Breathe Peace In, Breathe Resistance Out: The 4‑7‑8 Ritual That Rewired My Morning

There is a small window each morning when your day is not yet decided. Before you check your phone, before the mental to‑do list starts shouting, there is a breath. In that space, I found a simple ritual in Karen Lee Cohen’s Let’s Be Peace that changed how I meet my life. It takes under three minutes, asks for a steady count and a one line intention, and the result is something your body can feel right away. Over time, it builds a steadier presence and a kinder way to solve hard problems. This is not theory. It is a tool you can try today.

What I respect most about Cohen’s work is the spirit of it. Let’s Be Peace is not a guru lecture, it is a living circle of voices and methods you can test for yourself. Cohen realized early that one story would not be enough, so she invited contributors from many countries and modalities, then shaped the book through interviews and simple practices you can use right away. She even calls herself a Peace Whisperer, a role that fits her shift from award winning TV leader to a curator of global healing perspectives and practical tools that readers can personalize . The core promise is simple, we heal the world by each of us being peace inside, one person at a time .

Why 4‑7‑8 Breathing Works

The book offers a few breath counts you can use, including 4‑4‑4‑4 or 4‑7‑8. It lists them simply, inhale to the count of 4, hold to the count of 7, exhale 8 to the count of 8. Cohen uses a counting system using the words "Let’s Be Peace" Example one let’s be peace, two let’s be peace, 3 lets be peace, 4 let’s be peace. Etc. In the 4-7-8 method, The longer exhale is the quiet power here. It signals safety to your nervous system. And safety matters, because fear locks you into resistance, which cuts you off from higher wisdom and clear decisions. As the book explains , fighting circumstances creates suffering, while peace steadies the mind and body so guidance can come forward .

This dovetails with a theme repeated by contributors. Peace is not something you think your way into. “It happens in the body, peace is anchored and expressed from the heart, not from the mind,” one contributor explains. Set the intention to be the expression of peace and give yourself a few minutes of quiet to make space for it, even if you do not enjoy formal meditation. Five minutes counts. Silently doing the Dishes count. Loving your pet counts. What matters is becoming more present in and with the body so your inner guidance can move through you .

The Micro Ritual: A few Short Steps, 3-5 minutes

You can Use this as a script for your morning. Edit the words so they sound like you. The power lives in the count and in honest attention.

1. Posture and permission

• Sit upright with your feet on the floor, or lie down if you are just waking.
• Put one hand on your chest and one on your belly, a fast way to tune in.
• Give yourself permission, I do not have to fix everything right now, I only have to arrive.

2. 4‑7‑8 breath, three to five rounds

• Inhale through your nose for a count of 4.
• Hold for a count of 7.
• Exhale through your mouth for a count of 8, soft lips, like fogging a mirror.
• On each inhale, bring the word peace into your body. On each exhale, let go of one thing that is not peace, judgment, resentment, panic, the urge to control, just as the book suggests .
• If you get lightheaded, do two rounds and build slowly.

3. One line intentionSay one sentence that is honest and doable. Examples, Today I choose steady, not perfect. I breathe peace in, I breathe resistance out, and I take one clear step today.
4. A 15 second gut checkAsk your gut one question, What is the next kind step I can take today. Feel for ease. Cohen encourages you to ask, wait, and move when your gut says yes, then pause again when it feels off. Your gut is a real guide, and waiting is an answer too .

You can add music or a journal line if you like, but you do not need to. Keep the form light. The point is to make it repeatable.

The Hidden Wisdom You Might Miss

• You do not have a thinking problem, you have a state problem. If you feel stuck, it is often your nervous system, not your IQ. The longer exhale is a door out of alarm. Peace opens options. Fear narrows them. Cohen’s own story underscores this. This one practice grew her trust that she could handle whatever came and boosted her ability to find solutions .
• Being with what is is not passive. Cohen is clear. We may not change our circumstances right away, but we can choose how we respond, and that choice creates the space for better answers. Struggling against what is creates more suffering. Peace calms the system so you can hear the next step .
• Intention needs a body. A contributor’s advice to start with intention and move out of the mind into the heart is not poetic fluff, it is practical. Intention helps lay a foundation, then even five minutes of quiet helps the body catch up to that choice so you can feel peace, not just think about it .

Why This Practice Ripples Beyond You

Cohen began signing her posts with #BePeace, then shifted to Let’s Be Peace after her niece said the first version felt demanding. That simple change birthed a wider movement, a book, and an intended podcast that share methods and stories in a friendly circle. The premise is humble and strong, what we hold inside radiates outward, one person at a time . One contributor, reflecting on this theme, notes that frequencies are contagious, like plucking one string in a music shop and watching nearby strings vibrate. Hold your own peace, and it will naturally touch others .

This matters for health too. Cohen points out that stress can suppress the immune system, while a peace state allows the body to heal more easily and helps answers come forward. It is not that fear makes healing impossible, it is that peace makes the whole process less heavy and more creative .

