Want to enhance the effects of your sound bath? Add breathwork! This combination is one of the most powerful ways to gain clarity, shift your state, spark creativity, and boost your mood.

We host monthly Breathwork SoundLab™ events in Los Angeles and Joshua Tree, a 90-minute session blending rhythmic, open-mouth breathwork with a sound bath. This profound offering is designed to help you gain clarity, shift your state, spark creativity, and boost your mood.  Can’t attend in person? You can recreate this at home using recordings or join our upcoming Soundbath Club™ membership for guided breathwork and sound bath sessions.

Curious about breathwork? Let’s dive into its types and how to pair it with a sound bath. For more on sound baths, see our articles on “What is a Sound Bath?” and “Who are Sound Baths Most Beneficial For?”

 

What is Breathwork?

Breathwork involves consciously controlling your breathing for a sustained period. Known as pranayama in yoga, it’s also called breathing exercises or breathwork meditation. Many people assume that whatever their first experience with any breathwork is what all breathwork is. However, like with sound baths, there are many types of breathwork, and the term alone does not tell you what you will be doing or the purpose. 

 

Types of Breathwork

Breathwork styles serve distinct purposes, and consistent practice yields the greatest benefits. Below are common types, with overlapping effects depending on the practice.

 

Neutral, Light, and Full Breathing

Neutral breathwork, often done through the nose or a nose-mouth combination (e.g., inhale nose, exhale mouth), involves taking just the right amount of air. The amount of air and the rhythm is usually natural, comfortable, and can be maintained for long sessions. Coherence breathing is a type of neutral breathwork you can practice daily for mental and physical benefits and involves breathing in and out smoothly and rhythmically at a pace of 5-6 breaths per minute. 

Other breathwork falls into Breathing Light or Breathing Full categories, based on air intake.

• Breathing Light (underbreathing): Nasal breathing that takes in less air to build CO2 tolerance, enhancing health and fitness. Practice daily, often multiple times.
• Breathing Full (overbreathing): Large, sometimes rapid breaths through the mouth or nose-mouth, designed to shift your state, boost creativity, and promote clarity. Typically done once daily or in longer weekly sessions.

 

Yogic Breath (Pranayama)

Pranayama, or yogic breathing, uses slow nasal breaths to calm the mind, often preparing for meditation. Practiced seated, it focuses on lengthening the breath. Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) is a popular pranayama technique for mental focus and balance.

 

Nostril Breathing

Nostril breathing, overlapping with pranayama, promotes relaxation, stress relief, and health. These neutral or light breathing styles, like box breathing, are ideal for daily practice to reduce stress and regulate the nervous system.

 

Open Mouth Breathwork

Open-mouth breathwork, often rhythmic and set to music, energizes, boosts creativity, and alters your state. Wim Hoff popularized open-mouth breathwork. Our Breathwork SoundLab™ events in Los Angeles and Joshua Tree include an open mouth style of breathwork that is very effective for those who fully participate.  This style of breathwork can be used when needed for energy, stress relief, or to clear the mind, as a short daily practice, or a longer session a couple times a week.

 

Breath Holds

Breath holds can be integrated into any type of breathwork and are meant to increase CO2 tolerance, an important component of health and fitness. The breath can be held on either the inhale or the exhale and it’s common to see breath holds combined with overbreathing breath practices. Not everyone should practice breath holds, so before diving into this type of practice, especially if doing long holds, check out the contraindications or ask your doctor if you have any medical condition. 

 

Why Practice Breathwork?

Breathwork, like sound baths, is a powerful wellness tool. Your goals determine the style and frequency. Here’s why people practice breathwork:

 

Boost Health and Fitness

Breathwork enhances physical performance. For example, Oxygen Advantage® uses nasal, light breathing to improve CO2 tolerance for health and high-altitude training. Daily practice maximizes results. Full breathing styles, like three-part open-mouth breathing, improve cardiovascular fitness, making workouts feel easier over time.

 

Manage Stress and Regulate the Nervous System

Breathwork for stress relief is a powerful tool to regulate your nervous system. Rapid, shallow breathing signals the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight), often triggered by psychological stress like work or finances. Slow, deep nasal breaths, like those in box breathing, activate the parasympathetic system, promoting calm and clear thinking. Conversely, fast, full breaths through the mouth can energize you, countering sluggishness or emotions like sadness. Practice daily for best results, using guided recordings from our upcoming Soundbath Club.

