Breathwork is a term for various breathing practices in which the conscious and intentional control of breathing can influence a person’s mental, emotional, or physical state, with therapeutic effect.
Within published research, breathwork is commonly referred to in terms of “interventions” or breathing techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing, belly breathing and more.
While breathwork is becoming increasingly popular in the West, it is certainly not new – in fact, it has been used around the world for milenia.
Health Benefits of Breathwork
Research shows a variety of health and wellness benefits and quality of life improvements that intentional breathing may provide for people experiencing certain health conditions and concerns. Breathwork may:
- Reduce stress and aid in stress-related medical illnesses, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse – review in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
- Alleviate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a study in the Journal of Traumatic Stress
- Improve immune response, according to a study published in PLoS One
- Decrease hypertension in adults, according to a review published in May 2021 in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice
- Improve the quality of life in people with cardiovascular disease and cancer, according to a study published in May 2020 in International Journal of Yoga (IJOY)
- Many recent studies, including a systematic review published September 2018 in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, have found that breath work reduces anxiety, sharpens memory, treats symptoms of depression, promotes more restful sleep, and even improves heart health.
