“Research on breathwork could be likened to that of meditation, which received an unprecedented surge in scientific exploration two decades ago. We may be at a similar cusp with breathwork and anticipate considerable growth in the field.”
Although I dislike the word “breathwork” for some reason, this may be the most important paper published on breathing to date.
Here are a few key takeaways, but definitely check out the new Science 411 released today to get all the details.
Breathwork is as effective as standard treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), meditation, mindfulness, and acceptance of emotions for reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.
Breathwork is as effective as physical activity for reducing anxiety and depression symptoms.
Whether breathwork is self-learned remotely, taught 1-on-1, or taught to a group doesn’t impact the above results.
Have a great weekend!
In good breath,
Nick
P.S. I recommend the audio version of this one because I add a lot of context, which is too much for written form. For example, that second bullet point above could be used disingenuously to drive clicks. Yes, it is very powerful, but we just want to be realistic about what it means.