How to Decrease Heart Rate Naturally: 4-8 Breathing | Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Stress Relief Activate your body's natural relaxation response and gently guide your heart rate down with this customized 2:1 ratio breathing exercise! This guided session utilizes the powerful principle of the extended exhale (exhaling twice as long as you inhale, like 4 seconds in, 8 seconds out). This technique is scientifically proven to stimulate the Vagus Nerve, which instantly signals your parasympathetic ne