Breathwork: Types, Benefits, How to Start and Is It Safe? (UK)

What is breathwork?

Breathing happens on autopilot, but you can also take control of it. Breathwork is the umbrella term for doing that on purpose: changing how fast you breathe, how deeply, whether you use your nose or mouth, and whether you pause or hold your breath.

At one end are calm, slow techniques most people know as breathing exercises, such as belly breathing and box breathing. Many come from yoga, where breath control is called pranayama. At the other end are fast, deep styles that push your body chemistry and can bring on tingling, strong emotions or an altered state of mind.

Breathwork vs meditation: they overlap but aren’t the same. Meditation usually asks you to notice your breath without changing it. Breathwork asks you to change it. Many people find breathwork easier than sitting meditation because it gives the mind a clear job. If you want to try both, our mindfulness for beginners guide is a good partner to this one.

Types of breathwork compared

Most techniques fall into two families. Slow breathing (under about 10 breaths a minute) tends to settle the body. Fast or high ventilation breathing deliberately over-breathes and is stimulating. Here is how the main types compare.

Slow and resonance breathing

The foundation of calming breathwork. Heart rate variability (HRV) research found heart rhythms swing most strongly at about six breaths a minute, which is why this pace is called resonance breathing. See our guides to the vagus nerve and nervous system regulation for why slow breathing settles you.

Alternate nostril and Buteyko breathing

Alternate nostril breathing (nadi shodhana) is a yoga technique: close one nostril with your thumb, breathe in slowly through the other, then switch sides to breathe out. Skip it if your nose is blocked. Buteyko, developed for asthma, trains light, slow nose breathing with short pauses. It is never a replacement for inhalers or other asthma medicine.

Fast breathing: Wim Hof, holotropic and conscious connected

These styles over-breathe on purpose. In one study of holotropic and conscious connected sessions, the drop in carbon dioxide from deliberate over-breathing tracked closely with people entering altered states of consciousness, some similar to psychedelic experiences. That is powerful, and it is why these styles need the most care.

Breathwork benefits: what the research says

Breathwork has more evidence behind it than many wellness trends, but the studies are mostly small and short. Here is what holds up.

• Stress, anxiety and low mood. A 2023 meta-analysis by researchers at the University of Sussex pooled 12 randomised trials with 785 adults. People who did breathwork reported lower stress than control groups, a small to medium effect. Similar effects were seen for anxiety (20 trials) and depressive symptoms (18 trials). The authors also urged caution, as most trials had a moderate risk of bias.
• Heart rate variability. A 2022 meta-analysis of 223 studies found voluntary slow breathing raised vagally mediated HRV, a marker of the body’s calming, rest and digest branch, during practice, straight afterwards and after several weeks.
• Slow breathing with a pacer. A 2017 meta-analysis of 24 studies with 484 people looked at heart rate variability biofeedback, which trains you to breathe at around your resonance pace while watching your heart rhythm on a screen. It was linked with a large drop in self-reported stress and anxiety, though the authors said more well-controlled studies are needed.
• Mood, day to day. In a one-month Stanford study, five minutes a day of cyclic sighing improved mood and slowed resting breathing more than the same time spent on mindfulness meditation.
• In stressful moments. A small 2026 study found that one minute of cyclic sighing or box breathing, done in real-life anxious moments, lowered anxiety more than doing nothing.
• Asthma. A Cochrane review of 22 trials found breathing exercises may improve quality of life in adults with mild to moderate asthma, though the evidence for symptoms and lung function was less clear.

Where the evidence is thin: most breathwork trials are small, short and hard to blind (you know if you’re doing the breathing), and many compare breathwork with doing nothing. Research on specific named techniques is thinner still. For 4-7-8 breathing, for example, the main study we found tested 43 healthy young adults once, in a lab, and measured heart rate and blood pressure rather than anxiety. So treat any technique as something worth trying, not a proven fix.

What’s hype: claims that breathwork detoxes your body, burns fat, fixes your skin or “releases” trauma on its own aren’t supported by good evidence. Breathwork is a useful skill for managing how you feel. It isn’t a cure for any health condition, and it shouldn’t replace treatment you’ve been prescribed.

How to start: a 5-minute breathwork routine

You don’t need an app, a class or any kit. This routine builds on the NHS breathing exercise for stress, which suggests at least 5 minutes and doing it regularly as part of your day.

