How to Start—And Stick to—A Breathwork Practice

Ilana Nankin loved being a pre-K teacher, but she and her colleagues often felt stressed by their jobs. So when Nankin noticed a fellow teacher “looking absolutely blissed-out,” she tagged along to the teacher’s new yoga and breathwork class. “I haven’t looked back since,” Nankin says.

She felt so calmed by the mindful movement and breathing techniques she learned that Nankin brought them into her classroom—and marveled as her students calmed down after a round of “bear belly breathing.” Nankin went on to found a company, Breathe for Change, which brings mindfulness practices to teachers and students in public schools. If breathwork can work for a preschool teacher who was “overwhelmed and overworked, with little to no tools for self-care”—and her toddler students—it can help anyone, she believes. 

“The most frequent question I’ll get is, ‘How do I start?’” says Nankin. And the answer is easier than you may think. If you can spare a few minutes each day, you have all the time you need to develop a fruitful breathwork routine.

Ahead, Nankin and other experts share why breathwork matters, how to get started, and simple but effective exercises to try.

What is breathwork?

Dr. Sheila Patel, a family physician and chief medical officer of Chopra, defines breathwork as the conscious control of the breath. “When we change the depth and rate of breathing, we can create specific effects on the mind and body,” she says. “When we slow the breath rate, we directly inform the nervous system to shift toward the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms and relaxes us, and is the opposite of the stress response.” By manipulating your breath differently, you can also invigorate and energize yourself. This may sound similar to meditation, but “meditation focuses on cultivating present moment awareness, whereas breathwork focuses on consciously directing the breath to induce a specific outcome,” Nankin says.

The health benefits of breathwork

Patel didn’t practice breathwork until adulthood, but she was acquainted with it from a young age. Growing up, many relatives from India would visit her family’s home. “My first introduction to breathwork was hearing snorts and heavy breathing sounds coming from my uncle's bedroom in the morning,” she says. This brought on fits of laughter for Patel and her sister, until one day they asked their parents what was happening. They explained he was practicing yoga postures and pranayama, which is yogic breathwork, to stay healthy.

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Now, Patel maintains a similar practice. “I experienced firsthand how calming the slow-breathing techniques could feel, and I really needed to relax and calm my mind, being a busy doctor, wife, and mother of two young kids,” she says. Given her demanding schedule, she often couldn’t find time to do yoga, but breathwork was more manageable. “Doing five minutes in the morning and five minutes at the end of my day had such profound benefits,” she says. “I was amazed to realize that the simple practice could be so transformational. “

A large body of research confirms the benefits of slow rhythmic breathing: a lighter mood, reduced feelings of stress, and improved glucose and cortisol levels, says Patel. Some of these findings hold true even after just one session.

What’s behind the impressive findings? Many of breathwork’s benefits seem to relate to its ability to tamp down your body’s “flight-or-fight” response. “When you are stressed, overwhelmed, or have experienced trauma, your nervous system is activated in the sympathetic state,” says Nankin.That’s when you enter fight-or-flight mode. “Engaging in breathing practices regulates your nervous system and enhances its flexibility, leading to increased comfort, relaxation, and alertness, and reduced symptoms of arousal, anxiety, depression, anger, and confusion,” she says.

Even though we’re now able to describe the benefits in the language of science, Patel emphasizes that these practices have been done for thousands of years and the benefits have long been known through direct experience. “The practices aren’t new, but we’re learning about them and teaching them in a new way,” she says.

How to start a breathwork practice, step-by-step

If you're an absolute beginner and don't want to make this your whole identity, experts recommend trying a few easy breathing techniques. You don’t need a fancy meditation cushion or to download any apps. 

First, note that there is no “right” way to practice breathwork. Kimberly Faith, a breathwork practitioner in Reno, Nev., tells clients who get overwhelmed by how many breathing techniques are available that as long as your exhales are equal to or longer than your inhales, you are calming your nervous system and are on the right track.

These three breathwork techniques work well for newbies.

