Frontiers in Psychology • June 10, 2026 • Guy W. Fincham, Edward Caddye, Amy A. Kartar et al.
A single session of high ventilation breathwork produced larger altered states of consciousness—including mystical experience, emotional breakthrough, and feelings of oneness—than body scan meditation in 24 healthy adults. One week later, breathwork was associated with greater psychological insight and self-reported behavioral change. Both groups showed improvements in stress, anxiety, depression, and well-being over time. These preliminary findings suggest breathwork can induce psychedelic-like effects and support further confirmatory research.
Frontiers in Psychology • February 25, 2026 • Natalie L. Dyer, Meredith Sprengel, Ivo V. Stuldreher et al.
A feasibility study monitored 23 adults with multiple sensors during guided loving kindness meditation and breathwork. Biofield measures changed as expected for some participants. After meditation, participants reported lower arousal and increased control, boundarylessness, and non-duality. After breathwork, participants reported increased arousal and decreased boundarylessness, connectedness, and non-duality. Strong correlations (r > 0.5) appeared between ultraweak photon emission from both hands, and moderate correlations (r > 0.4) between infrared nose temperature and left hand ultraweak photon emission. The authors conclude that simultaneous multi-sensor monitoring is feasible and that meditation and breathwork produce nearly opposite effects, but larger samples and control groups are needed.
Psychophysiology • January 1, 2026 • Neel Muzumdar, Kelly Sun, Samuel Zhang et al.
Volitional sighing at fixed intervals produces a sympathetic cardiovascular response similar to exercise, with heart rate, low-frequency heart rate variability, pulse transit time variability, mean arterial pressure, and low-frequency blood pressure variability all increasing significantly from baseline. Greater changes occurred during shorter intervals between sighs (one every 15 seconds versus one every 30 seconds). High-frequency heart rate variability decreased only during the more frequent sighing task. Males showed larger increases than females in heart rate and several sympathetic indices, but smaller decreases in high-frequency heart rate variability. The fixed-interval volitional sighing protocol may serve as a stress test to detect early cardiovascular or autonomic dysfunction.
Journal of family medicine and primary care • December 1, 2025 • Neena Sharma, Kamlesh Jha, Chandrakanta Munni
Slow pranayama, a yogic breathing technique considered a form of meditation, shows promise for reducing anxiety symptoms by modulating heart rate variability (HRV). Anxiety disorders, among the most common mental health conditions, are linked to autonomic nervous system dysregulation and decreased HRV, a biomarker of vagal tone and resilience. Slow breathing with a prolonged expiratory phase enhances vagal tone, restores sympathovagal balance, and promotes homeostasis. This review explores the therapeutic potential of slow pranayama in managing anxiety disorders, examining current evidence, limitations, and future directions for integrating yoga-based practices into mental health care.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies • September 4, 2025 • Giordano Novak Rossi, Rishma S. I. Khubsing, Eline Haijen et al.
Both a single ayahuasca ceremony and a single breathwork session led to lasting improvements in cognitive flexibility, emotion regulation, positive affect, and sleep quality over three months. Improvements in cognitive flexibility appeared before changes in emotion regulation, partially supporting the idea that cognitive shifts may drive later emotional gains. The two treatments did not differ in their overall benefits, and the role of participants' experience and motivation remains unclear. The findings suggest that both practices can promote psychological well-being, but further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms and temporal order of these effects.
PLoS ONE • August 27, 2025 • Amy Kartar, Toru Horinouchi, Balázs Örzsik et al. • 1 citation
High ventilation breathwork (HVB), which involves rapid or deep breathing often accompanied by music, can produce altered states of consciousness (ASCs) similar to those caused by psychedelic substances, including euphoria, bliss, and perceptual changes. The neurobiological mechanisms behind these effects were largely unknown. In experienced practitioners, the intensity of ASCs from HVB was proportional to cardiovascular sympathetic activation and to changes in cerebral blood flow in the left operculum/posterior insula and right amygdala/anterior hippocampus—brain regions involved in sensing breathing and processing emotional memories. These brain changes may underlie the positive therapeutic outcomes associated with HVB.
Journal of Korean medical science • June 2, 2025 • Jung-Won Shin, Jaesung Yoo, Hyeyun Kim • 1 citation
Mind-body interventions delivered via YouTube by experts, including mindfulness, breathwork, and mental imagery, improved sleep in a survey of 411 users. Most participants were women in their 20s who had difficulty falling asleep or non-restorative sleep. After using the videos, people reported better sleep-onset latency, sleep maintenance, sleep quality, daytime dysfunction, and ease waking up. Those with the most improvement had more severe insomnia with psychological stress. 77% of users found the platform convenient and satisfactory. The findings suggest that expert-led YouTube videos can be an effective and accessible tool for improving sleep.
