What if the simple act of breathing could transform your body, mind, and emotions? It might sound too good to be true, but the science of breathwork reveals how this fundamental process holds the key to profound change.

Breathwork, particularly Conscious Connected Breathwork (CCB), has been practiced for centuries to promote healing, self-awareness, and emotional release. While its transformative effects have often been attributed to mystical or spiritual processes, modern science is uncovering the physiological and neurological mechanisms that make breathwork so powerful.

In this article we’ll explore the anatomy and physiology of breathing, dive into key scientific principles like the Bohr Effect, and examine how CCB affects your brain, body, and emotions. Whether you’re curious about the science behind breathwork or want a deeper understanding of its benefits, this journey will show you how your breath can be a tool for transformation.

The Anatomy of Breathing

Breathing is a finely tuned process involving several structures working in harmony to bring oxygen into the body and remove carbon dioxide. By understanding the anatomy behind this vital function, we can appreciate how practices like Conscious Connected Breathwork (CCB) optimise its efficiency and transformative power.

1. The Diaphragm: The Primary Breathing Muscle

The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle at the base of the lungs. It is responsible for about 75% of air movement during quiet breathing (Kolar, 2010).

• Function:

  • When the diaphragm contracts, it flattens and moves downward, expanding the thoracic cavity and drawing air into the lungs.

  • During exhalation, the diaphragm relaxes, returning to its dome shape and pushing air out of the lungs.

This deep, efficient diaphragmatic movement is central to breathwork, enabling full lung expansion and effective oxygen exchange.

2. The Lungs: The Gas Exchange Hub

The lungs are the organs where oxygen from inhaled air is exchanged with carbon dioxide from the bloodstream. This exchange occurs in tiny air sacs called alveoli, which are surrounded by capillaries.

• Alveoli: There are about 300 million alveoli in the human lungs, providing a massive surface area for gas exchange (Weibel, 2017).

• Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Transport: Oxygen binds to haemoglobin in red blood cells, which deliver it to tissues. Meanwhile, carbon dioxide is carried back to the lungs to be exhaled.

Conscious breathwork practices like CCB enhance this exchange by increasing lung capacity and improving blood oxygenation.

3. The Intercostal Muscles: Ribcage Movement

The intercostal muscles are located between the ribs and play a supportive role in breathing:

• External Intercostals: Lift the ribs during inhalation, expanding the chest cavity.

• Internal Intercostals: Help with forced exhalation by compressing the ribcage (De Troyer et al., 2005).

During breathwork, these muscles work more actively to enhance the volume of air entering and leaving the lungs.

4. The Nasal and Oral Pathways

Breathing begins in the nasal or oral cavities, where air is warmed, humidified, and filtered before entering the lungs.

• Nasal Breathing: Filters out particles and pathogens, protects the lungs, and enhances nitric oxide production, which improves oxygen delivery to tissues (Lundberg et al., 1996).

• Oral Breathing: Used in more intense breathwork practices, such as CCB, to allow rapid intake of air and stimulate specific physiological responses.

5. The Nervous System’s Role

The autonomic nervous system regulates the rhythm and depth of breathing:

• Sympathetic Activation: Faster, shallow breathing typically occurs during stress, engaging the “fight-or-flight” response.

• Parasympathetic Activation: Deep, slow breathing calms the nervous system, activating the “rest-and-digest” state.

CCB leverages this interplay to shift the body into states of relaxation or heightened awareness, depending on the breathing rhythm used.

6. Supporting Structures: Accessory Breathing Muscles

In addition to the primary muscles of respiration, accessory muscles like the sternocleidomastoid, scalene, and abdominal muscles contribute during intense breathing or breathwork practices.

• Example: Conscious Connected Breathwork often engages these muscles during extended or forceful inhalations and exhalations, enhancing oxygen flow and deepening the somatic experience.

Understanding the anatomical structures involved in breathing is the first step to appreciating how breathwork transforms this automatic process into a powerful tool for self-regulation and healing. In the next section, we’ll explore the physiological processes that bring these anatomical structures to life.

The Physiology of Breathing

By exploring the how of breathing in detail, we can understand how Conscious Connected Breathwork (CCB) influences gas exchange, circulation, and nervous system regulation to create profound effects on physical and mental health.

1. Gas Exchange: Oxygen in, Carbon Dioxide Out

The fundamental purpose of breathing is to deliver oxygen to the body’s cells and remove carbon dioxide, a waste product of metabolism. This process takes place in the alveoli, tiny air sacs in the lungs surrounded by a network of capillaries.

