Breathwork for anxiety: three practices that actually work

Anxiety is a nervous system running a threat it cannot locate. The mind cannot talk it down, but the breath can slow it down, because the breath is the one part of that system you control directly. This is physiology.

Practice one: coherence breathing. Inhale through the nose for five counts, exhale for five. Ten minutes, once a day, preferably morning. This equal rhythm signals safety to the vagus nerve and lowers the baseline of the whole day.

Practice two: the extended exhale. Inhale for four, exhale for eight. Do it in bed before sleep, or whenever anxiety spikes. The long exhale activates the rest-and-digest branch of the nervous system within a few cycles.

Practice three: box breathing before hard moments. Four in, four hold, four out, four hold, for two minutes. It gives the busy mind a job and the body a pattern. One warning: never force the breath, never practice to the point of dizziness, and if you have heart or respiratory conditions, ask a professional first.