Can you breathe stress away?

SEVERAL TIMES a day groups of young-professional types gather at 7Breaths, a meditation studio in central London, simply to breathe. The studio offers yoga and meditation sessions but their signature class is focused on “breathwork”. Those attending sit cross-legged atop small cushions in the warm, minimalist space, as an instructor gently guides them first to pay attention to their breath and then to gradually lengthen the inhales, the exhales and the pauses in between. The goal: to de-stress.

The Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scripture from 1st or 2nd century BC, talks about “pranayama”—a yoga practice of controlling the breath—and yoga texts from a few centuries later describe its benefits for steadying the mind. For modern breathwork-enthusiasts who say that guided breathing helps them feel better, it undoubtedly does. But to test whether such exercises can reduce stress in the as-yet-unconverted, you need randomised-controlled trials (RCTs).

A meta-analysis published in Scientific Reports in 2023 compiled the results of 12 RCTs, including 785 participants, to examine the effect of slow-breathing on stress. The studies used a mixture of in-person coaching, online classes and self-guided breathing. Participants who took part in the breathwork sessions reported greater stress-reduction than those in the control group. The effect was small but significant, roughly in line with the benefit from online cognitive behaviour therapy.