If you’ve never practiced breathwork, you’ve probably asked yourself – is it legit? Is it scientifically proven? And, does breathork actually work?? These are important questions if you’re considering trying breathwork; and the answer is a resounding YES!
Breathwork is legit. It’s the real deal. It does really work and new research into breathwork continues to illuminate its vast potential. The best part: there’s an entire realm of scientifically- validated benefits of breathwork you can start to tap into on your next inhale-exhale. So take a long, slow breath in and a full breath out. Guess what? You’re already doing Breathwork!
In this article we’ll explore the Top 20 reasons to begin, and look at the science behind them, as we delve into breathwork’s capacity to improve mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health. But before we jump in, let’s start with a bit of background information.
What We’ll Cover:
In this comprehensive guide we are going to explore:
Breathwork can help you feel better, more connected, and even more confident. It offers relief from chronic stress, panic attacks, depression, anxiety and can help shake off trapped emotions, and shift trauma and PTSD. Breathwork can also help with asthma, sleep, excess weight, longevity and a more balanced mind, nervous system and immune system. Add to that better heart health, improved athletic performance and recovery, and sharper mental focus and clarity. But the list doesn’t stop there, it goes on and on!
If you want to jump right into learning about what breathwork exercises you can use, then check out How to Get Started With Breathwork – A Beginners Guide. You can also try our free breathwork masterclass and experience the benefits first hand.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale…repeat! You do this roughly 25,000 times each day, probably without giving it a second thought. It’s true that breathing is automatic, but did you know that it can be more than just a life-sustaining process? It can also enhance your quality of life – and not just a little bit! The act of conscious breathing can be a game changer!
Simple breathing exercises that are easy to learn and incorporate into daily living can help reduce chronic stress and improve your overall health, happiness, quality of life, and longevity. It’s for these reasons and more, that breathwork is gaining in popularity and has been dubbed “The New Yoga”, as the physical and mental health benefits are proving to be so vast and far reaching.
If you are new to breathwork, you might wonder how something as simple as breathing can be so effective. Am I right? Well the 20 top benefits we will delve into are backed by scientific proof, and we’ll explain just how it all works.
Breathwork refers to a variety of breathing exercises and techniques aimed at controlling your breath, and helping you benefit from breathing better. These practices date back to ancient times and span both traditional methods and modern techniques. They’ve been developed through antiquity and also in more recent times for health-giving and spiritual purposes.
The history of breathing exercises has ancient roots that reach back alongside our vast and varied human history. Conscious breathing practices are found throughout a multitude of cultures and religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and Shamanism.
Breathwork is also central to many ancient mind-body spiritual practices such as Yoga, Tai Chi, and Qigong; and martial arts like Karate and Taekwondo.
With such an epic history spanning millennia, and a body of modern scientific research encompassing more than four decades, it’s no secret that regular practice of breathwork can improve physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.
It’s thanks to the ground-breaking work of researchers like Czech psychiatrist Dr. Stan Grof, and his wife Christina, that breathwork re-emerged in today’s world from the 1960s onwards with the development of Holotropic Breathwork and a couple of its counterparts.
Techniques vary widely and there’s definitely no one size fits all with breathwork. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, there’s a breathwork technique that can benefit you. Beginners techniques include paced, box and heart coherence breathing, while more advanced techniques include shamanic, rebirthing and holotropic breathwork.
This concise online program bridges the gap between ancient principles and scientific explanations. clear, simple, and immediately applicable to your life, due to 7 super effective guided exercises.
One of the ways that breathwork actually works is by helping to correct shallow breathing. This type of breathing dysfunction can fall into the category referred to as “over breathing” by leading industry experts like Johannes Egberts, founder of Breathless Expeditions. Over-breathing involves breathing too shallowly, and too often, mostly by using the chest rather than the diaphragm.
“Research shows that 20% of the population breaths too much, but from experience in the field I would suggest that it is more closely to 90%” – Johannes Egberts
This type of poor habitual breathing can trigger a stress response, and can keep you stuck in a downward spiral that causes your system to stay in “survival mode” around the clock which can be detrimental to your physical and mental health.
