Daily Breathwork Practice: Cultivate Calm Amid Chaos

Want to reset your mind, tune into your body, and re-engage with the world from a place of calm? A daily breathwork practice can help.

That’s why we turned to Edina legacy massage therapist, Marc Zollicoffer, for insight. A Deepak Chopra organization certified instructor, he taught at Aveda for 27 years, where he made breathing exercises part of every class.

Marc pulls from his deep well of knowledge to share how breathwork benefits us, mind and body, and he offers some simple breathing exercises, guided breathwork apps, and insightful reads that can get you started on your journey.

What does breathwork do for you?

While the benefits of breathwork are far reaching, one of its best functions is to move you from fight or flight mode to rest and digest mode, which triggers all sorts of healing responses, like reducing inflammation and stress.

And as your breath is the only conscious link you have between the body and mind, the one connection you can control, making breathwork a daily practice can positively impact the way you move through the world.

Stress—a mental creation you can manage with breath

“When we’re stressed,” says Marc, “that stress is always based on our own perceptions of things.”

“If you’re stuck in traffic and in a hurry to get somewhere,” he continues, “your stress in that situation is going to be based on the perception that you’re in a hurry. But if you have young kids at home and your commute is the only time you get to yourself, that extra 10 minutes in the car may not be that big of a deal. It might even feel like an escape.”

In those moments of stress, if you slow down and take conscious breaths, you can get out of your own head and find a greater sense of calm. 

How does breathwork work on your body and mind, exactly?

There are two aspects to the involuntary nervous system—the sympathetic nervous system, which we often call “fight or flight,” and the parasympathetic system, sometimes known as “rest and digest.”

“People have a tendency to spend most of their time in the parasympathetic while they’re asleep,” says Marc, “but it’s good to have some conscious time in that, as well. That’s what breathwork can do—it helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system so we can reduce more of that chronic stress. While we can’t just flip a switch, we do have some levers we can work.”

How to practice breathwork

Anytime you can stop and take a few deep breaths is a good thing. Even if you do it for one minute throughout the day as your daily breathwork practice, that’s a great way to engage.

The key is breathing through your diaphragm. These deep breaths pull air into the lower lobes of your lungs, where most of the blood vessels reside. When you do that, you get a better oxygen exchange and more of a shift into rest and digest mode.

You can practice diaphragmatic breathing while lying down on the floor or when sitting up straight. Just pay attention to your body. When you inhale, you should see or feel your abdomen expand. 

Create a calming environment

Whether you practice breathwork with music or in silence really comes down to personal preference.

“Sometimes going to that other place through music is a good thing,” says Marc. “If your goal is to get out of your mind and really reconnect with your body, though, I’m not a fan of it. Music can draw your focus to other places.”

Instead, Marc likes to use aromas.

“I use one of the chakra sprays that we have because it can help trigger that shift in your mindset,” he says. “Smell makes a big difference. And it doesn’t necessarily need to be a calming aroma. Any aroma you like is a good choice.”

Try an alternate nostril breathing exercise 

Want to expand your practice beyond diaphragmatic breathing?

“My daughter has to do some kind of yoga or meditation exercise every week for her high school soccer team,” says Marc. “And the alternate nostril exercise is the one she likes most. It’s easy to do, and one of the most calming.”

Give it a try.

Explore Pranayama exercises

You might also try Pranayama exercises. (For those new to breathwork, Prana is the energy of the body in Ayurvedic philosophy. It’s also called Chi or Qi.)

These yogic breathing exercises work on the subtle energy of the body.

“To be clear,” says Marc, “this isn’t mystical and weird. The physical world is made up of matter and energy, and that includes our bodies. Our bones, muscles, organs, and blood—all the things we can put into a test tube, are matter. Whereas the energy is that more subtle aspect that’s harder to analyze, but we can definitely experience it.

“Pranayama shifts that aspect,” he continues, “linking the matter and energy together, so you start to feel differences on the physiological layer.”

Brahmari, or Sound of the Bumblebee, is just one of these Pranayama exercises. Give it a try.

Just getting started?

Leaning on science-based resources can set you off on the right foot.

A guided breathwork app, like Breathwrk, is a great way to start your journey. Offering simple breathing exercises and breathwork classes, it helps you activate your parasympathetic nervous system and achieve calm or better sleep. It even includes exercises that boost your oxygen intake and improve athletic performance.

“If you’re interested in the best books on breathwork,” says Marc, “I really like Body, Mind and Sport by Dr. John Douillard. He’s taught professional athletes how to breathe better, so they can become more efficient at what they do. If you want to learn to breathe better, it gives you that foundation. There’s another book, called Breath by James Nestor. That’s also very good.”

One last thing to consider?

Getting a massage is a great way to give yourself 60-90 minutes out of your busy day to focus on breathing.

“I see my job mostly as getting people to breathe for an hour on my table,” says Marc. “They will feel great regardless of the techniques I use.”

Ready to create calm and restore balance?

Anytime you can use the breath to tune into your body and reconnect with who you are—that inner sense of self—is a good thing. Breathwork can help you mentally reset, so you can approach the situation you’re dealing with from a new angle and engage with the people in your life from a place of calm and love.