1. Get comfortable (30 seconds). Sit in a chair that supports your back with both feet flat on the floor, or lie down. Loosen anything tight around your waist.
2. Notice your breath (30 seconds). Breathe normally. Put one hand on your belly and notice whether it rises as you breathe in.
3. Belly breathing (2 minutes). Breathe in gently through your nose, letting the breath flow low into your belly, counting steadily from 1 to 5 if that’s comfortable. Breathe out gently through your mouth, counting from 1 to 5 again. Don’t force it: you may not reach 5 at first.
4. Slow it to about six a minute (1 minute). Once it feels easy, keep the in-breath at around 5 seconds and let the out-breath stretch to 5 or 6.
5. Finish with three sighs (30 seconds). Two short breaths in through the nose, one long, slow breath out through the mouth.
6. Sit quietly (30 seconds). Let your breathing return to normal before you get up.

How often? Once or twice a day is a good start. Morning, a work break and bedtime all work. Little and often beats one long session a week, and it gets easier with practice.

Feeling dizzy? You’re breathing too hard or too deeply. Make each breath smaller and softer, and breathe normally for a minute.

Breathing exercises for anxiety: 5 to try

These five breathing exercises for anxiety are all slow and gentle, so they suit most people. None needs an app. Try each for a few days and keep the one that feels easiest: the best breathing exercise for anxiety is the one you will actually do.

1. NHS 5-count breathing

This is the NHS breathing exercise for stress, and the simplest place to start. Sit with your back supported, lie down or stand with your feet hip-width apart. Let the breath flow as low into your belly as feels comfortable, without forcing it. Breathe in through your nose, counting steadily from 1 to 5, then breathe out through your mouth, counting from 1 to 5 again. You may not reach 5 at first. Keep going for at least 5 minutes, ideally as part of your daily routine.

2. Box breathing

Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, breathe out for 4 and hold for 4, tracing the sides of a square in your mind. The even rhythm gives an anxious mind something steady to follow. If the holds make you feel tight or panicky, shorten them or drop them. Our full guide to box breathing covers the steps and common mistakes.

3. 4-7-8 breathing

Breathe in quietly through your nose for 4, hold for 7, then breathe out slowly through your mouth for 8. The long out-breath is the key part, which is why many people save it for bedtime. Start with a few rounds rather than many. See our guide to 4-7-8 breathing for a step-by-step walk-through.

4. The physiological sigh (cyclic sighing)

Take a breath in through your nose, then a second, shorter sip of air on top, and let it all go in one long, slow sigh through your mouth. Repeat for a minute, or up to five. In a month-long Stanford trial, published in Cell Reports Medicine in 2023, five minutes a day of this exhale-focused cyclic sighing improved mood and lowered resting breathing rate more than mindfulness meditation did. One small study does not settle it, but it is easy to try.

5. Extended exhale and resonance breathing

Slow your breathing to about six breaths a minute: in for around 5 seconds, out for 5 or 6. Making the out-breath a little longer than the in-breath is the simplest way in. This is the pace used in heart rate variability training. Read more about why it settles the body in our guides to the vagus nerve and the fight or flight response. Some people find it easier to breathe along to slow, steady music for anxiety.

If you feel dizzy or tingly, you’re breathing too hard or too deeply. Make each breath smaller and softer, and breathe normally for a minute. Anxiety can cause dizziness on its own too: see anxiety and dizziness. If breathing exercises make you more anxious, try a grounding technique or progressive muscle relaxation instead.

Breathwork for anxiety

Anxiety often shows up in your breathing: quick, shallow breaths high in the chest. Breathwork gives you a way to work from the body back to the mind. A 2023 scoping review of 16 studies in adults diagnosed with anxiety disorders found a range of breathwork approaches improved anxiety symptoms, although the findings on fast breathing were mixed.

For anxiety, slow, out-breath-focused techniques are the safest bet. Fast styles can bring on the same feelings as panic, such as tingling fingers, light-headedness and a racing heart, which can be frightening if you’re prone to panic attacks.

• In the moment: a physiological sigh or a minute of slow breathing. See how to calm down.
• During a panic attack: the NHS advice is to breathe slowly and deeply and remind yourself it will pass. Our guide to how to stop a panic attack walks you through it.
• As a daily habit: 5 minutes of slow breathing or box breathing.

iBreathwork works best as one tool among several. If anxiety is affecting your daily life, see a GP. In England you can also refer yourself to NHS Talking Therapies. Our guide to how to deal with anxiety covers the options.

