What is breathwork?

Or in other words: what do we really mean when we say “breathe consciously”?

Breathwork is more than just breathing.
It’s a practice where you intentionally use your breath to shift your internal state.
Consciously, meaning you know you're doing it, and you're doing it on purpose.

We can use the breath to regulate the nervous system, process emotions, reconnect with ourselves.
Sometimes just to pause and land back in the body. Back in you.

But conscious breathing isn’t one single method. It’s a collection of different approaches, each serving a different purpose. In my work, I distinguish four main types of breath — which can often blend and overlap with one another.

REGULATING BREATH - GROUNDING & CALM

This is a long, slow breath that supports the parasympathetic nervous system (around 4–6 breaths per minute). Its aim is to calm the nervous system by activating the vagus nerve, increase the sense of safety, and help you move out of anxiety, stress, or internal tension.

We use a slow nasal breath, aiming for a rhythm like:
Inhale 4 seconds - exhale 6 to 8 seconds.
The focus here is on extending the exhale.

This is the type of breath I use with clients who experience anxiety, stress, or insomnia.

RELEASING BREATH - SOMATIC & ENERGETIC

Sometimes we need to stir up and integrate stuck emotions, discharge internal pressure, or enter into emotional flow. In this case we employ the type of breathing we call Conscious Connected Breath(work).

In this practice, we breathe dynamically, often faster, using a connected breath - the one with no pause between inhale and exhale. The inhale is full and active. The exhale is soft and passive - let go without force.
I call this a sessional breath - typically done through the mouth, which stimulates the sympathetic system more quickly and helps access suppressed material faster.

Important:
This kind of breath requires a safe space and a trained practitioner, preferably working from a trauma-informed approach, who understands the contraindications of this style of breathing. There will be a separate post about that.

EXPANDED RELEASING BREATH - ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

When the releasing breath is intensified and extended, it can lead us into transpersonal spaces and altered states of consciousness.

These sessions are usually longer - often over two hours of deep, connected breathing without breaks between inhale and exhale. This kind of breathwork can evoke visions, memories, and experiences beyond words.
In my opinion, it requires grounding, a skilled and embodied facilitator, and space for integration. After a session like this, you won’t just get in your car and drive home. You’ll need stillness, space, and time for yourself. That’s why I recommend exploring this type of breathwork during multi-day retreats or dedicated workshops, where proper integration is part of the process.

INTEGRATION BREATH - RETURNING TO SELF

This is the breath that helps you come back to yourself after a session.
Quiet, subtle, present. It’s like your everyday breath through the nose, but done with awareness. It helps to close the process and anchor what’s been moved or opened.

CONCLUSION

When someone says “breathwork,” ask: What kind of breathwork? For what purpose? For whom?
It’s not about doing more, or going deeper by force. It’s about choosing the breath practice that meets you exactly where you are. Choosing what your body truly needs.

Different intentions call for different breaths.
And every one of them can be beautiful - if approached with awareness.