Stress Less the Ornish Way
The stress-less pillar of the program recognized in five-year follow-up data for reversing heart disease. Simple daily practices to calm your nervous system and protect your heart.
Practice a short daily meditation Sit quietly for even 5 to 15 minutes a day and focus on your breath or a simple word. Longer is fine once it becomes a habit.
A regular meditation practice lowers stress hormones and blood pressure over time.
Do some gentle yoga or stretching Move slowly and gently: easy yoga poses, stretches and relaxation. The goal is to unwind, not to work out.
Gentle movement releases physical tension and helps shift you out of stress mode.
Use slow breathing when stress hits Breathe slowly and deeply, making your out-breath longer than your in-breath, for a minute or two. Use it whenever you feel wound up.
Slow breathing is the fastest way to tell your nervous system you are safe and can calm down.
Reframe stress and let go of grudges Notice stressful thoughts and gently reframe them. Ornish also treats letting go of blame, shame and old grudges as part of the practice.
A lot of stress is self-generated. Changing how you relate to it lightens the load on your heart.
When you are constantly stressed, your body pumps out stress hormones and the fight-or-flight side of your nervous system stays switched on.
View sources
Undo It! How Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Most Chronic Diseases
The Lifestyle Heart Trial (Lancet, 1990)
Not medical advice. This page is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical care. Consult a qualified clinician before changing your health routine.
Independent curation. YourProtocol is an independent platform. This protocol is based on the publicly available work of Dean Ornish and is not created, reviewed, endorsed by, or affiliated with Dean Ornish or Preventive Medicine Research Institute.
Is this for you
- Anyone using the Ornish program who wants the stress-management piece
- People with heart disease or high blood pressure made worse by stress
- Anyone who feels wired, tense or burnt out
Cautions
- Education based on Dr Ornish's published work, not medical or psychological treatment.
- Relaxation supports your heart care, it does not replace it. Keep taking prescribed medication unless your doctor says otherwise.
- If you have severe anxiety, depression or trauma, please also get support from a qualified professional.
- No products are sold here.