Breathwork for sleep

A 2026 systematic review of nine studies with 457 people looked at slow breathing (10 breaths a minute or fewer) before bed. People reported sleeping longer and better, mostly in studies lasting around a month. Results from sleep trackers and sleep lab tests were less clear, so the evidence is promising rather than proven.

The best breathwork for sleep is slow and soft. Try:

• 4-7-8 breathing once you’re in bed
• a slow breathing body scan or a short sleep meditation
• yoga nidra, which uses the breath to guide you into deep rest

Keep fast, energising styles such as Wim Hof for the morning. They are designed to wake you up. If you breathe through your mouth at night, snore loudly or stop breathing in your sleep, read mouth breathing at night and speak to your GP. For a full wind-down, see our bedtime routine for adults.

Is breathwork safe? Risks and who should be careful

Slow, gentle breathing is low risk for almost everyone. A large review of slow breathing studies expected few adverse effects. The risks sit mainly with fast breathing and breath holds.

Common side effects of fast breathing: tingling or pins and needles in the hands, feet or around the mouth, light-headedness, cramping or tightness in the hands, and feeling emotional. These come from blowing off carbon dioxide and usually pass within minutes once you breathe normally.

Fainting and water: the Royal Life Saving Society UK warns that over-breathing and then holding your breath can cause a blackout in any depth of water, often with no warning, and without fast rescue this leads to drowning. Never practise in a bath, pool or open water, or just before a swim. Don’t do it while driving, standing or anywhere a fall could hurt you.

iCheck with your GP or midwife first, and stick to gentle slow breathing, if you:

• Have epilepsy. Over-breathing is used in hospital EEG tests because it can bring on seizure activity, and it can trigger seizures in up to half of people with generalised epilepsy.
• Are pregnant. Avoid fast breathing and breath holds. Gentle breathing for relaxation and labour, as taught in antenatal classes, is a different thing.
• Have a heart condition or high blood pressure, or have had a stroke or fainting episodes.
• Have asthma or COPD. Breathing exercises can sit alongside your treatment but never replace it. Keep taking your inhalers, and don’t change medicine without your GP or asthma nurse.
• Have panic disorder. Fast breathing can bring on panic-like symptoms. Slow breathing is a better fit.
• Have a history of psychosis, bipolar disorder, severe trauma or dissociation, before trying holotropic or conscious connected breathwork. These sessions can produce intense experiences and strong emotions. Talk to your GP or mental health team first.

Stop straight away if you feel chest pain, an irregular heartbeat, severe dizziness, confusion or panic. Call 999 if chest pain doesn’t settle.

Breathwork apps, classes and teachers

For slow breathing, a free app with a visual pacer or a simple timer is all you need. For anything more intense, a good teacher matters, and training varies a lot from one teacher to the next. Before you book a class, retreat or one-to-one session, check that the teacher:

• asks about your health before the session, including epilepsy, heart problems, pregnancy and mental health
• can tell you about their training and insurance
• never pressures you to keep going when you want to stop
• doesn’t promise to cure anxiety, trauma or any illness
• runs fast breathing sessions lying down on dry land, with someone watching the room

Yoga classes are another easy way in, as most include some pranayama. Breathwork for children should stay simple and playful, and slow, never fast.

Making breathwork part of a calm routine

Breathwork sticks best when you attach it to something you already do: three slow breaths before you open your laptop, or five minutes after brushing your teeth at night.

Some people like to add a supplement to their evening wind-down. Our Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex is a caffeine-free evening drink with glycine and L-theanine, and magnesium contributes to normal psychological function. Others take our Flow CBD Oil, with ashwagandha and maca, as part of their routine. Our Reishi Mushroom Adaptogenic Complex is a reishi hot chocolate made with cacao, which contains a little natural caffeine, so some people prefer it earlier in the evening. CBD isn’t a treatment for anxiety or stress. The FSA’s 10mg a day figure is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication.

All our products are for adults only. We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Related guides

• Slow breathing is one of the best-studied ways to calm the stress response: see how to lower cortisol.
• For a gadget that paces slow breathing at bedtime, read our guide to the Dodow sleep aid.
• Breathwork is one of several stress management techniques with good evidence; exercise and mindfulness are others.
• If you track your stress on a watch, see how Garmin measures stress and why slow breathing can bring the reading down.