I already posted here before,but the problem I have now is in the title.I can’t tell whether I’m actually inhaling with my nose or am I somehow using my neck muscles or upper chest to inhale.I looked around on the internet to figure it out,but am still confused.
At a retreat, I did a holotropic breathwork session, and it was an incredible experience. It didn’t feel intense or overly activating. Instead, it felt peaceful, almost blissful. For days afterward, I felt like something had shifted in me in a really positive way.
Since then, I found a local place that offers something similar once a month. Last night, while lying in bed, I found a short 20-minute “Breathe with Sandy” video and decided to try it. Again, it felt amazing, and the peace afterward was incredible.
My question is, can this type of breathing be harmful in any way? Is the breath-holding part especially risky? Can it activate the nervous system in a negative way?
If it were up to me, I’d do this once a week because of how good it makes me feel, but I also notice there are a lot of warnings around breathwork.
Would love to hear any wisdom or personal experiences.
These guys videos started popping up on my feed and it’s ringing major alarm bells for me. Get a bunch of ex junkies together with no qualifications and a business that profits from vulnerable peoples “traumas”. It’s got weird as fuck vibes. Wouldn’t trust any of these guys to deal with trauma release ye sure they’ve got life experience but just looks like a massive shit show waiting to happen. Gaz just looks like he thinks he’s gods gift and is probably racking up the cash and creating a community of losers around him who are trauma bonding and sucking each others trauma dicks. Anyone got experience? I feel like these characters are dodgy as
I started doing Diaphragmatic breathing while lying down a week ago since I’ve been breathing with my upper chest my whole life + I have a deppressed ribcage and somebody told me I should try it,turns out it was harder than I thought.When i inhale,I eventually come to the point where I feel like inhaling more though I would need to use my upper chest to do so while the goal is both for my stomach and chest to move at the same time.So i exhale trough the mouth slowly,and at the midway I start feeling like suffocating,I get a strong urge to quickly inhale.I somehow exhale,but when I start inhaling again it’s like i need more and more air and It becomes imppossible to inhale fully without using my upper chest.I try to exhale again and I just start twitching and kinda shaking as I try to exhale slowly.After the 3rd time it becomes genuinrly impposible to do so anymore and I give up and try again later.
My question is,what the hell do I do? I can’t inhale normaly nor can I exhale normally? I really wanna do this
I’m 5 years in and have tried a lot (PTs, pelvic floor therapists, etc.) Any advice is appreciated.
Talking about my own experience, I haven't felt a huge difference yet. But I must say that during these 18 days, I've been completely free of headaches. I even got through an acute headache without taking a painkiller. Usually, my headaches are intense and can last for days if I don't take painkiller.
Other than that, one incident, I think I feel calmer and a little more focused. I also think it takes time to see the full impact. Honestly, I even wonder if I'm not doing the practice exactly the way it's supposed to be done, which might be why I'm not experiencing the huge changes that some people claim.
Overall, the effects have been positive, and I'm hoping it's not just a placebo. I was just curious to know if anyone who's been doing it regularly has noticed a significant long-term difference.
Hi
I’ve been hyper-aware of my breathing for the last two months. I focus on it so much that it eventually leads to air hunger and hyperventilation. I visited a psychiatrist, and diagnosed with OCD and health anxiety. He prescribed me aSSRI/sertraline. I’ve been on 75 mg for 6 weeks now. I’m a bit better than before, but once it starts, it persists throughout the day, creating a loop where I constantly feel air hunger, especially when lying on my side at night. However, it goes away when I focus on something else. Since I can't keep myself distracted forever, has anyone else experienced this and recovered—with or without medication?
I thought this older study was still worth revisiting because it looks at breathing from a slightly different angle: not just calming down, but also attention. Forty healthy adults were randomized to either a diaphragmatic breathing intervention or a control group. The intervention group completed 20 sessions over 8 weeks with real-time breathing feedback, averaging around 4 breaths per minute. Before and after the intervention, researchers measured negative affect, sustained attention, and salivary cortisol. The intervention group showed lower negative affect, better sustained attention, and lower cortisol after training. It is a small study, so I would not make huge claims from it. But I do think it is a useful example of breathing practice being framed not only as relaxation, but also as something that may influence focus and stress physiology at the same time. Curious whether people here think that is a meaningful distinction, or basically the same phenomenon viewed from different angles. Source: Ma X, Yue ZQ, Gong ZQ, Zhang H, Duan NY, Shi YT, Wei GX, Li YF (2017). The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing on Attention, Negative Affect and Stress in Healthy Adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 874. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00874 Link: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00874
been trying to get into breathwork for months. but every time i try nose breathing i feel like im suffocating. my left nostril is basically non functional. i thought maybe i just needed practice but i literally cannot get air through one side.
went to a gp and he said i have a deviated septum and enlarged turbinates. basically my nose is structurally wrong.
my friend recommended a surgeon in sydney who does functional nasal surgery. dr shahidi in woollahra. she had septoplasty last year and can actually breathe now.
im considering it because i want to do breathwork properly. has anyone else here had structural issues and fixed them with surgery? did it change your practice? im worried i wont be able to do the exercises even after surgery
help please
I began doing breathwork as part of integration after doing a bunch of psychedelic-assisted therapy, and I seem to hit an altered state of consciousness with most holds. For instance, doing three minutes of breath of fire, then a bandha lock and I’m on another planet.
