Use breath as a threshold
Try this when you close a laptop, park the car or arrive home. Let the first few breaths stay natural. Then allow the exhale to become slightly longer than the inhale only if that feels easy. Continue for a minute or two. The purpose is not to maximize lung capacity, hold your breath or create intense sensation. It is to notice that one part of the day has ended before the next begins.
What one randomized study found
In a 2023 randomized controlled study, 108 adults were assigned to five minutes a day of one of three structured breathing practices or mindfulness meditation for 28 days. All groups improved in positive affect and reduced anxiety; the breathing groups showed greater improvement in positive affect, with exhale-focused cyclic sighing performing best on some measures. The intervention was brief, remote and studied in generally healthy adults, so it does not establish that every breathwork style treats anxiety. Read the study.
Comfort is the governing rule
If lengthening the exhale creates air hunger, dizziness, tingling or distress, return to normal breathing. Keep your eyes open if that feels steadier. People with respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological or pregnancy-related concerns should discuss breath practices with an appropriate clinician. Gentle breathwork should not involve prolonged holds, rapid over-breathing or pressure to continue through discomfort.
Attach it to something already real
Consistency is easier when the cue already exists: after locking the office door, before entering the house, or once the kettle is on. Ask, “What am I carrying forward, and what can stay here?” The breath creates a small interval in which the answer can become visible. Read gentle breathwork between busy moments, review the slow-breathing evidence, or explore Gentle Breathwork.
Sources & further reading
- Balban MY et al. Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Reports Medicine. 2023;4(1):100895.Randomized controlled remote study of 108 adults over 28 days; brief practices and mainly short-term outcomes.
About this reading
This educational article connects published evidence with practical reflection. It is not medical or mental-health treatment and does not claim that research on one technique validates Lauren’s complete combined process.
Learn about Lauren and the practice