 

Gain Mental and Emotional Clarity

Mental clarity refers to having a clear, focused mind free from confusion or mental fog. When our mind is clear, our thinking is sharp, we make decisions effectively, and have a strong sense of purpose. Emotional clarity is the ability to accurately identify, understand, and manage one’s emotions, leading to balanced responses, self-awareness, and healthier emotional expression. 

 

It can be hard to make good decisions when we feel foggy, unfocused, ungrounded, or bogged down by thoughts or emotions. We may reach for extra caffeine, food, or pharmaceuticals to help clear the fog. Breathwork can be excellent in gaining clarity both mentally and emotionally. For some people, the more calming nasal breathing styles effectively clear the mind; for others, it’s the rhythmic big breaths through the mouth. Both types may work at different times. The next time you feel foggy, try doing a few minutes or more of breathwork to get clear. 

 

Elevate Mood

Breathwork can be excellent for boosting your mood. Depending on where you’re starting from, you can choose a style that helps you to feel and process the emotions bringing you down to bring you to a more positive and uplifted state. Breathwork isn’t only for when you’re feeling down; maybe you want to be happier, more positive, or more creative. Elevating your state is easier once you clear your mind and emotions. Making breathwork and sound baths a consistent practice is how to make more permanent changes in your mood over time. 

 

Deepen Meditation

Breathwork is a form of meditation, guiding you to a grounded, focused state without forcing thought suppression. It’s ideal as a meditation on it’s own, or before or during meditation, calming the mind and body for deeper practice. Pairing it with a sound bath enhances this meditative effect.

 

Why Combine Breathwork with a Sound Bath?

The breathwork and sound bath combo is one of the best tools to add to your wellness practice. Doing breathwork before a sound bath helps you go deeper into the sound bath—you can calm your mind and body and get more grounded and focused. Then, when you go into the sound bath, you’re already relaxed and open. They support each other very well. It’s best to do the breathwork before the sound bath. 

 

How to Try It

Join a Breathwork SoundLab™ event in Los Angeles, Joshua Tree, or online via our upcoming Soundbath Club. Alternatively, combine a breathwork recording with a sound bath at home. If attending a sound bath, add a quiet breathwork practice (like nasal breathing) at the start to avoid disturbing others. New to breathwork? Start with a guided class or recording from a qualified instructor.

 

Final Thoughts

If you practice sound baths or breathwork, try combining them to elevate your personal wellness routine. Explore different breathwork styles to find what aligns with your goals—clarity, creativity, stress relief, or mood enhancement. Join our Breathwork SoundLab™ events or Soundbath Club for guided experiences. Try the combination at least five times to gauge its impact. With consistency, breathwork and sound baths can transform your mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

 

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FAQ: Breathwork and Sound Baths

What is a good breathwork for beginners?

If you’re starting on your own, coherence breathing is a great place to start in order to promote relaxation and focus. If you’re attending a live session, choose a qualified instructor to guide you in whichever style they are teaching. 

 

How does breathwork enhance a sound bath?

Breathwork before a sound bath calms your mind and body, deepening relaxation and amplifying benefits like mental clarity and mood elevation. Try our 90-minute Breathwork SoundLab™ in Los Angeles or Joshua Tree to experience this beautiful synergy.

 

Can I do breathwork and sound baths at home?

Yes, combine guided breathwork recordings with a sound bath at home. Our upcoming Soundbath Club offers a broad range of breathwork and sound bath experiences. Choose recordings that uplift, unwind, build creativity, or are an all around practice.

 

Is breathwork safe for everyone?

Most breathwork is safe, but breath holds or intense open-mouth styles may not suit those with medical conditions like asthma or heart issues. Consult a doctor before starting, especially for more intense big breath practices or ones with long breath holds.

 

What are the benefits of combining breathwork and sound baths?

Combining breathwork and sound baths boosts clarity, creativity, stress relief, and mood. Breathwork prepares you for a deeper sound bath experience, enhancing relaxation and emotional balance. Join our LA or Joshua Tree events to try it.

 

Can I do breathwork at any sound bath?

You can usually quietly add breathwork to any in-person sound bath if you’re respectful. Use silent nasal breathing techniques like coherence or box breathing to avoid disturbing others. For the best experience, join our Breathwork SoundLab™ in LA or Joshua Tree, or try our Soundbath Club’s guided recordings at home.

Listen to a Breathwork & Sound Bath Recording