By Carola Stephens, Personal Trainer and Yoga Instructor
We breathe all the time and don’t even think about it, however when done intentionally, it can dramatically help in improving strength, recovery, and your emotional well-being.
Even if you’re Strength training, practicing yoga, or just trying to manage stress, doing breathwork can calm you and be the bridge between your body and mind. It can help you to focus, improve your oxygen intake, and help to regulate your parasympathetic nervous system — all of which supports better movement and mental clarity.
Below I’ll explain how breathwork impacts your fitness, yoga, and stress relief, and actionable steps on how to use it.
Breathwork in Strength Training
In strength training and high-intensity workouts, breath control helps to keep you calm and lowers your heart rate. However, it’s also about keeping you stable and to generate power while working out. Breathing properly can help you to engage your core (think about exhaling and how you use your core to push air out), which in turn protects your spine and helps you to generate more force.
Why breathwork matters:
- Generates core stability and protects your spine against injury
- Improves the delivery of oxygen to the muscles
- Helps with endurance and performance
- Aids recovery by lowering the heart rate and decreasing muscle tension
Ways to try:
- Inhale through your nose before each lift or movement (an easier way to think about it, is breathe in through the “easier” part and then exhale when performing the harder part).
- Exhale (can either be forcefully or with control, like I do) through your mouth during the difficult phase (for example, when pressing up in a bench press or coming up in an RDL).
- Once you are finished with your set, take 3–5 slow diaphragmatic breaths (also called belly breathing). To do this, you breathe in through the nose, filling your belly, lungs, all the way to your upper back (keeping your shoulders down) and then exhale slowly, making sure to empty out the air with your diaphragm. Then, repeat. This will help to calm you (and your heart rate) down before doing your next set.
Tip: Think of your breath as part of your exercise, “flowing” with it and using it to help you in your workout.
Breathwork in Yoga
In yoga, the breath is the energy when doing the asanas (or poses). It is the foundation and where all movement starts. The breath connects mind to the body and transforms the asanas into a flow. In yoga, the breath is called pranayama — “a system of techniques used to harness and manipulate universal energy known as prana“.
Why breathwork matters:
- Helps your mind stay present and focused
- Helps with relaxation and balance
- Facilitates better movement flow and flexibility
- Reduces stress by activating the parasympathetic (rest and digest) system
Ways to try:
- Ujjayi Breath (Ocean Breath):
- This type of breathing helps to induce calmness, improved focus and circulation
- Sit in a comfortable seated position with your spine erect and inhale slowly through your nose.
- Constrict the glottis (or back of the throat) and exhale through your nose with a soft hissing or ocean-like sound.
- This breath can be used either sitting or while doing your flow. Make sure you breathe slowly in/out during each asana, making the ocean-like sound.
Tip: If you start feeling jittery or your breath becomes uneven, then stop and reset. Find your breath again, slowly breathing in/out before continuing. Always listen to your breath, it helps to let you know what is going on in your body.
Breathwork to Promote Calmness
When stress pops up, your breathing usually becomes shallow and shoulders start to creep up. This is because you are not using your diaphragm to fill up your lungs. Unfortunately, breathing like this activates your sympathetic nervous system or your body’s “fight or flight” response. Bringing your mind back to conscious breathwork helps to activate again your parasympathetic nervous system (or rest and recovery mode), which helps to lower your cortisol levels and calm the mind.
Why breathwork matters:
- Helps to reduce anxiety and promote mental clarity
- Lowers the heart rate and blood pressure
- Assists in regulating your emotions
- Boosts your serotonin (one of the calming hormones that regulates mood and promotes relaxation) to get an overall sense of calm and resilience
Ways to try:
- Box Breathing (4-4-4-4 Technique):
- Find a comfortable seated position with your spine erect, shoulders down, and hands gently on your knees.
- Inhale through your nose (following instructions above for diaphragmatic breathing) for 4 seconds.
- Hold breath for 4 seconds.
- Exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds, making sure to push all air out.
- Hold for 4 seconds and repeat for 1-2 minutes.
Tip: You can use this type of breathing anytime you are in a stressful situation, when going to bed to help you to sleep, or after working out to lower Use this before stressful events, at bedtime, or after workouts to reset your nervous system.
Putting It All Together
Breathing is not just done automatically to keep us alive, it’s a wonderful built-in tool to help with workout recovery, performance, and emotional balance.
Whether you’re at the gym, doing yoga, or trying to decompress after a stressful day, mindful breathing will help you to connect deeper with your body and stay grounded in the present.
It can get a little frustrating when first embarking on this “mindful breathing” journey, but start small. Begin with just a few conscious breaths before, during, or after a workout. You can also start when doing stretches, which might be a little easier. Over time, you’ll notice that mindful breathing will give you greater focus, smoother movement, and a calmer state of mind.
đź’¬ Final Thoughts
As a yoga teacher and personal trainer, I help clients use breathwork to support mobility, strength, and overall wellness. Breath is the link between bodywork and movement — it’s where calm and power meet.
If you’d like to learn how to integrate breathwork into your workouts or recovery sessions, I’d love to guide you through techniques tailored to your goals.
👉 Contact me today to book a session or consultation!
Grounding Fitness, LLC 