Breathing is the first thing you do in life, and the last. In between, it’s easy to take it for granted. But when used intentionally, breath is one of the most powerful tools we have for regulating the mind, body, and spirit. 

Whether you're seeking holistic healing or practical techniques for managing anxiety, guided breathwork practices can offer transformative results. Here are seven evidence-backed benefits of breathwork therapy, plus three techniques you can start using today.

1. Reduced Stress and Anxiety

This is where most people start. And for good reason. When life feels unpredictable, it’s natural to experience stress, anxiety, and overwhelm. The American Psychiatric Association’s annual mental health poll showed that stress and anxiety are growing among U.S. adults, with 43% reporting that they felt more anxious than the previous year. 

Breathwork can reduce feelings of stress and anxiety by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for rest, digestion, and recovery. Techniques like the Psychological Sigh or Box Breathing help slow the heart rate, lower cortisol levels, and interrupt the brain's stress response. Think of it as a reset button you carry with you everywhere. 

2. Focus and Clarity

When your mind is scattered, your breath usually is too. Breathwork therapy helps sharpen mental clarity by increasing oxygen flow to the brain and quieting internal noise. It also enhances neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. You become more alert, more present, and better able to make decisions from a centered place.

3. Emotional Regulation

Breathwork enhances executive decisions about your mental, physical, and emotional state by building a bridge between the conscious mind and nervous system. It activates the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which controls emotional regulation. This sends the message to the brain that you’re safe to feel calm, clear, and collected.

This makes breathing therapy especially powerful for those working through trauma, grief, or emotional overwhelm.

4. Relaxation and Muscle Tension Relief

When your body holds tension, your breath shortens. And when you breathe shallowly, tension builds. It’s a vicious cycle, but conscious breathing can break that loop.

By elongating the exhale or balancing the breath between the left and right nostrils, your muscles receive the message that it's safe to relax. This is the physical aspect of holistic healing through breathwork: loosening the areas where your body stores stress.

5. Improved Sleep

Restorative breathing techniques help calm the nervous system before bed. They slow brain wave activity, reduce heart rate, and prep the body for deep sleep.

Practicing breathwork for anxiety at night can be the difference between tossing and turning and finally drifting off.

6. Presence and Mindfulness

Every inhale is a return to now. Every exhale is a letting go. The rhythm of breath creates a natural focal point, anchoring attention to the present moment. This increased sense of mindfulness can help you feel more aware, active, and in control of your emotions. 

7. Physical Health Improvements

Breathing therapy doesn’t just affect your mind. Science shows that it improves respiratory function, lowers blood pressure, supports a healthy immune response, and helps manage pain. 

The effects aren't just fleeting; they can lead to lasting changes in your physiology, boost immunity, enhance athletic performance, and help you live a healthier life overall.

Got a minute? 3 calming breathwork techniques to try now

Psychological sigh

A psychological sigh is the closest thing your body has to a reset button for deactivating your sympathetic stress response. It taps into our innate stress-relieving mechanisms and can help lower blood pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension. A Stanford Medicine study co-led by neurobiologist Andrew Huberman found that participants who performed a psychological sigh for five minutes daily over one month reported significantly lower resting breathing rates and reduced anxiety.

Technique

Take a deep inhale through your nose. Just before your lungs reach full capacity, take a second, smaller inhale to inflate your lungs fully. Finish by exhaling wholly and slowly through your mouth.

Try it with Open: Sigh of Relief w/ Olivia O. (7 min)

Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana)

Alternate Nostril Breathing, a.k.a. Nadi Shodhana, is renowned for its ability to balance the left and right hemispheres of the brain. This balancing effect promotes a sense of harmony and reduces stress. Enhancing neurological and emotional balance fosters calmness and significantly improves concentration levels.

Technique

Begin by sitting comfortably with your spine straight and your feet flat on the floor. Close off your right nostril with your right thumb and inhale deeply through your left nostril. At the peak of your inhalation, close off your left nostril with your ring finger, exhale through your right nostril, and then inhale through the right nostril. Continue this pattern, alternating nostrils with each breath.

Try it with Open: Alternate Nostril Breath w/ Ally M. (5 min)

Box Breathing

Box breathing is a structured technique that helps reset your nervous system by focusing on equal-length breaths. This rhythm balances oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in your body, signaling to your nervous system that it’s okay to relax.

Technique

To begin, inhale to the count of four, hold your breath for a count of four, exhale for four and then hold for four. That’s one breath cycle. Repeat that pattern – inhale for four; hold for four; exhale for four, and hold for four – for a minute or two, and then return to a regular breathing pattern and notice if you feel calmer and more relaxed in body and mind.

Try it with Open: Box Breath w/ Mel M. (9 min)

Breath is strength

Whether you're managing anxiety, seeking more clarity, or simply learning to listen more deeply to yourself, your breath can guide the way. Try Open for free and explore the therapeutic power of breathwork.