7 Ways To Practice Breathwork For Beginners

“Take a deep breath” — a phrase we are all too familiar with as a last resort to relieve stress and frustration. And it's probably good advice.

Breathwork is the foundation for stress management.

What is Breathwork?

Deep, diaphragmatic breathing, also known as belly breathing, is referred to as breath work and may cause the body to relax. Breath work comprises a spectrum of breathing techniques aimed to increase physical, spiritual, and mental wellness, according to Yogapedia. Breath work is frequently discussed in the context of "interventions" like diaphragmatic breathing, breathing methods, or even breathing rehabilitation, which we've covered below, in published research.

According to GoodTherapy, "breathwork" includes certain breathing techniques like Clarity Breathwork and holotropic breathing, which are utilised more as mind-body therapies and are connected to specific theories and varied degrees of supporting evidence.

Health Benefits of Breathwork

Intentional breathing techniques, such as diaphragmatic breathing, yogic breathing, and other breathing exercises, have been shown to have a variety of positive effects on health and wellbeing as well as on quality of life. Breathwork may:

• Reduce stress and aid in stress-related medical illnesses, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse, according to a review in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
• Alleviate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a study in the Journal of Traumatic Stress
• Improve immune response, according to a study published in PLoS One
• Mitigate asthma symptoms, according to a meta-analysis published in March 2020 in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
• Decrease hypertension in adults, according to a review published in May 2021 in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice
• Aid with COPD rehabilitation, according to a review published in March 2022 in the International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
• Aid glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a study in the January 2021 International Journal of Yoga Therapy
• Improve the quality of life in people with cardiovascular disease and cancer, according to a study published in May 2020 in International Journal of Yoga (IJOY)

Many recent studies, including a systematic review published September 2018 in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, have found that breath work reduces anxiety, sharpens memory, treats symptoms of depression, promotes more restful sleep, and even improves heart health.

How Do Breathwork & Meditation Differ

Breathing exercises and meditation are related because breathing exercises are necessary for meditation, although breathing exercises can be used on their own to develop mindfulness and are not always required in conjunction with meditation. There are countless types of meditation, and with each one comes a unique breathing method.

Each school teaches meditation practises with a distinct goal in mind, thus each will have a unique way of teaching strategies for working with the breath.

The Science of Breath

We all constantly breathe. What differentiates us from one another is how we breathe.

The diaphragmatic breathing method is one well-researched breath work approach. According to a study published in June 2018 in Cureus, what makes it unique is the ability it has to affect the entire body, particularly the nervous system.

The sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which controls the flight, fight, or freeze response, is activated when we are under stress, whether we are fending off a predator or responding to a really annoying email. If you have shallow breathing, stiff shoulders, elevated blood pressure, or an upset stomach, your SNS is likely to be activated.

Countering the SNS is the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), or the rest-and-digest response: essentially, your body in a state of calm. Hawkes and Taylor both describe a process called thalamic gating, which according to the Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology is when the executive functions of the brain get turned off to aid in escaping danger. These functions may also be deactivated by diaphragmatic breathing, according to a study published in October 2020 in Medicines, which posits that deep breathing may act as a manual switch to move your system from the SNS into the PNS. In other words, from a state of stress to a state of calm.

You might be able to reverse the fight-or-flight response and enter a state of relaxation, for instance, by letting out a deep breath or sigh to release tension. The biochemistry of your brain literally alters when you exhale in relief, releasing carbon dioxide.

4 Diaphragmatic Breathing Tips For Beginners

Here are a few things to bear in mind as you get ready to experiment with deep breathing techniques.

1. Take It Easy At The Start

Start slow, start small, and work your way up is the most crucial thing. Your nervous system needs to be trained. If you haven't gone a mile, you can't go run a marathon. Beginners should avoid lengthy meditations and set a timer for one minute. When you become accustomed to breath practise, lengthen the time.

2. Move the Breath To The Belly

Your upper chest and shoulders won't move noticeably when you're breathing deeply. Your lower abdomen filling and emptying is a sign that your diaphragm is working. Practice pushing and pulling with a hand on your tummy.

3. You Truly Can't Go Wrong

Whatever the method, the mere act of focusing on one's breathing helps to close the gap between the sympathetic and parasympathetic neural systems. Breath practise removes more carbon dioxide from the body and floods the brain with oxygen at the most fundamental level; you can't go wrong there.

4. Choose a Breathwork Technique That Speaks to You

There are a variety of methods you can use to activate the PNS, which is the ultimate objective of your breath work exercise. Find the one you like and can use frequently.

Here are a handful of meditative breathing techniques and how they may help you promote health and relaxation in your body, no matter what’s going on around you.

1. Diaphragm Breathing

What it is: The most basic breath work practice

How to do it: This type of breathing can be performed sitting up or lying on your back. 

