Breathe Less, Feel More

At first glance breathing seems so simple.

You Inhale.
You Exhale.
You Repeat.

But there is far more going and every breath we take can influencing our health either negatively or positively.

Breathing is subtle and very hard to really notice, but the way you breathe has a direct influence on how you feel, how you move, and how your body & mind function. Even a subtle change can create a massive shift.

The challenging part for many people is putting away any idea that we know how to breathe, you must unlearn what you know and approach with a beginners mind. Curiosity, awareness, perception, these are necessary skills that are further cultivated by practicing breathing,

Breath Is More Than Air

Breathing is not just about supplying the body with oxygen.

It’s an entire system that influences:

• Your physical body (structure and movement)

• Your Energy (life force ~prana)

• Your chemistry (oxygen and carbon dioxide balance balance Ph)

• Your nervous system (stress and regulation)

• Your Mind (focus and clarity)

Every breath reflects your current state.

And over time, the way you breathe can either support your system—or slowly work against it.

The Problem: Too Much Breathing

Most people don’t realize they are over-breathing. This is so hard to witness and change, but it starts with that, witnessing the pattern and knowing that it can be improved… indefinitely.

It is so easy to over breathe, it happens all day as many of our 20-30 thousand breaths re unconscious and part of an unconditioned habit. In fact, over breathing can be as simple as a yawn or any mouth breath.

It doesn’t necessarily mean faster or heavy breathing (which is absolutely overbreathing), it just means that we are taking more in than our metabolic demands, essentially— more volume than needed.

This can lead to:

• Increased tension & pain

• Reduced efficiency

• Nervous system imbalance

• Increased inflammation

More air is not always better.

In many cases, it’s the opposite.

The Goal: Less, But Better

Breath reeducation isn’t about forcing technique. I must strain this: You cannot force a change! Consistency, patience, persistence and positivity are the foundation which rests upon the bedrock of curiosity and awareness.

It’s about slowly refining the system.

Two key things begin to change (that are not nose breathing and diaphragmatic breathing):

• Your breathing becomes slower: the ideal rate is 6 breaths per minute

• Your breathing becomes quieter: ideally no sound or very minimal

Less effort.
Less excess.

More efficiency.

A Simple Way to Begin

One way to explore this is by slowing your breath down.

Try:

• Inhale for about 5–6 seconds

• Exhale for about 5–6 seconds

Keep it soft.
Keep it quiet.

Let the breath feel smooth, like a wave, gently transitioning between inhale and exhale and exhale into inhale.

Nothing forced, just rolling like a wave, smooth in and out, you’re letting go, and surrendering any bracing.

Bringing Awareness to the Breath

You can also introduce a light ujjayi breath—a gentle narrowing in the throat. It creates a light sound within and is usually practiced during the exhale, but can be done on the inhale as well.

This can:

• Slow the breath naturally

• Reduce excess air

• Improve awareness

• Help the diaphragm engage more effectively

Used lightly, it becomes a tool for sensing—not controlling.

Important tip with this practice: make your ujjayi breath subtle and quiet. No one around you should hear you, the sound is internal. It is also called “ocean’s breath” since the sound is like the smooth waves of the ocean on the beach. Imagine that while practicing your breathing and you will feel everything slowing down~ body, breath and mind.

Let the Body Follow

Instead of trying to control your breath, which, again, is very hard to do when your awareness is on your breathing, surrender to the breath…

Let your breath guide your body.

Let the ribs expand.
Let the body respond.

Allow the breath.

This creates change at a subtle level—what we call in yoga the pranamaya kosha.

And subtle changes, practiced consistently, create meaningful + lasting results.

Final Thought

Better breathing isn’t about doing more.

It’s about doing less—more intentionally.

Breathe less.
Feel more.

And always…

Stay consistent, patient, persistent and positive.