Clearly the world needs more breathwork and breathing instructors as currently 80% of us are classified as dysfunctional breathers. The WHO has even declared chronic stress related conditions a worldwide health crisis and the main cause of non-communicable disease in our times.
The Good News…
By practising breathwork, you can learn to take deeper and fuller breaths, signalling to your body that it’s safe to relax and switch yourself out of survival mode. The majority of scientific research to date has focussed on techniques that involve slow breathing to promote relaxation.
Rapid and “faster than normal” breathing methods also offer incredible health benefits including nervous system and immune system regulation, completing the stress cycle, and the subsequent release of trapped emotions and trauma.
Slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system (aka the rest and digest response), which helps reduce stress and promote relaxation. It lowers heart rate and can replace negative emotions with positive ones, helping you feel better!
A 2018 study linked slow, deep breathing to improvements in emotional control and psychological well-being. Participants experienced increased relaxation and decreased anxiety and depression. Researchers found that the sensation of breathing slowly in through the nose and the activation of the rest and digest response caused the positive changes and the relaxation to occur. A 2012 study also found that breathwork helped with pain perception and reduced depression, anger, and tension.
Benefits:
Techniques to Try: diaphragmatic breathing, extended exhalation, heart coherence, equal breathing, box breathing, pursed lip breathing, and 4-7-8 breathing.
Controlled rapid breathing can send more oxygen to your brain, improving cognitive functions like memory and focus, and lifting your mood.
It’s a feature of breathwork styles like the Wim Hof Method, Holotropic Breathing, Rebirthing, Shamanic Breathwork, and Breakthrough Breathwork and it’s used to help to access the subconscious mind. Controlled rapid breathing can help to release and process trapped emotions, trauma and PTSD by allowing completion of the stress cycle. Psychedelic styles of breathwork also utilise rapid controlled breathing to induce altered states of consciousness for deep healing.
A 2013 study found that fast breathing exercises helped improve mood and cognitive functions, reducing stress and enhancing memory, processing, and sensory-motor performance. A 2020 study also showed positive effects on the brain’s prefrontal cortex. The 2013 study showed that although both slow breathing and fast breathing exercises reduce stress, it was only the fast breathing that had an effect on cognition, memory, and performance.
Benefits:
Techniques to Try – Skull shining breath, Bhastrika, Breakthrough Breathwork, Rebirthing, Wim Hof Method, Holotropic Breathwork, Shamanic Breathing.
If you would like to try Breakthrough Breathwork, check out our schedule of breathwork events in your local city. Or try our 7 day free breathwork course.
Additional Benefits of Practising Breathwork
So many of us are turning to breathwork as a means to manage and reduce stress and anxiety, but breathwork has many other benefits as the act of conscious breathing also boosts the function of the respiratory and circulatory systems – which contributes to overall physical health.
Restoring the natural flow of the breath with breath training (and coming out of habitual over-breathing), is one way to improve overall health markers, as it allows the entire nervous system to be reset and can lead to better sleep, stronger immunity, more energy, hormonal balance and weight loss.
A 2021 study showed that breathing exercises improve the respiratory muscle function of patients with COPD. Another 2015 study found that slow breathing could help fight cardiovascular disease.
A 2014 study by Dutch researchers showed that with training, volunteers could use breathwork to control their sympathetic nervous system (in other words modify the stress response) and also the immune response. Participants trained by Wim Hof, the “Ice-Man,” fared much better than their untrained counterparts in the control group when injected with a bacterial toxin that causes flu-like symptoms.
Now that you understand the power of breathwork, you might be wondering how you can actually gain all these great breathwork benefits. So, let’s take a deeper dive into the scientific benefits of breathwork:
1. Reduces Stress
Breathwork offers a really simple yet potent antidote to stress by activating the parasympathetic nervous system to promote relaxation. When we become stressed, the body releases cortisol and triggers our sympathetic nervous system. This is what activates fight-or-flight mode.
However, by engaging in deep, intentional breathing practices, we can tap into the body’s innate ability to relax and unwind. The physiological mechanism behind this lies in the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, often referred to as the body’s “rest and digest” mode.
