When you’re looking to reduce stress and anxiety, there’s really no simpler way to start than with the body’s own ability to calm itself. And there’s no better way to begin that process than with breathing, one of the most primal and basic functions of the body.
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But wait, you may ask: haven’t you been breathing since the day you were born? That’s true, but the kind of breathing that happens automatically and keeps you alive is one thing. Breathing exercises, also known as breathwork, can open up a whole new world of relaxation and calm.
So if you’re feeling stressed or looking for a way to move through big life moments while staying grounded, breathing exercises can be a powerful tool — not to mention free.
What are Breathing Exercises?
Breathing exercises, also known as breathwork, involve intentionally controlling how you breathe to support relaxation and calm in the mind and body.
If you’ve spent time on a yoga mat or in meditation, you may have already practiced some form of breathwork. In breathwork, you breathe out what you want to release, such as stress, tension, or anxiety, and breathe in what you want to invite in, such as nourishment, calm, and ease.
Want an in-depth overview of meditation, check out our article 'What is Meditation'.
Sometimes, breathing exercises are tied to other techniques, such as visualization. At other times, they work on their own.
All of us face moments of stress, both good and bad. Good stress may come from exciting career moments that require us to step up. Difficult stress may come from breakups, disappointing news, or other challenging life events. Becoming comfortable with breathing exercises gives you a powerful practice you can use during moments of acute stress, not just during scheduled wellness time.
When you’re stressed, your breathing can become shallow. This may reduce the amount of oxygen available in your body, which can contribute to a cycle of increasing anxiety or panic. Think of breathing exercises as a way to interrupt that process. They remind the body that it is safe and can help create a sense of calm and well-being.
Many breathing exercises trace their roots back to yoga traditions, but modern science is also continuing to explore the mental and physical benefits of controlled, mindful breathing.
Best of all, breathing exercises don’t take long to learn or practice. They create a reservoir of calm that you can tap into at any time, simply by breathing in and out with intention.
What is the Purpose of Breathing Exercises?
“Pay attention to the breath” is something you may have heard a yoga teacher say in class. Turns out, it’s good advice beyond the yoga studio, too. Learning to pay attention to how you’re breathing can have real effects on how you feel and, in turn, how you act.
Taking a moment for intentional breathing before a stressful situation, such as an important call, presentation, or difficult conversation, can create a buffer that helps you respond in a more confident and grounded way.
Over time, practicing breathing exercises can help build resilience and calm, allowing you to feel more centered in your approach to life. Breathing exercises may also help address symptoms associated with shallow breathing, such as feeling unfocused, irritable, or tense. Poor breathing habits can also contribute to physical discomfort, such as tension or soreness around the neck and shoulders.
Because breathing exercises can help you feel more connected to your body and mood, they may also support a greater sense of control and empowerment in other areas of life. They can make exercise feel more manageable, support relaxation, and contribute to overall well-being.
What are the Benefits of Breathwork?
Your body’s fight-or-flight response helps you survive dangerous or threatening situations. When you perceive danger, your body releases hormones that affect multiple systems, giving you the burst of strength needed to face the threat or flee from it.
Staying in that high-alert state unnecessarily or for long periods, however, can negatively affect both your physical and emotional health. When shallow breathing contributes to feelings of panic or anxiety, breathwork can give you a simple tool to help calm the nervous system and reduce stress.
There is a growing amount of promising research on breathwork.
Starting your day with breathing exercises can be a great way to begin with a sense of calm and centeredness before things get hectic.
Breathwork’s potential benefits may include supporting a calmer nervous system, helping regulate heart rate and blood pressure, and encouraging the body to return to a more balanced state.
Other benefits of breathwork include:
- It gives you rapid relief from stress. Scientific studies show that slowing down your breathing works quickly to dissolve stress and enhance your mood and sense of psychological well-being. When you lower your stress, not only is life more pleasant, but you’re also able to make better choices in your work and relationships. Deep, controlled breathing activates the vagus nerve, which connects your brain to your gut and allows you to feel at ease. Thus, there are very few other techniques that can be as effective in reducing stress as quickly and easily as breathwork.
- It improves your sleep quality. This is a natural outcome of breathwork’s ability to reduce your anxiety. In a virtuous cycle, breathing exercises make you more relaxed, which induces good sleep, which then helps to further lower your levels of cortisol (aka, the stress hormone) and keep your anxiety under control.
- It lowers your inflammation levels. Studies show that people who did certain yoga breathing techniques for 20 minutes significantly decreased stress-related biomarkers. Inflammation is the underlying cause of a lot of diseases and health complications. It’s quite amazing to think that something as simple as controlled breathing can really help head off serious later complications, but it’s true.
- It improves your immune response. Small studies actually show immune improvement in individuals who engaged in breathing exercises, as well as higher levels of an inflammation-fighting protein in their bloodstream. Lower levels of inflammation and stress, byproducts of mindful breathing, are also both associated with better immune response, too. When you breathe in through your nose, you’re raising your nitric oxide intake, an essential aspect of healthy functioning that improves your circulation and so helps nutrients go where they are needed, so you can better fend off any bugs that are circulating you.
- It enhances your weight loss success. We often confuse stress with appetite. When your stress is under control, you're more mindful and less likely to reach for something to fill the void, like an unhealthy snack.
