Pranayama: The Power of Slow Breathing for a Healthier Mind and Body

What Is Slow Breathing?

Slow breathing is more than just a calming practice—it’s a scientifically proven way to improve your overall health. By intentionally slowing down your breath to around 4-10 breaths per minute, you engage the parasympathetic nervous system, which governs your body’s relaxation response. This powerful technique has been shown to positively impact both mental and physical well-being, from reducing stress and anxiety to boosting heart health and cognitive function.

But what is considered slow breathing? On average, people typically breathe at a rate of anywhere between 10-20 Breaths Per Minute (BPM). Most researchers consider a rate of 4-10 BPM to be slow breathing. This type of breath control - or pranayama - is commonly taught in somatic yoga classes.

How Slow Breathing Works

By intentionally slowing your breath to 4-10 breaths per minute, you engage the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes calm and balance. This is often referred to as activating the "rest and digest" system or the "relaxation response". Research has shown that slow breathing improves emotional regulation, boosts cognitive function, and even increases oxygen efficiency for individuals with respiratory issues.

For people facing hypoxic (low-oxygen) challenges, such as those with respiratory conditions, slow breathing can improve breathing efficiency and reduce breathlessness.

Soma Yoga instructor Karin Weinstein guiding a slow breathing practice

Health Benefits of Slow Breathing

Slow breathing techniques have been scientifically proven to enhance both mental and physical health. Here’s a summary of the key benefits based on current research:

• Boost Heart Health and Improve Heart Rate Variability: 

  Slow breathing improves heart rate control and enhances heart rate variability (HRV). By increasing vagal activity, slow-paced breathing leads to better autonomic control and improved heart health.

  
  

• Stress Relief - Activate the Body's Relaxation Response: 

  Breathing at a slower pace activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing cortisol levels and alleviating feelings of stress and anxiety. Engaging in 30-day slow breathing interventions has been linked to heightened feelings of comfort, relaxation, and overall mental well-being.

  
  

• Cognitive Function - Focus, Memory, and Mental Clarity: 

  Slow breathing has been shown to enhance focus, memory, and overall cognitive function by increasing activity in brain regions related to attention.

  
  

• Slow Breathing for Recovery After Physical Activity

  Slow breathing can also aid in recovery after physical exertion by reducing sympathetic nervous system activity, helping your body return to a state of rest more quickly. By inhibiting sympathetic activity, this practice speeds up recovery times after intense physical activity.

  
  

• Better Sleep and Emotional Balance: 

  Studies show that practicing slow breathing for 30 days can improve sleep quality. Additionally, it helps modulate the limbic system, which plays a critical role in managing emotions, leading to greater emotional stability. (See "Research on Slow Breathing for Better Sleep" sidebar below.)

Woman getting a good night's sleep

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Research on Slow Breathing for Better Sleep

Slow Breathing vs Social Media Usage

In 2019 Laborde and colleagues studied the effects of slow breathing versus social media usage before bed.

In this study, 64 participants were randomly allocated to either the slow breathing group or the social media group. The slow breathing group used a smartphone application to practice slow breathing at the rate of 6 breaths per minute for 15 minutes (with a 4.5 second inhale and a 5.5 second exhale). The social media group used Facebook, Instagram, or Whatsapp for the same 15 minute period.

Over the 30 day intervention, participants who practiced slow breathing had better sleep quality and increased cardiac vagal activity (which promotes relaxation) compared to those who spent the same amount of time using social media. This suggests that slow breathing can improve both how well you sleep and how your heart responds to stress, making it a beneficial practice for overall well-being.

Slow Breathing for Insomnia

A similar titled The study titled "Efficacy of paced breathing for insomnia" explored how paced breathing can help people with insomnia. Like the study above, it suggests that practicing slow, controlled breathing activates the vagus nerve, which is responsible for calming the body.

The researchers found that participants who engaged in slow breathing for 20 minutes before bed at the rate of 6 breaths per minute (with a 3 second inhale and a 7 second exhale) had better vagal activity and reported improvements in their sleep, suggesting that this method may be an effective, non-pharmaceutical way to treat insomnia.

Pranayama: How to Practice Slow Breathing

• To incorporate slow breathing into your daily routine, practice the following steps:

• Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit or lie down.

• Breathe in slowly through your nose.

• Feel your diaphragm descend and expand your whole torso gently and evenly – chest, ribs, belly, sides, and back body.

• Exhale slowly, allowing your exhale to last longer than your inhale.

• Aim for a breathing rate of 4-10 breaths per minute. (This would be between 15 and 6 seconds per breath.) Note: If you are new to slow breathing, start with a pace of 10 breaths per minute. As you become comfortable, consider decreasing your number of breaths per minute over the course of several weeks.

• Try this for 5-10 minutes daily, and gradually increase the duration as you feel ready.

Transform Your Well-Being with Slow Breathing

By integrating slow breathing practices - like those found in somatic yoga practices - into daily life, individuals can experience profound health benefits. Whether you’re seeking stress relief, improved heart health, or enhanced cognitive function, slow breathing is a powerful tool for overall well-being. This simple practice has the potential to transform your physical and mental health, one breath at a time.