Managing stress with heart coherence | Ghislaine Morin — Sophrologue & médecine chinoise à Grenoble

Managing stress with heart coherence - 24 September 2019 Managing stress with heart coherence Practising heart coherence offers many benefits, in the short term as well as the long term, whether for physical, mental or emotional health. Calm yourself, concentrate thanks to simple breathing exercises practised 3 times a day. Give it a try! Listen to my column on France bleu tagPlaceholder Categories: " Mme Morin helped me a lot through the low points" J Baptiste ` *

📝 Full transcription (PLAUD)

[S1] Until 11am, See life in blue on France Bleu Isère. On France Bleu Isère, a wellbeing tip every day. Ludovic, we are going to talk about heart coherence and I am delighted that we can welcome Ghislaine Morin today. You are a sophrologist.

[S1] Some already know about it, others do not: heart coherence. We have already touched on it a little in this programme with our Chinese doctor, but really only on the surface. So tell us about it.

[S2] So, heart coherence, first of all hello Erika, Hello Ludovic, hello everyone. Heart coherence is a simple technique that allows you to control your breathing in order to manage stress and anxiety in particular. So in consultation I often see people who are very often stressed because of intense work, stress due to exams, and this has repercussions, particularly on sleep and appetite. So there, I generally suggest in the first session doing some small heart coherence exercises that allow you to control your breathing and that allow you to reduce the heart rate to a slow rhythm.

[S1] Manage, or at least have some power over the way our heart beats and thanks to the way we breathe. In fact, normally all of this is automatic.

[S2] Normally, we do not have control over it. Breathing is the first thing we do. So here, we are going to have control over breathing in order to regulate and balance the heart rate and, in particular for managing stress, we will reduce what is called cortisol, which is the stress hormone, by slowing the heart rate.

[S1] How do we go about it? First of all I think you need to be sitting up straight.

[S2] Yes, absolutely, so the first thing is, it is better to do it in a seated position, although it does happen that we do it lying down at the start to really feel your abdominal breathing. In a second stage, I would advise you rather to do the exercise seated, with your back straight, either with both hands on your stomach, on the abdomen, or both hands on your thighs. And we will then be able to work on what is called the 365 exercise.

[S2] So the 365, it is easy to remember the 365. 365 days of the year. So the 365 is going to be an exercise that we can do three times a day. I would recommend the first one in the morning, since that is when the cortisol level is highest. So we will already reduce the cortisol level from the morning by doing 5 minutes of breathing.

[S2] After that, the benefits last around 4 to 6 hours. So it is recommended to do it 3 times a day: another time rather around lunchtime, before lunch rather, and at the end of the day.

[S1] So we breathe, so I think through the nose, we breathe in through the mouth. And we breathe out through the mouth as if blowing into a straw for as long as possible?

[S2] Since here it is the exhalation, it is on the exhalation that it will happen.

[S1] And we do that for 6 min?

[S2] So not for 6 min, for 5 min. However, at a heart rate of 6 breaths per minute.

[S1] 6 breaths. So in fact it seems complicated but I found a rather nice little app that I installed on my phone and which comes from the Thermes d'Allevard. And so we can follow the breathing, we follow the bubble and in fact it allows us to breathe at the same time as the bubble.

[S2] So we can still open our eyes on the phone. So there are two possibilities, either with the little bubble, or possibly, if you prefer to close your eyes, there is a little sound. You choose in the interface what you prefer.

[S1] We do it really conscientiously for 5 minutes the first time and after 5 minutes we understand if we have done it well, if we have concentrated well, if we have applied ourselves. Really, we find ourselves in a slightly different state.

[S2] It requires regularity. So we will have a soothing effect to begin with.

[S2] And given that we move to a rhythm, normally the heart rate, for information, is around 10-12 breaths per minute. So here, being at 6 breaths per minute, we are on a very slow rhythm which will make it very easy to regain a state of calm.

[S1] Great, we are all going to test that. I am going to put up the little app so that you can just click on the computer or on your phone to install it. It is free of course. And you try heart coherence at home. Seated, back straight, with the right breathing.

[S1] Ghislaine, see you very soon on the airwaves of France Bleu Isère with other methods.

📌 Summary (PLAUD AI)

Interview details

* Date and time: 2026-09-01 10:17:00

* Interviewer: Erika (and Ludovic)

* Interviewee: Ghislaine Morin

Key points

1. Introduction to heart coherence

* A simple technique for controlling breathing in order to manage stress and anxiety. The aim is to reduce the heart rate and cortisol, the stress hormone.

* Regaining control over a normally autonomous function (breathing/heart rate).

2. Practical method: the 365

* 3 times a day, for 5 minutes, at a rate of 6 breaths per minute.

* Posture: seated, back straight, hands on the stomach or thighs. Abdominal breathing, breathe in through the nose, breathe out slowly through the mouth as if through a straw.

* Recommended: in the morning (highest cortisol level), before lunch, and at the end of the day. Benefits of around 4 to 6 hours per session.

3. Tools and initial effects

* Free apps (e.g. Thermes d'Allevard) with a visual bubble or sound to guide the rhythm.

* Initial effects: relief from the very first session. By going from 10-12 breaths/minute to 6, you reach a very slow rhythm that quickly induces a state of calm.

Conclusion

Heart coherence is a simple and accessible breathing technique (365 method: 3 times a day, 5 min, 6 breaths/minute) to actively manage stress and anxiety by slowing the heart rate.

Would you like to book an appointment? Contact Ghislaine Morin on 06 24 90 04 98 or book online.

Learn more

Frequently asked questions

How can you manage stress in everyday life?

Sophrology and heart coherence are effective tools for regulating stress. Breathing exercises of 5 minutes a day are often enough.

What is heart coherence?

It is a breathing technique (6 breaths per minute for 5 minutes) that regulates the nervous system and soothes stress.

How long before seeing results?

Many people feel relief from the first session. Lasting effects build up over several weeks of practice.

Ghislaine Morin welcomes you in Grenoble : www.sophrologue-grenoble.fr/blog/articles/coherence-cardiaque-une-methode-simple-pour-apaiser-le-stress