Breathwork is a really powerful way to reduce stress and anxiety but It’s important to understand how to do it and what principles to follow. In this video, I share a breath practice for stress reduction that is evidence-based, thanks to a brand new research summary by the @hhpfoundation in California. This study gives us principles that support using breathwork in a way that effectively reduces stress and anxiety.
The principles that support an effective breathwork practice for reducing stress & anxiety include:
- Practice slowing your breath – the technique doesn’t matter so much. What matters is that you allow your respiratory rate (per minute breath pace) to become slower than it normally would be. You don’t need to know what you respiratory rate is for this to be effective. Simply bring attention to your breath, begin to lengthen it gently, particularly on the exhale.
- Practice for a minimum of 5 minutes. The summarised research shows that less than 5 minutes dampens the effect. Interestingly, more than 5 minutes doesn’t seem to necessarily offer more return on investment. The bottom line is, breathwork is effective for reducing stress and anxiety even in small doses.
- Use a human guide, at least in the first instance. It doesn’t matter whether this is live, in person, online, or pre-recorded. Using a human guide appears to ensure that the practices are carried out with better efficacy than without.
- Keep practicing. You need to practice daily. If you do, benefits will pile up both in the short, medium & long term.
If you feel you need support with your breath practice or want to explore breath training for athletic development or deep self-awareness, check out my online learning resources or contact me for 1:1 coaching.
Read the full paper from the Health & Human Performance Foundation here.