Summary: Breathwork, or the practice of intentionally controlling one’s breathing, has been shown to calm brain activity, reduce anxiety, and even ease symptoms of depression.
Deep, slow breathing engages neural circuits that regulate emotional states, producing a measurable calming effect. This process is rooted in biology, not belief—animal studies show that consistent slow breathing reduces fear responses, confirming the effect isn’t just placebo.
Simple techniques like box breathing and 4-7-8 breathing can offer benefits in as little as five minutes. While intense breathwork methods can cause altered states, most people benefit from basic breathing exercises. Breathwork offers a powerful, accessible tool for managing stress and enhancing mental well-being.
Key Facts:
- Neurobiological Basis: Breathwork activates calming signals across brain circuits.
- Proven in Animals: Mice trained to breathe slowly showed reduced fear responses.
- Simple Is Effective: Techniques like box breathing can lower stress in just minutes.
Source: UCLA
Breathwork – intentionally changing breathing patterns to improve physical, mental or emotional well-being – may seem woo-woo, but the science behind the practice is sound, says Jack Feldman, PhD, a professor of neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Dr. Feldman discussed how breathing affects the brain in a conversation with Tyrone Lindqvist, lead singer of the Australian electronic dance trio Rufus Du Sol, on a recent episode of the “Sing for Science” podcast.
The band has incorporated breathwork into its pre-performance ritual, Lindqvist said, and its new album, “Inhale/Exhale,” was partly inspired by the practice.
“Breathwork has felt like a big part of our last three years,” Lindqvist said.
Dr. Feldman has been studying breathing and the brain for more than 40 years. In 1986, he discovered and named the area in the brain responsible for generating and controlling breathing, known as the preBötzinger Complex.
More recently, he and colleagues have investigated the effects of breathing rhythms and patterns on emotions, finding that slower breathing leads to a calmer mental state.
“We think that the survival of early mammals was improved by their ability to breathe slowly,” Dr. Feldman said.
“All mammals sigh, and we think under proper conditions they use their own form of breathwork in response to stressful situations. … It’s something we think that evolved early that we ultimately hijacked in terms of breathwork.”
What makes breathwork work?
Dr. Feldman started his research in this area probing what he thought was a simple question: What mechanisms in the brain allow it to create a reliable breathing pattern that persists throughout the lifespan and adapts to movement, speech and other activities instantly and without thought?
This line of inquiry has led him to publish more than 150 scientific papers to date.
The short answer to why breathwork can have such profound effects on the body and mind is that there are signals related to breathing throughout the brain, he said.
An intentionally deep breath affects those signals, resulting in a calming response. Breathing is also involved in the signaling pathway for depression, he said, adding that studies show that consistent breathwork practice can be effective in treating conditions such as anxiety and depression.
But one doesn’t need to understand how breath affects the brain to benefit from breathwork, Dr. Feldman said, “much like you can drive a car without understanding how an engine works.”
Practicing common breathing techniques, such as box breathing or 4-7-8 breathing, for a few minutes a day is a great way to start, he said.
Box breathing involves inhaling for four counts, holding for four, exhaling for four, and holding for four; 4-7-8 breathing refers to inhaling for four counts, holding for seven, and exhaling for eight.
Dr. Feldman said Navy SEALS are known to use box breathing and other breathwork techniques to calm themselves in highly stressful situations.
Some of Dr. Feldman’s recent work has investigated whether the placebo effect contributes to the efficacy of breathwork. In other words, do deep breaths calm us down because we expect them to?
“You have a stressful situation, just sit down and take a few deep breaths, five minutes, and people will discover it’s restorative,” says Dr. Jack Feldman.
To that end, he and his colleagues modified breathing rates in mice, causing them to breathe more slowly for 30 minutes a day over a period of four weeks. Tests afterward showed the mice were much less fearful than a control group whose breathing wasn’t slowed.
“It’s pretty amazing how much less fearful they were,” Dr. Feldman said. “The fact that we can see the effect of breathwork in mice really indicates that it’s … not all placebo components.”
He hopes the study, which is awaiting publication, “will have a positive impact on individuals who think breathwork is one of these woo-woo things, that you have to believe in something in particular to make it work,” he said.
Breathing methods
Lindqvist was introduced to breathwork by his father-in-law, who was interested in Wim Hof, a Dutch athlete who advocates an intense breathing technique of quick, deep breaths followed by holding the breath for as long as a minute.
The practice can lead to lightheadedness and tingling sensations in the hands and feet. Hof claims it supports stress reduction and improves sleep. His website also indicates the technique can lead to loss of consciousness.
For Lindqvist, the practice created a feeling of being “extremely present” that lasted for several hours, he said.
People new to breathwork should start with something less intense, Dr. Feldman suggested: “Don’t go out and run a marathon when you’ve been sitting on the couch.”
The Wim Hof Method and a similar technique, Holotropic Breathwork, can lead to altered states of consciousness, which both Lindqvist and Dr. Feldman described as “psychedelic.”
This – and the tingling physical sensations – likely results from changes in carbon dioxide levels caused by hyperventilation, Dr. Feldman explained.
Carbon dioxide levels determine the pH, or acid base balance, of the blood, which has “a profound effect on the neurons in your brain as well as the rest of your body,” he said.
Techniques such as the Wim Hof Method or Holotropic Breathwork can be invigorating, he said. But basic, slow breathing is all that’s needed for most people to experience the stress-reducing benefits of breathwork.
“You have a stressful situation, just sit down and take a few deep breaths, five minutes, and people will discover it’s restorative,” Dr. Feldman said.
“Maybe not everyone, but a lot of people will find that to be beneficial, and to me, that’s amazing.”
About this breathwork and neuroscience research news
Author: Will Houston
Source: UCLA
Contact: Will Houston – UCLA
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
