Is Breathwork safe? What Science, Therapists & Experience Say

Breathwork is generally safe for most healthy adults when practiced appropriately. But Breathwork is an umbrella term, and not all breathing techniques affect the body in the same way.

Slow, gentle breathing practices used for relaxation and nervous system regulation are very different physiologically from more activating practices such as conscious connected breathing, prolonged breath holds or other intensive forms of Breathwork.

This distinction matters when we talk about safety.

The technique, intensity and duration of the practice — as well as your individual health, nervous system and circumstances — all influence what is appropriate for you.

Who Should approach Breathwork With Caution?

Extra caution is particularly important with activating Breathwork if you are pregnant or have a history of cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled high blood pressure, epilepsy or seizures, certain respiratory or eye conditions, or other medical conditions that may be affected by significant changes in breathing, heart rate or blood pressure.

If you experience panic attacks, severe anxiety, PTSD or unresolved trauma, Breathwork does not automatically need to be avoided — but how it is practiced matters. More activating techniques can create strong physical sensations and emotional responses, so working slowly and with appropriate trauma-informed support may be particularly important.

Breathwork has become increasingly popular, with growing research exploring its effects on stress, mental health, nervous system regulation and wellbeing. And as more people discover the practice, the question “Is Breathwork safe?” naturally becomes more important.

The goal, however, is not to push through whatever arises. A good Breathwork practice should allow room to slow down, modify the technique or stop altogether.

Safety comes before intensity. And it can also be what enables you to go deeper within.

You can read more about Trauma Informed Breathwork here

Is breathwork the same as hyperventilating?

Not exactly — but some activating Breathwork techniques can create physiological changes that overlap with hyperventilation.

Whether Breathwork is simply a form of hyperventilation is a common question, especially because hyperventilation is sometimes suggested as the reason for the sensations or altered experiences people may have during Breathwork.

But in conscious connected breathing, the goal is not to hyperventilate or deliberately push the body into respiratory alkalosis in order to create an experience. We are actually striving for balance.

Physiologically, however, there can be some overlap. Hyperventilation simply means breathing more than the body’s current metabolic needs. If breathing becomes faster or deeper than the body's current metabolic needs, we exhale more carbon dioxide (CO₂). This can temporarily lower CO₂ levels in the blood and raise blood pH — a process known as respiratory alkalosis.

From a physiological perspective, these changes can help explain sensations such as tingling, light-headedness, muscle tension or contractions in the hands and feet during more activating Breathwork.

But physiology is one way of understanding what happens during a Breathwork experience. Somatic and Eastern traditions have long worked with different maps of the body — including energy, meridians and the movement or release of what has become held or stagnant.

I don't think these perspectives necessarily need to compete. We can understand the changes in CO₂ and blood chemistry and remain curious about the subjective, emotional or energetic experience unfolding at the same time. Science can help us understand the mechanism without necessarily defining the meaning of the experience.

Slow, regulating breathing practices affect breathing chemistry and the nervous system very differently from faster, deeper or continuous techniques such as conscious connected breathing (CCB). Even within activating Breathwork, intensity, pace and duration matter.

There is also an important difference between unintentional hyperventilation driven by panic or distress and consciously working with the breath within a structured practice. The physiology may overlap in certain ways, but the context, intention and experience are not the same.

This is why technique and facilitation matter. The breath can regulate. It can activate. It can bring us into deeper states of awareness. And sometimes, consciously moving through activation is part of the practice.

In the way I work with conscious connected breathing, more intensity is not the goal and hyperventilation is not something we chase. We are looking for a sustainable rhythm where the body can stay with the experience rather than forcing it somewhere.

You don't need to hyperventilate to go deep. Depth ≠ intensity. 

Statements of Breathwork explained:

1. “If I feel dizzy or light-headed during Breathwork - something is wrong.”

Feeling dizzy or light-headed can happen during more activating Breathwork, particularly when faster or deeper breathing changes CO₂ levels. As CO₂ falls, this can temporarily affect blood chemistry and cerebral blood flow, creating sensations of light-headedness, dizziness or altered perception.

This doesn’t automatically mean that something dangerous is happening — but it is a signal worth listening to.

If you become very dizzy, uncomfortable or disoriented, slow the breath, return to natural breathing and let your system settle. The goal is never to push through a physical sensation simply to create a deeper or more intense experience.

There can also be another layer to what happens. Strong physical sensations may bring up fear, resistance or a desire to regain control. That experience can be explored with curiosity — without assuming that the dizziness itself is caused by psychological resistance.

