Could you completely de-stress yourself by lying on your bedroom floor for 40 minutes and, well, breathing? That is the promise of breathwork \u2014 a form of therapy that seems, to a cynic like me, the emperor\u2019s new clothes, but which promises to reduce anxiety, depression and improve your heart rate and blood pressure.<\/p>\n
Until I had undergone a couple of sessions, I presumed it was the worst form of Gwyneth Paltrow woo-woo wellness \u2014 and, yes, the founder of Goop is a fan. How can breathing in and out possibly improve both your psychological as well as your physical health?<\/p>\n
I have become, however, a firm fan after experiencing the strangely powerful therapy, guided by Rob Rea, who admits breathwork is hard to explain to sceptics. \u201cMy dad is 84. And he\u2019s like, \u2018Rob, how are you selling air?\u2019\u201d he tells me, laughing.<\/p>\n
\u2022 How to live well in 2026, from the new dating scene to better sleep<\/a><\/p>\n But that is what he does \u2014 it\u2019s just that his air is slightly different. A former model (he has dazzlingly blue eyes) and banker, he now teaches breathwork to a range of clients, whom he, understandably, doesn\u2019t want to publicly name but include a billionaire owner of one of Europe\u2019s biggest businesses, Hollywood actors, sports stars and Royal Ballet dancers. The billionaires and household-name actors tend to pay for one-on-one therapy over a four-month period, paying \u00a35,000 for fortnightly sessions and regular WhatsApp catch-ups. Those with more modest budgets can join one of his monthly group classes above an Indian restaurant in Islington, north London, for \u00a330.<\/p>\n So how does it work? Rea, 41, explains that breathing is the only brain and body function that is both conscious and unconscious. Breathwork, therefore, is \u201ccontrolled manipulation of your breath in order to create some sort of physiological state change\u201d.<\/p>\n It is the equivalent, he says, of jumping into an ice bath. \u201cPeople use it, primarily, as a stress resilience tool. It is called hormetic stress.\u201d Plunging into very cold water for two minutes \u201cstimulates a response within your physiology to essentially upgrade its software\u201d. A short burst of intense stress teaches the body to adapt to longer-term stress far better.<\/p>\n Breathwork is similar. It is breathing in a very artificial but very measured way to \u2014 depending on the type of breathwork \u2014 reduce the carbon dioxide in your lungs or reduce the oxygen. The result should be that you are more able to cope with stress and it should also alter your perception. For those that find they are stuck in a rut, either in a relationship or work, breathwork can be a way of \u201cunblocking\u201d.<\/p>\n Like yoga, breathwork comes in many stripes and flavours. For my one-on-one session, Rea guided me through \u201cexperiential breathwork\u201d, which is a fairly intense experience. The first time I did it, I ended up sobbing quite hard, in spite of, or because of, my efforts to keep a stiff upper lip. The second time, I didn\u2019t cry but saw different colours and bright lights through my closed eyes and, according to my wife, entered a zen-like state of calmness for the next 48 hours.<\/p>\n \u2022 Read more expert advice on healthy living, fitness and wellbeing<\/a><\/p>\n For me, this was highly unexpected. I was once hypnotised by Paul McKenna and spent the entire session \u2014 despite trying to fall under his spell \u2014 thinking about what I was going to have for dinner. Breathwork, however, sends me into a trance.<\/p>\n After burning a twig of palo santo incense, Rea gets me to lie down on my bedroom floor, while he explains that he is going to get me to deeply breathe in for four seconds through my mouth, and then sharply exhale through my mouth for one second. In a matter of minutes, my fingers and toes start to tingle. Soon I am getting hot and cold, feeling high and, later, seeing colours. This is partly because I am expelling more carbon dioxide than normal, which has the effect of oxygenating my blood.<\/p>\n He gently intones his instructions \u2014 he has a warm Belfast accent \u2014 while playing music, which I know (despite my altered state) is meant to be steering me. I get Ludovico Einaudi during the gentle bits when I am instructed to hold my breath and \u201cfeel how love feels in your body\u201d. During the more rousing moments, some of the Gladiator theme tune is played. <\/p>\n But though I know he is deliberately moving my physiological and psychological buttons up and down, as if he\u2019s at a studio mixing desk, I don\u2019t resent it. At the end of the 40-minute session, I am barely able to talk or move, but also blissfully at peace.<\/p>\n Breathwork is sometimes termed \u201csomatic therapy\u201d \u2014 body and mind working together. And I wonder if the physical aspect of the intense breathing is more suited to men, who might be coy about fluffier therapies? \u201cI\u2019d say a lot of my male clients have reached a certain point in their career where they\u2019ve had a lot of success, and then they\u2019re like: is there more to eke out?\u201d He thought people would seek him out when they had anxiety or depression, \u201cbut mostly it\u2019s that they are looking for a breakthrough or transition\u201d.<\/p>\n He insists that there\u2019s no need to do full-blown 40-minute one-on-one sessions to enjoy the benefits of breathwork. As little as three minutes a day can work. <\/p>\n Probably the most basic exercise is called \u201cbox breathing\u201d \u2014 a method popularised by the US navy Seals to help them keep their cool under fire, and a simple way to calm you down in moments of stress. <\/p>\n Imagine you\u2019re drawing a box, with your breath, mirroring the four sides of a square, by inhaling for a count of four, holding for four, exhaling for four and holding for another four. Repeat.<\/p>\n