Why Breathing Works for Leaders

A review of breathing practices reported increased feelings of peacefulness, improved reaction time and problem solving, decreased anxiety and reduction of mind wandering and intrusive thoughts. 

Deliberate control of the breath (breathwork) can have a therapeutic potential to improve mental health. Results showed that breathwork may be efective for improving stress and mental health. 

Workplace Mindfulness programs enable participants to deal more skillfully with stressful events and stress less to improve their well-being. The mechanisms involved can be grouped around awareness/self-regulation, acceptance/compassion, feeling permitted to take care of self, sense of growth and promise of goal attainment

Deep slow breathing can increase vagal nerve activity, indexed by heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is also associated with better decision-making. This research examined the effects of two breathing patterns on HRV and on stress and decision-making performance . These studies show that brief vagal breathing patterns reliably increase HRV and improve decision-making

Slow breathing techniques act enhancing autonomic, cerebral and psychological flexibility. The study provided evidence of links between parasympathetic activity, CNS activities related to emotional control and psychological well being. 

Diaphragmatic breathing could improve sustained attention, affect, and cortisol levels. This study provided evidence demonstrating the effect of diaphragmatic breathing, a mind-body practice, on mental function.  

Alternate-nostril yoga breathing has been shown to be useful to improve attention and decrease the systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

A smartphone technology to sample people’s ongoing thoughts, feelings, and actions.  People are thinking about what is not happening almost as often as they are thinking about what is and found that doing so typically makes them unhappy.