• Oxygen Transport:
  When oxygen is inhaled, it diffuses from the alveoli into the bloodstream, where it binds to haemoglobin in red blood cells. This oxygen-rich blood is then pumped throughout the body to fuel cellular processes.

• Carbon Dioxide Removal:
  As cells produce energy, they release carbon dioxide as a by-product. This carbon dioxide diffuses from the bloodstream into the alveoli to be exhaled. Maintaining this balance is critical for healthy cell function and pH regulation.

2. The Circulatory System: Delivery and Removal

Breathing and circulation are tightly interconnected. The heart pumps oxygenated blood from the lungs to the body, then returns deoxygenated blood to the lungs for gas exchange.

• Oxygen Utilisation:
  Oxygen is released from haemoglobin at the tissues, guided by local conditions such as lower oxygen concentrations and higher carbon dioxide levels. This ensures that active tissues receive the oxygen they need.

• The Impact of Breathwork:
  Practices like CCB increase oxygen saturation in the blood and enhance circulation, improving tissue oxygenation and overall vitality.

3. The Nervous System’s Role in Breathing

Breathing is controlled by the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which governs involuntary functions. However, breathing is unique because it can also be consciously controlled, allowing direct influence over the ANS:

• Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight or Flight):
  Fast, shallow breathing activates the sympathetic nervous system, preparing the body for action. This is helpful in short bursts but can lead to chronic stress if sustained.

• Parasympathetic Nervous System (Rest and Digest):
  Slow, deep breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing heart rate, promoting digestion, and calming the body.

• Breathwork and Nervous System Regulation:
  CCB shifts the balance between these systems, either calming or energising the body depending on the breathing pattern. This makes it a powerful tool for stress management and emotional regulation (Laborde et al., 2017).

4. The Vagus Nerve: The Breath-Body Connector

The vagus nerve is a critical component of the parasympathetic nervous system, connecting the brain to the heart, lungs, and digestive tract. It plays a key role in regulating stress responses and promoting relaxation.

• How Breathwork Activates the Vagus Nerve:
  Deep, rhythmic breathing stimulates vagal tone, which increases heart rate variability (HRV). High HRV is associated with better emotional regulation, resilience, and overall health (Porges, 2007).

• Breathwork’s Impact:
  CCB enhances vagus nerve activity, helping participants access deep states of calm, emotional release, or heightened awareness.

5. The Bohr Effect: Oxygen Delivery Optimisation

The Bohr Effect is a physiological principle describing how carbon dioxide levels influence oxygen delivery from haemoglobin to tissues:

• High Carbon Dioxide Levels:
  Increased carbon dioxide reduces blood pH (making it more acidic), which decreases haemoglobin’s affinity for oxygen. This causes haemoglobin to release more oxygen to tissues where it’s needed.

• Low Carbon Dioxide Levels:
  Conversely, low carbon dioxide levels increase haemoglobin’s affinity for oxygen, limiting its release to tissues.

• Why This Matters in Breathwork:
  Breathwork practices like CCB intentionally manipulate carbon dioxide levels. For example:

  • Fast, deep breathing: Reduces carbon dioxide levels, creating a temporary state of mild alkalosis that can lead to feelings of clarity and energy.

  • Controlled breath holds: Allow carbon dioxide to rise, enhancing oxygen delivery to tissues.

This balancing act optimises oxygen utilisation, improving energy, focus, and recovery (Boron & Boulpaep, 2016).

6. Hormonal Regulation Through Breathwork

Breathing also affects hormonal balance, influencing stress and mood:

• Cortisol:
  Stressful, shallow breathing can increase cortisol levels, contributing to chronic inflammation and anxiety. Conversely, slow, diaphragmatic breathing lowers cortisol, promoting relaxation (Saoji et al., 2019).

• Endorphins and Serotonin:
  Deep, rhythmic breathing triggers the release of endorphins and serotonin, enhancing mood and creating a sense of well-being.

CCB leverages these effects, creating both short-term relaxation and long-term emotional resilience.

7. Breathwork’s Role in Emotional and Physiological Integration

Beyond the physiological mechanisms, CCB helps integrate the body and mind. By actively engaging in breathwork, participants:

• Process Emotional Energy: Breathwork accesses the limbic system, which governs emotions, enabling the release of stored tension or trauma.

• Synchronise Body and Mind: Conscious breathing creates a sense of unity between physical sensations and mental focus, deepening the connection between the two.

This integration is key to the transformative experiences often reported during CCB sessions.

The physiological processes involved in breathing are at the heart of why CCB has such profound effects. By enhancing oxygen exchange, regulating the nervous system, and balancing hormonal responses, breathwork transforms a basic survival mechanism into a powerful tool for health and well-being.

