u/BestCycle4004

I try not to create any rules when it comes to breathwork. I try to listen to the body and adjust the practice accordingly. Sometimes that means sitting in complete silence and darkness with just the breath. Other times I'll use these add-ons for a different experience.

1. Humming during exhales

Why it helps:

• Humming can increase nasal nitric oxide production, which may help improve airflow through the nasal passages.
• Nitric oxide also plays a role in blood flow and oxygen delivery.
• The vibration can feel calming as it's a built-in vagus nerve massage.

A small study found humming increased nasal nitric oxide levels significantly more than quiet exhaling.

2. Stretching during slow breathing

I'll do stretches that feel in sync with the practice. Some favorites:

• Neck stretches
• Child’s pose
• Forward folds
• Hip openers

Why it helps:

• Stretching while exhaling helps my muscles relax when tension is distracting me from the session.

3. Walking + breathwork (in sync with steps)
If you've read my earlier posts, you know I'm big into habit stacking, so getting outside and doing breathwork is a regular part of my routine.

Why it helps:

• Sometimes I need some movement to stay focused/mindful.

There’s also research showing nasal breathing during exercise may improve breathing efficiency over time.

4. Low Sensory Breathwork
Then there's other times like I said. Where i've let the nervous system run wild for too long and need complete stillness/silence/darkness.

Sometimes i'll bring in these items for a low sensory experience:

• Noise Cancelling Headphones
• Eye Mask
• Weighted or Heated Blanket

Always on the lookout for more tips. Let me know what you recommend.

• I don't catch myself holding my breath while working as much

• Less panic attacks (When in a situation that has panic potential, I'll do a box breathing or similar technique and it seems to get ahead of it)

• I've been falling asleep faster

• I don't catch myself clenching my jaw as much

• I naturally stick to nasal breathing without thinking about it.

• I don't have as much posture pain while working (prone to neck/shoulder tension)

• A calmer state in general

What have you noticed? I welcome any recommendations to increase these benefits.

A few lessons I learned through a lot of trial and error:

1. More intensity is not always better

This one I seem to have to learn the hard way in every area of my life. When something is good, I always dial it to 11. But listening to the body and not pushing it has served me better than turning blue to beat my last breath-hold time.

2. Your breathing habits outside of dedicated sessions matter a lot

You can do 10 minutes of breathwork, but if you spend the rest of the day mouth breathing, stress breathing, and holding your breath while working… it catches up. Not constantly worrying about it, but generally trying to stay more conscious.

3. Choose the technique wisely

There's a variety of techniques that all have a different offering and the way my body reacts to a given technique is not always the same. I love a good fast-paced technique most mornings. But sometimes I can tell that my nervous system wants something slow so I adjust. And certain slow techniques can save me from a panic attack one day but in calmer waters can put me to sleep when i don't want that level of sedation. So it all depends on the moment. 4-7-8 can be awesome for slowing things down in the body, but if I'm way overstimulated I might do something with shorter holds to ease into it.

4. Longer sessions are not always necessary

A few physiological sighs during a stressful moment can sometimes be more helpful than forcing a 30 minute session. I have an app that tracks my HR during sessions and it'll show you that the HR can lower quickly during a session, so if you only have time for a quick session, still worth it.

5. Breathwork works better when paired with other habits

Maybe it's the placebo effect of just feeling more productive, but when I started combining the breathwork with things like journaling, contrast showers, walks, red light, sauna sessions, it made everything work better.

6. Breathwork isn’t a cure.

I got into breathwork after over a decade of undiagnosed tick infections and other conditions that ride shotgun with Lyme. My nervous system got cooked from years of chronic illness. The way I typically describe it is that breathwork didn't solve the problem, but it helps smooth the sharper edges of the nervous system's response, which was a very welcome surprise.

Curious what lessons others have learned.

I’ve gone pretty deep down the breathwork/nervous system rabbit hole over the last few years. These are the books I recommend most often. Always looking for the next one, so let me know what's missing from this list.

Breath by James Nestor
A fascinating intro to how modern habits have messed up our breathing and why nasal breathing matters more than most people realize.

The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown
Great breakdown of CO2 tolerance, nasal breathing, performance, sleep, and why “breathing less” can sometimes be beneficial.

The Wim Hof Method by Wim Hof
Covers breathwork, cold exposure, mindset, and how controlled stress can build resilience.

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
A foundational book on trauma and how stress gets stored in the body.

Holotropic Breathwork by Stanislav Grof & Christina Grof
The foundational book on holotropic breathwork and how intense breathing practices can create profound emotional release.

Hidden Depression by Margaret Robinson Rutherford
A powerful book on high-functioning depression and the internal stress many people hide well.

1. Before sleep
4-7-8 breathing can help slow heart rate and make it easier to wind down.

2. While working
Coherence breathing in the background can help prevent shallow breathing, tension, and “email apnea.”

3. Right after high pressure/stressful situations
Physiological sighs can help bring your nervous system down faster.

4. During workouts
Practicing slower nasal breathing during walks/runs can improve breath control and CO2 tolerance.

Sometimes I do enjoy dedicated breathwork time, but integrating it into things I already do has been a real benefit.

1. Contrast showers

I like to do coherence (6-6) or box breathing (4-4-4-4) to slow my breath down in contrast showers.

2. Journaling right after

I like to journal (just a quick paragraph) after breathwork to organize my thoughts. I find it adds to the "reset" feeling afterwards.

3. Coherence breathing while working

I'll set my app to 30 minutes of a coherence session (sometimes I'll do back to back) while I'm working and find a it counteracts it all the bad habits of working on my laptop ("email apnea", muscle tension, etc)

4. Slower breathing while running

While I'm running I'll do small extensions to the breath just to create a little air hunger, nothing crazy.

5. Red light / sauna sessions

Habit stacking these things make me feel like I'm really making use of my time. For a bonus, I'll often listen to a podcast or youtube about the benefits the things I'm doing so the mind is also working for the cause.

Hope this is helpful! Great to find some fellow breathwork junkies.

1. Coherence breathing (6 in / 6 out)
How: inhale 6 sec, exhale 6 sec, no pause
What it does: balances your nervous system over time
When I use it: daily baseline (I use it for long stretches for mindfulness while working/etc)

2. 4-7-8 breathing
How: inhale 4 → hold 7 → exhale 8
What it does: slows heart rate, helps your body shut down
When I use it: before bed

3. Physiological sigh (fastest reset)
How: inhale → quick second inhale → long exhale (mouth), repeat
What it does: drops stress quickly, calms your system
When I use it: anxiety spikes

4. Box breathing (4-4-4-4)
How: inhale 4 → hold 4 → exhale 4 → hold 4
What it does: builds control + focus under stress
When I use it: when I feel scattered or overwhelmed where I don't want don't feel ready for long holds/exhales just yet