Frequently Asked Questions

Coherent Breathing Practices

• How can Coherent Breathing help relieve trauma?

  Studies have shown that Coherent Breathing helps to alleviate the physical and mental suffering of those who have experienced prolonged stress and trauma. (See more on studies showing the impact of BBM practices here.) The theory is that trauma has both physical and emotional aspects that can become locked together, making recovery more difficult. BBM unlocks the link between the emotional and physical aspects, enabling healing.

  Talk therapy is often not sufficient to unlock these two aspects because sometimes the verbal part of the brain shuts down during trauma, such that the experience is encoded as fragmented somatic (physical) sensations without words. Sometimes, trauma is pre-verbal or non-verbal, meaning that the trauma may not be encoded well enough in words to be able to be reached by words. In such situations, talk therapy alone may not be able to address important parts of the trauma. Body-centered practices, such as BBM, can help access and address the physical and sensory parts of the trauma.

  Traumatic memories are often surrounded by a web of defenses that resist change, preserving them like a fly in amber. Slow, regulated breathing helps untangle that web. For example, messages from the respiratory system, transmitted through the thalamus, set the electrical rhythms of the cortex. Changes in electrical rhythms, in concert with changes in neurotransmitters and neurohormones, are thought to create an opportunity to reconfigure trauma schemata through neuroplastic change. Neuroplasticity can involve the realignment of synaptic connections and/or the growth of new connections among neurons.

  This neuroplasticity can be rapid or slow. The person who teaches BBM to an individual or to a group creates a holding environment, that is, a safe space where each person is valued, respected, and protected. Evidence suggests that in a safe, supportive holding environment, breathing practices activate the social engagement system, allowing the support of a therapist and/or a supportive community to be heard and felt. The positive experience of caring and support becomes part of the neuroplastic reconfiguration, leading to greater health, resilience, and capacity for meaningful relationships.

• Why am I having trouble breathing at a Coherent Breathing rate of 5-6 breaths per minute?

  For most people, the first time you breathe at this rate can be challenging, but it is worth doing because it sets a healing process in motion that releases old physical and psychological stress. With regular breath practice, you work to wash that stress away.

  When we breathe in a stressed way, it is hard to relax for the length of the pacing track. If you get filled up with air too soon or find that you empty your lungs too quickly, briefly pause your breath. Then move less air in and out with the next round of breathing. Breathe more gently. Try not to pull air in when you inhale. Just let the air come in by itself. Try not to push the air out when you exhale. It may feel easier to do if you are lying down. You’ll find that it is just a matter of practice.

• What if I don’t feel comfortable closing my eyes?

  You may not feel comfortable or safe doing this practice with your eyes closed. Try lowering your gaze to focus inward, or let your gaze rest on a calming scene or image.

  It is fine to keep your eyes open if you are having upsetting images; let the images float away like clouds. When people have experienced trauma, it may take weeks or months until they can close their eyes.

• Is it normal to cry during practice?

  Crying is just one of the natural ways we relieve stress. During this practice, allow sadness and tears; it can be a relief. If you find your release is too intense to practice, take a break and resume when you feel ready.

• Why am I yawning so much?

  Breathing at a slower rate turns on the serotonin system (SSRI), which is part of the calming portion of the nervous system. Yawning is evidence that your body is beginning to respond to that system, quieting down and releasing stress.

• Why do I feel dizzy during Coherent Breathing?

  You are likely breathing too hard. In this practice, there is no need to completely fill your lungs. Equally, there is no need to squeeze/force all the air out on the out-breath. In fact, when you breathe out forcefully, you release more CO2 than you normally do, which can cause lightheadedness or dizziness. IF this occurs, consciously breathe more softly and gently. The steady rhythm and resulting relaxation are important elements of the practice.

  Dizziness may indicate that your body is trying to regain/establish a sense of equilibrium. To eliminate the dizziness, proceed as steadily and gently as possible.

• What if I feel restless during Coherent Breathing?

  Sometimes restlessness interferes with regular breath practice. At such times, you could do Coherent Breathing while walking slowly or use a gentle hand movement like Painting the Waterfall.

  Another approach is to release some tension first with three rounds of Ha breath and a breath with movement practice before settling into Coherent Breathing.

• What if I have trouble breathing through my nose? Is it okay to breathe through my mouth?

  Breathing through your nose has many benefits.  Sensors within the lining of the nasal passages send messages to brain areas involved in emotion regulation and modulation of brain electrical rhythms. Breathing through the nose increases the effects of BBM breath practices.

  However, you may be congested or have sinus issues, especially in the winter months and during allergy season. You can still do your breathing practice while breathing through slightly parted lips; try not to purse your lips as this creates tension.

  Other strategies to try:

  • Press closed fists strongly into the armpits; this can open the nostrils on the opposite side. 

  • Press and gently pull outward on the sinus point near the side of the nostril as you breathe in. 

• What if I feel strange physical sensations while doing the Coherent Breathing?

  Unfamiliar physical sensations are often a sign that old stress is being released. While they may be uncomfortable, these sensations will usually resolve with time. If they become intolerable, take a break from the practice and resume when you feel at ease again.

• What if I find tapping irritating?

  Different people will react differently to each practice. For example, some people find tapping uplifting and energizing, while others may find it irritates their nervous system.

  If you find tapping (or any other practice) irritating, you always have the choice not to do it. You may want to do the Self-Hug and Squeeze instead to soothe, ground, and/or energize.

• Why don’t we do more rapid breathing practices?

