The Power of Breath – How Conscious Breathing Transforms the Body, Nervous System and Emotions

We take around 20,000 breaths a day, most of them without noticing. Yet within these seemingly automatic breaths lies a powerful resource: the fastest and most natural way to influence our inner balance. Breathing is a direct gateway to our nervous system, our emotions and our mental state – and yet we often treat it as an afterthought.

Why Breath Is More Than a Physical Process

Breathing is not just the exchange of oxygen. It is communication.

Between body and mind.

Between the nervous system and emotion.Our breath responds to every internal experience:

• Anxiety makes it shallow and fast.
• Stress causes it to become stuck or move up into the chest.
• Sadness makes it heavy.
• In moments of calm and trust, it becomes deeper, warmer and more even.

The breath reflects our inner state – and at the same time, by consciously working with it, we can actively change that state.

The Direct Path to the Nervous System

Through the breath, we influence the vagus nerve and therefore the autonomic nervous system. The result:

Within minutes, we can shift from fight-or-flight (sympathetic) into rest-and-digest (parasympathetic).This means: Breath is self-regulation in real time.

No tools, no equipment, available anytime, anywhere.

A Common Pattern: Shallow Breathing in Everyday Life

Many people only notice they’re tense when their shoulders are raised or their head feels tight. But one of the earliest indicators is the breath becoming shallow. It rises into the chest and loses depth.This mode of breathing acts like a constant internal alarm. The more often it occurs, the more the nervous system adapts to it – until shallow breathing becomes the default. The consequences:

• chronic tension
• sleep disturbances
• feelings of stress
• low energy
• a constant inner pressure

Conscious breathwork brings you back to yourself. It slows you down, grounds, clears and creates space – in the body and in the mind.

Breath Changes Emotion – and Emotion Changes Breath

There is an inseparable interaction between breath and feelings:

• When emotions change, the breath changes.
• When we consciously change the breath, emotions begin to release, regulate or transform.

Breath – The Bridge Between Body, Qi and Emotion

Breath is far more than a physical mechanism.

In Western physiology, it regulates the autonomic nervous system.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it nourishes Lung-Qi, supports mental clarity and enables emotional flow.The breath responds to every inner movement:

A free flow of breath supports presence, emotional stability and mental clarity. When the breath tightens, the inner experience contracts – physically and emotionally.

Why Conscious Breathing Belongs in Daily Life

Breathwork is not just an “emergency strategy”, but training for inner stability. Those who practice regularly develop stronger stress resilience and build an internal anchor. Just a few minutes a day can create noticeable change.

Mini Toolkit: 3 Breathing Practices for Everyday Life

1. Calm the Nervous System: Extended Exhale (Vagus Breath)

This technique activates the parasympathetic system and brings internal calm.How to practice:

• Sit upright and place one hand on your belly.
• Inhale through the nose for 4 seconds.
• Exhale through the mouth for 6–8 seconds (as if through a straw).
• Repeat 6–10 rounds.

2. More Energy & Clarity: Breath + Gentle Chest Tapping

This combination opens the chest area and awakens fresh Qi.

How to practice:

• Stand upright with relaxed shoulders.
• Gently tap under the collarbones along the upper chest with your fingertips.
• Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth for 6 breaths.
• Notice the openness in your chest.

3. Regulate Emotions: “S-Breath” to Release Tension

Helps release inner heat, pressure or anger.

How to practice:

• Inhale deeply through the nose and fill your belly.
• Exhale slowly through the mouth, making a soft “Sssss” sound.
• Repeat 5–8 times.
• Feel the tension melt away.

About the Author

Gurlit Oppolzer is a Shiatsu therapist and holistic coach specialising in emotional regulation and nervous system support. She combines bodywork, awareness practices and practical self-regulation tools to guide people back into balance, clarity and inner connection.