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Written by Mark Moon
Exploring the transformative power of conscious breathing through different practices
Exploring the safety, science and spirit of breathwork through every major style
Breath is the foundation of life. Yet for most of us, it’s an unconscious process until we begin to explore its deeper potential. In a world that moves faster than our bodies can integrate, breathwork offers a quiet revolution - an invitation to return to what’s already whole.
Breathwork isn’t just a practice; it’s a gateway to transformation. An ancient tool for healing, rediscovered and refined in modern times. Across cultures and centuries, the breath has been seen as a bridge between body and soul. A merging of science and spirit, as a way to shift consciousness, access deeper awareness, and support profound healing.
From yogic pranayama to modern therapeutic approaches, conscious breathing holds a unique power to reset the nervous system, regulate emotions, and reconnect us to the intelligence within. In Taoist energy cultivation, breath is central to physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. And today, science is catching up, showing how conscious breathing can regulate the autonomic nervous system, enhance mental health, and even alter brain chemistry.
My own journey into breathwork wasn’t born of curiosity - it was born of necessity.
Years of physical and emotional strain had left me disconnected from myself and locked in survival mode. I was stuck in a loop of chronic stress, lingering depression, and constant striving - never satisfied, no matter how much I achieved. No amount of therapy seemed to fully resolve it.
It was breathwork that taught me how to listen. Not just to my breath, but to my body, my energy, and my truth.
What I discovered wasn’t just a technique, but a different way of relating to myself. Through breath, I began to soften the patterns I didn’t even realise I was holding, and slowly, reconnect with my emotional landscape.
The benefits of breathwork extend far beyond resilience or relaxation. It’s not a tool for escape - it’s a practice of remembrance. A return to presence. To clarity. To integration. For me, it’s not about altering who I am, it's about remembering who I was always meant to be.
The Science Behind the Breathwork
Breathwork isn’t just experiential - it’s physiological. Research shows promising results in supporting depression, PTSD, chronic pain, and sleep regulation - especially when integrated with other trauma-informed modalities.
Here's what current research tells us about Breathwork:
- Reduces cortisol and stress hormones
- Activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest)
- Enhances heart rate variability (HRV) and resilience
- Shifts brainwaves from high beta (stress) to alpha and theta (relaxation + insight)
- Promotes trauma release and emotional processing through the limbic system
Breathing directly influences the autonomic nervous system, shifting between sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) states. When practiced with precision and the guidance of a trained practitioner, breathwork can pendulate between these states - creating enough arousal to charge and release unprocessed experiences without overwhelming the system or risking re-traumatisation.
A 2018 study in Frontiers in Psychology found that controlled breathing techniques significantly reduced PTSD and anxiety symptoms. Another study in Cell Reports showed that breathwork influences the limbic system, which regulates emotions.