What is Breathwork, and How Can It Help You?

I think it’s fair to say that if you haven’t tried breathwork in a formal, facilitated setting, you can’t possibly imagine how simply altering the breath can profoundly change your experience of life. It can ultimately help you come into a deeper connection with yourself and release all sorts of stuckness.

This was certainly the case for me. I’d done some breathing stuff in yoga and plenty of Wim Hof self-guided breathwork via YouTube, but at a retreat I attended, they facilitated one breathwork session—and what a journey… The best way I can describe it is that I died three times in the course of this 40-minute exercise. Not everyone experiences such a profound journey, but most people are moved in some significant way. Dying might not sound like everyone’s cup of tea but it equates to ego dissolution, so it’s a good thing.

Having had such a deep experience and experienced such renewal, I went in search of more.

I’ve done breathwork hundreds of times now, and I can say that I have had the same type of journey as all of the psychedelic experiences I’ve had—aside from DMT, which I didn’t find therapeutic but just a wild visual trip.

While I don’t offer breathwork as a standalone service, I use it as a powerful tool to support my clients between sessions. As you read this article, you’ll begin to see the profound impact it can have on someone’s life, and why I’ve integrated it into the Embodied Leadership programme.

What is Breathwork?

Breathwork is the practice of deliberately controlling your breathing patterns to influence your body and mind, often used in meditation, performance training, and personal development. Athletes like Novak Djokovic incorporate conscious breathing techniques to enhance focus, resilience, and recovery, demonstrating its effectiveness in high-performance settings. It can also be used to shift our state of mind, regulate our emotions, release trauma/ stuckness and improve overall well-being.

In the Embodied Leader Programme, we incorporate breathwork as a powerful tool for leaders to access greater clarity, emotional resilience, and presence. If you’re looking to empty out fear, grief, anger, or shame, reduce stress, sharpen your focus, improve athletic endurance, or develop emotional resilience, breathwork is a powerful, accessible tool that can help you get there.

Different Types of Breathwork

There are countless breathwork techniques, each designed for different purposes. Here are some of the most widely practiced:

Conscious Connected: A continuous, rhythmic breathing technique without pauses between inhale and exhale, aimed at releasing emotional blockages, increasing self-awareness, and promoting deep healing.
Holotropic Breathing: A rapid, deep breathing technique that can bring about altered states of consciousness and emotional release.
Wim Hof Method: Controlled hyperventilation, breath retention, and cold exposure to enhance endurance, immune function, and stress resilience.
Coherent Breathing: Balanced breathing where inhalations and exhalations are equal in length (typically 6 seconds in, 6 seconds out) to create a calm, steady state.
Buteyko Breathing: Focuses on reducing breathing volume to improve carbon dioxide tolerance and respiratory efficiency, often used for conditions like asthma.
Nasal Breathing: Simply breathing through your nose instead of your mouth can have a big impact. It helps the body absorb oxygen more efficiently, supports lung function, and boosts nitric oxide production, which is important for circulation and reducing inflammation.

While some of these techniques are simple and can be practiced alone, others—especially those that induce deep emotional or physiological shifts—are best done under guidance.

The Benefits of Breathwork

Breathwork is more than just breathing better, it can rewire the way we respond to life. Whether you’re a leader, an athlete, or someone looking for more peace of mind, the benefits can be profound:

1. Reduces Stress and Anxiety

One of the most well-documented benefits of breathwork is its ability to regulate the nervous system. Stress and anxiety activate the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response), leading to shallow, rapid breathing. Breathwork techniques—particularly long exhalations and diaphragmatic breathing—help activate the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest), reducing cortisol levels and promoting relaxation.

2. Improves Focus and Mental Clarity

Breathwork increases oxygen supply to the brain, enhancing cognitive function, memory, and problem-solving skills. Techniques like box breathing are widely used to maintain focus and make better decisions under pressure.

3. Boosts Energy and Endurance

Inefficient breathing can lead to fatigue. By optimising oxygen intake, breathwork can enhance physical stamina and mental alertness. This is particularly beneficial for athletes, busy professionals, and individuals managing demanding schedules.

4. Enhances Emotional Regulation

When emotions run high, our breath reflects it—short, erratic, or even held. Learning to control your breath can help regulate emotional responses, allowing for more measured, thoughtful reactions.

5. Supports Physical Health

Breathwork has been shown to:

Lower blood pressure and improve circulation
Strengthen the immune system
Increase lung capacity and improve respiratory function

6. Facilitates Trauma Release and Emotional Healing

Certain breathwork techniques, such as holotropic and conscious connected breathing, can bring suppressed emotions to the surface, helping individuals process past trauma and emotional blockages. These practices are often used in therapy and personal growth settings.

7. Improves Sleep and Relaxation

If you struggle with sleep, your breath may be part of the problem. Slow, controlled breathing before bed can help activate the body’s relaxation response, leading to deeper, more restorative sleep.

8. Enhances Leadership Presence and Performance

For leaders, breathwork is a game-changer. It helps with:

Public speaking: Reducing nervousness before presentations.
Crisis management: Staying composed in high-pressure situations.
Decision-making: Enhancing cognitive function and emotional stability.

How to Practice Breathwork

The great thing about breathwork is that it is accessible to everyone. As I mentioned earlier, some of the most advanced techniques should generally be guided and practiced under supervision of an experienced practitioner. This ensures that you achieve the best experience possible, as their experience can help guide you through. However, here are some beginner practices to give you a flavour of what breathwork is like.

1. Box Breathing (for Stress and Focus)

Inhale for 4 seconds
Hold for 4 seconds
Exhale for 4 seconds
Hold for 4 seconds
Repeat for 1-2 minutes

2. Coherent Breathing (for Calm and Balance)

Inhale for 6 seconds, exhale for 6 seconds
Maintain this rhythm for 5-10 minutes

3. Diaphragmatic Breathing (for Energy and Relaxation)

Place one hand on your belly and one on your chest
Inhale deeply through your nose, expanding your belly
Exhale fully through your mouth
Repeat for a few minutes whenever you need a reset

Integrating Breathwork into Daily Life

Here’s how to integrate it into your daily routine:

Start your day with breathwork – A few deep breaths in the morning can set a calm, focused tone for the day.
Use it before high-stress moments – Before a meeting, presentation, or difficult conversation, take a few rounds of box breathing.
Take mindful breathing breaks – Pause for a minute throughout the day to reset.
Pair it with movement – Breathwork combined with yoga, running, or weight training can enhance endurance and recovery.

Are There Any Risks?

For most people, breathwork is completely safe. However, certain techniques—especially those involving rapid or intense breathing—can cause dizziness, hyperventilation, or emotional distress. If you have any of the following conditions, consult a healthcare professional before diving in:

Respiratory conditions (e.g., asthma, COPD)
Cardiovascular disease
High blood pressure
Epilepsy
Pregnancy
Severe trauma or PTSD (some techniques may trigger emotional releases)

Final Thoughts

Breathwork is one of the most powerful tools we have for transforming our mental state, emotional well-being, and physical health. Whether you’re looking to increase resilience, improve focus, or simply find a moment of calm in your day, your breath is always available.

For those looking to integrate breathwork and other embodiment practices into their leadership journey, my Embodied Leader programme offers structured opportunities to explore these tools in a supportive setting.

James O'Halloran

As a Business Coach I help Founders* and those in Career Transition unlock problems and increase self-mastery so that they are confident in their direction and leadership. Through Career and Business Coaching, I help people who want to disrupt the(ir) status quo.