The Bohr Effect: Unlocking Oxygen Delivery Through Breathwork

One of the most fascinating aspects of breathwork, particularly Conscious Connected Breathwork (CCB), is its ability to influence how oxygen is delivered to the body’s tissues. This process is governed by a physiological principle known as the Bohr Effect, first described by Danish physiologist Christian Bohr in 1904. Understanding this effect reveals why breathwork can profoundly impact energy, focus, and recovery.

What is the Bohr Effect?

The Bohr Effect describes how carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels and pH influence haemoglobin’s ability to release oxygen:

• High CO₂ Levels: Increase acidity (lower pH), reducing haemoglobin’s affinity for oxygen. This encourages oxygen release to tissues that need it most.

• Low CO₂ Levels: Decrease acidity (raise pH), increasing haemoglobin’s affinity for oxygen and making it less available to tissues.

This finely tuned mechanism ensures oxygen is delivered efficiently to active tissues, such as muscles during exercise or the brain during mental exertion (Boron & Boulpaep, 2016).

Why the Bohr Effect Matters in Breathwork

In CCB, breath patterns deliberately manipulate CO₂ levels to optimise oxygen delivery and create specific physiological effects:

1. Hyperventilation and CO₂ Reduction:

   • Rapid, deep breathing reduces CO₂ levels, raising blood pH (alkalosis).

   • This state can lead to feelings of clarity, alertness, or even euphoria, as the brain adapts to temporary changes in oxygen availability.

2. Breath Holds and CO₂ Retention:

   • Holding the breath allows CO₂ to accumulate, lowering blood pH (acidosis).

   • This enhances oxygen delivery to tissues by reducing haemoglobin’s grip on oxygen.

By cycling through these phases, CCB helps balance oxygen and CO₂ levels, supporting both energy production and recovery.

The Bohr Effect in Action During Breathwork

Here’s how the Bohr Effect plays out in a typical CCB session:

• Active Breathing Phase:

  • Participants engage in rapid, connected breathing.

  • CO₂ levels drop, creating a temporary “over-oxygenation” effect.

  • This can produce heightened sensations, such as tingling, lightness, or vivid mental imagery.

• Rest and Integration Phase:

  • Breath slows or pauses, allowing CO₂ levels to rise.

  • Oxygen delivery increases to tissues, aiding relaxation and emotional release.

This dynamic interplay mirrors the body’s natural rhythms but amplifies their effects, making CCB a powerful tool for both mental and physical transformation.

The Bohr Effect and Performance Enhancement

The Bohr Effect isn’t just about relaxation—it also has practical applications for enhancing physical and mental performance:

• Improved Energy Efficiency:
  By optimising oxygen delivery, breathwork supports cellular respiration, the process by which cells produce energy (ATP).

• Heightened Focus and Clarity:
  The temporary state of mild alkalosis induced by hyperventilation can sharpen mental focus, while subsequent CO₂ retention enhances blood flow to the brain.

• Faster Recovery:
  Increased oxygen availability during the integration phase helps clear metabolic waste, reducing muscle soreness and promoting healing.

The Science Behind the Bohr Effect and Well-Being

While the Bohr Effect is a natural process, intentional breathwork leverages it in a way that amplifies its benefits:

• Studies show that controlled breathing improves oxygen utilisation and enhances resilience to stress (Parkes, 2006).

• Techniques that raise CO₂ levels have been linked to reduced anxiety and better emotional regulation, as they encourage deeper oxygenation of the brain and body (Saoji et al., 2019).

Why Understanding the Bohr Effect Empowers Breathwork

The Bohr Effect underscores the fact that breathwork is more than just “deep breathing.” It’s a sophisticated tool that harnesses the body’s natural mechanisms to optimise oxygen delivery, enhance physical performance, and support emotional well-being.

By mastering this principle, practitioners and participants of CCB can deepen their understanding of what’s happening during a session and feel more empowered to engage fully in the process.

The Science Behind Common Experiences in Breathwork

During Conscious Connected Breathwork (CCB), participants often report a range of physical and emotional sensations, such as tingling, “lobster claw” hands, dizziness, and temperature fluctuations. These experiences are normal and can be understood through the lens of physiology and neuroscience.

1. Tingling and "Lobster Claw" Hands (Tetany)

One of the most commonly reported sensations during breathwork is tetany, where the hands curl into a claw-like shape accompanied by tingling in the extremities.

