Take a deep breath: it’s now prescribed by the NHS

Growing numbers are taking breathwork classes – and for good reason,

‘Most people are simply not aware they’re breathing poorly – and how that may affect their health’

Every time we take our dogs for a walk on the South Downs, my wife will stop, close her eyes and take a handful of enormous breaths, in through her nose and out of her mouth. She’s done it for years and she says it’s her way of expelling some of the stress of day-to-day life.

Lately, I’ve been trying it too and, I have to admit, it does make a difference; I’m even contemplating signing up for breathing classes. It transpires I’m not the only one. There has been an explosion in “breathwork” training in recent years – with growing numbers attending classes, and Fitbits and smartwatches offering guided breathing exercises. The NHS is now recommending diaphragmatic breathing (otherwise known as deep breathing) for stress relief, and breathing control therapy is being used widely to help treat depression, PTSD and insomnia.

It’s a trend that’s gained even more traction in the wake of the pandemic, as leading breathing coach Richie “The Breath Guy” Bostock explains. “It has taken a global pandemic involving a virus that can significantly impact the respiratory system for many to start to pay attention to their breathing,” he says.

“And the interest in breathwork and optimal breathing and what it can do for your physical, mental and emotional health has exploded because of its simplicity and effectiveness.”

It’s estimated that 90 per cent of us are breathing incorrectly and the consequences, from sleep apnoea to snoring, from asthma to allergies and hypertension can cause lasting health issues in your life. “Most people are simply not aware that they are breathing poorly and even fewer are aware about how poor breathing habits may be affecting their health and happiness,” adds Bostock.

Dr Michael Mosley has also recently extolled the virtues of breathwork – dedicating his recent podcast to how taking a deep breath has the effect of “taking a perfectly safe mini-tranquilliser”, resetting your brain and retuning levels of the chemical noradrenaline so that you feel more focused and in control.

Everyone can benefit from better breathing, whether you’re a marathon runner or an asthmatic – and it all starts with breathing through your nose. Not only can it help ward off infection and illness, but by breathing slowly and rhythmically through your nose you can also help alleviate the effects of allergies and asthmas, as well as other respiratory problems. “Controlled breathing will bring your body back into balance, allowing you better athletic performance, better sleep and on and on. The list of benefits is endless,” says James Nestor, author of the bestselling Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.

He wrote the book after a long history of breathing issues – including two bouts of pneumonia in close succession. “I did martial arts and surfing. I was eating well, getting eight hours sleep a night and yet I was getting sick all the time,” he explains. With his doctor only offering more antibiotics, he attended a course in breathing to learn the Sudarshan Kriya technique – an ancient practice involving a 40-minute session of intensive breathing, then slow breathing and then hardly breathing at all – and found his wheezing ceased and his concentration improved dramatically.

Nestor says many modern ailments can be blamed on bad breathing, which in turn is largely a result of how humans have evolved to have smaller mouths, thus smaller airways.

Modern problems of pollution, stress, obesity and sedentary lifestyles are also getting in the way of better breathing. “If you look at the few hundred hunter-gatherer tribes still left, you’ll find there’s zero asthma, zero allergies, zero hypertension and zero lung problems. But we have a culture where people are working 10 hours in an office every day under blue light, unable to move around and breathe – it’s a recipe for disaster.”

Bostock agrees. “Even without a global pandemic, we live in such a fast-paced world which can often feel very challenging and overwhelming,” he says.

“Consequently, reported levels of chronic stress, anxiety and illness are higher than they have ever been in recorded history. In that respect, I think breathwork can play a very big part in bringing more peace and balance to a sometimes chaotic world.”

Bostock says people suffering from chronic stress tend to engage in a chest or clavicular breathing pattern – telltale signs include the shoulders rising vertically and the chest puffing out when inhaling – which can lead to back and neck pain and fatigue.

But correct, controlled breathing can help combat stress, sharpen your mind and keep your brain in tip-top condition. One technique suggested by therapists is called “365”, where you breathe six times per minute, inhaling for five seconds and exhaling for five seconds, at least three times a day, for five minutes at a time and then repeat for all 365 days of the year.

That said, better breathing isn’t going to fix all your problems, just as regular exercise or eating well won’t. It is, however, one of the key components in ensuring you do live a longer life. “You can exercise all you want and go to the gym four hours a day, or eat vegan, paleo, keto or whatever,” says Nestor.

“But if you are not breathing well you will never, ever be healthy.”