Troubleshooting Common Blockers

• The inner critic is loudSome chatter is just the brain trying to keep you safe. A contributor uses a playful image for this, a “parrot” that repeats scary lines. Acknowledge it, breathe, then remember you have a choice, yes, not now, or no. The breath helps you choose rather than obey the fear voice .
• Emotions surge on the exhaleThat is normal. Name the feeling, fear, grief, anger. Place a hand on your heart and say, I can feel this and still be safe. If it is too much, pause and come back later. Peace does not rush.
• You forget to practice tie it to something you already do. Sit up, drink water, then do three rounds of breath before your phone leaves the nightstand.
• You worry it is not enough. Cohen is consistent about small, repeatable steps. When you find peace inside, you do not need to force it outward. You will naturally spread it where you go, one person at a time .

Build Your “Peace Stack,” Then Adjust

Think of breath as the base layer. Add two or three tools that feel good and keep them short. Cohen offers a simple list, breath counts like 4‑7‑8, gut check decision making, daily gratitude, and forgiveness, which she calls a key to moving on. You cannot live in peace and release pain without practicing forgiveness, she writes. It is how we let go of the stories that keep us stuck . She also urges readers to check their stack monthly or quarterly. There is no strict formula. Use your intuition to see what is working and gently revise what is not. You are the final authority on your wellness choices .

Other contributors add a helpful preparatory step. Before you do anything, call your energy back into the present. Many of us ping between the past and future, which makes clarity hard to find. Call your bodies back, spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, then ground. Do it until you feel the shift, not just think the words. That is when you can actually sense alignment, right here, right now .

And if you need help, ask. Cohen encourages readers to open the heart and request that the solution arrive for your highest good and the highest good of all. It moves you from isolation to connection, which is part of the peace process. We often forget to ask, or to receive, but both are welcome here .

A 7 Day Test You Can Start Tomorrow Morning

• Day 1 to 2Wake, drink water, sit up. Do three rounds of 4‑7‑8. Say one line of intention. Ask your gut one clear question about the day. Write the answer on a sticky note.
• Day 3 to 4Add a 30 second gratitude. Add a five minute phone free walk. Count your steps with the phrase Let’s Be Peace, an idea Cohen shares that readers use during movement. It is simple and affirming .
• Day 5Try a forgiveness micro practice. Breathe in peace. On the exhale, say, I release one bit of bitterness toward myself or someone else. Do not force anything. Let the breath carry what is ready to move. Cohen and several contributors describe forgive yourself and others as essential for peace to settle in your system .
• Day 6Check your peace stack. Do the breath and intention, then add one modality that calls you today, a brief stretch, some tapping, a gut check on a decision you have avoided. Keep the whole ritual under ten minutes.
• Day 7Review. What felt good. What did not. What changes will you make. Follow Cohen’s guidance to create a gentle barometer. No strict rules. Trust your gut and adjust as needed .

What This Book Is Really Asking Of Us

Let’s Be Peace is not selling calm for calm’s sake. It is inviting a shift where peace becomes your operating setting, not a treat you earn after everything is handled. The voices in the book are diverse, energy work, Ayurveda, EFT, feng shui, acupuncture, and more, yet the main point holds. Get present in the body. Listen for your felt yes. Take responsibility for your state. Then act in a way that serves you and the whole. This is not passive. It is fully being with what is so you can offer something useful to yourself and others.

The origin story hints at the book’s deeper purpose. Cohen started with a hashtag, saw it was a bit demanding, softened it to Let’s Be Peace, and watched it grow into a movement, a collaborative book, a website, and a podcast. She built a welcoming circle where your intuition is the authority, not any one modality or expert. You try, you feel, you adjust, you keep what helps, you leave the rest. That spirit of permission makes the tools stick and keeps readers feeling seen and supported .

She also reminds us to lead by example. One contributor pictures peace like a string that sets other strings vibrating in a music shop. Hold your tone, and others will start to resonate. That is not mystical. It is how humans co regulate in real life. If you cannot find it for yourself yet, find it for someone you love, because peace ripples beyond the person who practices it .

A Note For Those Carrying A Lot

If you are a caregiver, a leader, a teacher, or simply someone who feels everything deeply, this matters. You cannot pour from an empty cup. You also cannot make wise choices while your body is locked in a constant flinch. Three minutes of breath and one honest intention can set a kinder tone for the next hour. Repeat it at night before sleep if you like. Cohen practices that way and benefits from its steadying effect, morning and night .

When she says, “Please allow me to whisper to you,” she is inviting you into a relationship with your own steadiness. Not perfection, steadiness. Her team approach is clear. Gather teammates you trust. Let your body and intuition lead the decision making. Your body will warn you through discomfort and guide you toward what you need next. Use your tools and keep revisiting your path with a kind eye. You are your best guide, and you will know when it is time to change methods or move on .

Breathe peace in, breathe resistance out, then see what opens. Your life may not get easier today, but it can get clearer, kinder, more workable. And that change will not stop at you.

One breath from now, what shifts if you trust your body’s yes, set one gentle intention, and let your exhale be longer than your fear.