• Cause: Tetany occurs due to a temporary imbalance in carbon dioxide levels in the blood. Rapid or deep breathing lowers carbon dioxide (hypocapnia), which can alter calcium levels in the blood and affect nerve excitability, leading to muscle spasms or contractions (Nunn, 2000).

• Why It’s Safe: This state is temporary and resolves as breathing returns to normal. It’s a sign that the body is responding to the altered breathing pattern.

2. Dizziness or Lightheadedness

Many participants feel dizzy or lightheaded during or after breathwork, particularly during hyperventilation phases.

• Cause: Rapid breathing reduces carbon dioxide levels in the blood, which can decrease blood flow to the brain. While this may feel disorienting, it’s generally not harmful (Parkes, 2006).

• Why It Happens in CCB: The practice intentionally manipulates breathing to create this effect, shifting focus inward and promoting altered states of consciousness.

• What to Do: If dizziness feels overwhelming, slowing down the breath or taking a short pause can help rebalance oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.

3. Temperature Fluctuations (Hot or Cold Sensations)

Participants often report feeling unusually hot or cold during breathwork sessions, even if the environment remains consistent.

• Cause: Changes in blood circulation and nervous system activation can cause fluctuations in perceived body temperature. For example:

  • Feeling Cold: Slower circulation or reduced blood flow to the extremities can create a cooling sensation.

  • Feeling Hot: Increased oxygen and energy production, combined with emotional release, can generate heat.

• Nervous System Link: Breathwork stimulates the autonomic nervous system, which governs vasodilation and vasoconstriction, influencing temperature regulation (Laborde et al., 2017).

4. Emotional Waves and Tears

Emotional responses, such as sudden tears or feelings of joy or sadness, are common during CCB.

• Cause: Breathwork activates the limbic system, the brain’s emotional centre, which processes memories, emotions, and trauma (van der Kolk, 2014).

• Why It Happens: By bypassing the conscious mind, breathwork allows stored emotions to surface and release. Tears often indicate that the body is processing and resolving these emotions.

5. Tingling Sensations (Paresthesia)

Tingling, especially in the face, hands, or feet, is another common experience during breathwork.

• Cause: Reduced carbon dioxide levels lead to constriction of blood vessels and altered nerve signalling, which can cause tingling or numbness (Nunn, 2000).

• Why It’s Safe: Like tetany, this sensation resolves as breathing normalises.

6. A Sense of Detachment or Dissociation

Participants sometimes feel detached from their body or surroundings during breathwork, akin to an “out-of-body” experience.

• Cause: Altered breathing patterns can change brainwave activity, shifting from beta (active, focused) to alpha or theta (relaxed, introspective) states (Frecska et al., 2016). This can lead to a sense of disconnection or heightened awareness.

• Purpose in CCB: These altered states create space for introspection, emotional processing, and spiritual insights.

7. Yawning, Sighing, or Deep Breaths

These involuntary actions often occur during breathwork and signal the body’s natural regulation mechanisms.

• Cause: Yawning or sighing helps restore carbon dioxide balance and oxygen levels in the blood, countering the effects of rapid breathing.

• Why It’s Helpful: These responses indicate the body’s effort to recalibrate and maintain homeostasis.

8. Euphoria or Deep Calm

Many participants report a profound sense of peace, joy, or euphoria during or after CCB.

• Cause: Deep, rhythmic breathing triggers the release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins, creating feelings of well-being (Saoji et al., 2019).

• Why It Happens: This physiological response, combined with emotional release and introspection, fosters a profound sense of calm and clarity.

How to Approach These Experiences

• Normalising the Sensations: These physical and emotional responses are a normal part of the body’s adjustment to altered breathing patterns.

• Stay Grounded: If any sensations feel overwhelming, slowing down the breath or pausing the session can help.

• Integration: Post-session reflection and grounding exercises can help participants process their experiences and feel more balanced.

References (APA Format):

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De Troyer, A., Kirkwood, P. A., & Wilson, T. A. (2005). Respiratory action of the intercostal muscles. Physiological Reviews, 85(2), 717–756. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00013.2004

Frecska, E., Arato, B., & Kotler, M. (2016). Neuronal oscillation and altered states of consciousness: Investigating the brain dynamics during holotropic breathwork. NeuroQuantology, 14(3), 498-507. https://doi.org/10.14704/nq.2016.14.3.950

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Saoji, A. A., Raghavendra, B. R., & Manjunath, N. K. (2019). Effects of yogic breath regulation: A narrative review of scientific evidence. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, 10(1), 50–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2017.07.008

van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.

Weibel, E. R. (2017). The structural and functional basis of lung design in humans. Frontiers in Physiology, 8, 963. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2017.00963