Your breath is always available, always free, and can dramatically alter your state of being, often within minutes. Most of us barely notice it. But for people recovering from brain injury, learning to use it intentionally can be one of the most accessible tools in the kit.

What the research says

Breathing is one of the few bodily functions that is both automatic and under conscious control. That dual nature is what makes it so useful. When you consciously slow and deepen your breath, you directly influence your autonomic nervous system, shifting it from sympathetic activation (stress, alertness, fight-or-flight) toward parasympathetic rest (calm, digest, restore).

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When we're stressed and anxious, breath sits high in the chest, reducing oxygen flow. When we're relaxed, the breath drops all the way down to the base of the pelvic floor. Consciously breathing low and slow signals safety to the nervous system.

For people with concussion, where the nervous system is often already running at a higher baseline, breathwork offers a direct pathway to regulation. Research has found that slow-paced breathing reduces heart rate variability disruption common in post-concussion syndrome, and can lower anxiety and improve sleep quality.

Three techniques to try

1. Box breathing

Simple, reliable, and effective for both anxiety and concentration. Imagine breathing in the shape of a box, four equal sides.

Repeat for 2 to 3 minutes. Good for when your mind is racing or you need to focus.

2. Paced breathing

This one is particularly good for anxiety and calming a dysregulated nervous system. Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth.

Count your in-breath, whatever feels natural, perhaps 4 seconds. Then add 2 seconds to your out-breath. So if you breathe in for 4, breathe out for 6. Each cycle your count may shift naturally. The key is that the out-breath is longer than the in-breath.

By extending the out-breath you're activating the vagus nerve and signalling the body to reduce its stress response. This is the technique I learned in an anxiety and depression group, and I still use it regularly.

3. Wim Hof breathing

If box and paced breathing feel comfortable and you want to explore further, the Wim Hof Method goes considerably deeper. His method has three pillars, breathing, cold therapy, and commitment, and the breathing component involves controlled hyperventilation followed by breath retention.

I haven't done his courses myself, but I've come across them over the years. Worth knowing about as a more advanced option once the foundations are solid. Visit wimhofmethod.com for guided exercises.

Note: If you have heart conditions, are pregnant, or experience significant dizziness as a concussion symptom, check with your clinician before trying any breathwork beyond gentle paced breathing.

Ally's experience

How breathwork became part of my daily practice

Through my meditation practice and anxiety and depression groups, I've learned that breath is genuinely transformative. It sounds too simple to be true, you're already breathing, what's there to learn? But paying attention to how you breathe, and shifting it intentionally, is a different thing entirely.

I use paced breathing regularly to fend off panic attacks. When I feel one coming on, that tightness in my chest, the racing thoughts, I go straight to the extended out-breath. Sometimes it takes a few cycles to start working. Sometimes it works immediately. Either way it gives me something to do with my body instead of just spiralling.

The other thing I've noticed is that my resting breath has changed over the years of practice. I used to breathe quite shallowly without realising it. Now I catch myself and drop the breath lower. It's become more automatic, which is the goal.