The Difference Between Breath Awareness, Breath Control & Breathwork
This is for anyone interested in breathing exercises and/or mindfulness practices
The breath connects all 8 billion humans together from breath to breath and for the most part, we’re all breathing the same air. However, breathing exercises aren’t a one-size-fits-all kind of a thing because everybody is different, as is every body. So, we all have different needs and desires.
That’s why having the ‘menu of possibilities’ open every day helps us to choose what we need when we need it. It also creates more variety which can make exploring the breath more fun.
Each form of yoga has different kriyas and postures, each car manufacturer has different models and parts, and each cuisine has different ingredients and flavours. So it is true with the breath.
Now, it’s a little simpler with the breath as the breath only has four stages. However, those four stages can turn into thousands upon thousands of breathing exercises in much the same way the six strings on an acoustic guitar can turn into an almost infinite arrangement of chords.
That’s why I want to break down what each practice is because they all hold slightly different intentions.
But first, here are the four stages of the breath:
Inhale
The pause at the top of the inhale (before the exhale begins)
Exhale
The pause at the bottom of the exhale (before the inhale begins)
What defines these three types of breath practices - breath awareness, breath control, and breathwork - is what stage of the breath if any, they focus on most.
So, let’s look at each one more closely now to better understand their subtle differences and how they can be worked with in daily life.
Breath Awareness
Breath awareness is the simple act of observing all four stages of the breath moving in and out of the body without changing or controlling any part in particular. The goal (if there is one) is to be with the ever-changing nature of the breath as it moves through the body from moment to moment.
It is perhaps most accredited as being a Buddhist practice where one watches the breath as it comes in and as it goes out, focusing on the areas around the nose (inside and outside) and watching for any sensations that arise in the body.
This type of observation is typically done without force or judgement while being aware of how the breath is moving (deep/shallow, fast/slow, hard/soft, with ease or with tension, etc...) and watching for any sensations that arise as a result.
The beauty of observing the breath like this is that anyone can do it anywhere in the world at any moment that suits them. All it asks for is open awareness and focused attention and both are accessible to everyone always.
I must say that breath awareness is a lot harder than it sounds though. As an experiment, close your eyes for just a few moments and try to breathe 100 breaths in and out in pure awareness. Whenever your mind starts to wander or if you lose concentration at any moment start again from 0 and continue up to 100.
How far did you get?
If you’re anything like me, you might have realised that getting to 20 breaths is challenging, let alone 100. Sometimes even getting to 10 breaths requires an extremely strong determination. So, although becoming aware of the breath sounds like an easy thing to do, staying in the present moment is something only a few have mastered over the years.
Fortunately, we’re not aiming for enlightenment or self-mastery here, all we’re looking to do is to observe a fraction of the few thousand breaths that we breathe every day so we can check in with our internal experience to see what’s going on.
By keeping an awareness on the breath, which is another way of saying the present moment, we can remain grounded in the unfolding truth as it is. And being with the unfolding truth as it is is the practice of breath awareness.
In the beginning, this might be easier to do with your eyes closed while sitting or lying down in an uninterrupted room. But over time, and with enough practice, you might realise that you can stay aware of your breath while walking, eating, and even talking to others.
“The breath is always breathing, whether we are aware it or not. Our task is to see how often we can be with it as that shows us how often we are with life itself. And not just with life itself, but what kind of life too. The quality of our life depends on the quality of our breath.”
The Practice of 50/50
A wonderful exercise to consider here is the practice of 50/50. It works on the principle that both your internal experience and your external environment are of equal importance because both combine to make up your perception of reality. So, tracking both worlds at the same time helps to provide a wholesome version of reality as it unfolds.
Your external environment might be a conversation you’re having with a friend or a task you’re completing at work. Your internal experience might be observing an emotion, sensation, or thought that’s arising in the body. Whatever it might be though, the goal is to keep 50% of your awareness on both worlds simultaneously.
If 50/50 feels too much, try 70/30 instead or even 80/20. As long as some of your awareness remains on both worlds, the percentage split doesn’t really matter. Find your way, connect to your truth, honour your needs. There’s no right or wrong way here.
“Curiosity has its own reason for existing” – Albert Einstein
Breath Control
The difference between breath awareness and breath control is that breath control exercises tend to focus on one of the four stages of the breath more so than any other. For example, in Soma Breath, they have a strong focus on holding the breath out through intermittent hypoxic training so one of their main breath control components is focused on stage 4 — the pause at the bottom of the exhale. Soma Breath, the Wim Hof Method, and Tummo breathing also focus on rhythmical breathing which is another form of breath control.
Other pranayama exercises prefer to focus on holding a full breath in instead of a full breath out while some enjoy speeding the breath up, slowing the breath down, breathing in through the nose, breathing in through the mouth, or even breathing in and out of each individual nostril independently.
This is because they all hold a slightly different focus and/or intention. Box breathing, for example, promotes peace and emotional resilience. Alternate nostril breathing helps to restore balance and harmony. Rhythmical breathing opens up the heart. Breath of fire increases heat in the body while raising energy levels. And intermittent hypoxic training helps to build up a tolerance to CO² while training people to take fewer breaths per minute.
So, even though the breath only has four stages it can turn into thousands upon thousands of different breathing patterns as I mentioned at the top of this article.
Breath control techniques:
Wim Hof Method
Tummo
Butekyo
Pranayama exercises such as Alternate Nostril Breathing
Breathwork
Breathwork is the combination of both breath awareness and breath control exercises. So, during a breathwork session, the goal is to become aware of the breath (breath awareness) while keeping it connected with no pauses in between the inhale and the exhale (breath control). However, there’s far less emphasis on controlling the breath. Breathing is often quicker, deeper, and more intense here too.
