A study compared three different breathwork exercises with mindfulness meditation and found that five-minute daily breathwork was more effective.
The study published in Cell Reports Medicine revealed that cyclic sighing was particularly effective among the different breathing exercises.
Participants reported positive mood improvements and reduced anxiety after practicing breathwork and mindfulness meditation for 28 days.
- Breathwork exercises can consciously slow breathing and generate a more relaxed physical state.
- It allows individuals to consciously slow down their breathing, which can affect mood and physiology and induce a more relaxed physical state.
- A recent meta-analysis suggests that slow breathing practices can shift the balance of the autonomic system towards the relaxed parasympathetic system, regulating physiological processes, including heart rate and blood pressure.
Breathing exercises can be done anywhere and anytime when individuals need to destress and self-soothe.
