Breathing. It’s a thing we do – but most often it’s a thing we do incorrectly, every single day of our lives. With the USA reporting twice as much anxiety in young adults of today, the question may not be ‘what are they doing to relieve their symptoms’, but rather, ‘how are they breathing’.

We could argue that since breathing is a natural part of our human physiology, the action needs no further teaching, tweaking or support since we’re intuitively accustomed to ‘this thing we do’. But, we’re wrong. When we consider that 45% of young US adults aged 18-25 years, are experiencing twice as much anxiety due to fear of career, finances and ‘the sense that things are falling apart’ (Harvard, On Edge: Understanding and Preventing Young Adults’ Mental Health Challenges 2023), it’s no surprise that breathing and breathwork exercises have made their home among trending hashtags, Tik Tok videos and mobile apps.

Beyond the social frenzy of breathing extremists like The Iceman (#WimHof) – who made cold therapy bigger than Breaking Bad - improper breathing has been cited as one of the major onsets for panic attacks. Breathing poorly has quickly become an unsuspecting culprit of the everyday life struggle, according to medics and healers.

What is bad breathing?

By breathing incorrectly on the daily, science tells us we are automatically activating a dangerous paradoxical universe between the abdomen, lungs and the intercostal muscles. This begins to shallow our breath and weaken our oxygen intake. This places us at risk of panic attacks, as well as rendering short to long term negative health effects on our cognitive function, memory and levels of cortisol. In turn, this kind of breathing leads to low CO2 levels in the blood, which alters the parasympathetic nervous system and wreaks havoc with our bodies, and our minds.

The right way to breathe is to practice breathing from the belly, and not the chest – followed with a daily routine of controlled, conscious breathing. Fondly known by medics and breathwork practitioners as ‘the belly breath’, this is essentially the body’s secret code to calming down.

The Belly Breath For Beginners

Using a rhymical diaphragm practice, the belly breath is a simple inhale-exhale breathing technique that rewires the brain to focus on belly movements. The practise unfolds consciously with the expansion and contraction of the belly and the diaphragm. And it works! The American Lung Association endorses it, doctors encourage it, and celebrities swear by it. Not only does this breath reduce anxiety but it sets the dial to a whole new world of breathing mastery that ultimately helps you sleep better, speak better, perform better and live your life at J-game (Joy Game) speed. In fact, proper breathing has become somewhat of a trade secret for sport stars and celebs who have long since cottoned onto the benefits of daily breathwork practice.