What is Breathwork?

5 of The Best Techniques to Reset Your Nervous System With Paced Breathing

Breathwork refers to breathing techniques that are used to control the breath in order to relax the body and calm the mind. Breathing exercises are an easy and useful approach to help manage stress because they can influence physiological responses and promote relaxation. And by doing so, they can also help to improve sleep and maintain health and general well-being [1–3].  

Breathwork has become popular in recent years due to the unprecedented levels of stress afflicting modern societies. But although the term breathwork may be relatively new, the fact is that breathing exercises have been used since ancient times to promote relaxation and a healthy mind and body. For example, pranayama, the yoga practice of controlled breathing, is described in ancient Hindu texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, which dates back to the second half of the first millennium BCE; Qigong is an ancient Chinese practice that involves breathing, meditation, and slow movement to promote good mental and physical health; and Piko Piko is an ancient Native Hawaiian breathing practice used to relax and energize the body. 

Why Does Breathwork Have Relaxing Effects?

Unlike normal breathing, which happens automatically under control of the brain whether we think about it or not, breathing exercises are about consciously controlling the rhythm and depth of breathing. 

Controlled slow breathing allows us to influence our heart rate variability (HRV), a physiological feature that reflects the fluctuations that occur naturally in the interval between heartbeats. HRV during the breathing cycle is known as respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA): the heart rate increases while we inhale and decreases while we exhale. HRV is regulated by a dynamic balance between the activity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, with the Vagus nerve playing a central role in the process.

HRV is regulated by a dynamic balance between the activity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, with the Vagus nerve playing a central role in the process.

The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are both part of the autonomic nervous system, the branch of the nervous system that regulates involuntary processes such as digestion, blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing. The sympathetic nervous system controls fight-or-flight responses (those that make us ready to react to a threat or retreat quickly) while the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for rest-or-digest responses and restorative processes. The Vagus nerve, the most important nerve of the autonomic nervous system, is part of the parasympathetic nervous system [4]. 

While we inhale, the part of the brain that regulates the heart rate (called the cardiovascular center) decreases the rate of activity of the Vagus nerve (which is known as vagal tone), resulting in a predominance of sympathetic (fight-or-flight) signaling that accelerates our heart rate; while we exhale, the vagal tone is restored and our heart rate slows down [5,6]. 

When we inhale, the part of the brain that regulates the heart rate decreases the rate of activity of the Vagus nerve, resulting in a predominance of fight-or-flight signaling. When we exhale, vagal tone is restored and our heart rate slows down.

A higher HRV means that the interval between heartbeats while we inhale and exhale varies more, which is an index of higher parasympathetic activity and vagal tone [7,8]. Therefore, HRV is higher when we’re relaxed. A lower HRV—a more similar interval between heartbeats while we inhale and exhale—indicates higher sympathetic activity and is a physiological marker of stress [9–11].

Breathing exercises can have relaxing effects because they can influence HRV by altering the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic activity [12]. Breathing at a slower rate than the normal resting breathing rate, which is typically around 12 breaths per minute in healthy adults [4], sends a feedback message to the brain that increases vagal tone and HRV and reduces stress responses. HRV is maximized when respiration is slowed down to around 6 breaths/min, the frequency around which the heart rate and breathing synchronize, or become resonant [13,14]. Controlled slow breathing takes advantage of this feature to promote relaxation [9]. 

Breathing at a slower rate than the normal resting breathing rate (typically around 12 breaths per minute in healthy adults) sends a feedback message to the brain that increases vagal tone and HRV and reduces stress responses.

Breathwork Examples

When you’re stressed, your breathing is most likely shallow and fast, which can decrease your HRV and create a vicious circle that further promotes unhelpful stress responses in your body. Controlling your breathing may help you break this cycle. Even when you’re not feeling stressed, a few minutes a day of breathwork can contribute to your mental and physical well-being [15,16]. 

Even when you’re not feeling stressed, a few minutes a day of breathwork can contribute to your mental and physical well-being.

An important note on breathing: we should inhale through the nose rather than the mouth. Inhaling through the nose is the healthiest way to breathe because the nose mucosa contains many blood vessels and glands that warm and humidify the air we breathe (cold dry air irritates our airways) and because it is filled with tiny hairs that block germs and toxins from entering our body. 

Below are a few examples of breathing exercises you can easily do anywhere. But if you can’t remember them, that’s fine. All you have to remember is to inhale deeply and slowly through your nose, exhale slowly but strongly, and pause between breaths. Humming or pursing your lips as you exhale may help you slow it down.

Belly Breathing

Belly breathing, or diaphragmatic breathing, is simply pushing your belly out (rather than your chest) and contracting your diaphragm down into your abdomen to inhale. It makes you take deeper and slower breaths. Inhale deeply and exhale slowly. 

Slow Paced Breathing

Slow paced breathing is breathing at a slow and steady rate of around six breaths per minute. This means that each cycle takes around 10 seconds. You can vary  your inhale-to-exhale time ratios: it can simply be 5 seconds in + 5 seconds out, or better yet, taking a longer exhale — 4s in + 6s out or 3s in + 7s out. 

4-7-8 Breathing

This is another form of paced breathing, but here you hold your breath for a moment after you inhale. You inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, and then exhale slowly for eight seconds. If you’re feeling stressed and with a shallow breath, you may not be able to hold and exhale for so long in your first breaths, but you will end up getting there if you keep going. Other inhale-hold-exhale ratios will also work (4-4-8 is another common breathing pattern); what’s most important is that you try to exhale longer than you inhale.

Box Breathing

Box breathing is also known as square breathing because you breathe in four equal length parts: inhale-hold-exhale-hold. The time you take on each part is up to you, but four seconds is a good rhythm. To do this exercise, simply count to four for each part of the square: 4s in + 4s hold + 4s out + 4s hold. 

Alternate Nostril Breathing 

The name says it all: the goal is to breathe alternately through each nostril. To do so, start by exhaling and then, using your thumb and index fingers, 1) block your right nostril and inhale deeply through your left nostril, 2) hold your breath for a couple of seconds, 3) block your left nostril and exhale through the right nostril slowly, 4) hold for a couple of seconds, 5) repeat the other way around: block the left and inhale through the right nostril, hold, then block the right and exhale through the left nostril. Just keep repeating this pattern and switching nostrils in each cycle.

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