The "Bali Retreat" Fantasy (and Why You Don't Actually Need It)
A peaceful breathwork practice for when you can't escape to paradise
I was chatting with a client last week who told me she was thisclose to booking a wellness retreat in Bali. "I just need to escape for a minute," she said, scrolling through photos of sunrise yoga on the beach.
Sound familiar?
When your calendar is packed with endless calls and your to-do list is as long as a CVS receipt, it's tempting to think peace is somewhere else. Somewhere with acai bowls and shamans and zero wifi.
But here's what I told her, and what I want to tell you:
You don't need to escape your life to enjoy it.
April happens to be Stress Awareness Month (whoever came up with that clearly understood the tax season struggle đ). So let's talk about real-world stress relief for people who canât just jet off to a retreat.
âGetting Awayâ Isnât the Only Way
When life gets chaotic, your nervous system goes into overdrive.
You know that feelingâtired but wired⌠anxious right when you need to sleep⌠that sudden 3pm urge to quit everything and open a beachside taco stand.
That's your body trying to cope without the right tools.
But your breath is always with you, and it's the most powerful stress-management tool you already own. Intentionally manipulating your breath can help:
â Lower your cortisol (stress hormone) levels in minutes
â Lift your body out of "fight or flight" mode
â Help you transition between tasks without carrying stress forward from the last one
And noâthis doesn't mean carving out an hour in the middle of the day for meditation (unless thatâs your jam, in which case, love it).
A Practice That Fits Your Life
Think of your breath as your own pocket-sized retreat that fits into the life you already have. And when I say that, I mean it very literally. Think of the tiny windows throughout your day:
đ The few minutes before you join your next Zoom call
đ While waiting for your coffee to brew
đ That moment in your car before you get out and have to start people-ing
đ Right after you close your laptop but before you engage with family
These moments are golden when it comes to doing breathwork. And they're already there in your day.
Here's one of my favorite quick breathwork resets:
4-6 Breathing
Inhale through your nose for 4 counts
Exhale slowly through your mouth for 6 counts
Repeat for the amount of time you have â for example, until the traffic light turns green
That's it. Super simple to remember and doâŚ
Not that anyone would actually notice. This technique is discreet enough that you can reset your nervous system while pretending to listen on a work call. Donât worry, I wonât tell.
Why This Works (The Science Bit)
Sounds weird, but extending your exhale so that itâs longer than your inhale activates your nervous systemâs rest and digest response.
It's the equivalent of a physiological "calm" button. Your heart rate slows, your blood pressure drops, and you mind clearsâall without booking a plane ticket or downloading another meditation app you'll never open (not that Iâve done that myself or anything).
Ready to give it a try?
This week, I challenge you to find three transition moments in your day to practice this quick breath reset. Maybe it's:
Before you check email in the morning
Between calls
When you sit down for a meal
As you get into bed
Notice how it helps you mentally shift gears and leave the stress of one activity before starting the next.
More Breathwork Tools for When Youâre on the Go
I've put together a free "5 Breaths in 5 Minutes" kit specifically for busy people. These are techniques I share with my clients who run six-figure+ businesses, lead teams, or juggle multiple projectsâall designed to fit into the tiny spaces in your already-packed day.
Grab your free kit here and start feeling better in just a few minutes. Iâll also send you my weekly newsletter, which has a lot more content than you see in this blog.
âNowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than in his own soul.â
â Marcus Aurelius,Meditations