Both he and Dr. Fielding agree that breath is a key element to stress relief in exercise. In any workout, Gervais says, “as much as you can, bring attention to your breath.” Doing so can help you recognize just what a huge impact this alone has on your mental and physical state. (“Just FYI,” Dr. Fielding says, “when you have a longer exhale than an inhale, you lower your heart rate.” I keep that in mind both in and out of the gym.) But simply pausing to notice your breath is a fast, easy way to keep you out of your head and in the room. Sometimes in class, Gervais adds, he’ll start by directing attention to the breath, then have students focus on a body part. “[I’ll say] ‘bring your attention down to your right heel, and feel that. Then feel the ground supporting your right calf,” and so on. He says doing these body scans “helps your brain to tune out the noise and then figure out the important information.” In that moment, the important information isn’t the theoretically worries in your head, but simply what’s going on in the room and in your body.