The Power of Breathwork

For thousands of years, humans have used breathwork practices to shift emotions, calm the mind, and set the stage for spiritual breakthroughs. Contemporary research confirms the potency of breathwork — any directed change in one’s breathing pattern — to help us self-regulate; various forms of it have been shown to reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma, helping to foster emotional regulation and resilience. Examples include yogic breathing, the Wim Hof Method, shamanic breathing, and more.

Functional-medicine practitioner Sachin Patel, DC, FDN-P, uses breathwork in his virtual wellness practice to address a range of physical conditions. He’s also seen how intentional breathwork practices can, for some people, be as spiritually transformative as guided psilocybin trips.

We talked with Patel about the power of breathwork, why it matters, and how we carry this medicine with us wherever we go.

Experience Life | How did you discover breathwork?

Sachin Patel | I went to a Wim Hof breathwork training. We moved through a series of different breathing techniques and cadences, and by the end I was holding my breath for about three-and-a-half minutes. I didn’t even know that was possible!

A few years later, I went to another breathwork workshop. It was different — set to beautiful music, fully guided. There was movement, a variety of breathing cadences, a guided meditation. I felt infinite love and presence, like what some people describe when they’re on psychedelics.

EL | What made you decide to incorporate breathwork into your work with clients?

SP | I researched how breathing affects our facial structure, dental health, immune health, lymphatic health, emotional health, weight, exercise performance, sexual health, and sleep quality. And I looked at how it can help address trauma. I started to see how most practitioners overlook the breath, despite breathing being one of the most important things we do all day every day. I could see how working with the breath could really enhance my clients’ health.

EL | How does the way we breathe affect us?

SP | The ideal way to breathe is through the nose. We breathe about 2,000 gallons of air every day. If that air is going through our nose, it’s being filtered, warmed, and humidified. Whereas if we breathe through our mouth, that puts a lot of stress on our lung microbiome and our immune system.

We also know that people who breathe through their mouths are going to be more prone to chronic stress, anxiety, ADHD, and cavities and other dental issues, because mouth breathing can activate the sympathetic nervous system and change the chemistry of the mouth.

Nasal breathing, on the other hand, can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, helping us feel calm, present, and centered.

EL | Tell us more about how breath influences our emotional and mental well-being.

SP | The breath changes when our emotions change. If something surprises you, you gasp. If you feel a sense of relief, you sigh. If you find something funny, you laugh. If something upsets you, you cry. These are all forms of breathing disguised as different emotions.

The way one breathes is a window into their emotional state. When we understand that, we can pay attention to how we breathe in order to create a corresponding emotional response. The breath is like the steering wheel of our nervous system.

EL | Can you give an example of a breathwork technique can help shift our mental and emotional state? 

SP | One example is called a physiological sigh. A physiological sigh is when you take a two-stage breath. First you breathe into the belly and hold. Then you breathe into the lungs and hold at the top; then you let out the air with an audible sigh, fully releasing until your lungs are empty. Doing that repeatedly for anywhere from two to five minutes, depending on the state you’re in, will calm your nervous system.

EL | Can breathing techniques be as effective as antianxiety medication?

SP | They can work faster. I refer to breath as the fastest adaptogen — within seconds, you can change your physical state.

EL | Explain how certain types of breathwork can mimic psychedelic medicines.

SP | If we breathe in a certain way, in a certain pattern, for a certain amount of time, we can change our internal chemistry and reduce activity in what’s called the default mode network. That’s the part of the brain that ruminates. Psilocybin also reduces activity in the default mode network.

So both medicines — psilocybin and breathwork — work by shutting down rumination and clearing the mind. The mind becomes like a blank page. While you’re in that state, you can write new stories on that page. Breathwork is amazing because you can get to that place without putting anything inside your body. The breath is not external to you; it is your life force.

EL | Is breathwork more powerful when practiced with a group?

SP | Some clients do it on their own and they love it. But groups can also be very powerful. When people experience something they’ve never experienced before, they can talk about their journey with others and integrate their stories.

EL | What should people know before trying breathwork?

SP | Trauma is stored in the body, and there can be a lot of layers to peel back. So people have to be prepared and ready for that. They have to feel safe and comfortable. And people who’ve experienced bigger traumas may need more than one session to strip back the layers.

In terms of contraindications, people with uncontrolled hypertension or those who are pregnant — we just want to be mindful of those individuals. People who have cardiovascular issues, seizure disorders, or vertigo probably want their doctor’s permission before doing intense breathwork. They may respond better to calming and more gentle practices.

EL | Anything else we should know?

SP | A lot of people ask me how often they should do breathwork. The way I position it is that people should always be working on their breath, concentrating on breathing through their nose and breathing more slowly. The more we slow down our breath, the slower we age. And lung function is a significant predictor of lifespan. So anything we can do to improve lung function — including breathwork — may increase our lifespan.

Guided breathwork can be really transformative. But how you breathe throughout the day is also hugely important. Your daily breathing pattern becomes the default state of your nervous system and has the potential to transform your health, one breath at a time.