Open and Clear, Academy | Rev. Devan Jesse Byrne

Breathwork is one of those deceptively simple things that can change a lot under the surface. You are literally talking to your nervous system with every inhale and exhale. When you breathe consciously, you shift how your heart beats, how your blood vessels constrict or relax, how your brain filters information, and even how your immune system behaves. Slow, steady breathing can increase “heart rate variability” – the healthy, flexible rise and fall of your heart rate with each breath – which is strongly linked with better stress resilience, emotional regulation, and cardiovascular health. By adjusting your breath, you are modulating the balance between the sympathetic “fight or flight” response and the parasympathetic “rest and digest” response, largely through stimulation of the vagus nerve that runs from your brainstem to your organs.

On the most basic physical level, breathwork changes the chemistry of your blood. The relationship between oxygen and carbon dioxide is delicate and powerful. Fast, shallow breathing can drop carbon dioxide levels too low, which constricts blood vessels and can cause dizziness, tingling, and anxiety. More balanced patterns – like slow diaphragmatic breathing or equal-length inhales and exhales – help stabilize CO₂ and oxygen, improving blood flow to the brain and organs. This is why people often feel clearer, calmer, and more focused after a few minutes of intentional breathing. The diaphragm’s movement also acts like a pump for venous blood and lymphatic fluid, literally helping circulation and detox processes work more effectively as it massages the organs with every breath.

For the body’s energy and vitality, breathwork is like opening blocked windows in a stuffy house. When you breathe fully into the lower lungs and belly, you recruit more alveoli – the tiny air sacs where oxygen is exchanged – expanding your usable lung capacity. More efficient oxygen delivery means your cells can produce energy more effectively through normal metabolic processes. Many people habitually breathe high in the chest, especially when stressed, which keeps the body in a subtle “on edge” state. Shifting to a slower, deeper rhythm tells your system that it is safe, reduces muscle tension, and frees up energy that was previously tied up in guarding and bracing. Over time, this can translate into better sleep, improved digestion, less chronic tension, and a greater feeling of aliveness.

From an “energy body” perspective – whether you call it prana, chi, or life force – breathwork becomes the bridge between the physical and subtle. In many yogic and meditative traditions, breath is seen as the gross expression of a more refined movement of life energy. When you practice rhythmic breathing, alternate nostril breathing, or strong techniques like breath of fire, you are not just moving air, you are learning to direct attention and sensation along specific pathways in the body. People often report tingling, warmth, waves, or emotional release because the breath is loosening long-held muscular and emotional patterns. It is as if the breath is flushing stagnant pools of energy, allowing things that were frozen to move again.

More intense methods, like connected breathing or holotropic-style breathwork, amplify this effect by deliberately altering your normal breathing rhythm and sustaining it for longer periods. This can push the nervous system into non-ordinary states of consciousness where deeply stored memories, emotions, and symbolic imagery surface. Physiologically, the unusual breathing pattern changes blood gases and activates stress and relaxation pathways in rapid alternation. Psychologically and energetically, it creates a “safe crisis” – a contained storm of sensation and feeling in which the body-mind is invited to reorganize itself. That is why these methods are usually done lying down, with support, and with clear preparation and integration afterward.

On a daily practical level, gentle breathwork practices work like a manual reset button for your whole system. A few minutes of slow coherent breathing can reduce activity in brain networks tied to rumination and worry, while increasing activity in regions linked with emotional regulation and body awareness. You are training your system to return more quickly to balance after stress and to spend more time in a state where healing, digestion, creativity, and intimacy are easiest. Over time, this re-patterning shows up as a more stable mood, less reactivity, and a deeper sense of being “in your body” instead of lost in your thoughts.

So breathwork supports your body by tuning cardiovascular, nervous, and immune functions toward balance. It supports your energy by freeing up blocked or stagnant patterns and increasing the flow of sensation and awareness through your whole being. And it works by using the breath – the one function that is both automatic and under your conscious control – as a lever to influence everything from cell metabolism to subtle spiritual experience.

