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Anxiety is more than just feeling worried. It is the body’s built-in alarm system, a response designed to protect us from threat or danger. When it works as it should, it helps us stay alert and ready to act. When it misfires, it triggers the same response even when we are safe, creating constant unease and tension.
According to the World Health Organization, anxiety disorders affect more than 300 million people globally. Around four percent of the world’s population experience anxiety that interferes with daily life. For many, symptoms begin early and continue into adulthood, creating patterns of breathlessness, racing thoughts, and restlessness that are difficult to switch off.
There are several recognised types of anxiety, including generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety, panic disorder, and specific phobias. The causes are often a mix of genetics, life experience, and learned breathing and stress responses.
At The Breath Coach, we look at anxiety through both physiology and psychology. Anxiety is not only a mental pattern, it is a breathing pattern. Fast, shallow breathing sends signals of threat to the brain, which keeps the body in a heightened state of alertness. Slowing the breath, balancing carbon dioxide and oxygen, and restoring calm through the diaphragm helps quiet the body’s alarm and reduce anxious thoughts.
Fast, shallow breathing reduces carbon dioxide levels in the blood. Carbon dioxide is not a waste gas. It regulates blood pH and helps oxygen release from haemoglobin into the brain and body tissues through the Bohr effect. When CO₂ drops, less oxygen reaches the cells, which leads to light-headedness, dizziness, tingling, chest tightness, and the feeling that you cannot get enough air. These sensations heighten anxiety and keep the stress cycle alive.
Slow nasal breathing reverses this process. It restores CO₂ balance, stabilises blood chemistry, and improves oxygen delivery. With practice, the brain learns that the body is safe, and the nervous system starts to calm down.
Research shows that breathing around six breaths per minute, known as resonance frequency breathing, increases heart rate variability, strengthens baroreflex function, and shifts the nervous system towards calm. Studies consistently link this pace with lower anxiety, better emotional regulation, and improved sleep quality.
Most adults benefit from resting breathing rates between six and twelve breaths per minute. Standard medical ranges list twelve to twenty, but that reflects population averages rather than optimal function. For anxiety reduction and nervous system balance, slower, quieter nasal breathing is the foundation.
Close your mouth and breathe through your nose. Inhale for five seconds and exhale for five seconds for two to five minutes. This equals about six breaths per minute, the optimal pace for balancing your nervous system and calming both body and mind.
As you breathe, rest your tongue on the roof of your mouth and allow your ribs to expand outwards. This activates the diaphragm and promotes efficient mechanics. You may feel mild air hunger, which means your CO₂ levels are rising slightly- exactly what we want.
With practice, this rhythm calms the body and steadies the mind. Anxiety may not disappear instantly, but with repetition it loses its grip. If anxiety feels high, try four seconds in and six seconds out for a few minutes, keeping the breath light and quiet.
Anxiety does not only appear in rest. It often shows up during exercise or high-pressure situations. Breathing rate rises quickly, CO₂ levels drop, and the body enters an inefficient state. This leads to earlier fatigue, faster heart rate, and loss of control.
By improving breathing mechanics and CO₂ tolerance, athletes and everyday movers build efficiency. Respiratory muscle training and ventilatory strategies can improve ventilatory thresholds (VT1 and VT2) and increase the amount of work you can do before breathing becomes a limiter.
At The Breath Coach, we only introduce high-load respiratory muscle training once anxiety and breathing control are stable. Each program is built progressively, from awareness to control to performance, to ensure the process supports both health and resilience.
Our work starts with a breathing and health assessment that looks at your resting respiratory rate, BOLT score, breathing mechanics, and stress response. From there, we design a tailored plan that builds awareness, retrains biochemistry, and restores efficient mechanics.
Awareness and baseline
You learn to recognise when breathing speeds up or tension appears in the neck and chest. We track your progress so you can see measurable change.
Biochemistry
Through nasal breathing, breath holds, and carefully dosed CO₂ exposure, we raise carbon dioxide tolerance and improve oxygen delivery.
Mechanics
You learn to engage the diaphragm and lower ribs, shifting the breath from the upper chest to zone one.
Cadence and regulation
We train slow breathing near your personal resonance frequency. This increases HRV and creates calm, balanced energy.
Transfer to work and sport
You apply breathing control during meetings, focused work, recovery blocks, and training sessions. The result is better control, clearer thinking, and less anxiety in daily life.
Beth Knowles completed a six-week program and shared her experience:
“I worked with Thomas for six weeks and the progress I’ve made has been amazing. He helped me with both exercise and anxiety, and I’ve noticed a huge difference in my breathing practice, fitness routines, and overall approach to managing anxiety and self-esteem. With his support, I joined a gym and ran a 5K- something I would have really struggled to do before. I feel much more confident thanks to his guidance.”
When breathing becomes balanced, anxiety reduces, confidence grows, and performance improves.
Anxiety and stress affect every organisation. Tight deadlines, constant digital input, and pressure to perform keep people in a state of over-breathing and nervous system imbalance. This pattern drains focus, creativity, and communication.
Breathwork reverses that. By slowing the breath, balancing CO₂ and O₂, and restoring diaphragm function, teams become calmer and more resilient. Staff think more clearly, recover faster, and work with greater empathy and composure.
Companies that build breathing awareness into their culture see measurable benefits:
Our corporate workshops and programs combine science-backed methods used with elite athletes and apply them to the workplace. Sessions are tailored to the needs and goals of each organisation. Learn more on our Corporate Wellbeing page.
Breathwork is the foundation of calm, focus, and recovery. At The Breath Coach, we teach people how to regulate breathing, reduce anxiety, and restore nervous system balance.
Every program is tailored. You will learn to slow your breathing, improve CO₂ tolerance, and strengthen your ability to stay calm under pressure. Sessions are practical, evidence-based, and structured around your daily routine.
Start by completing the Health and Performance Form so we can understand your health, breathing, and goals. Once you’ve filled it out, you can book a free 15-minute consultation using the blue button on our site.
For organisations, schedule a free 30-minute workplace wellbeing call through our Corporate Wellbeing page.
This is the first step to feeling calmer, thinking clearer, and performing at your best.
Thanks
Thomas
1. Can breathing exercises really reduce anxiety?
Yes. Science shows that slower, more controlled breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, helping to calm the body’s stress response. It lowers heart rate, steadies blood pressure, and reduces the intensity of anxious thoughts. Over time, it helps you shift from reacting to stress to regulating it.
2. How long does it take to notice a difference?
Many clients start to feel calmer and more in control within one to two weeks of consistent practice in our programs. The real transformation comes with regular training and awareness. That’s when breathing begins to change how you respond to stress and how your body feels day to day.
3. Do I need special equipment?
Sometimes. To begin all you need is your breath, awareness, trust and the right guidance. Many clients later explore respiratory training tools to build CO₂ tolerance and build respiratory muscle strength, but these are only introduced once breathing control is functional.
4. Is breathwork safe for everyone with anxiety?
Yes, when guided properly. We always begin with gentle, low-intensity, static techniques to ensure comfort and safety, building gradually as your nervous system adapts. Every session is tailored to your breathing capabilities age, physical, mental and emotional state.
5. Can I combine breathwork with therapy or medication?
Absolutely. Breathwork works alongside therapy and medication by addressing the body’s physiological side of anxiety. It helps restore balance to your nervous system, enhances focus over overthinking during therapy, and can make emotional regulation easier in daily life.
Click on the blue button to explore how we can help you stop anxiety in its tracks. Medication is not the only way to feel better. Give you breath the chance to make the difference.
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