The physiology may explain the sensation. How we meet that sensation can become part of the inner experience.

2. “My fingers, toes or face are tingling during Breathwork”

“Tingling means energy or emotion is being released.”

It may — and it can certainly feel that way. And there is also a clear physiological explanation for why tingling can occur.

During faster or deeper breathing, falling CO₂ levels can change nerve and muscle excitability. This can create tingling, numbness or pins-and-needles sensations, often in the hands, feet or around the face.

From an energetic or somatic perspective, people may experience the same sensations as movement, opening or release. Understanding part of the physiology doesn't mean we need to dismiss that experience.

Eastern traditions offer another map of the body, one in which everything is interconnected. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, for example, the meridian system can be understood almost like a landscape of rivers connecting different parts of the body. Sensations arising in particular areas may therefore also be explored as energetic information — clues inviting curiosity about where something feels held, restricted or ready to move. 

I don't believe we always need to choose one explanation over the other.

The mechanism and the meaning are not necessarily the same thing.

If tingling becomes intense or uncomfortable, slowing the breath usually allows the sensation to settle.

‍3. “Claw hands/tetany mean I've done something wrong”

“If my hands become stiff or claw-like, I've done something wrong.”

Not necessarily. Temporary muscle contractions — often called tetany in Breathwork settings — can occur during activating breathing when CO₂ falls and blood pH changes.

It can look dramatic, particularly the first time it happens, but mild transient tetany often settles as breathing returns toward normal.

Just as with tingling, there may also be an energetic or emotional dimension to how the experience is felt or understood. Physiology can help us explain why the muscles contract; it doesn't necessarily tell us everything about how the experience is perceived or what it comes to mean for the person having it.

It is also not a badge of honour or evidence that a session is ‘working’. More tetany does not mean more healing or a deeper Breathwork experience.

If contractions become painful or intense, ease the breathing rather than trying to push further.

I explore the physiology, energetic perspectives and practical ways of working with this in much more depth in Why Do My Hands Become Cold, Stiff or Claw-Like During Breathwork?

4. “My heart started racing during Breathwork”

During more activating Breathwork, the body can move into a state of increased arousal. Heart rate may rise, breathing intensifies and we may notice other familiar signs of activation — warmth, shaking, tension, racing thoughts or a feeling of losing control.

How we experience that activation is highly individual.

For someone who has lived through prolonged stress, anxiety or previous experiences of feeling unsafe in the body, a racing heartbeat may itself become a trigger. The sensation appears, the mind interprets it as danger, and suddenly our attention moves away from the experience and into “Something is wrong.”

This is one reason I find Breathwork so interesting from a nervous system perspective. The aim isn't to eliminate activation. It is to build greater capacity to experience activation without automatically interpreting it as danger.

Over time, we can become better at noticing what is happening, staying connected to the body and recognising when we need to regulate rather than simply reacting from an old pattern. We can re-learn our body and mind. 

A faster or pounding heartbeat can also occur alongside changes in breathing chemistry during more intensive Breathwork. This doesn't automatically mean something is wrong — but neither should significant heart symptoms simply be dismissed as “part of the process.”

If you experience chest pain, fainting, severe shortness of breath, or a new or persistent irregular heartbeat, stop the practice and seek appropriate medical assessment.

And if you have a known cardiovascular condition, history of arrhythmia or significant concerns about your heart, more intensive Breathwork may not be appropriate without proper guidance or modification.

If you have experienced panic attacks or significant anxiety around bodily sensations, tell your facilitator beforehand. Sometimes simply knowing that the person holding the space understands your history can create more safety before you even begin.

The question isn't how much activation you can tolerate. It's whether you can remain safely connected to yourself while activation moves through you.

5. “My ears are ringing during Breathwork!”

Changes in sound perception or temporary ringing in the ears can sometimes occur during more activating Breathwork, particularly when breathing patterns significantly change CO₂ levels and cerebral blood flow. Hyperventilation has measurable effects on auditory and cortical processing, although research specifically investigating temporary tinnitus during Breathwork is still limited.

If you already experience tinnitus, you may also become more aware of it during a session as attention turns inward and bodily sensations become more noticeable.

If ringing appears or becomes uncomfortable during Breathwork, ease the intensity, stop any breath holds and return to a gentle, natural breathing rhythm rather than trying to push through it.

Interestingly, research is beginning to explore breathing practices for tinnitus as well. A 2026 randomized controlled trial found improvements in tinnitus-related distress after six weeks of 4-7-8 breathing, and other studies have reported benefits from humming breathing and breathing combined with relaxation practices. These findings are promising, but they don't mean that Breathwork is an established treatment or cure for tinnitus.

