These are the guidelines I follow in my own practice, and the ones I wish someone had given me when I started. They are personal practice, not medical advice. Where a point rests on physiology, there is a source. Where it rests on my own experience, I say so.

1: Don't overdo it

Go slow and take days off. When I started, I practised every other day: one day on, one day off. After about a month I moved to two days on, one day off, and I kept building slowly from there. I never practise more than six days in a row. "Even God rests one day a week."

I recommend a slow, steady progression because the days off are when you notice what the practice is doing to your mood, sleep and energy. Without that space, it is hard to tell whether it is helping.

For the first six months, practise once a day at most. After that, add a second session on some days if it feels right.

2: Tension

Hold as little unnecessary tension as possible during retentions. Get in the habit of scanning your body while you breathe, especially while you hold. If you feel agitated or in pain, ease off.

Pushing too hard can leave you more wound up than when you started, at least in my experience. A shorter, smooth retention is better than a longer one that leaves you clenched or close to blacking out. Long breath-holds after deliberate overbreathing can lead to loss of consciousness with little warning [1].

Pay special attention to the neck, shoulders, upper back, face and jaw. Breathwork is a practice of mindfulness.

3: When to practise

My best sessions come first thing in the morning, after yoga or light stretching, while my mind is quiet. I notice that my retentions are longer and more comfortable on those mornings. Try it and see whether the same holds for you.

I also practise on an empty stomach. For me it makes holding the breath after the exhale much more comfortable. Treat that as a preference, not a rule.

4: Where to practise

Some breathwork is intense. Do it somewhere that is safe both physically and emotionally.

Fast, forceful breathing, as in the Wim Hof method and some advanced pranayamas, lowers carbon dioxide in the blood [2]. Lower carbon dioxide narrows the blood vessels in the brain and reduces blood flow to it [3]. That is why these methods can make you lightheaded, tingly or faint.

Getting lightheaded is a clear sign to back off. Even with precautions it can still happen, so always sit or lie down while you practise. Never do these practices while driving, or in or near water, even shallow water. Overbreathing before a breath-hold under water is a known cause of blackouts and drowning [1].

Strong or difficult emotions can come up during practice. If it gets too intense, stop, and talk to an experienced teacher or a mental-health professional.

5: Am I doing it right?

Signs that you might be overdoing it:

Headaches. If you get a headache during or right after a session, take it as a sign to ease off. If the headaches continue, or come on even with gentle practice, stop and see a doctor.
Feeling agitated, anxious or irritable later in the day. If a session leaves you spacey, tense or on edge for hours, take a day off. Then restart more gently, with shorter retentions, and keep checking for tension while you hold.

If you are pregnant, or have a heart, lung, blood-pressure, neurological or psychiatric condition, ask your doctor before starting a regular practice. This applies most of all to fast breathing and long breath-holds.

If you want somewhere gentle to start, try the slow, even patterns on the breathing exercises page. They involve no overbreathing and no long holds.

Sincerely, and with much love
@yornaath

Sources

Craig AB Jr. Causes of loss of consciousness during underwater swimming. Journal of Applied Physiology 1961;16(4):583–586. doi:10.1152/jappl.1961.16.4.583
Kox M, et al. Voluntary activation of the sympathetic nervous system and attenuation of the innate immune response in humans. PNAS 2014;111(20):7379–7384. doi:10.1073/pnas.1322174111
Ainslie PN, Duffin J. Integration of cerebrovascular CO2 reactivity and chemoreflex control of breathing: mechanisms of regulation, measurement, and interpretation. American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 2009;296(5):R1473–R1495. doi:10.1152/ajpregu.91008.2008

Medical disclaimer

This page is general information, not medical advice. This article describes my personal breathwork practice. It is provided for general informational and educational purposes only, to support relaxation and stress management as part of a healthy lifestyle. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease or medical condition, and it is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Nothing on this page has been written or reviewed by a licensed healthcare professional, and reading it does not create a clinician–patient relationship. Always ask your physician or another qualified health provider about any medical condition, and talk to them before starting a breathing practice if you are pregnant or have a cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological or psychiatric condition. Never ignore professional medical advice, or delay seeking it, because of something you have read here. If you think you may be having a medical emergency, call your local emergency number immediately (113 in Norway, 112 in the EU, 911 in the US, 999 in the UK).