Commun Psychol • April 13, 2025 • 14 citations
Altered states of consciousness (ASCs) similar to those induced by psychedelics can be achieved through circular breathwork, a non-pharmacological practice. During breathwork sessions, deliberate hyperventilation reduces end-tidal CO2 pressure, which is significantly correlated with the onset of ASCs. The depth of these ASCs predicted subsequent improvements in well-being and reductions in depressive symptoms. Two forms of breathwork, Holotropic and Conscious-Connected, produced highly similar outcomes. The findings identify physiological conditions for ASCs outside of drug use, suggesting breathwork's potential as an accessible psychotherapeutic tool.
Contemporary clinical trials • October 1, 2024 • Emily Johnson, Kathleen Ismond, Ashley Hyde et al. • 3 citations
Anxiety and depression are common in adults with chronic health conditions, harming quality of life and increasing risks. Online mind-body wellness programs—including psychology, mindful movement, breathwork, and meditation—may help, but their effectiveness across diverse chronic conditions is unclear. This pragmatic randomized controlled trial tests the online eMPower intervention at two support levels against a waitlist control. As of April 2024, 656 participants have enrolled, with 598 completing 12-week follow-up. The primary outcome compares anxiety and depression scores between the group receiving eMPower plus weekly check-ins and controls. Findings aim to clarify how people with chronic conditions engage with and benefit from online mind-body programming.
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) • August 1, 2024 • Evan Lewis-healey, Enzo Tagliazucchi, Andres Canales-Johnson et al. • 27 citations
Intentional breathing techniques (breathwork) can induce altered states of consciousness similar to those produced by psychedelics. By tracking subjective experiences moment-by-moment alongside portable EEG recordings across 301 sessions from 14 novice participants, researchers found that psychedelic-like experiences—especially intense bliss—corresponded with increased neural complexity (Lempel-Ziv complexity) and changes in the aperiodic exponent of brain activity, but not with alpha brainwave power. These non-linear neural features map onto both broad positive experiences and specific psychedelic-like states, suggesting breathwork alters consciousness through mechanisms distinct from simple relaxation or meditation.
Journal of basic and clinical physiology and pharmacology • July 1, 2024 • Vivek Kumar Sharma, Pradip B Barde, Rajesh Kathrotia et al. • 5 citations
An 8-week program combining anulom vilom pranayama and heartfulness meditation reduced cardiovascular measures (heart rate, blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, rate pressure product), perceived stress, depression, and stress scores in nurses who were health-care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The intervention also shifted autonomic balance toward parasympathetic dominance, indicated by changes in heart rate variability parameters (total power, low-frequency to high-frequency ratio, and NN50 count). Serum cortisol, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1, interleukin-6, and telomerase all decreased. The program may help curtail stress and improve well-being in this population.
Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews • December 1, 2023 • Guy W Fincham, Amy Kartar, Malin V Uthaug et al. • 41 citations
High Ventilation Breathwork (HVB)—volitional manipulation of breathing used historically for psychological distress—produces extraordinary changes in subjective experience and profound effects on central and autonomic nervous systems by modulating neurometabolic parameters and interoceptive sensory systems. Clinical observations and neurophysiological studies indicate these practices may have therapeutic potential for trauma-related, affective, and somatic disorders. The evidence base suggests that the phenomenological effects of HVB can be understood and potentially harnessed through volitional perturbation of psychophysiological state, but further research is needed for detailed mechanistic knowledge and rigorous clinical testing of these potential uses.
Frontiers in public health • January 1, 2023 • Praag Bhardwaj, Monika Pathania, Yogesh Bahurupi et al. • 31 citations
A 12-week yoga-based meditation and breath intervention delivered via mobile health (mHealth) reduced burnout and improved professional quality of life among healthcare providers at a north Indian tertiary care hospital. The randomized waitlist-controlled trial enrolled 98 healthcare providers (62 males, 36 females; average age 28.26 years). The experimental group attended weekly online yoga sessions and practiced daily at home; the control group continued usual routines.
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience • March 21, 2022 • 32 citations
Slow nasal breathing at 2.5 breaths per minute, as practiced in Pranayama, alters brain activity and induces a non-ordinary state of consciousness, primarily through mechanical stimulation of the olfactory epithelium rather than through vagal nerve stimulation. In 12 experienced meditators, slow nasal breathing produced slowing of EEG delta and theta activity in prefrontal regions, widespread increases in theta and high-beta connectivity, increased phase-amplitude coupling between these bands in prefrontal and posterior Default Mode Network regions, and increased small-worldness of high-beta networks. Participants reported a higher perception of being in a non-ordinary state of consciousness compared to mouth breathing at the same rate or resting state.
Frontiers in Psychiatry • May 21, 2020 • 110 citations
Four weeks of Bhastrika pranayama, a yoga breathing exercise, significantly reduced anxiety and negative affect in thirty healthy young adults. Brain scans showed that the practice modulated activity in emotion-processing regions including the amygdala, anterior cingulate, anterior insula, and prefrontal cortex, and decreased functional connectivity between the anterior insula and lateral prefrontal cortex. Changes in connectivity between the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and right anterior insula correlated with changes in anxiety. The authors note these analyses were preliminary and exploratory.