Personally, I once had a participant whose tinnitus completely disappeared after a Breathwork session. Was it the Breathwork? The Reiki and energy work? Something else entirely? I don't know - and one experience can't tell us.

But I find experiences like this interesting precisely because they leave room for curiosity while the research continues to evolve.

6. “I feel chest pain during Breathwork” 

Chest tightness or discomfort can sometimes occur during more activating Breathwork. Changes in breathing, muscle tension, anxiety and overbreathing can all contribute to sensations in the chest, and chest pain is also a recognised symptom associated with hyperventilation.

But chest pain is not something I recommend simply breathing through.

If you experience chest pain during Breathwork, stop the activating technique, return to a gentle natural breath and let your body settle. New, severe or persistent chest pain - particularly if accompanied by fainting, significant shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, or pain spreading to the arm, back, neck or jaw - should be medically assessed rather than assumed to be caused by Breathwork. Chest pain can have many causes, including serious ones.

If you have a known cardiovascular condition or previous unexplained chest pain, speak with your healthcare provider before practising more intensive forms of Breathwork and always let your facilitator know beforehand.

Safety here means not needing to decide for yourself whether a new chest sensation is “just part of the process.”

7. “I got low, in distress, after Breathwork”

Stress + rest = success
Stress + stress= distress
This is why I never recommend skipping the integration or down-regulation phase after deeper Breathwork.

The Breathwork I facilitate in Stockholm and online can create powerful emotional and inner experiences. We may move beyond our usual analytical thinking and become aware of emotions, memories, sensations or inner material that we don't normally have access to in everyday life.

For many people, this can feel deeply therapeutic. There may be tears, grief, relief, insight, exhaustion or simply a need for quiet afterwards.

But feeling worse is not proof that deeper healing has taken place, and distress should never be romanticised as something you simply have to push through in order to grow.

Sometimes a powerful session simply requires more time for integration. Your nervous system has been through significant activation, emotions may have surfaced, and you may need rest, grounding, food, sleep, gentle movement or connection rather than another intense practice.

If you feel distressed after Breathwork, reach out to your facilitator. They may be able to help you reflect on what happened, support the integration process or suggest a gentler regulating practice.

And if difficult emotions or memories continue to feel overwhelming, interfere with everyday functioning, or feel beyond what a Breathwork container can safely hold, additional support from an appropriately qualified mental-health professional may be important.

Breathwork can take us deep. But integration is part of the work too.

The experience doesn't end when the breathing stops.

Depth can include discomfort. But discomfort itself isn't evidence of transformation.

If you are working with something specific and would prefer more individual support, you can also explore a 1:1 session.

8. “My vision became blurred during Breathwork”

Temporary changes in vision — such as blurred vision, visual narrowing or feeling that your sight is slightly altered — might occur during more activating Breathwork.

One possible physiological explanation is a significant change in breathing chemistry. If breathing becomes faster or deeper than the body's metabolic needs, CO₂ levels can fall. This causes blood vessels in the brain to constrict temporarily and reduces cerebral blood flow, which may contribute to light-headedness and changes in visual perception.

Blurred vision isn't something to deliberately push through. If you notice your vision changing, ease the intensity and return to a gentle, natural breathing rhythm until you feel fully settled.

If visual changes are severe, persist after the breathing has stopped, occur repeatedly, or are accompanied by other concerning symptoms, they shouldn't simply be assumed to be caused by Breathwork and should be medically assessed.

Personally, I haven't experienced this myself or seen it occur in my sessions.

9. Can Breathwork cause seizures?

For most people, Breathwork does not cause seizures. However, intensive or high-ventilation Breathwork may increase seizure risk in people with epilepsy or a history of seizures.

Faster or deeper breathing can significantly lower carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels in the blood. This changes blood pH, cerebral blood flow and neuronal excitability. In fact, controlled hyperventilation is sometimes used during EEG testing because it can provoke epileptiform activity — and occasionally seizures — in susceptible individuals.

This doesn't mean that every breathing practice is unsafe for someone with epilepsy. Gentle, regulating breathing is physiologically very different from prolonged, activating Breathwork.

But if you have epilepsy, a history of seizures or unexplained episodes of loss of consciousness, please speak with your healthcare provider before participating in intensive Breathwork and always tell your facilitator beforehand. The practice may need to be modified or avoided depending on your individual circumstances.

