A brief check in with your body to notice tension, comfort, and any areas asking for attention.

Sit or lie down. Let your eyes soften or close.

Bring your attention to your feet. Notice any sensation, without trying to change it. Then slowly move your focus up through your legs, pelvis, abdomen, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, neck, and face.

If you find a tight or uncomfortable area, see if you can soften around it by exhaling slowly and imagining space around that place, rather than forcing it to relax.

Somatic Check In

A gentle practice for noticing how your emotions show up in your body so you can respond with more choice and less autopilot.

Take a few easy breaths. Ask yourself, “What am I feeling right now” and then “Where do I feel that in my body”

You might notice pressure in your chest, tightness in your jaw, heaviness in your stomach, or something else entirely. There are no wrong answers.

Place a hand near, not directly on, that area if it feels comfortable. See if you can meet the sensation with curiosity instead of judgment. You might say quietly, “I notice you” or “It makes sense that you are here.”

After a minute or two, return your attention to the room and your surroundings.

Practices for Emotion, Self Talk, and Inner Critic

Name and Normalize

A short reflection to help you name what you feel, remember that it is human, and respond with a bit more kindness.

Take a couple of slow breaths, then complete these 3 sentences, either out loud or on paper:

  • What I am feeling right now is …
  • It makes sense that I feel this because …
  • One small way I can support myself in this is …

The goal is not to fix the feeling. The goal is to bring awareness and compassion to it, so you can choose your next step more intentionally.

Self Compassion Pause

A 3-step pause to bring warmth to yourself in a stressful moment, adapted from self-compassion work.

  1. Notice:  Silently say, “This is a hard moment” or “This is stressful.”
  2. Remember common humanity: “Other people feel this too. I am not the only one who struggles in this way.”
  3. Offer kindness: Place a hand on your heart or another neutral place on your body. Say, “May I be kind to myself right now” or choose words that fit your own style.

Stay with this for a few breaths, then return to your day.

Using These Practices Alongside Coaching

You are welcome to use any of these practices between sessions, and you can bring your experiences into our coaching conversations.

We might explore questions like:

  • What did you notice in your body as you tried a practice?
  • What felt helpful, and what did not?
  • How do these patterns show up in your work, relationships, or decision-making?


If a practice consistently increases distress, please stop using it and let us talk about it together. If your distress feels unmanageable or you are thinking about harming yourself, please reach out to crisis or medical support rather than relying on this page.

Important note

These guided practices are for personal reflection, nervous system support, and professional development. They are not a replacement for therapy, medical care, psychiatric support, or crisis intervention. Always consult your health care providers before starting any breathwork or somatic practice if you have concerns or medical conditions.