This service gently trains you to slip your awareness out of “auto-pilot body mode” and into your lighter, astral energy body through a series of guided meditations. We start by teaching you how to deeply relax, quiet the mind, and recognize the subtle sensations that come just before an out of body experience – the vibrations, the floating feeling, the sense of loosening from your physical form. Each meditation walks you step by step through these stages, so you learn how to stay calm, focused, and curious instead of startled or overwhelmed when the shift begins.

From there, you receive personalized meditations designed around your energy, your symbolism, and your goals. If your natural doorway is sound, we build journeys that use tones and inner hearing. If you are visual, we guide you through vivid astral landscapes that train your mind how to “step out” with clarity and intention. You are not just aiming to have a random experience – you learn how to use out of body states for insight, healing, guidance, and connection with the Wholly Spiritual Universe. The result is a growing skill set: you understand the mechanics, you have recordings tuned specifically for you, and you develop a confident, loving relationship with your own ability to travel beyond the body and return with wisdom you can actually use in daily life.

Here is an extensive list of breathing techniques rooted in yogic traditions and modern breathwork, including gentle practices and intense ones like holotropic breathing. For any strong or fast breathing, it is wise to learn with an experienced guide, and people with heart issues, high blood pressure, epilepsy, pregnancy, or serious mental health conditions should use extra caution and consult a professional first.

Foundational and calming practices

• Natural mindful breath
  Simply observe the breath as it moves in and out without changing it. Attention rests on the nostrils, chest, or belly. This is the base for almost all other practices.

• Diaphragmatic breath
  Breathing down into the belly so the lower ribs and abdomen expand on the in-breath and soften on the out-breath. Encourages relaxation and efficient oxygen use.

• Three part breath – Dirgha pranayama
  Inhale into the belly, then the rib cage, then the upper chest. Exhale from upper chest, ribs, then belly. Trains full lung capacity and grounding presence.

• Equal breath – Sama vritti
  Inhale for the same count as you exhale, such as four counts in and four out. Balances the nervous system and steadies the mind.

• Extended exhale – Vishama vritti
  Inhale for a shorter count and exhale for a longer count, for example four in and six or eight out. Deeply calming and helpful for anxiety and overthinking.

• Segmented breath – Viloma
  Inhale in two or three small steps with tiny pauses, then one smooth exhale. Or reverse it, with smooth inhale and stepped exhale. Builds awareness and control.

Balancing and brain harmonizing

• Alternate nostril breath – Nadi shodhana
  Using the fingers to gently close one nostril at a time, inhale through one side, exhale through the other, then switch. Balances left and right brain activity, steadies emotions, and clears the subtle channels.

• Anulom vilom
  A common variation of alternate nostril breathing that emphasizes a smooth, easy rhythm and often includes breath retention after inhale or exhale.

• Sun and moon breath – Surya and Chandra bhedana
  Surya bhedana breathes only through the right nostril to energize and warm. Chandra bhedana breathes only through the left nostril to cool and calm.

Energizing and heating practices

• Breath of fire – Kapalabhati
  Short, sharp exhales through the nose using a pumping action of the lower belly, with passive inhales. Very energizing and cleansing. Traditionally practiced on an empty stomach and avoided during pregnancy or with high blood pressure.

• Bellows breath – Bhastrika
  Strong, active inhales and exhales of equal force, like bellows fanning a fire. Builds heat and vitality. Best learned gradually and not overdone.

• Victorious breath – Ujjayi
  Inhale and exhale through the nose while gently constricting the back of the throat to create a soft ocean sound. Often used throughout physical yoga practice to build inner warmth and focus.

• Stimulating sniff breath
  Series of quick sniffing inhales through the nose followed by a long exhale. Used to wake up energy and shake off lethargy.

• Power breath cycles
  Combining fast rhythmic breathing for a set period followed by breath hold and full body relaxation. Many modern methods use this pattern to quickly shift states of consciousness.

Cooling and soothing practices

• Cooling breath – Sitali pranayama
  Inhale through a rolled tongue or over the edges of the tongue, feeling cool air, then exhale through the nose. Traditionally used to cool the body and calm irritation.