The length of a breathwork session is another distinctive feature that differentiates these three practices. Typically, a breathwork session can run anywhere from 1–3 hours long and they’re normally accompanied by a facilitator and their assistants. This is to help each breather feel supported if any difficult situations arise while also providing a safe space for them to surrender, ‘let go of control’, and explore parts of themselves that might otherwise be inaccessible.
How?
When the nervous system is put under enough stress there is a threshold in what it can hold and what it can’t. There’s a saturation point, so to speak. So, as this saturation point reaches its limit there’s really nothing stopping what’s stored in the subconscious mind from coming to the surface.
To get to that point, however, an element of “letting go” is needed because it’s often the sense of being in control that causes us to replay old patterns in the mind without necessarily knowing how or why.
To break these old patterns, we must disrupt the neural pathways in the brain that keep them running because the mind loves to cling onto anything that’s familiar. So, a degree of time is needed to “loosen” any known threads that can keep it hooked on familiar outcomes. This is why breathwork sessions are often longer.
Accessing these areas are not always easily accessible during day-to-day life or from being in familiar spaces with known outcomes. That’s why breathwork can be a powerful way to go beyond what’s possible because it’s a space where many people can open themselves up to the possibility of creating themselves anew because they’re in new terrain themselves.
“You cannot see the way out of a challenge if you are looking at it everyday from the same level of mind, thoughts, emotions, and feelings of the past” – Dr. Joe Dispenza
Using the breath to look into these areas of the mind can be a very enlightening and eye-opening experience if approached with openness, curiosity, and a degree of sensitivity. However, it can also be a source of tension, self-doubt, self-judgement, and competition if not.
Once openness, curiosity, and sensitivity have been cultivated, though, I believe breathing exercises are one of the best ways to access these areas because the breath creates a bridge for our conscious minds to visit the subconscious with a degree of lucidity and clarity.
And through rhythmical breathing, the heart can remain open and receptive, and the nervous system relaxed. This can then help to explore these unknown areas in love which is key for transformation. After all, we can’t transform old beliefs, deep-rooted habitual patterns, cultural biases, social conditioning, and/or personal and collective trauma if we still judge or condemn them. We must first come to accept them.
So, feeling loving and accepting before looking to love and accept makes it a helluva lot easier to do so.
“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
Some Precaution
The breathwork techniques I mention above are incredibly powerful and have helped many people overcome and release trauma, work through blockages, and find wonder and awe in the beauty of life, including myself. However, because of their intensity, moderation and professional guidance are advised, especially in the beginning.
If 20 minutes of breathing can be compared to a morning jog, a 1–3-hour breathwork session can be compared to running a marathon. And I’m sure you can appreciate that running a marathon requires a little more preparation and potentially more support than a 20-minute jog does.
Another consideration here, although it’s rare, is that some people aren’t ready to face or process what arises from their subconscious minds. To understand this more, imagine a coke bottle that has just been recently shaken. (The shaking of the coke bottle is the active breathing component of a breathwork session.)
At the peak of this experience, some people are able to open the cap on the bottle and release their emotions freely. They can then feel lighter and better because of it. Other people, on the other hand, can’t, and although there are many things in place to support these challenging situations (assistants, experienced facilitators, sharing circles, ongoing support, process work, etc…) it can still feel overwhelming if the cap on the coke bottle can’t open and the gases (emotions) must settle on their own.
This is very rare, I must say, but on occasion, it can still happen. So, I feel like it’s an important point to raise here in case you ever come across it.
Contraindications
There are unfortunately a few health conditions that are incompatible with breathwork. This list includes but may not be limited to: People with epilepsy, severe mental health conditions, bipolar, schizophrenia, diabetes, heart problems, and pregnancy. People with other types of physical and mental health conditions should consult a doctor before embarking on such a journey too.
If you fall into any of these categories, don’t worry. Breathwork is one arm in a vast ocean of breathing exercises that can still be explored and enjoyed in much the same way food can still be enjoyed even if one cuisine or one food group becomes inedible/allergic.
Breathwork techniques:
Holotropic breathwork – focuses on achieving altered states of consciousness through conscious connected breathing. Art and other creative processes are also used at the end of each session to help with integration.
Re-birthing – looks to regress; to relive your birth.
Vivation – the art of finding pleasure through breathing.
Shamanic Breathwork – supports breathers to connect to their spirit guides and power animals. They also focus on soul retrieval work.
BBTRS (Bio-Dynamic Breathwork & Trauma Release Sessions) – focuses on releasing trauma in the body.
Choosing the ‘Right’ Path
There is no right or wrong path when considering which, if any, breath practice you want to explore. That’s the whole point. The invitation here is to find out what feels good for you and your body, where you find the most resonance, and how you can best integrate them among the few thousand breaths that you breathe every day.
You might choose to explore the meditative approach and watch your breath like the Buddha did all those thousands of years ago through breath awareness exercises. Or you might want to dive straight into a breath control training and learn rhythmical breathing, pranayama exercises, and/or intermittent hypoxia. You might even be ready to connect with your spirit guides and power animals or breathe your way through trauma in one of the incredible breathwork techniques that are on offer.
Whatever you choose, it doesn’t really matter. Switch it up, try as many as you want, combine forces if you like. Be curious and inquisitive, as a young child might. The breath is ever-evolving, so, why shouldn’t you be? The joy comes from being with the breath and that’s experienced through all types of breathing exercises, and far beyond too!
Discover my favourite breathwork technique here
Or go deep into the science around breathwork and how to cultivate healthy breathing habits in an in-depth blog I wrote here: The Importance of Breathing Correctly