Welcome to
Skill of Stress Online
Learn how to use stress as a tool instead of something to manage. Stress is an important part of the human experience, and it should be used for the evolutionary tool that it is.
Learn how to use stress as a tool instead of something to manage. Stress is an important part of the human experience, and it should be used for the evolutionary tool that it is.
Stress is useful and inevitable.
Skill of Stress is the result of 20+ years of experience in helping high performers and first responders understand stress and become more resilient.
In this course, you will:
- Develop resiliency to stress.
- Be more present in your life.
- Learn how to work through difficult situations.
- Become calm under pressure.
Stress is useful and inevitable.
Skill of Stress is the result of 20+ years of experience in helping high performers and first responders understand stress and become more resilient.
In this course, you will:
- Develop resiliency to stress.
- Be more present in your life.
- Learn how to work through difficult situations.
- Become calm under pressure.
This is not a stress management course.
The design of this course strips away the moral failings associated with states of anxiety, depression, and feelings of being overwhelmed. It empowers you to work with intrinsic skills like conscious breathing to use stress as the evolutionary tool that it is instead of something to 'manage'.
This is not a
stress management
course.
The design of this course strips away the moral failings associated with states of anxiety, depression, and feelings of being overwhelmed, and empowers you to work with intrinsic skills like conscious breathing to use stress as the evolutionary tool that it is, instead of something to 'manage'.
Read
your reactions
Regulate
your response
Reinforce
stability
Read
your reactions
Regulate
your response
Reinforce
your stability
Skill of Stress Course Overview
This work leans on principles, not methods. It requires your participation through attention to make it into something valuable. It is our collective hope that you will invest the time and attention it takes to learn, train, and master these intrinsic skills to find doorways into the gifts you already have within you.
Course Overview / Introduction
Welcome to Skill of Stress! In this section, you will get oriented with the classroom environment, get access to the Skill of Stress Workbook, and get an overview of the concepts you're about to learn.
Part 1: Brain on Stress
Understand the three main structures in the brain related to your stress response when you ‘flip your lid’ or lose control during stressful situations. You'll also begin to learn how your voluntary breath can change your brain during stress to ‘get your lid down’.
Part 2: Read State
Discover a range of conditions in the human nervous system and how they correlate with stress. More importantly, you'll start learning how to read your own breath and reactivity before learning ways to apply your tailored breath protocols.
Part 3: Regulate State
Connect your body and breath to your current environment and situational needs. You will also learn basic somatic tools and position options for optimal self-regulation.
Part 4: Inquiries
Understand the elements of your breath and how they relate to self-regulation. You will also learn the body mechanics for self-regulation and discover positions for practicing inquiry that are comfortable for you.
Part 5: Reinforce State
Adopt desired response patterns to widen your overall tolerance to stress. You’ll also learn principles and skills to apply neuroplasticity to your habits and response options. In this section, you will use Neuro Nidra™ to deeply reset your nervous system. You will also learn how to develop your own personal practice based on your own intrinsic needs.
Skill of Stress
Course Overview
This work leans on principles, not methods. It requires your participation through attention to make it into something valuable. It is our collective hope that you will invest the time and attention it takes to learn, train, and master these intrinsic skills to find doorways into the gifts you already have within you.
Course Overview / Introduction
Welcome to Skill of Stress! In this section, you will get oriented with the classroom environment, get access to the Skill of Stress Workbook, and get an overview of the concepts you're about to learn.
Part 1: Brain on Stress
Understand the three main structures in the brain related to your stress response when you ‘flip your lid’ or lose control during stressful situations. You'll also begin to learn how your voluntary breath can change your brain during stress to ‘get your lid down’.
Part 2: Read State
Discover a range of conditions in the human nervous system and how they correlate with stress. More importantly, you'll start learning how to read your own breath and reactivity before learning ways to apply your tailored breath protocols.
Part 3: Regulate State
Connect your body and breath to your current environment and situational needs. You will also learn basic somatic tools and position options for optimal self-regulation.
Part 4: Inquiries
Understand the elements of your breath and how they relate to self-regulation. You will also learn the body mechanics for self-regulation and discover positions for practicing inquiry that are comfortable for you.
Part 5: Reinforce State
Adopt desired response patterns to widen your overall tolerance to stress. You’ll also learn principles and skills to apply neuroplasticity to your habits and response options. In this section, you will use Neuro Nidra™ to deeply reset your nervous system. You will also learn how to develop your own personal practice based on your own intrinsic needs.
Ray Cooney | Owner, Free Range Athlete
"I found Emily Hightower and the Skill of Stress in a very tough time in my life. I was struggling with anxiety in a major way. Emily’s calm demeanor, professional approach, and highly effective techniques changed me in a way that will stick with me forever. The work we did carried over into my coaching, training, and archery. I am very fortunate to have found her."
Craig Kasper | The Bravest Podcast
“As a healthcare provider, a practice owner, and someone living with type 1 diabetes, I am well-aware of how stress can impact the body, mind, and our decisions. For all of us, developing strategies to gainfully manipulate our psychological and physiological state is more important than ever. Through the Skill of Stress program, Emily Hightower thoughtfully encourages us to dive inside, recognize the messages our biology provides us, and apply new skills leading to a more optimized self. I highly recommend the Skill of Stress to anyone ready to search inside themselves, disrupt old patterns, and come out on the other side stronger.” ~ Criag Kasper, The Bravest Podcast
Ray Cooney
Owner, Free Range Athlete
"I found Emily Hightower and the Skill of Stress in a very tough time in my life. I was struggling with anxiety in a major way. Emily’s calm demeanor, professional approach, and highly effective techniques changed me in a way that will stick with me forever. The work we did carried over into my coaching, training, and archery. I am very fortunate to have found her."
Craig Kasper
The Bravest Podcast
“As a healthcare provider, a practice owner, and someone living with type 1 diabetes, I am well-aware of how stress can impact the body, mind, and our decisions. For all of us, developing strategies to gainfully manipulate our psychological and physiological state is more important than ever. Through the Skill of Stress program, Emily Hightower thoughtfully encourages us to dive inside, recognize the messages our biology provides us, and apply new skills leading to a more optimized self. I highly recommend the Skill of Stress to anyone ready to search inside themselves, disrupt old patterns, and come out on the other side stronger.” ~ Criag Kasper, The Bravest Podcast
This course has helped thousands of people optimize their response to stress.
This course has helped thousands of people optimize their response to stress.
Meet your Skill of Stress instructor...
Meet your Skill of Stress instructor...
Emily Hightower
SH//FT Education Director
Emily Hightower leverages her expertise in the neuro-physiology of trauma and resilience to help clients master their stress response and improve their quality of life. By combining over 25 years of experience in breath physiology, somatic movement, yoga, meditation, and wilderness excursions, Emily empowers high performers to disrupt limits, align with nature, and heal their bodies and minds.
Earlier in her career, Emily’s practice was based in a neurology clinic, where she integrated her approach with bio and neurofeedback and neurology care. Her clients include the United States Special Operations Command Adaptive Care Unit and other Veterans services in the US and Abroad. She also served as the Education Director for the Headwaters Institute, facilitating river education seminars on 28 watersheds in the US and Chile.
Emily is a Master Yoga Teacher with 16,000+ hours of teaching experience, specializing in Pranayama Breathing. She lives with her husband, Brian Hightower, and their son and loves to ski, run rivers, and bow hunt.
