Breathwork as the Entry Point to Meditation

*The fully guided meditation is at the bottom of this post.*

Meditation has been shown to be an effective tool for so many things - from reducing stress - to improving concentration - to letting us get a better night’s sleep. Personally, it’s helped me develop more patience & acceptance with ‘what is’, rather than fighting with reality. My morning meditation practice has become a non-negotiable part of my day because I can clearly see that  it doesn’t just benefit me - everyone with whom I am in contact gets the benefit ;)

But meditation is not necessarily an easy practice. ‘Simply’ sitting & settling the mind is actually not that simple. And for that reason, breathwork can be an excellent practice to start with.

What is breathwork & how does it differ from meditation?

Some teachers might say that breathwork is a form of meditation, and they would not be wrong. Meditation has many forms, after all. However, in mindfulness meditation (which is one of the most popular forms), the most common instruction is to let the breath happen naturally & to not change or manipulate it. Now, in breathwork it’s just the opposite - we work with (ie. manipulate) the breath. But for those who try breathwork, you will likely soon see that it can be extremely meditative, making the line between the 2 distinct practices get quite blurry.

How can breathwork assist a meditation practice?

1.Breathwork keeps us embodied 

Because breathwork is very physical, we are more directly encouraged to keep returning the focus back to the body, instead of being stuck in a continuous swirl of thinking. This is a very helpful tool for beginner & advanced practitioners alike! The movement of the breath in the body can be a very rich & interesting point of awareness, making it easier to stay in the present moment.

2. It reduces stress

The physicality of breathwork also helps take us out of the stressful ‘fight or flight’ sympathetic state of our nervous system and into the restorative ‘rest & digest’ parasympathetic state of our nervous system.  In fact, when slow breathing was tested for its effectiveness in reducing the physical effects of  stress alongside other common interventions - including pharmaceuticals & meditation - it was shown to be one of the fastest methods for calming the nervous system (Isn’t it ironic that slow breathing was the fastest to work??). The ‘stressed state’ has almost become the norm in today’s society, which can make it difficult to relax as we enter into meditation. Beginning our practice with some breathwork can be so helpful in clearing the page & settling us into the here & now.

3. It’s a great meditation substitute 

All of that said, breathwork can also be a great substitute for traditional meditation, especially if the philosophy behind the meditation practice doesn’t resonate with you, or your are in too much distress to meditate formally. While meditation can be an extremely rich & rewarding practice,  working with the breath can bring almost all the same benefits much more immediately, without the need to delve into any philosophy or study. My recommendation for beginners is to start with the breath practices described below, and if you’re interested in more, to consider studying some of the philosophy behind meditation, and to go from there. This blog post of mine is a great place to start! 

More about the physical benefits of breathwork

The breath is one of the only actions in our body that is both automatic (we don’t need to think about breathing throughout the day or when we are sleeping) AND that we can also voluntarily control — varying the speed, intensity, and rhythm of our breath. By working consciously with the breath, we can simply, quickly & directly affect our nervous system, which, in turn, will affect body systems that are not normally in our conscious control. Digestion, immunity, circulation, cognition, sleep, mood, & libido can all get a boost, and pain, inflammation, blood pressure, & emotional reactivity can all be dampened, just by slowing down the breath.

When our nervous system is in stress, called the ‘sympathetic’ or ‘fight or flight’ state, our breathing automatically becomes shallower & faster. The hormones of stress (cortisol & adrenaline are the main ones) are released into our bloodstream. Blood & nervous energy prioritise our extremities (our arms & legs) so that we can ‘fight or flee’ from a potential danger. This means there’s less energy for all the body’s day-to-day maintenance. This works when we are in actual danger, but more often, our bodies are in a chronic state of fight or flight due to chronic stress, which can then lead to chronic issues with everything from inflammation to digestion  to immunity to sex drive. While we’re usually not in an extreme state of sympathetic activation, we’re often in a low chronic stress state, and therefore our body, our emotions, & our state of mind are not as clear & connected as they could be. 

The complementary state is the parasympathetic nervous response, often called the ‘rest & digest’ state. This is when the body is calm, allowing for maintenance, cellular repair and restoration to occur. When we consciously slow our breath down, we’re sending the message to our nervous system that there is no danger, and that the focus can shift to well-being, rather than on protection. Blood pressure lowers, digestion & elimination improve, inflammation is reduced, immunity is strengthened, hormone levels are balanced, sexual energy flows in a more harmonious way, we’re less reactive emotionally, and our mind is more oriented towards curiosity & being present, rather than looking out for potential threats. 

Nose breathing vs mouth breathing

All the benefits of breathwork are most amplified when we breathe through our noses, instead of through our mouths. If you are more accustomed to mouth-breathing, start with trying to inhale through the nose, and to exhale through the mouth. Nose-inhalation is very beneficial for optimal exchange of gases (oxygen, carbon dioxide, & nitric oxide, to name a few) & for filtering & cleansing the air we breathe. You can  read more about the benefits of nose breathing vs mouth breathing here. 