This is one of the situations where I would always choose caution over intensity.

10. “Nothing happened during breathwork!”

Maybe this isn't exactly a safety concern — but it is definitely an experience people don't always appreciate. 😉

The truth is, Breathwork can be completely different every time you practice.

Sometimes it is highly physical. Sometimes emotional. Sometimes energetic or spiritual. Sometimes deeply still. And sometimes you spend most of the session in your head wondering why absolutely nothing seems to be happening.

None of these experiences means you are doing Breathwork better or worse.

Especially when we are new to deeper Breathwork, it can take time to become comfortable with the breath, the sensations and the vulnerability of letting go of control. With practice, we may learn to trust the process more, listen to the body and surrender a little further into the experience.

And sometimes what feels like “nothing happened” is simply subtler than what we expected. A little more space. A different sensation in the body. A quieter mind. Something that only becomes clear later.

I don't believe the goal of Breathwork is to manufacture an emotional release, a vision or an extraordinary altered state.

The breath may take you somewhere very different from where your mind thought you needed to go.

Sometimes, it may simply let you be exactly where you are.

But also remember that a quiet session isn't necessarily a shallow one. 🤗

Want to try Breathwork?

Breathwork Stockholm & Online with Kia Agerhem

If you're new to Breathwork, or unsure which techniques are appropriate for you, working with a trained, trauma-informed facilitator can help you explore the practice with greater safety, support and understanding.

I facilitate both gentle, regulating practices and deeper conscious connected Breathwork — because different breaths serve different purposes, and more intensity isn't always better.

If you'd like to experience Breathwork with me, you can explore upcoming Breathwork sessions in Stockholm and online, or learn more about 1:1 and duo Breathwork sessions.

If you prefer to begin in your own time, my 10 Days of Breathwork & Meditation introduces you to different breathing techniques alongside guided meditation — from gentle regulating practices to more activating breath.

Wherever you begin, you don't need to force an experience. Start where you are, stay curious, and let the breath meet you there.

If you'd like to know more about me and how I work, you can read more about Kia Agerhem here

Kia Agerhem is a renowned Breathwork guide with long experience, holding space for Breathwork Stockholm, Breathwork Online, Corporate Breathwork. Private and group Breathwork.

Selected Research & Sources

Research into Breathwork is still evolving, and different breathing techniques can produce very different physiological and psychological effects. The studies below offer useful perspectives on some of the mechanisms, benefits and safety considerations discussed in this article.

• Fincham GW, Strauss C, Montero-Marin J, Cavanagh K. (2023). Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials. Scientific Reports, 13, 432.
  A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials finding small-to-moderate improvements in stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms, while also highlighting the need for more rigorous research and careful reporting of safety.

• Fincham GW et al. (2023). High ventilation breathwork practices: An overview of their effects, mechanisms, and considerations for clinical applications. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 155, 105453.
  Particularly relevant to activating Breathwork: this review explores altered states, sympathetic activation, cerebral blood flow, respiratory alkalosis and changes in neuronal excitability, as well as clinical considerations around high-ventilation practices.

• Take a Breather—Physiological Correlates of a Conscious Connected Breathing Session in a Trained Group of Breast Cancer Patients (2025).
  A physiological study specifically investigating conscious connected breathing. Researchers measured changes consistent with mild respiratory alkalosis during CCB, including decreased CO₂ and increased blood pH, alongside acute changes in cortisol, prolactin and IgA. The study was small and conducted in a specific clinical population, so broader conclusions require further research.

• Krishnaprasadh D, Sharma S. (updated 2026). Hypocarbia. StatPearls / NCBI Bookshelf.
  A useful medical overview of the physiology of lowered CO₂, including respiratory alkalosis, cerebral vasoconstriction and reduced cerebral blood flow — mechanisms relevant to sensations such as light-headedness during overbreathing.

• Rana M, Steenari M, Shrey D. (2023). Hyperventilation and Seizures: Not a New Sense: A Literature Review.
  Reviews the longstanding relationship between hyperventilation and epileptic activity and its use as an activation procedure during EEG, particularly relevant to the safety considerations for people with epilepsy or a seizure history.

• International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology & International League Against Epilepsy. Routine and sleep EEG: minimum recording standards. (2023).
  Clinical EEG guidance reviewing evidence around hyperventilation as an activation procedure, including its diagnostic value and reported incidence of provoked seizures.

• Fincham GW et al. (2023). [High ventilation breathwork practices: An overview of their effects, mechanisms, and considerations for clinical applications.] Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 155, 105453.