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Lifestyle expert Luke Coutinho shared a science-backed breathing exercise that can lower cortisol levels by 25 to 35 per cent, offering the body a rapid reset.
Breathing exercise activates the body’s relaxation mode.
In a world where stress has become a baseline rather than an exception, wellness is no longer just about nutrition, exercise, or eight hours of sleep. It’s about finding tools that can create calm from within. And sometimes, the most powerful tools are the simplest.
Integrative lifestyle expert Luke Coutinho is urging people to look inward (literally) for relief, through a form of breathwork that promises to dial down stress hormones in just minutes.
He recently shared a video emphasising that while fancy routines and supplements have their place, they mean little if your mind is in constant survival mode. Chronic stress, he says, isn’t just a modern inconvenience, but it’s one of the most damaging states for the human body.
Why Stress Undermines Every Other Wellness Habit
According to Luke, stress silently corrodes health from within long before symptoms appear. It disrupts sleep, weakens immunity, inflames the body, and, over time, overrides even the healthiest lifestyle habits.
“Your nutrition, your workouts, your supplements – they’re important. But none of them can compensate for chronic stress,” he explains.
For over 14 years, he says, almost every patient he has worked with – from athletes to professionals – has had one shared denominator: elevated, long-term stress. Some sleep well, some don’t, yet the underlying emotional load remains the same.
The consequence? Persistently high cortisol, the hormone responsible for the body’s stress response. When cortisol stays elevated, the entire internal environment shifts into imbalance, making recovery, rest, and healing difficult.
The Breathing Shortcut: A 5-Minute Technique To Lower Cortisol
To counter this, Luke highlights a science-backed breathing exercise that can lower cortisol almost immediately. He talks about the widely studied 4-7-8 breathing technique, known for activating the parasympathetic nervous system – the body’s natural relaxation mode.
How To Practice 4-7-8 Breathing
- Sit upright or lie down in a comfortable position.
- Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds.
- Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
- Exhale audibly through your mouth with a gentle “whoosh” for 8 seconds.
Even 3–5 minutes of this pattern, he says, can reduce cortisol by 25 to 35 per cent, offering the body a rapid reset.
Your problems may remain the same, Luke admits, but how your body responds doesn’t have to. When cortisol drops, your internal environment changes and inflammation reduces, clarity returns, sleep deepens, and the nervous system stabilises. So the next time stress tightens its grip, you may not need a supplement or a wellness overhaul. You may simply need to pause and breathe.
Delhi, India, India
November 15, 2025, 09:25 IST