And now, on to the practices! 

Find a comfortable position, either laying down or sitting up. If lying down you may want a pillow underneath the knees to take pressure off the low back. If sitting, it can be on a chair or on a cushion on the floor (sitting directly on the floor can be hard to do for prolonged periods of time. I always recommend using a cushion).  The spine should be long & aligned, but also relaxed. Feel free to experiment with what position feels best for you. 

Distractions are normal ;)

Know that your attention will get distracted - to sounds in the room, to thoughts, & to sensations. This is not a problem. In fact, it’s absolutely to be expected. When you do get distracted, simply bring your attention back to the practice that you’re doing. Do this as many times as you need. It’s absolutely fine. The point is not to ‘stop thinking’ because that is impossible. The point is to kindly & patiently keep returning the attention back to the practice at hand. 

All of these practices can be done for as little as 1 minute, or as long as 5 minutes. 

You can do only 1 of these practices, or all of them, one after the other.

1. Belly Breathing

The simplicity of this practice belies it’s power (this can actually be said of all the breathing practices that we’re about to do!). Place your hands or a small pillow on your belly (children can use their favourite stuffed toy!). Bring your awareness to your breath. Sense the feeling of the air coming in & out of the nostrils. Now bring your awareness to the movement of the belly with the breath. See if you can directly link the air entering through the nostrils with the belly expanding on the inhale, and the air leaving through the nostrils with the belly gently drawing in on the exhale. And keep following this pattern: inhale = air enters through the nostrils + belly expands, exhale = air exits the nostrils + belly gently draws in.

Let the rest of the body relax as you do this practice.

Have the intention to breathe slowly & evenly, as though the breath is a long silk thread. It can be very helpful to count each breath, inhaling for 4 counts, & exhaling for 4 counts.

2. 3 Part Breathing

This very common yogic breath is a progression of the belly breath. We divide each inhale & exhale into 3 parts:

As you inhale through the nose, 

• first expand the belly outward (as in belly breathing)

• then expand the bottom ribs out to the sides, like an accordion expanding open,

• then expand the top of the chest & ribs, letting them rise gently

Then, as you exhale, the steps are reversed, 

• first relaxing the upper chest,

• then the bottom ribs,

• then finally the belly draws gently in.

Keep the breath slow & smooth. While there is some effort in this practice, there should be no force. Continue to relax the rest of the body.

3. Rectangle or Box Breathing

Here we take the 3 part breathing a little further, and make it 4 parts: On the inhale, (1) the belly expands, (2) the bottom ribs widen, (3) the top ribs lift, and THEN (4) the breath travels to the rest of the body - the head, the arms & the legs. The whole body fills with breath. 

The exhale is exactly the reverse: (1) the extremities empty, (2) the chest relaxes, (3)the bottom ribs narrow, (4) the belly draws in. 

The inhale has 4 counts: belly,  ribs, chest, everything else (expanding from the inside out)
And the exhale has 4 counts: the outer body, chest, ribs, belly (releasing from the outside in)

The name of this breath technique is rectangle or box breathing, because we’re going to add a small holding of the breath at the top of the inhale & at the bottom of the exhale. 

The hold - which is like the suspension at the top of a rollercoaster and not a tightening - can last anywhere from 2-4 counts. If  you hold for 2 counts, the shape of the breath resembles a rectangle: inhale for 4 - hold for 2 - exhale for 4 - hold for 2. 

If you hold for 4 counts, it resembles a box: inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. 

Once more, while there is some effort in this practice, the body is meant to stay as relaxed as possible. There is no need to force. 

4. Spacious breathing

At the end of your breathwork practice, take some time to let the breath relax and ‘just be'. Keep the attention on the breath, but let go of controlling it. Notice the sensations & the energy in the body. Notice where you can let go of unnecessary tension. Whenever the attention gets distracted, continue to return the attention to the body, breath, & to the present moment.

5. Mindset

While this is technically not a part of breathwork, I think it’s a wonderful idea to take advantage of all the focus that we’ve been developing through the entire practice, to work with the power of the mind.

Take your final moments to do 1 or more of these:

• choose 1 guiding word or short phrase to carry you through the rest of your day

• remind yourself of what’s most important to you

• bring to mind 1 or more simple things in your life that you are grateful for

• send some energy from your heart to 1 or more persons who you think could use it

• feel the support of the earth below you & the sky above you

• pause & listen to your inner guide for insight & direction

Close your practice with a bow of respect & kindness towards yourself - with as much or little formality as feels comfortable to you. 

Enjoy the rest of your day.

And now, here is the fully guided practice!

The benefits of breathwork may be felt immediately - in the form of increased energy & mental clarity, reduced stress, or an overall greater sense of well-being. But even if you don’t feel any benefits right away, I encourage you to stick with it and to practice at different times in your day to see when it feels best for you. Notice subtle changes over time. And if you are like me, ask your friends if you seem less impatient & laugh more!