Box breathing

Faith calls this popular technique one of the simplest breathwork exercises there is: “Inhale through the nose for a count of four, hold for four, exhale through the mouth for a count of four, hold for four,” she explains. “Doing this several times will relax the nervous system and restore homeostasis to the body.”

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If even this seems like too much for you, Faith recommends trying to become more aware of your breath throughout the day. “Often, when people are stressed, or something triggers them, people stop breathing altogether. They do not even realize it, yet this triggers the sympathetic nervous system to go into overdrive,” she says. “The more we can become aware of our breath, the more we can do something about it.”

5:2:5 rhythmic breathing

This breathing technique is one of Patel’s favorites to teach her patients. This can be practiced sitting up or lying down. However, she recommends beginners start lying down, with one hand gently resting on the abdomen. 

Here’s how it’s done: inhale through the nose for five seconds while feeling your abdomen rising up toward the ceiling. Pause for two seconds, and then exhale through the nose for five seconds while contracting your belly button toward the spine. Patel notes that this practice should be very comfortable, without causing any strain or lightheadedness.

A 5-step breathwork practice

Nankin developed this easy exercise in order for beginners to get comfortable with how it feels to pay attention to your breath. She says to approach this exercise (and all types of breathwork) with a non-judgmental attitude. “Start with curiosity, noticing your natural breath for five, 10, or 20 seconds, and the quality of each breath,” she says. “Simply observe without trying to change it.”

How to commit to a regular breathwork practice

Do you want to stick to a consistent breathwork practice but fear it will go, well, in one nostril and out the other? Here are five ways to stay the course.

Pick a technique that feels right for you

And it may change. Daily. Just because a friend swears by the box breath doesn’t mean that you will. “In this process, it is crucial to really find the right style that works for you,” says Pavel Stuchlik, a breathwork instructor and founder of NOA|AON, an online wellness platform which focuses on breathwork, meditation, and dance. Ask your body, “What is the right flow today?” he suggests. Stuchlik uses different techniques for different situations. “If you need breathwork for sleep, choose practices for sleep. If you need to do breathwork for energy, there's breathwork for energy.”

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Set reminders 

Since breathing is so automatic, Nina Kaiser, a clinical psychologist and founder of Practice San Francisco, says that it’s easy to forget to do these practices. “Setting reminders or habit-stacking with something you do consistently (e.g., picking up your phone, sitting down at your computer, etc.) can be helpful in establishing intentional breathwork as a new habit,” she says.

Just like building any other habit, Kaiser stresses that it's easiest to begin by making tiny changes to your routine. “People eager to achieve the benefits of breathwork may be tempted to dive in with complicated, time-consuming, or advanced practices,” she says. “Instead, it’s best to start with small shifts or additions to your current habits.”

Practice it proactively

A way to seamlessly wiggle breathwork into your daily life is to practice at the start of the day or as a way to decompress before sleep. You could also try incorporating a 30-second breathing practice throughout the day as a “brain break,” before a meal, or as a transition between activities, she says.

And deep breathing isn’t only for the tranquil moments. Breathwork is especially vital when the going gets tough. Nankin recommends using it during heightened moments of stress, such as an argument, test, or accident. “Notice how you are feeling. Are you stressed, angry, sad? Pause and engage in a breathing technique to bring yourself back to a calm, regulated state,” she suggests. 

Don’t breathe too hard 

One of the most common breathwork mistakes Patel sees is when people strain or try to inhale or exhale to the maximum capacity. When done properly, your inhalations and exhalations should only be at about 75% capacity, says Patel, at a slow rate of about five to seven breaths per minute. “People think it’s about getting more oxygen in your lungs, but true breathwork is not about that. Creating this regular rhythmic and slow breathing synchronizes all the functions in the body regulation of the nervous system,” she says.

Abandon expectations

“I should feel calm” or “I should be less stressed” are common expectations Nankin hears from beginners—and when they don’t happen right away, they create anxiety. “The truth is, these practices won’t necessarily lead to immediate outcomes or to the same outcome every time,” says Nankin. “It can take weeks, months, or even years to feel the life-changing effects of breathwork. Be childlike in your experience, and the outcomes will follow. “