Gentle breathwork is a slow, steady way of breathing, mostly through your nose, where your exhale gets longer than your inhale and nothing is forced. In conscious breathwork the way we practice it at Energy of Creation, you set the pace, you can stop any time, and the goal is feeling more present in your body, not pushing through.

If you tried a fast, forceful breathing class once and walked out thinking "never again," this is for you. I want to show you what our practice actually feels like, so you can decide with your body instead of your memory.

What is gentle breathwork?

Gentle breathwork is any breathwork practice built on slow, easy, mostly nasal breathing instead of rapid or forceful breathing. It uses simple breathing techniques like belly breathing, a longer exhale and soft pauses that you choose, so your body can settle at its own pace.

Many breathing exercises people already know fall into this family: diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing, coherent breathing (also called resonant breathing) and alternate nostril breathing from the yoga breathing practice of pranayama. What makes it "conscious" breathwork is attention. You are not just breathing slower. You are noticing what changes in you while you do it.

Every one of these breathwork techniques can be done at a gentle pace, and every technique focuses on the same thing: a breathing pattern your nervous system can settle into. Here is how I describe the difference to people at their first session:

Both have their place. Plenty of people love intense styles, and I have learned from many teachers. Gentle breathwork is simply a different door, and for a lot of us it is the one that stays open.

Why did fast breathing feel like too much?

Fast breathing can feel like too much because it asks your body for a lot at once. When you breathe hard and quickly for a while, many people notice tingling, lightheadedness, a racing heart or big waves of emotion, and if nobody prepared you for that, it can feel like losing control.

None of that means you did it wrong or that breathwork "isn't for you." It usually means the pace did not match where your body was that day. Your nervous system has two big modes: the sympathetic nervous system, which gets you ready for action, and the parasympathetic nervous system, often called rest and digest. Faster breathing tends to wake up the first one. Slower breathing with a long exhale is associated with the second. If you showed up already wired, a practice that turned the energy up even more may simply have been the wrong match for that moment.

Our approach is informed by research on breathing and the autonomic nervous system, and many teachers describe a long, unhurried exhale as a way of signaling safety to the body. You will often read that slow breathing engages the parasympathetic nervous system and the vagus nerve. Researchers are also studying slow breathing's links to stress hormones like cortisol and to heart rate variability, and one widely reported study found that five minutes a day of cyclic sighing improved mood (BBC Future). The research is still developing, so we lead with how it feels, not with promises. You do not need the science to feel it, though. You just need a pace that lets you stay.

Is gentle breathwork the same as deep breathing?

Gentle breathwork includes deep breathing, but it is not only about taking a big deep breath. Deep breathing done fast or forcefully can leave you lightheaded, while gentle breathwork keeps each breath soft, low in the belly and unhurried, with the exhale doing most of the work.

Think of it as conscious breathing rather than controlled breathing. Instead of gripping the breath, you slowly inhale, slowly exhale and notice the present moment. Many people use these breathing exercises for managing stress in their day, and that is a lovely reason to start. In our practice the bigger goal is presence: feeling your body, your emotions and your life a little more clearly. Many people notice less muscle tension in the jaw and shoulders, and a sense of emotional balance that lasts after the practice ends.

What does gentle conscious breathwork feel like?

Gentle conscious breathwork usually feels like your body getting quieter and your attention getting closer. Most people notice their shoulders drop, their belly soften and their thoughts slow down within just a few minutes, and many describe a warm, steady feeling that stays with them after the session.

Here is what a session with us tends to feel like, moment by moment:

1. Arriving. You sit comfortably or lie down in a comfortable position. Cameras can be off online. Nobody is watching how you breathe.
2. Noticing your normal breathing. We start by simply noticing your breathing pattern. Is it high in the upper chest? Shallow breathing? No judgment, just information.
3. Moving the breath lower. You inhale slowly through your nose and let the belly rise. This is diaphragmatic breathing, or belly breathing, and it is where most of our practice lives.
4. Lengthening the exhale. You exhale slowly, a little longer than you inhaled. This is the part people tell me they feel most: the relaxation response, a softening, like your body finally gets the message that it is safe to be here.
5. Optional pauses. Sometimes we add a short, gentle pause. You can always skip it and keep breathing normally.
6. Sound and stillness. We often close with humming or sound, then a few quiet breaths so you can notice what shifted. If you like, inhale deeply one last time and exhale through your mouth with a sigh to close.