  Emotional distress is generally expressed through rapid breathing (or holding the breath). While rapid breathing practices can be beneficial and enjoyable for some people, they are not safe for everyone. While fast breathing can increase dopamine, for those who are vulnerable, it can also set off manic or psychotic states, increase anxiety, or set off flashbacks.

• When should I practice?

  The core recommendation, based on clinical experience and supporting studies, is to do Coherent Breathing 20 minutes a day for healthy adults. Ideally, those 20 minutes would be done all at once and continued over 3-6 weeks so that you can clearly experience a shift in your stress level and your ability to find calm. For people with PTSD, depression, or anxiety disorders, we recommend practicing Coherent Breathing for 20 minutes twice a day. In addition, we encourage people to use calming breathing practices whenever they feel stress, anxiety, frustration, anger, or other negative emotions. For nights when it is difficult to fall asleep, Coherent Breathing is recommended.

  There is no specific time of day that is best. The practice may have a different effect at different times of day, so we recommend experimenting with when you practice to find what works best for you. Many people like to do BBM in the morning; others like to focus on Coherent Breathing at night before bed; still others enjoy a BBM practice as a break in the middle of the day, providing an opportunity to energize and refocus.

• Why is counting discouraged during the Coherent Breath practices?

  Counting or visual cues (e.g., hand movements or computer-generated graphics) can bring your attention into a narrow focus and engage the thinking mind. Coherent Breath practice creates spaciousness and the opportunity to let go of the conscious mind. This experience can create a sense of greater contact with our inner selves.

• Why do we turn to the right side after CB?

  Lying on the right side after breathing practices is common in qigong and yoga. In BBM, we suggest lying on the right side because pressure on this side activates the left cerebral hemisphere, which is more parasympathetic and therefore more calming. Lying on the left side stimulates the right cerebral hemisphere, which is the more sympathetic side of the brain.

  As a reminder, women in their third trimester of pregnancy are advised to lie on their left side to avoid compression of the blood vessels.

• Why do we do Breath Moving?

  Versions of Breath Moving are found worldwide. It could be considered a form of psychic acupressure that opens up channels in the body by activating corresponding neurons in the brain.

  Interestingly, the harder you try to move the breath, the harder it becomes. Practice typically begins by directing attention, then allowing the breath to follow and move freely when you feel ready. In the process, the body releases stress.

  Breath Moving is particularly effective for people with asthma by helping to reduce anxiety through focused attention on the sensation/perception of movement. Breath Moving is also helpful for all students as a focal point when the mind becomes distracted.

  Studies have shown that we normally use only about 20% of our lung surface. During Coherent Breathing, because the alveoli (small air sacs in the lungs) expand, the lung surface area increases. With a greater lung surface, more oxygen can be taken in with each breath, and the work of breathing is reduced. After a year of daily Coherent Breathing, pulmonary functions can improve as much as 60%.

• Can we do ujjayi (ocean sound) breath with BBM practices?

  Ujjayi breathing, also called Resistance Breathing in The Healing Power of the Breath, can be very beneficial, especially when combined with Coherent Breathing. It is, however, difficult to teach Resistance Breathing correctly online. It is therefore not included in the current BBM curriculum.

  Yoga practitioners who already know how to do ujjayi breathing correctly may find it helpful when doing Coherent Breathing. However, it should be done very gently with a barely audible sound to avoid creating tension.

• What does Breath Holding do to the brain and body?

  Holding the breath briefly (especially after the in-breath) seems to briefly activate the parasympathetic system. In addition, it likely somewhat reduces oxygen levels in the bloodstream. Then when you inhale again (right after the breath hold, there is a release of antioxidant defense enzymes that clean the inside of the blood vessels. Also, there is animal data that reducing their oxygen briefly in small amounts reduces the risk of their developing dementia. Human research on the effects has barely begun.

  You may see information online about the effects of breath holds. Most of this comes from studies of breath holding for longer periods than is done in BBM practices where we only hold the breath for a few seconds. For example, longer breath holds increase the level of carbon dioxide in the brain with various effects. In 4-2-4-2 or 4-4-6-2 the holds are so short that such effects would be very small and probably have very little impact.

• Why is 4-4-6-2 so rapidly effective? What is happening in the Breath Holds?

  The parasympathetic nervous system is stimulated with each out-breath. So, when we extend the out-breath, we further increase the parasympathetic effects, which help reduce anxiety and instill a sense of calm.

  Breath holds can quickly quiet the mind. Also, at the end of a breath hold, when you resume breathing, you flood the bloodstream with antioxidant defense enzymes, which neutralize free radicals.

• How long will it take before I feel the effects of these practices?

  Some people will notice a difference right away, but for others it may take weeks or months. After 3-9 months, many things are healing, and the effects are more noticeable.

• Is it best to practice alone or with a group?

  Both. It is best to practice daily on your own and once a week in a group. The effects are more powerful when we practice in a group.

• What are the benefits of humming or chanting?

  Singing, humming, or chanting involves regulating your breathing. Slow-paced humming or chanting prolongs the outbreath, which increases activation of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). In addition, when we create sound by tightening the vocal cords, we increase resistance to the airflow. Lung sensors register this resistance, further activating the parasympathetic system. Singing, humming, and chanting create vibrational effects in the nasopharynx, mouth, head, neck, and chest, which further increase parasympathetic activation.

  For infants, the human voice - in song and prosody - has a strong positive impact on bonding and co-regulation.

  BBM practices that include these experiences include Arm Circles with Humming and chanting Song-King-Tong-Dong.