While it’s normal to feel tension and pressure at times, chronic stress can harm both physical and mental well-being. Unlike other stress-relief techniques, breathwork is both powerful and always available, allowing you to manage stress anywhere, anytime. Here’s why incorporating breathwork into your routine may be the solution you’ve been looking for.

1) It provides instant relief

Imagine moving from a state of stress and overwhelm to a state of calm in just a few minutes—this is possible with breathwork. Certain breathing exercises are designed to quickly lower stress levels, providing immediate relief to the mind and body. With breathwork, you can go from feeling tense and paralyzed by stress to being calm and centered in moments.

Inspired by breathing expert Patrick McKeown, this five-minute practice, Anxiety Support with Ally M., is designed to help you during acute stress and anxiety. Similar to breathing into a paper bag, this technique quickly calms your nervous system in times of need.

2) It’s always available 

Breathing isn’t something we actively think about—it comes naturally for most of us, and we rarely spend our days considering the breaths in and out that keep us alive. When we shift to a conscious mindset around breathing, incorporating specific techniques and cultivating awareness, we transform the automatic action of breathing into a potent tool. By adding breathwork to your wellbeing toolkit, you’ll gain a readily available key to unlock a sense of peace and stillness.

Unlike other methods, which often require waiting for the “right time,” breathwork can be practiced at a moment’s notice. Try a quick one-minute breathing exercise, like Instant Calm, whenever stress starts building up to feel an immediate shift.

3) It's scientifically proven 

Breathwork directly impacts the body by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, or the “rest-and-digest” response. This slows the heart rate, improves digestion, and induces relaxation, reducing feelings of stress, anxiety, and fear. Practicing slow, deep breaths—around 5-6 breaths per minute—can maximize heart rate variability (HRV), a key marker of wellness and resilience.

Breath to Calm is a practice in which we lengthen our exhales to signal to our brain that we are safe to relax. Our pulse naturally slows down as we exhale, and we move into that rest-and-digest, or parasympathetic, state. Embrace relaxation in just 6 min. 

4. It Improves Mental Clarity and Focus

Chronic stress often results in mental fog and difficulty concentrating, making it hard to stay focused and productive. Breathwork can help clear this fog by improving oxygen flow to the brain and stabilizing the mind.

5) It Can Help Balance Your Emotions

Stress can amplify emotions, making it challenging to respond calmly to life’s ups and downs. By practicing breathwork regularly, you can develop better emotional balance, allowing you to manage emotions more effectively and respond thoughtfully rather than impulsively.

Breathwork Classes to Reduce Stress in 10 min or Less

Seeking refuge from daily stress? Open offers a universe of practices across meditation, movement, and breathwork. Begin with this curation of classes to root yourself in relaxation. 

• Vocal Toning to Calm: Steady into your center by using your breath and the sound of your voice (1 min)
• 4:7:8 Relax: Slow everything down with a counted breath technique designed to calm your nervous system (6 min)
• Alternate Nostril Breath: Practice a simple technique called alternate-nostril breathing to calm nerves and focus your mind (5 min)
• Welcome Calm: Use a traditional breath technique called vase breath to put your mind at ease and land you back in your body (10 min)