It is mindful breathing with a little more shape to it, and it sits well beside other mind body practices like yoga, movement and sound.

One of my favorite things to read was this, from someone who joined one of our in-person breath sessions:

"Didn't have a problem keeping up they let you go at your own pace and no judgment"

Richard H., Google review

That is the whole point. Your pace is the right pace.

How did I find conscious breathwork?

I found conscious breathwork by accident. I was searching for reiki, and I came across a breathwork journey online instead. That one online journey connected me to my ancestors and cleared deep blocks I did not even know I was holding.

Less than two weeks later, I was in Ibiza for training (I am now a certified SOMA Breath coach). That is where I also discovered ecstatic dance, and later I went on to Rishikesh for 500 hours of yoga teacher training and pranayama. I share this because I know how it feels to be curious and not even know these practices exist. One session can open a door. A steady breathwork practice, done with other people, is what keeps it open.

What breathing techniques are gentle enough for beginners?

The gentlest breathing techniques for beginners are belly breathing, a longer exhale, box breathing with short counts, coherent breathing and alternate nostril breathing. Each one keeps the pace slow and lets you stop or shorten any step, which makes them a kind first practice if fast breathing felt overwhelming before.

Diaphragmatic breathing (belly breathing)

Place one hand on your belly and one on your chest. Inhale through your nose and let the belly hand rise more than the chest hand. Exhale slowly. Repeat for a few minutes. This is the base for everything else.

Longer exhale breathing

Inhale through your nose for a count of 4. Exhale through your nose or through softly pursed lips for a count of 6. Pursed lip breathing simply means exhaling through lips shaped like you are blowing out a candle, gently. If 4 and 6 feel like too much, try 3 and 5.

Box breathing, the gentle version

Box breathing is inhale, pause, exhale, pause, each for the same count. Most guides use 4. If you do not like holding your breath, use a count of 2 or 3 for the pauses, or skip them. You are allowed to change the shape of the box.

Coherent breathing

Coherent breathing, also called resonant breathing, means breathing in and out evenly at about 5 or 6 breaths a minute, roughly a 5 count in and a 5 count out. It is steady and rhythmic, which is why many people find it settling.

Alternate nostril breathing

To practice alternate nostril breathing (nadi shodhana), sit upright. Gently close the right nostril with your thumb and inhale through the left nostril. Close the left nostril, open the right, and exhale through the right nostril. Inhale right, switch, exhale left. That is one round. Try five rounds, slowly. It is a classic pranayama practice, and many people find it steadying when their attention feels scattered.

Cyclic sighing

Cyclic sighing is two inhales through the nose (a full breath, then a small top-up sip of air) followed by one long, slow exhale through the mouth. It feels a lot like the natural sigh your body already does when you finally sit down. Try it for a few minutes.

4-7-8 breathing, softened

The classic 4-7-8 breathing technique is inhale for 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8. If long holds are not for you, keep the shape and shrink the hold: inhale for 4, pause for 2, exhale for 6. The long exhale is the part that matters most.

A good rule for all of these: a gentle practice should feel comfortable and reassuring, not challenging. Diaphragmatic breathing for 5 to 10 minutes, a few times a day, is a lovely place to begin. And gentle breathwork fits easily into what you already do, from meditation and yoga to a mindfulness break between meetings.

