Breathwork Practices
Throughout history, the breath has been used as a powerful tool for transformation, including yogic breath practices in India, Qi Gong in China, and spiritual and healing ceremonies in indigenous cultures around the world. These cultures all had a deeper understanding of how conscious breathing can affect the body and mind.
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Most of us spend our days breathing in short, shallow patterns, which can keep our body and nervous system in a heightened and tense state. Breathwork practices help us break out of this cycle by bringing awareness to the breath, expanding the lungs, sinking the breath down into the belly, and regulating our breathing. This helps shift the body out of fight or flight, reduce stress and anxiety, and create a calm foundation for meditation and daily life.
The practices I’ve included here are focused on regulating the breath and calming the nervous system. There are more forceful breathing techniques out there like the Wim Hof technique or various yogic breath practices, but without proper technique and guidance, they can leave you ungrounded and scattered. If you’re new to breathwork, stick with the gentle practices here and use them before your meditation practice or whenever you need a reset throughout the day.
Physiological Sigh
The physiological sigh is a technique popularized by neuroscientist Andrew Huberman. You start with a deep breath filling the lungs, then a second shorter breath, followed by a long, slow exhale through the mouth. This breathing pattern helps our body regulate stress and oxygen levels, and it can quickly shift the nervous system from a state of fight or flight to calm.
A slight variation of this practice that I was taught involves adding a third breath to help fill out and expand the lungs before the long exhale. This practice should be done for about 5-10 minutes to get the full benefits.
Box Breathing
Box breathing is another simple but effective breathing practice that helps calm the mind and regulate the nervous system. It involves inhaling for four seconds, holding for four, exhaling for four, and holding again for four. This practice can be really useful before meditation or anytime you need to reset and ground yourself.
A slight variation of this practice that I was taught is to use a count of 7 seconds instead of 4. Similar to the physiological sigh, you can practice this for 5-10 minutes to get the full benefits.
Anchoring the Breath
Anchoring the breath is a foundational practice for Qi Gong and other internal training systems. It works with the mind, body, and breath together by slowly guiding your attention from the nose down to the abdomen, resting on specific areas along the way. The key is to listen and observe without trying to change the breath. Over time, this naturally slows your breathing and allows it to sink deeper into the belly, which pulls you out of your head and grounds you in the body. It also helps release tension, create space within the body, and develop a stronger internal awareness.
Below, you’ll find two videos. The first is an overview of the practice, and the second is a 39-minute guided session. Once you learn the technique, you can practice on your own for a shorter duration.
Overview of the practice
39-minute guided session