Breathwork is a term used to describe a variety of breathing techniques that help people improve their mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. It involves consciously changing the way you breathe to calm the mind, reduce stress, boost energy, and support overall health. While breathing is something we do every day without thinking, breathwork invites us to take control of our breath to influence how we feel. Because it’s adaptable and easy to practice, breathwork is a tool that anyone can use, no matter their age or fitness level.
In essence, breathwork is about using the power of the breath to bring about positive changes—from feeling more grounded and balanced to experiencing deeper levels of self-awareness and healing.
‘Breathwork’ refers to a spectrum of techniques that have in common the awareness of breath, with a view to creating a different experience or perception.
Breathwork techniques vary from the virtually still and silent to the loud and highly energised. Different styles may seek to manifest different shades of experience, even where there may be a similar desired outcome.
Breathwork has no single origin or history. Some may say that breathwork is fundamental in every indigenous community, though these have been lost. Some methods are known and documented from long-established practices of the East, some have been adapted by modern physiological and behavioural study from the west. Some methods reflect patterns we instinctively move into in times of need.
It could be said that breathwork begins whenever we are consciously aware of our breath, and apply some effort to maintain or alter it.
In the 21st century, large numbers of people are becoming aware of the various modes of breathwork, finding the possibility to improve their experience of life and wellbeing without external or chemical intervention. States of being are always subjective, yet almost everyone experiences increased mental clarity, release of tension, greater depth of perception, ability to move toward goals more directly and more vivid sense impressions.
These practices are now taking a bigger place in the fields of therapy, stress release and personal development.
Although, there are many modalities of Breathwork, the UK Breathwork Association understands three functional objectives of breathwork:
These practices can invite individuals into a space of altered consciousness and potential vulnerability as they explore their consciousness, often tapping into personal historical experiences or inherited traumas. Due to this powerful consequence of strong therapeutic benefits to people, the field and industry has evolved to provide in-depth training of practitioners to hold these transformational experiences.
The growth and popularity of breathwork in the last decade has been significant. The UKBA hopes to steward the evolution of breathwork in the UK to offer safe care to all.
Conscious breathing is the practice of breathing with awareness, intention and attention to your inner experience, in the present moment.
The experiential field of study and practice that encompasses a variety of breathing techniques utilised individually and in groups, to cultivate self-awareness and the enhancement of physical, emotional, cognitive, or spiritual well-being.
Functional breathwork is a term referring to types of breathwork that seek to practice or train patterns of breathing to support general well-being or for particular activities.
A person who is appropriately trained and conducts breathwork sessions as a significant component of their livelihood.
An experiential field of study and practice that uses conscious connected breathing (no pauses between inhale and exhale) with body-mind techniques to support the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels of being.
Any setting in which a professional practitioner practices such as private, public, group, 1:1 basis, paid or voluntarily.