A five-minute gentle breathwork practice to try now

You can try a gentle breathwork practice right now in about five minutes. Sit upright or lie down, breathe through your nose, keep every count short enough to feel easy, and stop whenever you want. Here is the exact sequence I would guide you through:

1. Sit comfortably. Let your jaw and shoulders drop.
2. Take three normal breaths and just notice them.
3. Put a hand on your belly. Inhale through your nose for 4 and feel the belly rise.
4. Exhale slowly for 6. Let it be quiet and smooth.
5. Repeat for about two minutes.
6. Now hum on the exhale for five breaths. Feel the sound in your chest.
7. Finish with a few breaths at your natural pace. Notice one physical sensation that feels different from when you started.

If anything feels uncomfortable, go back to your normal breathing. That is part of the practice too.

Is gentle breathwork safe?

Gentle breathwork is a low-intensity breathwork practice, and most people find it comfortable, but it is still worth a few simple precautions. Go slowly, breathe through your nose when you can, and stop if you feel dizzy, lightheaded or uneasy.

Please keep these in mind:

• Ease off if you feel dizzy or tingly. Return to normal breathing. You never need to push through.
• Breath holds are optional. Skip them if you are pregnant, or if you have a heart condition, a lung condition, high blood pressure, epilepsy, a history of fainting or a recent surgery. Talk with your doctor before starting a breathwork practice if any of these apply to you.
• Practice seated or lying down, never while driving, swimming or standing in water.
• Big feelings are welcome, and you are always in charge of how deep you go.

Our work is coaching, practice and community. It is not therapy or medical care, and it is not a replacement for either. If you are going through a crisis or need clinical support, please reach out to a licensed professional. Breathwork can sit beautifully alongside that care, and it is a support for your physical and mental health, not a replacement for treatment of any mental health conditions or chronic stress.

Why does practicing with other people feel different?

Practicing with other people feels different because the room carries you. When you breathe alongside a group, it is easier to stay with the practice, easier to let feelings move, and easier to come back next time, which is how a few minutes of breathing turns into a rhythm instead of a one-off.

I have watched this for years. One session can feel amazing, and then life gets loud again. What changes people is coming back: a short practice during the week, a call where you see familiar faces, and a monthly gathering where we breathe, move and celebrate together. That rhythm is what we built the Lab around. It is also the heart of the Afterglow Method, the way Victoria and I teach: breath, movement, sound and dance change how your body feels, and a weekly and monthly rhythm with other people makes it stay.

Come practice with us

If fast breathing once felt like too much, I would love for you to feel what this is like. Inside the State Shift Lab, you get our Baseline Protocol (a 15-minute guided breathing audio), live sessions with Victoria and me, and Super Sunday, our monthly gathering of breath, sound and movement. You go at your own pace, every time.

Join the State Shift Lab and practice with us

New to all of this? Start with the Energy of Creation blog for more on conscious breathwork and the Afterglow Method.

Frequently asked questions

Why did I cry during breathwork?

Crying during breathwork is common and usually not a sign that anything is wrong. Slowing down and breathing deeply gives feelings you have been holding a chance to move, and many people describe it as a release. Let it happen, keep breathing gently, and take a few quiet minutes afterward.

When should you not do breathwork?

Skip breath holds and intense styles, and talk with your doctor first, if you are pregnant or have a heart condition, lung condition, high blood pressure, epilepsy or a history of fainting. Do not practice while driving or in water. If you are in a mental health crisis, reach out to a licensed professional first.

What is the most calming breathing technique?

For most people, the most calming breathing technique is a slow breath with a longer exhale, like inhaling for 4 and exhaling for 6 through the nose. Coherent breathing and gentle alternate nostril breathing are close seconds. Try each for a few minutes and notice which one your body likes.

How long should a gentle breathwork session be?

A gentle breathwork session can be as short as two to five minutes, and that is a great place to start. Our Baseline Protocol is 15 minutes, which fits most days. Consistency matters more than length: a few minutes most days does more than one long session once in a while.

Is gentle breathwork the same as meditation?

Gentle breathwork and meditation overlap, but they are not the same, and both are simple stress management tools you can keep for life. Mindfulness meditation often asks you to watch your breath without changing it. Breathwork asks you to shape the breath on purpose, which many people who find sitting still hard say gives the mind something to hold on to.