The only breathwork exercise you need
20 minutes every day
I’ve been writing about breathwork for nearly six years now. In that time, I’ve typed hundreds of thousands of words on the subject and talked to thousands of people, giving them instructions and providing assistance when needed.
When I first created my Twitter account, the conversation revolved around Wim Hof and box breathing. The sophistication was, for better or worse, low. Breathwork was seen as a generic, undifferentiated set of exercises that did… something.
Introducing concepts such as hypercapnia and the Bohr effect, and methods like Buteyko, added nuance but also raised new questions. James Nestor’s appearance on Joe Rogan brought mainstream attention, and demand for legible, scientific explanations suddenly increased.
Still, the space remains infantile. People prescribe exercises like pills: do this for sleep, do that for alertness, 4x4, 4-7-8, 1-2/2-3+2 to become immortal.
I’ve always tried to place these techniques within a broader framework, like Buteyko1. But most people don’t have the desire or time to commit to such a long-term practice. They want benefits immediately.
So instead of trying a bunch of random exercises and hoping something sticks, I recommend using just one — one that packs many of the benefits people usually seek: reduced anxiety, better emotional regulation, lower inflammation, better focus.
The good news: it only takes ~20 minutes every day day.
