Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal

breath · Cell Reports Medicine · 2023

Stanford-led RCT comparing three breathwork styles to mindfulness meditation: the cyclic sigh (double inhale, long exhale) produced the largest daily mood lift and the largest drop in respiratory rate.

Authors

Balban MY, Neri E, Kogon MM, Weed L, Nouriani B, Jiang G, Anderson T, Birnbaum JI, Williams ML, Spiegel D, Huberman AD

Research lens

Stanford-led RCT comparing three breathwork styles to mindfulness meditation: the cyclic sigh (double inhale, long exhale) produced the largest daily mood lift and the largest drop in respiratory rate.

  • breath
  • vagal tone
  • anxiety
  • physiological sigh
  • HRV