1. Start with your hands resting on your belly, just below the navel. As you breathe in, let your belly soften and expand like a balloon. When you breathe out, let your belly sink toward your spine.
2. Place one hand on your ribs and the other on your belly. Breathe in slowly, let your belly soften, and feel your ribs expand.
3. Move the hand that was on your ribs to your upper chest, just below the collarbone. As you inhale, allow your belly to soften, your ribs to expand, and upper chest to broaden. As you exhale, let everything go.
4. Hawkes recommends taking three to five (or up to 10) of these deep breaths every morning before you get out of bed, again anytime during the day when you’re stressed out, and again before you go to sleep at night. Do this every day for three weeks. “You might get bored, you might wonder why,” she says, “but stick with it, because over time your limbic brain will begin to respond to your mindfulness and breath.”

2. Box Breathing

What it is: Intermittent breath retention

How to do it: You will find a variety of counting patterns if you research box breathing — for example, 4-7-8 or 4-4-4-4 — but beginners should find their own pace. Count slowly as you inhale and see whatever number you come to and match that at your exhale. The counting gives the analytical part of your brain something to do that’s focused on the breath. Beginners may find that their number pattern changes each day depending on what your nasal passages will allow.

1. Sit in a relaxed position, and exhale all the air in your lungs out through your mouth.
2. Close your lips and use your nose to inhale slowly from your belly, and count to 4 as you breathe in, filling the lungs.
3. Hold the air in your lungs while you silently count from 1 to 4, and then slowly release the air through your mouth as you count from 1 to 4.
4. Repeat three to seven times. Do not practice while driving or using machinery, as it may cause a slight light-headedness with prolonged practice.

3. Alternate-Nostril Yoga Breathing (ANYB)

What it is: Controlled breathing

How to do it: In this practice, you will breathe through just one nostril at a time. No breath will come in or out of your mouth.

1. Sit comfortably and rest your right hand on your knee. Use your left thumb to gently close your left nostril. Inhale slowly through the right nostril, then take your thumb off your left nostril and close the right nostril with your ring finger.
2. Hold your breath for a moment, then exhale through the now open left nostril.
3. Breathe in through the open left nostril, then hold the breath and take your ring finger off the right nostril and put the thumb back on the left nostril. Breath out the right nostril.
4. Repeat this on each nostril 5 to 10 times.

4. Ocean Sounding Breath

What it is: Audible breath

How to do it: Inhale through your nose.

1. As you slowly exhale, contract your throat and make a gentle “haaaa” ocean sound. If you’re a beginner, it’s easier to make the sound while exhaling with your mouth open. A helpful body cue for this is to imagine using your breath to fog up a window.
2. As you become advanced, try exhaling without opening the mouth. A tip here is to try to sound like Darth Vader from Star Wars.
3. Repeat until you feel relaxed.

5. Buteyko Breathing Technique (BBT)

What it is: Nasal breathing retraining to repair hyperventilation

How to do it:

1. During this exercise, you should breathe exclusively through your nose. In a relaxed sitting position, elongate your spine and sit upright. Start with some easy, deep breaths.
2. After a calm and relaxed exhale, hold your breath and gently plug your nose. This is called the control pause.
3. When you feel the need to take a breath (you begin to experience “air hunger”), gently release your nose and take a slow, easy breath in. Your diaphragm might involuntarily move, but do not panic or gasp.
4. Breathe normally and evenly again for at least 10 seconds. Repeat three to five times.

There are more advanced versions of BBT, but consider working with a certified Buteyko practitioner to deepen your understanding of the technique and develop your at-home practice.

6. Laughter Yoga 

What it is: Intentional, manufactured laughter

How to do it: You could simply start spontaneously laughing, smiling, and clapping to get the benefits of this practice, but if you’d like to follow a more regimented approach, try these steps.

1. From a confident standing position, and with a smile on your face, cross your right hand over to meet your left hand near your left hip and clap your hands while exhaling “ho ho.”
2. Pull the arms up on a diagonal to the right side of the head and clap while exhaling “ha ha ha.”
3. Repeat that three times. After the last “ha ha ha,” reach both arms above your head and exclaim “Yay!” then start laughing.

7. Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback (HRVB With Breathing Awareness)

What it is: Biofeedback therapy training

How to do it: If you’re working with a biofeedback specialist, you’ll be hooked up to a few monitoring devices, but you can do an at-home version as well. You’ll need a tool that will measure your heart rate — many smart watches and apps have this feature.

1. From a relaxed sitting position, note your current heart rate on your device of choice.
2. Begin breathing deeply into the belly. Visualize a roller coaster track. On your inhales, imagine a car climbing up the track, and on the exhale imagine the car going down the track. Your goal is to have a smooth ride for the car as it goes up and down over and over, pausing slightly between each inhale and exhale.
3. After five breaths check your heart rate number. Your goal is to get your current heart rate number below the starting heart rate number. Once you have it there you can finish your practice.