Breathwork Could it Be the Natural Remedy for Anxiety You’ve Been Looking For
Anxiety is something so many of us live with day to day. For some, it’s a low hum in the background. For others, it can feel overwhelming, consuming, and hard to escape. What I’ve come to understand through my own experience and through working with others is this: anxiety isn’t something that’s “wrong” with you. It’s a nervous system that’s stuck in overdrive.
And the breath is one of the most powerful, natural tools we have to work with it.
Anxiety Lives in the Head, The Breath Brings Us Back to the Body
Anxiety, in my experience, lives almost entirely in the mind. It’s future focused, story driven, and fuelled by “what ifs.” When we’re anxious, we’re rarely here. We’re projecting forward, scanning for danger, trying to control what hasn’t happened yet.
The moment we bring awareness to the breath, something shifts.
We drop out of the head and back into the body.
We come out of the future and into the present.
Breathing consciously anchors us into what’s real, right now. And the nervous system responds to that almost immediately.
Breath as a Remote Control for the Nervous System
One of the reasons breathwork is so effective for anxiety is because it gives us direct access to the autonomic nervous system, the part of us responsible for stress, relaxation, heart rate, digestion, and emotional regulation.
When anxiety is present, we’re often stuck in sympathetic activation (fight or flight). Breathwork gives us a way to gently and intentionally guide the body back toward parasympathetic regulation (rest and digest).
In simple terms: the breath becomes a remote control for your nervous system.
Coherence Breathing: Slowing Everything Down
One of the most accessible and powerful tools for anxiety is coherence breathing. This style of breathing helps bring the breath, heart rate, and nervous system into harmony, slowing everything down and creating a sense of internal safety.
A simple way to practice coherence breathing:
Inhale through the nose for 5 seconds
Exhale through the nose for 5 seconds
Around 6 breaths per minute
This rhythm supports heart rate variability (HRV) and signals to the body that it’s safe to soften, slow, and settle.
One–Two Breathing for Deeper Parasympathetic Activation
Another powerful technique is the one–two breath, where the exhale is twice as long as the inhale. Longer exhales have a strong parasympathetic effect, telling the body it’s okay to let go.
For example:
Inhale through the nose for 4 seconds
Exhale through the nose for 8 seconds
This can be especially supportive when you’re feeling wired, restless, or overwhelmed.
Meeting the Nervous System Where It Is
When anxiety is already high, slow breathing can feel out of reach. In those moments, it can be helpful to first meet the nervous system where it is, before guiding it back down.
One approach that works well:
15–20 deeper, slightly faster breaths through the nose
A brief breath hold
A slow exhale
Then transition into coherence breathing or a one–two breath
This creates a gentle arc from activation to regulation.
Therapeutic Breathwork and Nervous System Reset
Beyond daily regulation tools, therapeutic breathwork offers another layer of support. Conscious connected breathwork allows the nervous system to complete old stress cycles, release stored tension, and create new neural pathways.
It’s not about fixing anxiety. It’s about giving the body a chance to process what it’s been holding.
Building a Breathwork Toolkit for Anxiety
In my experience, there isn’t one single answer. What works best is a layered approach:
Simple daily breathing practices
Tools you can return to when anxiety rises
Periodic therapeutic breathwork for deeper reset and integration
Over time, this builds trust with your nervous system and a felt sense of safety in your body.
A Gentle Invitation
If you’re feeling called to explore breathwork in a deeper, supported way, Breathe to Receive is a space created for exactly that. It’s a small-group, trauma-informed breathwork experience designed to help you slow down, reconnect with your body, and give your nervous system the opportunity to reset and restore.
There’s no fixing, forcing, or pushing. Just space to breathe, feel, and receive.
You’re always welcome when it feels right.
Chris