Breathwork is attracting a lot of attention these days — you may have seen it mentioned on a wellness podcast, in a yoga class, or in conversation with a friend. 

But what is breathwork, exactly, and how does it accomplish all it says it does?

With practice, strategic use of your breath can bring more calm to your nervous system, ease anxiety, help you sleep, increase focus and energy and even shift attitudes and perceptions.

It may seem obvious, but breath practices can help you breathe more effectively by improving the use of your breathing apparatus – your lungs, diaphragm and breathing muscles – and, physiologically speaking, much more. 

Effective breath practice is also known to stimulate the heart and other internal organs, support elimination of toxins and improve oxygenation of cells and access to energy.

It’s a testament to the genius of the human body – that all systems are connected. In this case, it starts with breathing well with a truly functional breath.

If you’re doing so, your respiratory diaphragm will ‘flatten’ downward into your belly as you inhale and your low belly, mid belly and chest will expand. The downward movement of your diaphragm stretches your lungs and heart such that you’re able to fill a larger surface area of your lungs and your heart expands slightly. Your diaphragm presses on your abdominal organs, and the more effectively you breathe, the more ‘exercise’ you give your internal organs.

The more effectively you breathe, the more gases are exchanged by your lungs, the more oxygenated your cells become, which creates more energy and encourages the release of toxins. (Worth noting: research suggests that roughly 70% of toxins are released through your exhalation.)

Sustained practice over a longer period of time can help re-set restricted breath patterns such as ineffective, restricted or shallow breathing.

It can also help release unconsciously stored memories and emotions, increase awareness of the body-mind system, invite access to wisdom that may otherwise remain unknown, and provide support in reconnectingto life and relationships.

How does it do all that? 

Breathing is a body-based intelligence system linking physiology and psychology, a direct indicator of what’s happening internally that may or may not be obvious – a bit like the lights and warning system in your car –  letting you know what needs attention.

Your breath is actually the only physiological system that is both unconscious (automatic) and conscious (meaning it can be influenced and controlled).  This is precisely the mechanism by which it can be a potent tool to manage your nervous system state.  By learning to hone your breath, you direct the immediate relationship between your breath and your nervous system. 

You can likely think of times when you experienced an event, noticed a resulting change in your nervous system (fear, excitement, passion), and noticed that your breath had changed. For example, if you were to hear an unexpected loud noise or a playful child were to jump out of a closet, you may startle and your breath would draw in as a gasp.  

Fortunately, the reverse is also true – you can influence the state of your nervous system simply by managing your breath. In fact, try it out now if you’re up for it. 

First notice your breath and your overall feeling internally as well as your state of mind. Now, for the next few minutes, bring your complete attention to your breath; simply notice yourself breathing in and out, relaxed and easy.  Simply observe your breath. After a couple of minutes, notice how you feel. In this example, you were likely already feeling somewhat relaxed, and by paying attention to your breath, you may have invited an even deeper sense of calm to your nervous system. For more challenging situations, more advanced practicescan be warranted and like any skill, consistent practice before the big moment that matters.

The idea is to work on and refine calming breath patterns while already feeling relatively relaxed, so that when the pressure is on, the wiring is already in place – your breath, brain and nervous system already know what to do. They follow the pattern of breath you’ve practiced to bring calm to your body-mind system.

(For more on how your breath works with your nervous system, you might wish to read this.)

Not all breathwork is the same. 

Breathwork is an umbrella term and frankly, the term ‘breath practice’ is much more appropriate. Having said that, it’s worth knowing roughly where a given practice sits under it, since the pace and intensity can vary quite a bit.

Due to the relationship between your breath and nervous system, it’s worthwhile to begin your exploration with a gentle approach such as the previous breath awareness practice and the three practices shared later in the blog.  These tend to increase calm for most people.

Beyond these and similar practices, there are those that increase focus, add energy and in other words, can ‘charge’ the system in a healthy sustainable way once learned.

There are specific breath practices to condition the system such as Wim Hof, breath retention or box breathing.  For many people, these can be activating rather than calming, sometimes overwhelming and therefore not the place to start.  You might be surprised how many people come to me saying they can’t do breath practice because they had a challenging experience in their first attempt, which was one of these.

Conscious connected breath styles such as Holotropic Breathwork®, Clarity Breathwork and Transformational Breath® are longer guided practices often provided in group settings, are faster-paced and can bring up strong experiential, emotional or altered states of consciousness. For that reason, they are much more appropriately approached in a 1:1 setting until accustomed to the style and the material that can be unearthed.

The important thing to note is that breath practices have quite different purposes and outcomes — both should be considered in relation to your experience and what you’re trying to accomplish.  

Rather than one being ‘better,’ each tends to be suited to a different pace, intention and nervous system capacity – part of what a consult conversation can help sort out.

Three practices to try:

These simple breath patterns can help manage stress and are equally useful in the moment as needed or to prepare for future potential stressful events. The more you practice these while relatively calm, the easier it will be to draw on them when you need them.

Before proceeding with these, begin with 3-5 minutes of simple breath awareness as above. 

1.) breath ratio. While breathing in and out through your nose, focus on bringing 70% of your inhalation into your low, low belly (all the way to your perineal floor), 20% to just below your belly button and 10% to your upper belly. Let your belly expand and say yes to a full breath!.

2.) subtle resistance breathing. While breathing slowly in and out through the nose, create a very slight constriction at the back of the throat and exhale audibly, creating a sound a bit like the waves of the ocean (or a quiet, (and loving :)version of Darth Vader). The sound will be subtle enough that someone else could hear it only if they were very close to you.

3.) slow and extended. While breathing slowly in and out through the nose, first notice the length of your inhalation and exhalation, and invite them to be roughly the same length. Slowly begin to extend only your exhalation, – very slightly at first. Over time, you might continue lengthening your exhalation, only to the point you can do so while remaining in your comfort zone, calm and relaxed.

At any moment, your breath is right here for you.  All you need to do is notice, and if you can focus a little more, you will likely change how you feel simply by using your breath. 

If you’re curious what a full session might offer, I invite you to reach out for a free 20-minute consult – no pressure, just a conversation.