Benefits of Breathwork
“Breathwork” has become a bit of a buzzword in recent years; especially in health and wellness spaces. But what is all the buzz about and why does it work? Deliberate control of the breath as a practice has been around for thousands of years. These days, it is taking its seat at the table during many therapy sessions, too.
Breathwork techniques can be described as various practices which regulate the way in which one breathes. This could be breath deepening, adjusting the pace, restriction, elongation, etc. This is primarily done to promote physical, emotional, and mental health.
Yoga traditions are perhaps the most well-known forms of breathwork. In the Yogic tradition it is called Pranayama. Prana is our life force, or our source energy. Therefore, Pranayama is the practice of controlling our breath or life force. This comes from the ancient understanding that breath is life. In Yogic philosophy, Pranayama is a powerful tool for healing and connection. But this understanding has translated through time into many of the popular therapeutic modalities utilized by psychotherapists today!
Breathwork and breathing practices have several psychophysiological mechanisms of action that are thought to be underlying reasons as to why it works. These mechanisms are supported by several schools of therapeutic thought, such as Polyvagal Theory, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Interventions.
Many of these types of therapeutic interventions are focused on increasing the efficacy of the stress-response system within the body. Stress-response dysfunction is associated with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This causes impaired and often overreactive responses within the autonomic nervous system (ANS), and a cascade of physiological effects within the body. Types of therapeutic interventions that assist the body to process trauma and stress often utilize breathing interventions as a form of bodily feedback (or biofeedback) in order to “speak the body’s language” and offer the ANS support. Bodily feedback is very effective, as multiple studies show (Fincham et al., 2023).
Modifying breathing patterns change the signals that are sent from the respiratory system to the rest of the body. The physiological changes brought about by breath work are due in part to the central nervous system effects of the breathing changes, such as heart rate variability. Heart rate variability will change as it relates to the breathing patterns; a normal function of the autonomic nervous system. As one inhales or exhales, the heart rate increases or decreases, respectively.
This type of biofeedback can rapidly influence the brain regions that regulate emotion, behavior, and thought (Moss & Shaffer, 2017).
The types of breath work interventions that have been studied the most are slow-paced breathing techniques. Perhaps you have encountered box breathing, or counting in-breaths and out-breaths before. However, fast-paced breath work may also offer therapeutic benefit too. These types of faster breathing patterns are best done in the company of others if you are new to breathwork or Pranayama. You may have encountered them in a Yoga class, but they are less commonly utilized in therapeutic settings.
In summary, breathwork is an ancient tool for healing that modern science is just beginning to understand and study. If you have tried breathing interventions before, you will notice how quickly changing your breathing can signal safety to your body and your nervous system. And, chances are, your therapist might be utilizing one or more slow breathing interventions already. But even if you are at home, there are many mindful breathing techniques you could try to influence your own ANS and improve your stress-response system.
Here are a few of my favorites to try:
Box Breathing
Nadi Shodhan Pranayama (Alternate Nostril Breathing)
Dirgha Pranayama (Three-Part Breath)
Emily Hodge, MSW, SWLC
References
Fincham, G.W., Strauss, C., Montero-Marin, J. et al. Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials. Sci Rep 13, 432 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-27247-y
Moss, D., & Shaffer, F. (2017). The application of heart rate variability biofeedback to medical and mental health disorders. Biofeedback, 45(1), 2–8. https://doi.org/10.5298/1081-5937-45.1.03
Yoga Journal. (2024, January 25). What is Pranayama? https://www.yogajournal.com/practice/beginners/how-to/pranayama/