Breathing hasn’t always gotten the respect it deserves. We’ve always known that it keeps us alive, in an automatic and largely unthought of way, but now, we are living in a time when breath has never felt more sacred—becoming eerily significant as a respiratory virus ravages the globe. But almost concurrent with the spread of COVID, the practice of breathwork has gained momentum and entered the realm of pop culture.

The Goop Lab with Gwyneth Paltrow debuted on Netflix in late January 2020, a few weeks before the world shut down. In a popular episode highlighting Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof’s soft belly breathing and cold-resistance training for physical and psychological healing, we watched from the comfort of our couches as Goop employees plunged into a freezing-cold lake. By the time Justin Bieber called him a “G” on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in December 2020, and reported DM-ing with him on Instagram (as one of his 1.6 million followers), the self-proclaimed “crazy Dutch man” was practically a household name. Jasmine Marie, founder of Black Girls Breathing has specifically sought to center Black women in the conversation around the healing power of breathwork. Breathwork had gone mainstream, practiced by influencers and spiritual seekers alike.

But breathwork is hardly new. A particular reverence for the breath as a conduit of life force energy goes back thousands of years in spiritual traditions and Eastern practices; breathing through the physical postures is a critical component of yoga, while counting your breaths is the backbone of certain meditative traditions. “Most breathing practices come from ancient yoga traditions and are based on pranayama, which means ‘the regulation of the breath through certain techniques and exercises,’” says Jay Bradley, founder of BreatheOnIt and Chakra Balms, who teaches a three-part, circular breath technique.

The draw of the practice largely comes down to the transformational potential a practice has on the mental state. Regular practitioners claim mental improvements such as overcoming depression, managing addiction, and/or having a more compassionate self-view. But even in our modern world, the spiritual component cannot be ignored. “The depth of practice, experience of the practitioner, and the trust and willingness of the person are what can elevate a simple technique to a whole other level of sacred, even in a less typical-seeming, spiritual context,” explains Erin Telford, a breathwork instructor.

For the skeptics: Medicine also confirms claims of its physical benefits. “There are so many studies that show deep breathing is one easy, accessible practice that can help to balance the mind and body, and reduce the stress response,” says Mark Hyman, M.D., a 13-time New York Times best-selling author and the head of strategy and innovation at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. “Breathwork has been shown to increase parasympathetic activity, heart rate variability, physiological flexibility, [and] is one of the greatest tools I have in my medical toolbox to help individuals manage stress, [which] has become an epidemic in our society.”

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