When we consciously slow down our breath and extend the exhale, we send signals to the brain that it’s safe to relax, prompting a cascade of calming neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA while inhibiting stress hormones like cortisol. This shift in the body’s biochemistry not only soothes the mind but also relaxes tense muscles, lowers blood pressure and promotes a profound sense of well-being.
The Science
A 2018 review backed the idea of breathwork helping to reduce stress.. Slow breathing exercises were found to affect the autonomic nervous system and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping to dial down the stress response and turn off the fight-or-flight mode. A more recent study published in Nature in 2023 found that breathwork significantly reduces stress and improves mental health outcomes. The authors of the study say that breathwork could be a part of the solution to meeting the need for more accessible approaches to stress and mental health conditions.
This concise online program bridges the gap between ancient principles and scientific explanations. clear, simple, and immediately applicable to your life, due to 7 super effective guided exercises.
😮💨Try These Techniques
When you feel stressed try: Diaphragmatic breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, breath focus technique, and alternate nostril breathing.
2. Lowers Blood Pressure
Lowering blood pressure is another key benefit of breathwork. Daily practice helps relieve stress, bringing blood pressure down in the process.
The Science
A 2001 study showed that 10 minutes of guided breathing exercises daily lowered blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Nitric oxide produced through nasal breathing relaxes arterial smooth muscle, promoting better blood flow and reducing blood pressure, and helping prevent blood clots in normal arteries.
😮💨Try These Techniques
To reduce your blood pressure try: Diaphragmatic breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, extended exhalation breathing, Heart Coherence, and alternate nostril breathing.
3. Elevates Mood
Breathwork can significantly improve mood by promoting positive thinking, self-love, self-esteem, and confidence.
The Science
A 2002 study linked breathing patterns to specific emotions. Participants practising different breathing patterns experienced emotions such as joy, anger, fear, or sadness based on the patterns used. The study showed that breathwork can be used to generate elevated emotions.
😮💨Try These Techniques
To give yourself a lift in mood try: Box breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, alternate nostril breathing, Heart Coherence, and diaphragmatic breathing.
4. Improves Resilience
Breathwork helps build resilience by providing stability and calm during times of stress and adversity.
Life is fraught with challenges and uncertainties, testing the resilience of even the strongest among us. Yet, amidst the turbulence of adversity, breathwork emerges as a steadfast anchor, offering refuge and resilience in the face of life’s storms. In moments of turmoil, the breath becomes a lifeline, a source of solace and stability amidst the chaos. With each mindful inhale and exhale, individuals tap into a reservoir of inner calm and resilience, fortifying themselves against the onslaught of stress and adversity.
The science
In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of research and interest in breathwork as a tool for building resilience – the ability to adapt to challenges and cope with stress. The latest studies are backing up what we are seeing with our own eyes; that breathwork is an amazing stress reduction and resilience building practice. In fact, in two recent scientific studies that focussed on putting stress reduction and resilience programmes to the test, breathwork came out on top as the best intervention for coping with stress in both the long and the short term.
😮💨Try these techniques
When you want to manage your emotions and create more balance and space in your experience, try extended exhalation breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, Heart Coherence, and alternate nostril breathing.
5. Regulates Emotions
Managing emotions effectively can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. Fortunately, breathwork offers a valuable tool for navigating the often-turbulent waters of our “inner being”. When we experience stress, anxiety, or anger, our breathing tends to become shallow and rapid, further exacerbating these negative emotions. However, by slowing down the breath and extending the exhale, we can activate the body’s relaxation response, signalling to the brain that it’s safe to dial down the intensity of our emotions.
The Science
Recent research has shown a strong connection between the Vagus nerve, breathing, and emotional regulation, suggesting certain techniques enhance emotional control. Research has shown that the flow state is associated with positive emotions, such as joy, satisfaction, and a sense of accomplishment – breathwork can help you get there!
😮💨Try these techniques
When you want to manage your emotions and create more balance and space in your experience, try box breathing, Heart Coherence, extended exhalation breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, and alternate nostril breathing.
If you experience anxiety you might like to check out 4 Habits to Change to Reduce Anxiety and The Benefits of Breathwork on Anxiety: New research.
6. Boosts Immunity
Practising breathwork daily helps maintain a strong immune system by regulating stress, oxygenating cells, and assisting detoxification pathways.
