Breathwork: What Is It And How Does It Work?
- forbes.com
- Feb 28, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 1, 2024
Breathing is something we do every day, often without even thinking twice about it. Even in times of stress, our breath automatically responds by shortening and speeding up.
But with practice, breath can also be controlled—allowing us to utilize it as a calming tool during times of stress.
There are several mental and physical benefits of mindful, controlled breathing, also known as breathwork. Learn more below about how breathwork can help you stay centered and how easy it is to get started.
What Is Breathwork?
Breathwork is a broad term that encompasses various exercises involving the breath that “facilitate physical, mental and emotional healing,” according to Mandy DeVries, a registered respiratory therapist based in South Carolina and director of education at the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC). Breathwork can encompass anything from simply being conscious and mindful about your breath to purposefully influencing it through specific steps.
Breathing is part of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which connects involuntary bodily functions to the rest of the body. Breathing also directly affects how much oxygen our cells are getting, explains DeVries. “For example, when we deepen and slow down the breath from its usual shallow pattern, we allow more oxygen to enter each cell, thus allowing better communication between cells,” she explains.
Successful breathwork typically involves breathing through your nose (to inhale oxygen efficiently), diaphragmatically (inflating the belly when inhaling to get air to the deepest parts of the lungs), rhythmically (not too deep nor too shallow) and with open posture (maximizing the space between your ears and shoulders or pointing your shoulder blades towards each other), explains Stefanie Broes, Ph.D., CEO and cofounder of Belgium-based Moonbird, which manufactures a handheld breathwork coaching device.
Benefits of Breathwork
While many of the recent studies being conducted are somewhat small, breathwork techniques have shown to promote both psychological and physical benefits, including:
Increased feelings of comfort, relaxation, pleasantness, vigor and alertness, and decreased symptoms of arousal, anxiety, depression, anger and confusion via slow breathing (taking fewer than 10 breaths per minute)
Improved attention, emotional state and levels of cortisol (a hormone released in response to stress and associated with depression and anxiety) via diaphragmatic, or deep, breathing
Reduced physiological stress and anxiety, especially in older adults, through deep and slow breathing (according to a smaller 2021 study)
An improved sleep cycle, social connectedness and self-esteem and reduced stress, anxiety and depression through Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY), a breathing technique that incorporates natural breathing rhythms (according to a small 2020 study)
Breathwork can also be a self-soothing tool in moments of stress, anxiety, exhaustion or insomnia, says Charlotte Mulloy, a Colorado-based psychotherapist at Freespira, a digital breathwork therapy company. “Intentional breaks during our day, even if it’s just two minutes of noticing, ‘Hey, I’m breathing,’ can actually soothe your body in ways you didn’t even know you needed,” she says.
As a result of these various benefits, overall wellness may increase, as well as long-term personal development, adds DeVries.
4 Breathwork Exercises
There are many types of breathwork techniques that can be used in various situations. You can practice them on your own or seek guidance from breathwork coaches, respiratory therapists, apps or YouTube videos.
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