I have trouble concentrating during breathing exercises; what should I do?

When doing breathwork, the goal is not to reach a crystal-clear mind and perfect focus. When we’re left with our thoughts and when we try to concentrate on our breath, it is only natural that we get distracted, and thoughts swarm into our minds. The goal is to notice these thoughts and bring our attention back to our breath without following them. The more we practice, the sooner we can notice that we are distracted and the sooner we can return to our breath. Being in a physically comfortable environment, eliminating distractions, and doing regular breathing exercises will help with our focus. Don’t make it a struggle to concentrate, be patient, and remember that you are doing something exceptionally good for yourself, even if it doesn’t seem like it in the beginning.

To learn more about this topic, head on to 7 Ways to Boost Concentration in Breathwork Exercises!

Who is breathwork for?

This may sound like an obvious answer but it’s true: breathwork is for everyone. Better health – both physical, emotional and mental – starts with better breathing. Breathwork exercises and proper breathing patterns contribute to (among many other benefits):

  • Less feelings of stress and anxiety
  • More sleep and better sleep quality
  • Peace of mind, feeling more calm and relaxed
  • Stronger immune system
  • Improved digestion
  • Pain relief and less muscle tension
  • Better concentration, a clearer mind
  • More inspiration and creativity
  • Improved happiness and general life energy

Kindly note: in case you are experiencing serious health challenges, physically or mentally, please be advised to seek professional guidance. Every body is unique and asks for an unique approach so when in doubt, do ask for personal advice. In addition, breathwork is never a substitute for any necessary medical treatment. Always consult a medical advisor if needed.

When should I use practice breathwork?

Breathwork can be practiced daily, at any time and any moment. Specifically which exercise you should choose, depends on what you’d like to get out of your practice. Some techniques will provide you more creative energy, some bring balance in your body and mind and some help you deeply relax.

The best advice we can give if you want to start your day right? Start with a breathwork practice. By beginning a brand new day with a conscious breathwork exercise, you are able to start your day mindfully and in good health.

Moreover, during your day, at any moment you’re feeling anxious or stressed, when you are in need for a clear mind or when you are looking for more energy or inspiration, remember that you can always take a moment to practice breathwork. It will change your day.

Breathwork is also a perfect choice at the end of the day, when it’s time to wind down and enjoy a good night’s rest. Deregulating breathing exercises are effective tools to easily and rapidly put you to sleep.

Do I need a teacher/breathworker?

As with everything new we are exploring and learning in life, having an experienced teacher you can trust and relate to is important. Especially when you are new to breathwork and breathing exercises, it is not only important but in fact essential to seek first-hand guidance of a well-trained, professional breathwork teacher.

Also when you already have experience with breathwork, we would recommend letting yourself be guided through all different techniques and sessions.

Breath Hub App allows you to experience a great variety of effective breathwork practices brought to you by highly skilled and established teachers, this way you are able to enjoy the best possible and most beneficial practices.

10 Expert Breathwork Tips

What should you do when being new to practicing breathwork?

Here are ten breathwork tips from our team of experts to get you started!

  • Practice using your diaphragm
    Diaphragmatic breathing, also: belly breathing or abdominal breathing, helps strengthen your diaphragm, the most important breathing muscle. Breathing into your belly has a number of benefits that affect your entire body. It triggers the relaxing response in the body and sends a calming message to your brain and nervous system. By (better) using your diaphragm, you can lower stress levels, reduce blood pressure and regulate other essential bodily processes.
  • Try different breathwork techniques
    There are so many amazing breathing techniques and the only way to comprehend the profound effects is through personal experience. Try various techniques to see what works best for you. Moreover, in order to reap the long term benefits of some techniques, try to be persistent to feel in what way certain practices work for you.
  • Try different breathwork teachers and sessions
    Different breathing techniques can have a different effect on your body and mind. Moreover, every teacher has its own unique approach to breathwork. It’s amazing to try various teachers and classs, each time can be surprising and refreshing. Even with the same teacher, your next session can be a new experience, depending on many variables such as time, place, music and your emotional state or intention.
  • Listen to your body
    When practicing breathwork, the most important thing is to listen closely to your body and allow your breath to guide you through each session. Breathwork is never a challenge or a competition, only do what feels right to you. Although practicing breathwork comes with serious benefits, try to relax and enjoy the process. Don’t forget to smile every now and then.
  • Practice 10 minutes of breathwork per day
    The only way to experience all positive effects of breathwork is daily practice. Don’t worry: you don’t have to radically change your life and sit for hours, even a few minutes a day can make a big difference. Allow yourself ten minutes per day to close your eyes and practice breathwork. We promise that you will thank yourself later.
  • Create a daily routine
    Routine is key to a healthy and happy life. By downloading Breath Hub you will receive daily sessions and inspiration as well as reminders to keep your practice going. Only when you manage to implement breathing techniques into your daily life you can reap the full benefits. Breath Hub assists you with creating new, fruitful habits.
  • Increase your breath awareness during the day
    Next to your daily practice, try to pay more attention to your breath during the day. See if you can become aware of the way you are breathing in different situations, both the fun and the challenging. Try to breathe through your nose and relax your breathing as much as you can. The ‘easy’ trick is: the calmer you breathe, to calmer you will feel.
  • Breathe through your nose (in general)
    When compared to mouth breathing, there are countless benefits of nose breathing that can have both short and long term effects on your health. Nasal breathing filters and warms the air, it prevents overbreathing, it calms down your nervous system and provides up to 20% more oxygen in your bloodstream at any given time. Try to breathe through your nose as much as you can during your day as it’s the healthiest way to breathe in general.
  • Also experience live breathwork sessions
    Next to your daily practice at home or on the go, it’s amazing to also experience live breathwork sessions. By doing so, you can intensify the experience and results you get out of your personal breathwork practices. Moreover, by practicing with others, you’ll be able to share experiences you will maximize the joy you get out of all your breathwork practices.
  • Make best use of Breath Hub
    Breath Hub offers over 200 life-changing breathwork practices you can experience at any place and time you want. All breathwork teachers you find in Breath Hub are world-renowned experts and trained to guide you through any type of breathwork you might like to experience. Next to all amazing sessions, you also have the opportunity to try one-to-one sessions, workshops and more. Make best use of Breath Hub and your life will change today. To find more breathwork tips, make sure to download our app!

