What Is Deep Breathing? How Breathing Exercises Calm the Body and Mind

When stress rises, your breath responds. It shortens, it tightens, it speeds up. But what if your breath could also be the path back to calm?

Deep breathing is one of the most accessible tools we have to soothe the body’s stress response and reconnect with feeling calm in the present moment. It is a simple, powerful way to calm your body and center your mind. It’s free. It’s portable. It’s backed by science. And it works — not just in theory, but in practice, and in real, everyday life.

Benefits of Deep Breathing Exercises

Your breath isn’t just a reflection of your state of mind, it’s also a powerful tool to help shape how you feel.

When you breathe deeply and slowly, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system — the part responsible for resting, relaxation, and recovery. This type of breathing helps counteract the “fight or flight” stress response part of the nervous system. The breathing helps bring your body back to a place of feeling safe, balanced, and calm.

With slow, deep breathing you’re inviting yourself to slow down — and with it, your entire nervous system. Deep breathing exercises offer real benefits for both mind and body. When practiced regularly, even for just a few minutes at a time, these simple techniques can help support:

• Reduced stress and anxiety: Studies show breathing exercises significantly reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety.
• Improved emotional regulation: Breathing exercises can reduce anxiety, anger, and help you feel more grounded and resilient in stressful moments.
• Better lung function and oxygenation: Deep breathing improves lung capacity and oxygen exchange, which supports clarity and energy.
• Cardiovascular support: Regular deep breathing exercises can lower resting heart rate and blood pressure.
• Enhanced focus and mindfulness: Breath keeps you present. It sharpens attention, promotes body awareness, and encourages stillness.
• Pain support: Studies show deep breathing can also help reduce pain intensity, both chronic and acute — including during labor or back pain flare-ups.

Types of Deep Breathing

There’s no single “right” way to breathe deeply. What matters most is that the breath is slow, steady, and intentional. Here are a few techniques that can help guide you:

• Diaphragmatic Breathing: Also known as belly breathing, it fully engages your diaphragm. Make sure your stomach rises when inhaling and falls when exhaling.
• Box Breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and hold again for 4 seconds. This easy, consistent rhythm creates a mental “square” that promotes calm and balance.
• 4-7-8 Breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, exhale for 8. This tried and true rhythm helps relax the nervous system and is often used during high-stress moments or right before bed to help unwind.

There are other breathing techniques, like alternate nostril breathing and coherent breathing, which may also be helpful, but starting with simple rhythms is often the easiest way to begin. As you progress, try different techniques and take notice of how your body responds. On different days, and in different situations, different rhythms might feel right.

How to Practice Deep Breathing

Here are five keys—based on research—to help you get the most from your breathing exercises:

• Keep it slow: Avoid fast or shallow breathing. Smooth, slow breaths are more effective.
• Keep sessions short: 5 minutes or less is an ideal session length.
• Use guidance: Audio or video guides, and applications (like our web app), can help you stay consistent and build the habit.
• Repeat throughout the day: Breathing exercises work best when they’re repeated. Try morning, midday, and evening sessions—even one minute can help.
• Stick with it: Like brushing your teeth, long-term benefits come from daily practice.

A Simple Practice to Try

1. Find a comfortable seat or lie down.
2. Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
3. Inhale through your nose for 4 counts.
4. Hold your breath for 4 counts.
5. Exhale gently for 4 counts.
6. Hold again for 4 counts.
7. Repeat for 3–5 rounds.

Start here, or try 4-7-8 breathing. Don’t worry about getting it "perfect" — only consistent, gentle practice matters.

Final Thoughts: A Return to Calm

You carry a powerful tool with you everywhere — your breath.

When you learn to work with it, you create a useful, powerful space: a space between thoughts, a space between stress and reaction, a space between discomfort and peace. Deep breathing isn’t just a relaxation technique. It’s a skill. A skill that grows stronger every time you pause, breathe, and return to the moment.

And if you're not sure where to start, try our Deep Breathing Tool. It's designed to guide you through simple breathing exercises, gently and clearly.

You don’t need to get it “right.” You don’t need to feel instant bliss. Just keep showing up. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.

Start small. Breathe deeply. Guide yourself back to your inner balance.