I was sitting in my garden office today and I started thinking about how we breathe. It sounds simple, doesn't it? We do it about 20,000 times a day without even trying. But after years of leading sessions at The Tranquil Mind, I've noticed something. Most of us are actually working way too hard at it. We’ve turned breathing into another chore on our to-do list.
I've seen it all: the big gasps, the huffing, and the "I’m trying so hard I might pop" faces. It is why I am so passionate about functional breathwork. Most people think more air equals more health, but the opposite is often true. We are over-breathing, mouth-breathing (at rest, during exercise and at sleep), and generally stressing our systems out in the name of wellness. If you have ever felt lightheaded or felt like you just could not catch your breath, you are not alone. Here are the seven most common mistakes I see, and more importantly, how we can fix them together. By the way, over-breathing is more common than you might think, studies have frequently shown that around a wopping 90% of us have dysfunctional breathing.
1. The Mouth-Breathing Trap
This is the big one. If you are breathing through your mouth during your daily life (or even worse, when guided by a yoga teacher), you are essentially leaving the front door open during winter: you are letting all the good stuff out and the cold, unfiltered stuff in.
Your nose is a sophisticated filtration and humidification system. When you breathe through your mouth, you bypass the production of Nitric Oxide, a molecule produced in the nasal sinuses that helps dilate your blood vessels and improves oxygen uptake. Research shows that nasal breathing increases oxygen circulation by up to 15 percent compared to mouth breathing (Nestle et al., 1996).
The Fix: Keep your lips sealed. If it feels difficult, start small. Try nasal breathing while you are making a cup of tea or walking through the High Street. Your nose is for breathing; your mouth is for eating and talking.
2. Over-breathing (The "More is Better" Myth)
We live in a culture that thinks if a little is good, a lot must be better. In the world of breathing, taking huge, voluminous breaths is actually a bit like overeating. When we take in too much air, we blow off too much Carbon Dioxide (CO2).
We need CO2 to actually "unlock" the oxygen from our blood and get it into our tissues. This is known as the Bohr Effect. If you are always taking "big deep breaths," you might actually be starving your brain of oxygen. This is a core tenet we discuss in our functional breathwork research.
The Fix: Think "light" rather than "big." Try to breathe so quietly that someone sitting next to you wouldn't even know you were doing it.
3. High-Chest "Emergency" Breathing
Have you ever noticed your shoulders creeping up towards your ears when you’re stressed? That is chest breathing. It is an emergency response designed for running away from things. The problem is, many of us stay in this state while sitting at our desks or stuck in traffic.
Chest breathing uses the secondary respiratory muscles in the neck, chest and shoulders. It is inefficient and sends a constant "danger" signal to your brain. A study by Russo et al. (2017) highlights how diaphragmatic breathing with good recruitment of the diaphragm, helps transition the nervous system into a parasympathetic (restful) state.
The Fix: Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly. Aim to keep the top hand still while the bottom hand moves out gently on the inhale. It should feel like an expansion around your waist and lower ribs, not a lift in your shoulders.
4. Mastering the Art of Functional Breathwork
The transition to functional breathwork isn't just about breathing; it's about re-training your brain to recognize what "normal" looks like. In our sessions, I often see people trying to force their breath into a specific rhythm whether their tolerance to the production of carbon dioxide supports it or otherwise. This brings me to our next mistake.
5. Forcing the Exhale
I see this a lot in many different types of sessions and classes. They inhale softly and then "blast" the air out like they are blowing out a hundred birthday candles. This creates tension in the throat and chest. The inhale is the active part and the exhale should be a passive release: a "letting go" rather than a "pushing out."
The Fix: Imagine your lungs are like two balloons. You don't need to squeeze the balloon to get the air out; you just let the neck of the balloon go. Let the air spill out naturally.
6. Ignoring the Natural Pause
Nature loves a gap. There is (or should be) a tiny, beautiful moment of stillness at the end of every exhale before the next inhale begins. Most people rush right over it. By skipping this pause, you are keeping your nervous system on a treadmill. The signal to your brain is "I'm in danger" and you stay in survival mode.
The Fix: At the end of your next exhale, just wait for a second. Don't hold your breath with tension; just stay empty for a heartbeat until your body naturally "decides" to breathe again. It is in that gap where the real peace lives.
7. The "Only When I’m Stressed" Approach
If you only practice breathing "techniques" when you are having a panic attack, it is like trying to learn to swim while you are drowning. Functional breathwork is a maintenance tool, not just an emergency brake.
I’ve had clients tell me they "forgot" to breathe properly all week until they walked through my door. Consistency is what changes the physiological baseline of your nervous system. By embracing functional breathwork every day, you’re essentially giving your heart a hug.
The Fix: Set a "breath bell" on your phone. Three times a day, just check in. Are you breathing through your nose? Is your belly moving? That’s it. No fancy equipment required.
Why This Matters for Your Sleep
Many of the mistakes we make during the day follow us into the bedroom. Mouth breathing at night leads to snoring, dry mouth, a brain still on "alert", and a "foggy" feeling in the morning.
A study by Zaccaro et al. (2018) found that slow, controlled breathing significantly improves sleep quality by increasing vagal tone. If you can fix your breathing during the day, you can very often fix your sleep.
Putting It All Together
Breathing shouldn't be another thing you have to "perfect." It's about returning to how you were designed to breathe before the world got so loud and fast. Whether you are joining me for an individual assessment and tailored plan or just practicing at home, remember to keep it soft, keep it nasal, and keep it low.
If you're ready to dive deeper into functional breathwork, book a session. We will strip away the jargon and focus on what actually works for your body. You might find that the "secret" to feeling better has been right under your nose all along. Literally.
Stay tranquil,
Ian
External Research References
- Zaccaro, A., et al. (2018). How Breath-Control Can Change Your Life: A Systematic Review on Psycho-Physiological Correlates of Slow Breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Read the full paper here.
- Russo, M. A., et al. (2017). The physiological effects of slow breathing in the healthy human. Breathe (Sheffield, England). Read the study on PMC.
- Nestle, C., et al. (1996). Nasal nitric oxide: a review of its physiology and clinical implications. PubMed, National Library of Medicine. View the abstract.
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