I’ve completed basic sessions, now what?

Great work! You have done an amazing job by trying different techniques and feeling what the effects are on your body and mind. If you’re open to explore new sessions, it’s good to know that Breath Hub offers an abundance of options to choose from in our content library.

Please don’t feel intimidated by a number of choices Breath Hub offers. We suggest that you take some time exploring and considering which teacher, course or practice you might like to experience next. You may visit the Explore section to discover the variety of content Breath Hub offers.

In case you enjoyed the basic sessions, it is perfectly fine to continue practicing (one of) them. Repetition and creating routine is key to success. Once you find a session that you like, we recommend trying to stick with it so you’ll be able to reap the full benefits.

Where should I practice breathwork?

Thanks to Breath Hub you can enjoy breathwork sessions wherever you are.

Breathwork can be practiced ‘everywhere’ as your breath (and the app) is always with you, you don’t have to go to a breathwork center, yoga school or retreat to practice breathwork.

The best place to practice breathwork is any environment in which you feel safe and comfortable and you can’t be disturbed. This can be in the comfort of your own home or any other location of choice where you can take some quiet time for yourself.

Be aware that some breathing techniques may cause physical effects like lightheadedness or provoke emotional releases, therefore we would like to underline the importance of practicing in a safe place.

Kindly be advised to never practice breathwork while driving a car or in any situation in which your focused attention is needed.

Is there a particular way I should breathe?

Every breathing technique has its own pattern and way of breathing.

The beauty of Breath Hub is that all sessions you’ll find in the app are carefully guided by professional and highly skilled breathwork teachers.

You won’t have to think about how you should breathe before you start your session, as you will be mindfully and perfectly guided through each and every practice.

How to sit during the breathwork practice?

Many people can recognize the classic lotus pose, however you don’t have to be able to sit like this in order to practice breathwork.

Most important when practicing breathing exercises: make sure you feel comfortable and safe. Some practices will invite you to sit down, others will ask you to lie comfortably on the floor. Simply follow the instructions of your teacher, he or she will always explain what the most ideal position is for the particular session.

That being said, to allow full, deep and diaphragmatic breaths, you can follow these basic guidelines: keep your spine straight, shoulders down and away from your ears, body relaxed, eyes closed and chin slightly tucked in.

If you find a particular position to be painful or uncomfortable, always listen to your body and adjust if needed. The most important thing is that you can sit or lie comfortably during the length of time of your session of choice.

To make yourself extra comfortable while practicing, it is always perfectly fine to use attributes such as a blanket to keep you warm or a meditation pillow to sit on if that helps you during your practice.

How often should I practice breathwork?

First of all: it’s your practice and the choice is yours. That being said, we recommend practicing breathwork daily. When you’re able to integrate breathing techniques into your daily life, you will experience the most benefits. You don’t have to practice for hours, even a few minutes per day can make a great difference.

With consistency, you will not only begin to feel better, you will also notice it becomes easier and more enjoyable to practice breathwork. Routine is key to a healthy and happy life, breathwork helps you to live your life with more awareness, to experience more intuitivity and flow. When practicing daily, over time, you’ll see: that’s where the magic happens.

That being said, making breathwork a habit can be challenging and it takes time. Don’t be hard on yourself when you have missed a day or two. Just come back to your breath and start again. If you would like help remembering to practice daily, download Breath Hub to keep you inspired to practice every day.

What should I do when I encounter interruptions during my breathwork practice?

Life is what happens… Whenever you are interrupted during your breathwork practice, simply pause for a moment, take a mindful breath and continue your session when the moment allows you.

Don’t worry when being interrupted, you can always come back to your practice or start over from the beginning, whatever feels right to you. Simply relax, stay mindful and follow your breath. Breath Hub offers unlimited on-demand high-quality content for you to practice breathwork at any place and any time.