• Hissing cooling breath – Sitkari
  If the tongue does not roll, gently hold the teeth together and draw air in through the gaps with a soft hissing sound, exhaling through the nose. Very soothing.

• Humming bee breath – Bhramari
  Inhale normally through the nose, then exhale with a long humming sound like a bee. Vibrations in the skull calm the mind and relax the nervous system.

• Sighing release breath
  Inhale through the nose, then exhale through the mouth with an audible sigh. Helps discharge emotional tension and softens the body.

Breath with awareness of space and pauses

• Box breath – four part breath
  Inhale for a count, hold the breath in for the same count, exhale for that count, then rest in empty lungs for the same count. Often used to build steadiness and mental clarity.

• Triangle breath
  Inhale, hold, exhale, with no pause after exhale. Or inhale, exhale, hold out. Each side of the triangle is a counted phase of the breath.

• Polarized breath awareness
  Become aware of the subtle difference between the top of the in-breath and the bottom of the out-breath. Rest attention in the tiny pauses where breath seems to vanish.

• Spinal breathing
  As you inhale, imagine energy rising up the spine. As you exhale, feel energy descend down the front of the body or back down the spine. Usually combined with slow, even breathing to purify and awaken subtle channels.

Embodied and meditative breathing

• Wave breath
  Visualize each inhale as a wave of air and energy rolling from the pelvis up to the crown, then each exhale as the wave flowing back down. Encourages whole body awareness.

• Heart centered breath
  Breathe as if directly into and out of the center of the chest, sometimes placing a hand there. Often used with feelings of gratitude or compassion.

• Mantra breath
  Mentally repeat a sound or phrase with each inhale and exhale, for example So on inhale and Ham on exhale. Coordinates mind and breath into one stream.

• Walking breath
  Synchronize steps with breath counts, such as three steps on inhale and three on exhale. Brings meditative presence into daily movement.

• Five elemental breath visualizations
  Inhale imagining a specific quality such as stability or fluidity, exhale imagining releasing its distorted expression such as rigidity or confusion. Blends yogic and elemental awareness.

Conscious connected techniques including holotropic

• Conscious connected breath
  Continuous breathing without pauses between inhale and exhale, usually through the mouth or nose, with relaxed belly and chest. The breath forms a smooth circle and may lead to emotional release and altered states of awareness.

• Holotropic breathing
  An intense form of continuous, often fast, mouth breathing developed in modern transpersonal work. Usually practiced lying down with evocative music and trained facilitators. Can bring up strong emotions, body sensations, and visionary experiences, so it is not done alone when learning.

• Rebirthing style breathwork
  Gentle but continuous circular breathing, often through the nose, combined with guidance that explores early life and birth imprints. The aim is emotional integration and a sense of renewed inner space.

• Shamanic style rhythmic breathing
  Strong rhythmic breathing often coordinated with drumming to enter trance states for inner journeying. Relates to yogic methods through similar use of breath to alter consciousness.

Traditional subtle practices

• So Ham pranayama
  Focus on the natural sound of the breath, hearing So during the inhale and Ham during the exhale. This is recognized as a spontaneous mantra matching the breath itself.

• Ajapa japa breath
  Combining awareness of breath with continuous mantra repetition while attention moves along a subtle pathway such as the spine or a central channel.

• Kumbhaka – breath retention
  Holding the breath in after inhale or out after exhale, with precise counts and gentle control. Used to stabilize prana, but traditionally emphasized only after a strong foundation in simpler practices.

• Subtle nostril awareness breath
  Observe the sensation of air at the nostrils and the natural shift in dominance between left and right nostril flow. Recognizing these shifts is a quiet but deep part of classical pranayama.

Gentle modern adaptations

• Four seven eight style breath
  Inhale through the nose for a set count, hold for a longer count, exhale slowly through the mouth. Commonly used for sleep support and relaxation.

• Coherent breathing
  Slow breathing at about five or six breaths per minute with very smooth inhales and exhales. Often used with heart focused awareness to harmonize heart and brain rhythms.

• Resonant humming breath
  Soft hum on each exhale with gentle nasal breathing. Similar to Bhramari but often quieter and extended. Vibrations massage sinuses and calm the vagus nerve.