The Power of Breathwork: Calm, Clarity, and Energy in Every Breath

Have you ever noticed how you breathe when you're overwhelmed?

It’s usually shallow, quick, and high up in the chest — like your body is bracing for impact. That’s because your breath mirrors your nervous system state. But here’s the good news: it works both ways. You can use your breath to gently guide your body back to calm, clarity, or even a burst of fresh energy when you need it.

I use breathwork daily — not just as a practice, but as a kind of conversation with my body. It’s become one of my go-to tools, and it’s so simple, you can do it anywhere. Here are a few ways I use it — and how it might support you too.

😵‍💫 When You’re Spinning Out or Struggling to Wind Down: Try a Long, Slow Exhale

You don’t need a fancy technique — just let your exhale be longer than your inhale. That’s it. Maybe breathe in for a count of 4, and breathe out for 6 or even 8. The longer exhale tells your body, “Hey, you’re safe now.” And your body believes it.

I use this one a lot when I feel overstimulated or when my mind won’t stop racing at bedtime. For many women I work with, this is a game-changer — especially if you tend to carry the weight of other people’s needs, or your nervous system feels like it’s constantly on high alert. It's like pressing a soft, reassuring hand to your own heart.

🟦 When You Need to Regroup and Feel More in Control: Box Breathing

Box breathing is one of those techniques that helps you feel centred fast. You breathe in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4 — like tracing the sides of a square with your breath. It creates this sense of rhythm and structure that can be deeply grounding, especially when life feels chaotic.

I’ll use this if I’m about to have a challenging conversation, or when my to-do list is starting to feel like it’s towering over me. It’s also really helpful before meetings, parenting moments, or even when you need to get out of a scroll-hole and refocus on something important.

🔥 When You’re Flat or Foggy: Breath of Fire for a Quick Energy Boost

Some mornings — or afternoons — I don’t need more coffee, I need more oxygen. Breath of Fire is a short, sharp breathing technique that gets things moving. It’s fast, rhythmic exhales through the nose (kind of like sniffing quickly) and out through the mouth and is amazing for clearing mental cobwebs.

This is one I recommend when you’ve been sitting too long, or you're about to show up for something that needs your full attention — a creative project, an important call, or even just that mountain of laundry that you can’t face. It’s a natural pick-me-up that’s activating without the jitters.

So Why Does Breathwork Actually Help?

From a neuroscience perspective, your breath is one of the only things you can consciously control that directly influences your autonomic nervous system. That means with just a few intentional breaths, you can shift out of stress response and into a state that’s calmer, clearer, and more connected.

This is especially important for women, whose nervous systems are often tuned to be more sensitive to social, emotional, and hormonal signals. Breathwork gives you a way to come home to your body — to feel safe, capable, and in tune — no matter what the day throws at you.

Whether you’ve got two minutes between school pickup and dinner, or you’re lying in bed trying to quiet the mental noise — your breath is always there for you.

💕If you’d like more support please reach out to me, or for more ideas about how to feel calmer and more centered you might like to read my book Rest & Rise: The Feminine Nervous System and Restoring Balance Naturally.