- It can reduce depression. One study from the University of Pennsylvania even showed evidence that breathing-based meditation proved helpful in people who weren’t helped by antidepressants. Given how prevalent depression is in the US, it’s exciting and empowering to think that mindful breathing could hold the key to feeling better for millions of people. In the words of the researcher who led the study, “here, we have a promising, lower-cost therapy that could potentially serve as an effective, non-drug approach for patients battling this disease.” Since over half of those on antidepressants don’t respond to the medication, and may also come with side effects, breathwork offers an excellent potential path to healing, even for those with severe depression.
- It may help with PTSD. Stubborn mental conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder and attention deficit disorder have been shown to shift with controlled breathing.
- It helps reduce pain. Sufferers of chronic pain often have very few options available to them, but studies show that paced breathing can help reduce intense pain.
- It can lead to better focus. A study published in the Journal of Neurophysiology shows that controlled breathing leads to improved attention and the ability to focus. That can lead to better impulse control and more satisfaction in life and work.
- It can help with specific physical ailments. Physical problems can cause stress, too. Some breathing exercises can clear congestion, for example. Congestion may seem trivial, but it can get in the way of quality sleep, which is essential for health. Sleep apnea can also potentially lead to cognitive and neurological issues. Similarly, controlled deep breathing can reduce blood pressure, which is important for preventing a host of conditions, including heart attacks, dementia, and strokes. A recent study by the University of Colorado-Boulder showed that a specific daily 15-minute breathing workout did as much to reduce blood pressure as aerobic exercise and drugs. That’s because breathwork itself can help strengthen the muscles associated with breathing.
In short, there's really no part of human physiognomy that isn't impacted by poor breathing, and that couldn't benefit from breathing exercises. Controlled breathing makes exercise easier, too, which brings its own stress reduction and mood-elevating properties.
And all you have to do is breathe!
How Do I Practice Deep Breathing?
The good news is that you can practice deep breathing anywhere, at any time. Many people like to start their day with breathing exercises, which can feel far more relaxing than beginning the day with stressful headlines on TV.
You can also use breathing exercises whenever you need them, such as in the nerve-wracking moments before a job interview, presentation, or difficult conversation.
Start by getting comfortable. If you have a cushion to sit on or want to lie on a mat, that’s great. However, any chair will do, as long as it doesn’t restrict your ability to breathe. Let your neck feel relaxed and easy.
Become aware of the sensations in your body. Notice any discomfort or tension, and soften your gaze. Check in with your breathing. How does it feel? Perhaps you’re anxious and breathing into your chest.
Now, focus on controlling your breath. Slow down the inhale and lengthen the exhale. It may help to count to four in your head as you inhale and exhale.
If you like, place one hand on your stomach so you can feel it rise and fall gently as you breathe. This can help you make sure the breath is moving down toward your diaphragm.
Breathe in slowly through your nose. Notice the cool stream of air as it passes through your nostrils and warms as it moves through the body.
Keep your rib cage still. If you want to control the flow of air as you exhale, keep your lips narrow and breathe out as if through a straw.
You may start feeling more relaxed right away. Keep going, allowing a brief pause between each inhale and exhale. Some people may experience tingling in their fingers or toes, or even feel emotions come to the surface. That’s okay. You may feel as though something is shifting emotionally or physically as your body returns to balance.
Try five rounds of breathing. You can increase the number of rounds whenever you feel ready.
When you’re done, gently transition back to your normal day by bringing your focus back to your surroundings. Carry this renewed awareness of your breath with you and enjoy the sense of peace and calm it can bring.
What are the Top Breathing Exercises I Can Try?
It’s easy to fit breathing exercises into even the busiest day. You can start with as little as two minutes a day to get used to the practice. Then, increase to five or ten minutes as you feel more comfortable. Many people come to look forward to their breathing routine as an escape from daily stress.
Setting a regular time is a great way to make breathing exercises part of your routine. However, you can also use them whenever you need them, such as before an important meeting, conversation, or event.
Deep breathing is the foundation of most breathing exercises, but here are a few other techniques to try:
- Lion's breath is an energizing yoga practice that may help reduce facial and chest tension. It involves breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth while sticking your tongue out and making a loud “ha” sound as you exhale. It can feel cathartic as you place your hands on the ground, turn your wrists outward, and let it all out.
- Box breathing is a simple but highly effective technique. It is often used to calm the nerves and is commonly practiced in meditation. It is called “box breathing” because the inhale, hold, exhale, and pause are all equal in length.
- The 4-7-8 method is a variation in which you breathe in for 4 counts, hold the breath for 7 counts, and exhale for 8 counts. Another variation involves keeping your tongue just behind your upper teeth, on the roof of your mouth. This can help you focus more closely on the breathing technique.
- Ujjayi breath is a yoga technique that can help calm the mind while also increasing energy. It is a type of resistance breathing that supports focus, technique, and concentration. It involves inhaling through the nose, keeping your tongue at the back of your mouth and throat, and exhaling with gentle force, as if fogging up a mirror. It may feel strange at first, but it can become easier with practice. In ujjayi breathing, your inhalation and exhalation are the same length. Small studies suggest that ujjayi breathing may help improve quality of life and reduce anxiety. It may also help with depression and balance the endocrine system.
- Humming while breathing through the nose has been shown to increase nitric oxide in the body, which supports healthy functioning.
There are many other kinds of breathing exercises, too, all worth exploring depending on your specific stress-reduction goals. The most important thing is to start, so you can reap the benefits for your body and mind.
Breathe In, Breathe Out
The benefits of breathing exercises are many, but it can feel intimidating to begin if you have never practiced them before.
If you’re looking for expert in-person or virtual support and instruction in deep breathing, meditation, and more, explore the health and wellness professionals on Sofia Health to find 1:1 sessions or group classes.
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