Meditation, Breathing & The Power of the Pause

Sometimes the most powerful tool isn't doing more—it's pausing before you react.

Episode #263
🎙️ In this episode, Coach Lisa Chance and Coach Jamie Cipriani explore why meditation and breathing exercises can have such a profound impact on stress, decision-making, metabolic health, and everyday life.

They discuss simple breathing practices, common misconceptions about meditation, the science behind the pause between stimulus and response, and how mindfulness can help us become less reactive and more intentional.

Whether you've never meditated before or have convinced yourself you're "bad at it," this conversation offers practical ways to make breathing and meditation part of your day—without adding another complicated task to your routine.

👉 What you'll learn:
• How breathing helps regulate the nervous system
• Why stress management supports metabolic health
• The science behind Viktor Frankl's famous "pause"
• How meditation changes your response to triggers
• Why most people think they're bad at meditation
• Simple breathing exercises you can use anywhere
• How habit stacking makes meditation easier to maintain
• The benefits of morning and evening meditation practices

⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 — What meditation really is
00:25 — Introduction: meditation, breathing, and the power of the pause
00:52 — Why meditation matters for metabolic health
01:40 — How breathing helps regulate the nervous system
03:19 — Jamie's simple three-breath practice
05:07 — Using breathing before meals
05:51 — Why breathing shouldn't only happen during crises
06:28 — The importance of taking a pause during the day
07:08 — Habit stacking breathing practices
07:58 — Doorknob breathing and mindful eating
09:19 — What if your brain still wants the food?
10:32 — Why meditation is called a practice
11:06 — Viktor Frankl and the power of the pause
11:27 — The science behind stimulus and response
12:43 — How meditation changes the brain
13:52 — Why meditation helps us become less reactive
14:23 — "I can't meditate" — common myths explained
15:56 — Why thoughts during meditation are normal
17:35 — The biggest reason people quit meditating
18:28 — There's no such thing as bad meditation
19:07 — What if you fall asleep during meditation?
20:25 — Should you breathe through your nose or mouth?
22:06 — The real benefits happen outside the meditation session
23:08 — Stress, health, and why meditation matters
24:33 — Morning and evening meditation bookends
27:24 — Letting go through breathwork
28:14 — Small daily pauses and cumulative gains
29:05 — Meditation doesn't have to look a certain way
30:14 — Breathing snacks and fat metabolism
30:54 — Try a 30-day meditation experiment
31:52 — Meditation in everyday moments
32:38 — Final challenge: where can you add a pause today?

📝 Transcript
The transcript for this episode is available on our website:
https://www.thefastingmethod.com/podcasts/

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