What is Breathwork, really?
Sent by Breath Curriculum | Oct 30, 2025
Something Basic: What is Breathwork, Really?
Something I often hear from people who take the course The Essentials of Breathing (where you learn five simple steps to optimize your breath to improve your health) is the clarity they get from understanding what breathwork actually means. So…
Breathwork means deliberately controlling your breath to create a specific outcome. It doesn’t have to include fast breathing; it can simply be when you decide to exhale longer than you inhale to slow your heart, or when you hold at the end of an exhale to increase CO2 tolerance.
Breath awareness, on the other hand, is the practice of observing your breath without controlling it. The only rule is: don’t judge your breath.
What about meditation? Here’s how I see the difference: breathwork is a physical practice, and meditation is a mental one. However, you can use breathwork or breath awareness to reach a meditative state.
I hope this helped make things a little clearer.
Something Practical: Let’s Try It!
Feel the difference between these three practices, and notice if there’s one you like more, or a little less.
Breath Awareness. Close your eyes for a minute and observe your breath without changing it.
Breathwork. Now take a minute to count (in your head) to four as you inhale and eight as you exhale.
Meditation. Lastly, instead of focusing on your breath, notice your thoughts as they come and go, like clouds passing through the sky.
What did you feel? You can try more guided sessions here for free.
If you have any questions about how to optimize your breath to improve a specific area, don’t hesitate to reach out to elsa@breathcurriculum.com. I would love to hear from you.
Best,
Elsa
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