Breathwork and the Nervous System: A Practical Guide

Breath as a Lever

Breathing is unique among autonomic functions: it happens automatically, but you can also take deliberate control of it at any time. This dual nature makes breathwork one of the most accessible and powerful tools for regulating your nervous system state.

Different breathing patterns activate different branches of the autonomic nervous system, giving you a practical lever to shift between states of alertness and calm on demand.

Sympathetic Activation

Short, sharp inhales with passive exhales — such as Wim Hof-style cyclic hyperventilation — drive sympathetic nervous system activation. This increases adrenaline, raises core body temperature, and heightens alertness. These techniques are useful before training or when you need focused energy.

However, overuse of sympathetic-dominant breathing can compound existing stress. Most people in modern life are already sympathetically biased and benefit more from calming protocols.

Calming Protocols

Extended exhales activate the parasympathetic nervous system via the vagus nerve. A simple 4-7-8 pattern — inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale for 8 — can shift your state within minutes. Box breathing (equal counts for inhale, hold, exhale, hold) offers a balanced middle ground.

We integrate parasympathetic breathwork into our recovery sessions at Formation, using it as a bridge between intense physical work and deep rest.

Building a Daily Practice

The most impactful breathwork habit is a brief morning session of 5–10 minutes. This sets your baseline nervous system state for the day. Choose a protocol that matches your needs:

• Feeling sluggish? Use energising breath patterns with emphasis on the inhale
• Feeling anxious? Use calming patterns with extended exhales
• Seeking balance? Use box breathing or coherence breathing at 5.5 breaths per minute

The Case for Nasal Breathing

Nasal breathing filters, warms, and humidifies air before it reaches the lungs. It also produces nitric oxide, which enhances oxygen absorption and supports cardiovascular health. Training yourself to breathe through your nose — including during moderate exercise — is one of the simplest upgrades you can make.

Combining with Other Modalities

Breathwork pairs naturally with cold exposure, sauna sessions, and meditation. At Formation, our guided sessions often combine two or more of these modalities for a compounded effect on recovery, stress resilience, and mental clarity.