Breathwork is a powerful yet simple practice that involves consciously controlling your breath to improve both physical and mental well-being.

Whether you’re looking to reduce stress, boost focus, or simply feel more grounded in your daily life, breathwork can be a transformative tool. In this blog, we’ll explore what breathwork is, its many benefits, popular techniques for beginners, and how you can easily build it into your routine to experience its full potential.

1. What is Breathwork?

Breathwork is an active practice of controlling your inhales and exhales to influence physical and mental states. When practiced regularly, breathwork can help to regulate your nervous system, reduce stress, enhance focus, improve sleep and increase exercise recovery time.

Breathwork is different from meditation, although it is also considered a meditative practice. Many of my clients who say “I can’t meditate”, find breathwork exercises a much easier practice that they can do, and often experience similar effects as meditation. The main difference between meditation and breathwork is that when meditating, you passively observe the breath, but in breathwork you intentionally manipulate the breath.

2. Benefits of Breathwork

There are so many benefits of breathwork, it can impact your physical, mental, emotional and energetic health. Some of the physical benefits include improved lung capacity, better oxygenation, lower blood pressure, and better digestion. Mental health benefits include reducing stress and anxiety, boosting mental clarity, improving focus, emotional balance and resilience.

Nervous system regulation is one of the most impactful benefits of a regular breathwork practice as the nervous system is involved in every aspect of our health and well-being. Using the breath you can learn to activate the nervous system (imagine exchanging that afternoon sugar fix for breathwork!) and to calm yourself down too so you can get to sleep quicker.

3. Popular Breathwork Techniques for Beginners

There are so many different types of breathwork and breathing techniques available to us online these days. It is a lot easier to learn with a practitioner guiding you, but here is a simple breathwork technique that is good for beginners.

Box breathing technique

This technique is great for grounding and calming the mind, supporting focus and attention by slowing the heart rate, it is used to train Navy SEALs to focus under pressure.

How to do it:
Sit comfortably, notice how you feel.

Full belly inhale for the count of 4
Hold the breath for the count of 4
Exhale slowly & fully for the count of 4
Hold the empty lungs for the count of 4

REPEAT x10 and notice how you feel.

Diaphragmatic Breathing (Belly Breathing)

This technique is great for the upper chest breather. If you are often feeling stressed and anxious, try breathing deeper into your belly, without force.

How to do it:
Sometimes this is easiest laying face down on your belly, with your cheek to one side.

Imagine you are inflating your full lungs, like a balloon,
the front, sides and back of your torso are expanding.
Inhale fully, into the belly for the count of 3
Exhale fully for the count of 6.

Repeat x10
Allow any yawns, or emotions to arise.
Notice how you feel.

4. When and How to Practice Breathwork

If you are beginning a breathwork practice, then I encourage you to begin with just 5-10 minutes a day for 21 days and then gradually increase the duration as you become more comfortable.

You can try breathwork at different times of the day, depending on your need. Mornings are a good for boosting energy and starting your day feeling grounded. If you find yourself reaching for that after lunch caffeine or sweet treat, why not try breathwork instead? And in the evening you can try breathwork as a way to relax before sleep.

5. Tips for Building a Breathwork Practice

Starting a breathwork practice needn’t be difficult. Even bringing more breath awareness into your daily routine can benefit you. When you boil the kettle for a drink, or you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, notice your breath, are you breathing through your nose? Where is the breath going – into your upper chest or into your full lungs?

I encourage you to set an intention for breathwork and curate a “why” you are doing this practice. For example, my intention is to try a 5 minute breath practice eerie day for 21 days. I want to do this because it will help me feel calmer. This strategy can help you feel motivated, because it brings meaning to your practice, rather than “another thing on your to-do list!”