Let’s talk about breathwork. It’s become a hot topic, often promoted as being a tool to reduce stress, improve focus and even enhance physical health. And certainly for many people this is true. But if you have a breathing pattern disorder, breathwork isn’t the quick fix you might think it is. In fact, it may even do you more harm than good…
What is breathwork?
Breathwork involves controlled breathing techniques designed to manipulate how you breathe, typically focusing on sustained, rhythmic patterns for 10–60 minutes. Breathwork can offer benefits such as:
Stress and anxiety relief
Reducing symptoms of PTSD and ADHD
Lowering inflammation
For many, it’s a mindfulness tool much like meditation, where you become more and more aware of your breathing and this can be very beneficial.
But breathwork isn’t for everyone…
Breathwork can be counterproductive for people with respiratory or cardiovascular conditions. It’s especially unsuitable for those with:
Breathing pattern disorders
Hyperventilation syndrome
Unexplained breathlessness
Chronic lung or heart conditions
That’s because breathwork may aggravate symptoms by encouraging repetitive, deep breathing or reinforcing dysfunctional patterns. The most important point to remember is that you should seek medical advice from your doctor before you begin to practice breathwork.
How can breathwork make your breathing pattern disorder worse?
When you have a breathing pattern disorder your normal breathing pattern has become disrupted, leading to symptoms like shortness of breath, dizziness, or fatigue. Breathwork doesn’t correct these issues—it often makes them worse by:
Overloading respiratory muscles through excessive deep breathing
Creating inconsistent rhythms that don’t match your body’s needs
Encouraging hyperventilation, which can lead to lightheadedness or more pronounced symptoms
As an example, if you are suffering from hyperventilation syndrome you might already be clearing too much carbon dioxide from your bloodstream, and breathwork could exacerbate this imbalance, further reducing your carbon dioxide levels and making your symptoms even worse.
How a Breathing MOT can help
If you believe you have an issue with your breathing is out of sync, you need personalised strategies to optimise it—not generic exercises. When you come to the Breathing MOT, we analyse your breathing pattern and then support you with the correct breathing exercises to retrain your breathing pattern.
If you’re unsure if your breathing is dysfunctional you can take a look at how you are breathing and ask yourself the following questions:
what muscles are being used?
what is the depth of your breath like?
what about the speed and the ratio of in:out?
Are your breaths rhythmical?
(you can watch our video on how to assess your breathing to help you)
If, once you’ve performed this self assessment, you feel you don’t breathe optimally then it’s time to explore professional support.
Get your breathing pattern back on track\
Breathwork might seem like an easy way to “fix” your breathing, but it’s not right for everyone—especially if you have a breathing pattern disorder or underlying health condition. Instead, focus on improving your breathing mechanics with the help of a respiratory physiotherapist.
If you’d like to know more about how the Breathing MOT can help retrain your breathing please click here or call 0207 971 1464.
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