The Power Five Reset
Reset your state in five breaths by counting four in, six out
- Difficulty
- Starter
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 85%
The Power Five is an on-demand reset distinct from the daily 15-minute practice. You take roughly five breaths, counting four seconds on the inhale and six seconds on the exhale. The longer exhale biases the nervous system toward a parasympathetic, calmer state, while the act of counting occupies the same part of the brain used for rumination, so you cannot count and spiral at once. Lagos teaches clients to trigger it off a cue: either a physiological signal like a racing heart, a scheduled phone vibration, or an existing habit such as sitting down to eat. Golfers use it walking between holes to clear the mind after a birdie sends their sympathetic system racing; parents use it before responding to competing demands from children.
Origin
A tactical companion to Lagos's resonant frequency HRV protocol, drawn from her elite-performance practice and described in her book Heart Breath Mind.
Core principles
- 01A longer exhale than inhale pulls you toward parasympathetic
- 02Counting occupies the brain so racing thoughts cannot
- 03State change can be triggered on demand, not just at scheduled practice
- 04Cue the practice to a physiological signal or an existing habit
How to run it
- 1
Catch the cue
Notice a racing mind or a heart rate that speeds up, or use a preset cue such as a phone vibration or a recurring habit like sitting down to eat.
Pro tip Pairing the reset to an existing daily habit turns it into a calibration tool rather than just morning-and-evening bookends.
- 2
Breathe four in, six out
Inhale for a count of four and exhale for a count of six, letting the longer exhale draw you toward a parasympathetic state.
Pro tip The counting is doing double duty: it paces the breath and blocks rumination because both use the same brain resource.
- 3
Repeat for about five breaths
Take roughly five resonant breaths to return the body to your baseline self, then re-engage with the task.
Pro tip For anxiety specifically, focus on the crisp fresh air on the inhale and release the fear on the exhale.
Watch out This is for brief epochs of time; it is not a substitute for the 15-minute twice-daily baseline practice.
In the wild
Professional golfers notice their mind racing even after something great, like a birdie, as sympathetic arousal sets in. Walking from hole to hole, they breathe four in and six out, using the count to clear the mind and return the body to their baseline self before the next shot.
→ A settled, focused state restored before the next shot.
Faced with several children asking for things simultaneously, a parent takes a Power Five, or does it together with the kids, before responding, so they can flexibly meet each need from a calmer, more deliberate state rather than reacting.
→ A more measured, chosen response instead of a reactive one.
Common mistakes
Using it as your only breathing work
The Power Five changes state in the moment but does not build the baseline trait; it complements, not replaces, the 10-week protocol.
No cue to trigger it
Without a physiological signal, reminder or habit anchor, people forget to use it; pairing it to a cue is what makes it reliable.
Is it for you?
Best for
Athletes and professionals who need to return to baseline quickly between plays, meetings or high-pressure moments.
Not ideal for
Building durable baseline HRV; this is a fast state hack, not the underlying trait training.
From the transcript
“they're practicing their breathing counting four in six out to clear the mind and also return the body to their baseline self”
“what's interesting about adding the counting is you can't count and think at the same time they require the same part of the brain”
From the episode
How To Improve Your Heart Rate Variability - Dr Leah Lagos - #829
Dr Leah Lagos