“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.
“Breath work is the foundation for stress management,” says Alistair Hawkes, a licensed professional counselor and certified Clarity Breathwork practitioner in Lakewood, Colorado.
What Is Breath Work?
Breath work refers to deep, diaphragmatic breathing or belly breathing, which research suggests may trigger relaxation responses in the body, according to a study published in June 2017 in Frontiers in Psychology. Breath work encompasses a range of breathing exercises designed to enhance physical, spiritual, and mental health, according to Yogapedia. Within published research, breath work is commonly referred to in terms of “interventions” such as diaphragmatic breathing, breathing techniques, or even breathing rehabilitation, which we’ve reviewed below.
Breath work includes specific breathing practices like Clarity Breathwork and holotropic breathing, which are used more as mind-body therapy, and are associated with particular theories and varying degrees of supportive evidence, according to GoodTherapy.
A Brief Synopsis: The Potential Health Benefits of Breath Work
Research shows a variety of health and wellness benefits and quality of life improvements that intentional breathing (including diaphragmatic breathing, yogic breathing, and other breathing exercises) may provide for people experiencing certain health conditions and concerns. Breath work 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 Breath Work and Meditation Differ?
Breath work and meditation are connected in that meditation requires breath work, but breathing techniques can be practiced on their own to cultivate mindfulness, and don’t necessarily need to be paired with meditation. There are thousands of forms of meditation and with them come different breathing techniques.
“Each tradition has a different aim for the meditation practices it introduces, so each will have associated ways of offering techniques for working with the breath,” says Lodro Rinzler, a Buddhist meditation teacher and a cofounder of MNDFL, a chain of meditation studios in New York City.
The Science of Breath
“We all breathe all the time. The way that we breathe is what makes the difference — how we breathe,” says Jessie Taylor, a cofounder and the director of education at the Mindfulness Center, an online wellness platform primarily based in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia, with services like training programs, telehealth, classes, and workshops worldwide.
One well-researched breath work technique is diaphragmatic breathing. What makes it special is the way it can influence the entire body, especially the nervous system, according to a study published in June 2018 in Cureus.
When we are under stress — whether running from a predator or dealing with a particularly frustrating email — the brain turns on the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which governs the flight, fight, or freeze response. You’ll notice the activation of your SNS if you have shallow breathing, tense shoulders, increased blood pressure, or an upset stomach.
