Breathwork in Practice

Looking for a specific technique? Pick your goal first.

Calming down

Extended exhale — the simplest, lowest-threshold technique. Inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 6, through the nose, without effort. Needs no preparation and works anywhere.

Cyclic sighing — for a faster reset. The name describes a breathing pattern, not an audible sound. 3 to 5 cycles: two inhales through the nose in a row (a normal one, immediately followed by a short extra inhale that tops off the lungs), then one long, slow exhale through the mouth – if you prefer to breathe entirely through the nose, that works too. What's supported is a lowered breathing rate and a subjective mood effect – not an objectively measurable effect on heart rate variability or resting heart rate.

Winding down in the evening

The same technique as above – extended exhale, combined with nasal breathing – built into a calm evening routine. The difference isn't the technique, it's the context. Important distinction: this helps with winding down for occasional trouble falling asleep, not with diagnosed insomnia. For nighttime breathing pauses, loud irregular snoring with gasping, or pronounced daytime fatigue, that's a case for medical evaluation, not breathing exercises – more on this in Part 8 of the compendium.

Training systematically

Resonance frequency breathing — the best-supported approach for regular practice. Start at roughly 5 seconds in, 5 seconds out – a full cycle takes 10 seconds, so about six breaths per minute. Individual resonance frequency falls in a range of roughly 3.3 to 6.6 breaths per minute – 5/5 breathing is a starting point to experiment with, not a fixed target.

The Ten-Minute Routine

A sample routine combining four building blocks. Each individual block has a supported basis – the combination as a whole wasn't tested in a study itself, so it's a practical assembly, not a validated overall protocol. The order is also a pragmatic choice (lowest-threshold first) and wasn't tested itself – a different order isn't wrong.

1. Arriving (2 min.): breathe consciously in and out through the nose, without changing your breathing.
2. Extended exhale (3 min.): 4 seconds in, 6 seconds out.
3. Resonance frequency breathing (3 min.): roughly 5 seconds in, 5 seconds out.
4. Cyclic sighing (2 min.): 3 to 5 cycles as described above.

If you feel dizzy, unwell, or increasingly short of breath: stop the exercise and let your breathing return to normal.

For a specific medical question

Techniques such as Buteyko breathing (e.g., for asthma) belong only in the appropriate medical context and in consultation with medical treatment – not as a general wellness exercise. Details in Part 5 of the compendium.

What's deliberately missing here

Box breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana): Not less supported than the techniques above, but not better either – no dedicated evidence that the specific numeric pattern does more than simple slow breathing. If it works well for you, you lose nothing by using it.

Cyclic hyperventilation with breath retention (Wim Hof style): Deliberately not included as a practice recommendation. The evidence for it is routinely overstated, and combining hyperventilation with breath-holding carries a real fainting risk – especially in or near water. If you're interested in it, read Part 7 and the warning box in Part 1 of the compendium first.

Why exactly this selection – and not more? The same three questions as in the compendium: How well is the effect supported (evidence)? How much caution does it require (safety)? Who is it worth it for (suitability)? Techniques that score worse on these than the ones listed here are deliberately left out – not because they're "bad," but because better-supported alternatives exist. The detailed assessment with study references is in the compendium.