The science
A 2015 research article demonstrated how reducing psychological stress can improve immunity. By lowering stress levels, breathwork indirectly boosts immune function. Psychological stress resulting in us regularly entering fight-or-flight mode can weaken our immune system. This suggests that any activity that lowers our stress levels will help improve our immunity. A more recent study shows that conscious breathing can help fight viruses like Coronavirus.
😮💨Try These Techniques
4-7-8 breathing, Skull Shining Breath, humming bee breath, alternate nostril breathing, and Heart Coherence.
😮💨Try these techniques
When you want to boost your immune system, try these techniques: 4-7-8 breathing, Skull Shining Breath, humming bee breath, alternate nostril breathing, and Heart Coherence.
7. Helps Fight Viruses
Nasal breathing increases nitric oxide, (NO), a wonder gas that has antibacterial and anti-viral properties. NO increases blood flow through the lungs and boosts oxygen levels in the blood by dilating airways and blood vessels, making it easier to breathe. NO is produced continuously by the 1 trillion cells that form the inner lining, or endothelium, of the 100,000 miles of arteries and veins in our bodies, especially the lungs. In addition to relaxing vascular smooth muscle, NO also relaxes smooth muscle in the airways – trachea and bronchioles – making it easier to breathe.
The science
NO is directed into the lungs, where it helps fight coronavirus infection by blocking the replication of the coronavirus in the lungs.
😮💨Try these techniques
When you want to boost your NO and fight viruses and bacteria, try these techniques: nasal breathing (inhaling and exhaling), 4-7-8 breathing, and humming bee breath.
8. Alkalizes Blood pH
Breathwork helps maintain the proper pH balance in the blood, preventing conditions like alkalosis and acidosis.
The Science
A 1985 study showed that therapeutic breathing practices could help participants struggling with hyperventilation lessen symptoms and improve respiratory control and normalise blood pH levels.
😮💨Try These Techniques
If you need to improve your breathing try 4-7-8 breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, and restoring the natural flow of breathing.
9. Anti-inflammatory Activity
Breathwork reduces inflammation by exiting fight-or-flight mode and activating the body’s rest and digest response.
The Science
A 2016 study found that practising pranayama, was successful in helping reduce inflammation. Pranayama breathing techniques reduced the presence of pro-inflammatory biomarkers in participants’ saliva.
😮💨Try These Techniques
Diaphragmatic breathing, alternate nostril breathing, breath focus technique, humming bee breath Ujjayi breath, and other gentle pranayama techniques.
10. Improves Blood Circulation and Increases Energy
Breathwork improves blood circulation, leading to increased energy levels by oxygenating blood cells.
The Science
A 2020 study found that pranayama breathwork helped students increase their energy levels,.
😮💨Try These Techniques
To bring more energy into your day try 4-7-8 breathing, Heart Coherence, alternate nostril breathing, ujjayi breath, skull shining breath, and Sitali breathing.
Learn more about how to increase your energy – Breathwork for Energy
11. Aids Detoxification
Breathwork helps expel metabolic waste products efficiently, supporting detoxification and reducing fatigue.
The Science
Breathwork stimulates lymphatic flow and enhances the body’s natural detoxification processes by increasing oxygen levels and promoting efficient waste removal.
😮💨Try These Techniques
Detox your body and mind with Ujjayi breath, bellows breath, Skull Shining Breath, and diaphragmatic breathing.
12. Improves Muscle Tone
Breathing exercises strengthen respiratory muscles and improve muscle tone.
The Science
A 2017 study showed that breathwork combined with diaphragm taping helped stroke victims strengthen their diaphragm and respiratory muscles.
😮💨Try These Techniques
Improve the strength of your breathing muscles with diaphragmatic breathing, equal breathing, and Skull Shining Breath.
13. Strengthens Lungs
Breathwork strengthens lungs by exercising the diaphragm and respiratory muscles.
The Science
A 2017 study confirmed that diaphragmatic breathing improves respiratory function, enhancing the capacity to intake and exhale air.
😮💨Try These Techniques
Strengthen your lungs with pursed lip breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, humming bee breath, and equal breathing.
