Breathwork and Relaxation Glossary: Terms in Plain Language

How to use this glossary

Breathwork has many names, and the same word can mean different things in a clinic, a yoga class and a social media video. This page gives plain meanings and points to the page that covers each practice in depth. It describes terms; it does not teach fast, forced or held-breath techniques, and it never will.

Safety note. If you feel dizzy, tingly, faint, anxious or short of breath during any breathing practice, go back to normal breathing and sit or lie down. The NHS advises against doing anything dangerous while dizzy, such as driving, climbing a ladder or using heavy machinery. [1] For the full list of cautions, see breathwork safety: dizziness, medical conditions and unsafe settings.

General terms

• Breathwork. One research team describes it as deliberate control of the breath. [2] In everyday use the word stretches from gentle slow breathing to intense practices. See what breathwork is and how the term is used.
• Breathing exercise. The NCCIH describes breathing exercises as focusing on slow, deep breaths, also called diaphragmatic breathing. [3]
• Diaphragmatic (belly) breathing. Breathing that uses the diaphragm, the dome-shaped muscle below the lungs and the main muscle used for breathing. [4] The NHS describes letting the breath flow deep into the belly as is comfortable, without forcing it. [5] See diaphragmatic breathing: what it is and what research shows.
• Slow breathing. A systematic review defined slow breathing techniques as fewer than 10 breaths a minute. [6]
• Resonance-frequency breathing. A research term for the breathing rate that best stimulates the cardiovascular system. [7] Studies of it differ: a review found no methodological consensus on how to apply it, and some studies simply use one preset rate, usually 6 breaths a minute. [8] See paced and resonance-frequency breathing.
• Biofeedback. A technique that measures bodily functions and gives you information about them to help train you to control them. [9] Heart-rate-variability (HRV) biofeedback applies this to heart rhythm and breathing. [8]
• Box breathing. A trial described it as equal-length phases of breathing in, a pause, and breathing out. [10] Because it includes held breaths, we do not give a how-to here. Read box breathing: origins, claims and evidence. One author of that trial disclosed becoming an advisor to a commercial company. [10]
• Cyclic sighing. A pattern that emphasizes prolonged exhalations, tested in the same trial. [10]
• Pursed-lip breathing. MedlinePlus describes puckering the lips as if blowing out a candle, then breathing out slowly through the lips. [11] See pursed-lip breathing and lung conditions.
• Papworth method and Buteyko technique. A Cochrane review of asthma lists both among named breathing exercise approaches, alongside yogic breathing and deep diaphragmatic breathing. [12] See Buteyko and Papworth.

Terms for faster or held breathing (defined, not taught)

• Hyperventilation (overbreathing). Rapid and deep breathing that may leave you feeling breathless. [11] It can be an emotional response such as a panic attack, or a medical problem. [11]
• High ventilation breathwork. Practices that use specific voluntary manipulation of breathing. [13] Holotropic and conscious-connected breathwork are studied under this heading. [14] In one study of both, a fall in end-tidal CO2 from deliberate hyperventilation was linked to altered states of consciousness, and some authors were trained facilitators of these methods. [14] See intensive breathwork.
• Hypoxic (shallow water) blackout. Loss of consciousness underwater. Guidance says it does not correlate with water depth and can occur in any depth. [15] A public health case review described two healthy young men who became unconscious underwater after intentional hyperventilation. [16] Never practise breath-holding or overbreathing in or near water. See breath-holding risks and shallow water blackout.
• Breath-holding. NHLBI notes you can control your breathing pattern at times, such as when you hold your breath or sing. [4] We give no breath-holding instructions anywhere.

Relaxation terms

• Relaxation response. The body state that relaxation techniques aim to bring about, characterized by slower breathing, lower blood pressure and a reduced heart rate. [3] See the relaxation response.
• Progressive muscle relaxation. Tensing different muscles and then releasing the tension. [3] See progressive muscle relaxation.
• Autogenic training. Mental exercises in which the mind focuses on the body's experience of relaxation. [3] See autogenic training.
• Guided imagery. Picturing objects, scenes or events associated with relaxation or calmness. [3] See visualization and guided imagery.

Pranayama and related traditional terms

Pranayama comes from yoga, which the NCCIH describes as rooted in Indian philosophy. [17] The terms below come from a traditional hatha yoga text in English translation with commentary. [18] They are traditional frameworks in their own cultural setting, not measured biology. See pranayama: cultural overview.

• Pranayama. Breathing techniques within yoga. [17] The translated text calls it threefold: Recaka, Puraka and Kumbhaka. [18]
• Recaka, Puraka, Kumbhaka. The commentary explains them as exhalation, inhalation and retention. [18] Retention means holding the breath, so see kumbhaka and breath retention cautions rather than looking for a how-to.
• Prana. The commentary says "breath" in these verses does not mean the air taken in and breathed out, but Prana, glossed as the magnetic current of breath. [18]
• Nadi. Traditional channels in yogic teaching. The text says that when they are full of impurities, the breath does not go into the middle one. [18] See nadi shodhana.
• Kapalabhati and bhastrika. The text describes kapalabhati as rapid exhalation and inhalation like a blacksmith's bellows. [18] Bhastrika appears in its list of kumbhakas. [18] The NCCIH advises newcomers to yoga to avoid extreme practices including forceful breathing. [17] See kapalabhati cautions and bhastrika cautions.
• Ujjayi, sitkari, sitali, bhramari, surya bhedana. Named in the text among eight kumbhakas, together with bhastrika, murcha and plavini. [18] See ujjayi breath.
• Bandha. The text says the three bandhas are to be learned from the teacher, because wrongly practised they bring on various diseases. [18]

Evidence labels used on this site

We label findings established, promising but limited, mixed, insufficient evidence, no good evidence of benefit, evidence of harm, preclinical, traditional use only or marketing claim. For physiology words such as CO2, HRV and vagal tone, see the breathing physiology glossary.