International Journal of Yoga • January 1, 2020 • Stephany Campanelli, Adrianobretanha Lopes Tort, Bruno Lobão‐soares • 41 citations
A systematic review of 14 studies published between 2008 and 2018 found that yogic breathing techniques improve emotional and cognitive performance. The review followed PRISMA guidelines and included articles from Science Direct, PubMed, and Virtual Health Library. The authors note that the physiological mechanisms by which these practices modulate the human nervous system remain unclear and call for further research into specific aspects such as breath retention, prolonged expiration, attention on fluid respiration, and abdominal or thoracic breathing.
International Journal of Yoga • January 1, 2018 • 22 citations
Telomeres protect chromosome ends and shorten with age; shorter telomeres are linked to lifestyle disorders. A systematic review examined whether asana, pranayama, and meditation help maintain telomere length and telomerase activity. Literature was searched in six databases. The review suggests these practices may increase oxygen flow to cells and reduce stress via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, potentially preserving genomic integrity and aiding health. The evidence is limited, and the conclusion is that such practices can help maintain telomere stability and are important for human health.
Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine • September 22, 2017 • 54 citations
A 3-day retreat teaching Shambhavi Mahamudra kriya, a yogic practice combining deep breathing and meditation, followed by 21 minutes of daily practice for 6 weeks, led to lower perceived stress and higher general well-being among 142 adults (mean age 43). The findings suggest this practice may serve as a natural approach to reducing stress.
September 1, 2017 • Stevie‐jae Hepburn, Mary Mcmahon • 22 citations
A five-week pranayama meditation (yoga breathing) course, with one 60-minute weekly class focusing on breath awareness, reduced perceived stress in participants. The exploratory mixed-methods case study used the Perceived Stress Scale before and after the course, weekly journal reflections, and a final structured interview. Participants reported lower perceived stress and benefits in both their professional and personal lives. The findings suggest that such a brief breathing-based meditation program can help relieve stress for teachers.
Disability and Rehabilitation • May 24, 2012 • 39 citations
In a pilot randomized controlled trial, twenty-two Guillain-Barré syndrome patients were assigned to either a yoga group receiving relaxation, pranayama, and guided meditation plus usual rehabilitation, or a control group receiving only usual care. Over three weeks, the yoga group showed significantly improved sleep quality compared to the control group. Pain, anxiety, depression, and overall functional status improved in both groups, but the differences between groups were not statistically significant. The findings suggest that adding yogic practices to standard rehabilitation can enhance sleep quality in GBS patients.
Heart Views • January 1, 2011 • 109 citations
A 15-day program of daily pranayama and meditation reduced resting pulse rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and mean arterial blood pressure in 50 healthy adults aged 20–60. The improvements were similar across genders, age groups (above and below 40), and BMI categories (above and below 25 kg/m²). The findings suggest that even short-term regular practice of these yoga techniques can benefit cardiovascular function in healthy individuals, independent of age, sex, or body mass index.
Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy • November 13, 2009 • 102 citations
Two studies assessed the Breathworks mindfulness-based pain management programme. In the first pilot study, participants in the intervention group reported significant improvements in depression, outlook, catastrophizing, and pain self-efficacy, with particularly large effects for pain acceptance, while a comparison group showed no change. The second study found that scores on the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale increased significantly in the intervention group but not in the comparison group; no change occurred on a sustained attention measure. An Implicit Association Test suggested increased awareness of positive stimuli after the programme. The findings support the programme's short-term efficacy and the role of acceptance in chronic pain.
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine • September 1, 2007 • Joseph P. Rhinewine, Oliver J. Williams • 37 citations
Holotropic Breathwork (HB), a prolonged voluntary hyperventilation procedure, may be useful in treating anxiety and depressive disorders. Hyperventilation produces significant changes in central nervous system activity. Preliminary evidence suggests potential efficacy, and a tentative biopsychologic hypothesis proposes that HB, when combined with ongoing psychotherapy, could facilitate extinction of avoidance behaviors, leading to therapeutic progress. Individuals high in trait absorption and social desirability who have not responded adequately to psychotherapy might benefit most. Further research using more rigorous methods is needed to confirm or refute HB's therapeutic potential for psychiatric disorders.
Psychotherapy • January 1, 1996 • Sarah W. Holmes, Robin G. Morris, Pauline Rose Clance et al. • 28 citations
Adding six monthly sessions of Holotropic Breathwork to experientially oriented psychotherapy reduced death anxiety and increased self-esteem more than psychotherapy alone. The study compared two groups of 24 subjects each: one group received a combination of experiential psychotherapy plus breathwork, while the other received only psychotherapy. No differences were found between groups on feelings of affiliation with others or on distress from self-identified problems. The findings suggest that experiential approaches may be useful for addressing death anxiety and self-esteem.