Then today, during a vinyasa practice, the instructor led us in a quick pranayama exercise mid-sequence. Hit the hold bit and I had to take a knee- once again- on another planet.
Can someone explain to me the science of this and why I seem to be far more susceptible? I theorize that it’s because of my psychedelic experiences- my brain is very comfortable in ASOCs. I’m wondering if one of you experts can further elucidate what’s going on.
Thanks in advance. 🙏🏻
Do you notice any tangible benefits during rest of your day? how intense do you do it: how many breaths, how many rounds, how fast and how long do you hold?
What’s your reason for sticking with it daily?
Hi everyone!
I had my first ever breathwork class today (45 mins), expecting something similar to a relaxing meditation or yoga class (which I love), but I found it incredibly intense.
The class description was quite vague and described it as suitable for all levels, calming and relaxing, so I thought I'd be absolutely fine. However, once it started, I felt an overwhelming sense of fear and panic. I cried for most of the session, and it seemed to trigger derealisation afterwards (something I haven't experienced for a long time). I also couldn't always keep up with the breathing pattern, my hands started clenching into fists, and my whole body became really tense—I just couldn't relax at all.
I've struggled with anxiety, trauma and poor mental health in the past, but I'm in such a better place now and generally cope really well. I haven't felt that level of panic in a long time, which is why I was so surprised that this seemed to reignite those feelings out of nowhere???
The instructor mentioned beforehand that breathwork can bring up emotions, but I really wasn't expecting such a strong reaction.
Has anyone else experienced anything similar? Is this something that can happen, especially during a first session, or is it more likely that this style of breathwork just isn't for me?
Right now I honestly don't think I ever want to do it again, but I'd really love to hear other people's experiences!
I have been breathing manually last 2 months. When I focus on my breathing too much, I realize that I breath rapidly which causes hyperventilation. I have health anxiety and ocd and the psychiatrist gave me ssri/sertraline. It helps but I still have it. How did you resolve your air hunger/chronic huperventilation/manual breathing?
Hello, my fellow lovers of breath! I just got back from leading the summer Language of Breath Certification cohort, and one of the most misunderstood concepts that came up in this cohort was concerning trauma, breathwork;s role in helping people who suffer from trauma, and basically what it is. Many people come to our certification after being certified in other modalities that have a lot of vibes but not a lot of value when it comes to what is really happening in a breathwork session, what actually moves the needle the most, and how to facilitate breathwork ethically.
I recently an article on substack breaking this down as simply and concisely as I could. I hope it is helpful to you:
Issues I notice : forgetting to breathe through whole day - mouth and shallow breathing most of the times
How to fix these issues ??
One thing I've noticed after working with people over the past few years:
Many people judge a breathwork session by how intense it felt.
If they cried, shook, had a huge emotional release, or felt completely wiped out afterward, they assume it was a great session.
If they simply felt calmer, slept better that night, or found themselves less reactive during the week, they sometimes wonder if "enough" happened.
It makes me think we've accidentally started measuring healing by the peak experience instead of what changes afterward.
Don't get me wrong—intense sessions absolutely have their place. But intensity alone doesn't guarantee integration.
Sometimes the most meaningful session isn't the most dramatic. It's the one that brings awareness to sensations that have been quietly held in the body for years, creating space for something deeper within us to gradually reveal itself.
Curious if others have noticed this, either in their own practice or as facilitators.
PS I facilitate breathwork and train practitioners (mental health professionals, wellness practitioners, and people integrating from intense breathwork experiences / work with plant medicine & altered states of consciousness).
I’m incorporating my website for additional context so you can learn more about the philosophy and context from others who have experienced the work directly.
I’ve been trying to stick to a consistent box breathing routine for stress relief, but I'm hitting a wall with how reliant everything is on visual cues.
It feels like every single video guide or online tool out there forces you to keep your eyes wide open to follow a glowing ring animation, track a moving circle, or count numbers in your head. To me, true breathwork means closing your eyes, clearing your mind, and completely disconnecting from the device. Instead, I find myself constantly opening one eye to peek at the screen just to see how many seconds are left on a hold phase. It completely breaks my focus state and gives me total timer fatigue.
How do you guys handle your sessions without constantly checking a screen? Are there actual methods or tools that rely entirely on immersive sound design or subtle audio cues so you can keep your eyes closed the whole time?
One of the simplest breathing practices I keep coming back to is Bhramari (Bumble Bee Breath).
The practice is simple:
There's also some research suggesting that humming may increase nitric oxide production in the nasal passages, which can support respiratory function and circulation.
I put together a short 2-minute demonstration here.
I practice for sinus relief, sleep apnea, PTSD, & meditation
I really don't like the standard "in through the nose, out through the mouth" breathing. I find the transition disturbing and distracting. Something in the mouth seals when inhaling through the nose and then unseals when exhaling through the mouth. I much prefer either nose/nose or mouth/mouth. Is there any science demonstrating an advantage of nose/mouth breathing?