14. Increases Lung Capacity
Breathwork helps increase lung capacity, beneficial for those with respiratory conditions like COPD and asthma.
The Science
A 2016 study found that breathing exercises improved lung capacity and respiratory muscle strength in elderly smokers.
😮💨Try These Techniques
Increase your lung capacity with diaphragmatic breathing, pursed lip breathing, and complete breath.
15. Helps Manage Pain
Breathwork helps manage pain by improving oxygen and blood circulation, and enhancing pain tolerance.
The Science
A 2012 study found that relaxing breathing exercises could help with pain management, improving pain threshold and reducing pain perception.
😮💨Try These Techniques
Use your breath to help reduce and manage pain by trying alternate nostril breathing, equal breathing, Ujjayi breath, and Lion’s Breath.
16. Improves Focus
Breathwork enhances focus by calming the mind and anchoring attention to the present moment. It can be a powerful tool when the mind is feeling scattered, and in times where it’s hard to focus..
The Science
A 2017 study suggested that diaphragmatic breathing helps improve attention span by reducing stress levels and promoting calmness by demonstrating the link between diaphragmatic breathing and attention span.
😮💨Try These Techniques
Pursed lip breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, breath focus technique, Heart Coherence, and 4-7-8 breathing.
17. Improves Sleep
Breathwork helps improve sleep quality by inducing a state of deep relaxation, priming the body and mind for restorative sleep.
The Science
A 2020 study found that breathwork improved sleep quality in hospital patients with severe sleep problems, helping them improve their sleep quality.
😮💨Try These Techniques
4-7-8 breathing, alternate nostril breathing, extended exhalation breathing, box breathing, Heart Coherence, and diaphragmatic breathing.
18. Reduces Symptoms of Depression
Breathwork helps alleviate symptoms of depression by reducing stress and increasing alpha brain waves.
The Science
A 2020 study found that a stress management program, including breathwork, helped university students relieve symptoms of depression.
😮💨Try These Techniques
Diaphragmatic breathing, SKY breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, Heart Coherence, and box breathing.
19. Releases Trapped Emotions and Promotes Healing
Breathwork helps process and release emotional blocks, providing a sense of liberation and renewed energy. Techniques like Holotropic Breathwork and Breakthrough Breathwork are designed to release trapped emotions and trauma from the body.
The Science
Slow and deep breathwork techniques can activate the body’s relaxation response, freeing trapped emotions, and promoting emotional healing. Rapid and rhythmic breathing techniques are also used to activate the sympathetic nervous system and allow the body to complete the stress cycle, triggering the release of emotional blockages from the system.
😮💨Try These Techniques
Breakthrough Breathwork, Holotropic breathing, Rebirthing breathwork, and integrative breathwork.
20. Helps with Trauma and PTSD
Breathwork is beneficial for releasing trauma and PTSD. Rapid and rhythmic breathing techniques activate the sympathetic nervous system and allow the body to complete the stress cycle, triggering the release of trauma from the system and ending the stress response.
The Science
Research indicates that specific breathwork techniques can help reduce PTSD symptoms by lowering stress hormones and improving emotional regulation.
😮💨Try These Techniques
Trauma release exercises, diaphragmatic breathing, Breakthrough Breathwork, Holotropic breathing, Rebirthing breathwork, and integrative breathwork.
By incorporating these breathwork techniques into your daily routine, you can harness their powerful benefits to improve your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Free Resources for Beginners
To take it even further or dive deeper from the get go check out the 21 Day Master Your Breath Programme – it’s the perfect opportunity to build breathwork as a daily practice, after all we know it takes 21 days to create a new positive lifestyle habit and wire it into the brain.
The answer is a hell yeah. Breathwork is legit, it actually does work – and there’s research into breathwork to vouch for its benefits. From reducing stress to boosting immune function and enhancing mental health, studies confirm the power and paradigm changing potential of breathwork practices. Techniques like Holotropic Breathwork and Breakthrough Breathwork can offer profound healing to those on the pathway of personal development and transformation. Let your breath be conscious, and let it put you back in the driver’s seat of your life!
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Copyright © 2022 | Breathless
Copyright © 2022 | Breathless
