Day 15
Building Resilience
Building a Breathwork Routine for Long-Term Wellness
Throughout this course, we’ve explored how breathwork shapes nervous system regulation, improves resilience, and shifts chronic stress responses. Today, we focus on building breathwork into your daily routine, ensuring its long-term impact on nervous system health.
Today We Will Learn:
- Why routine breathwork is essential for nervous system resilience.
- How to integrate breathwork into daily life to create a sustainable practice.
- The science of habit formation and how to make breathwork automatic.
- The scientific benefits of Triangle Breathing and how it strengthens long-term nervous system regulation.
The Science of Small Daily Practices in Nervous System Resilience
Science shows that small, consistent habits lead to significant long-term changes (Duhigg, 2012). When we repeat an action daily, neural pathways reinforce the behaviour, making it easier over time (Clear, 2018).
Resilience
is not a fixed state, it’s an adaptive nervous system response built through consistent practice (McEwen, 2017).
Your nervous system responds to repeated patterns. The more you practice regulating breathwork, the more your body learns to return to balance (Porges, 2011).
A daily breathwork habit creates an automatic regulation response, strengthening vagal tone and increasing stress adaptability (Lehrer & Gevirtz, 2014).
Just like exercise strengthens muscles, routine breathwork strengthens your nervous system, by toning the vagus nerve, increasing your capacity to handle stress (Zaccaro et al., 2018).
Breathwork as a Daily Habit: Strengthening the Nervous System Over Time
Building a breathwork habit requires intentionality and repetition. Here’s how to integrate it seamlessly into your daily routine.
Step 1: Keep It Simple and Flexible
Start with just 2-5 minutes per day
A shorter, consistent practice is better than long, irregular sessions (Lehrer & Gevirtz, 2014).
Listen to what Feels Good
If a breathwork practice feels good, you’re more likely to keep doing it (Zaccaro et al., 2018).
Allow flexibility
If you miss a session, reset without guilt and continue the next day (Clear, 2018).
Choose your preferred breathwork style from the Respira Breathwork Library and favourite it for quick access.
Step 2: Schedule It
One of the most effective ways to create a new habit is by linking it to an existing routine (Fogg, 2020).
Here are some examples to add to exisiting moments in your day.
Morning coffee/tea
Start your day in a regulated state.
Pre-work transition
Use breathwork before starting work to focus and ground.
Evening wind-down
Pair with a bedtime routine for deep relaxation.
Post-exercise
Use breathwork after movement for faster recovery and regulation.
Head to your calander and add a 5 minute breathwork practice - to schedule a reminder.
Step 3: Track Your Progress and Notice Changes
Tracking your breathwork habit helps reinforce motivation and makes progress visible (Duhigg, 2012).
Use your PNI journal
Complete the PNI journal to track growth in cultivating Balance between PNI systems.
Habit Tracking
Check off daily breathwork sessions with this Breathwork Tracker
The Science of Triangle Breathing
Triangle Breathing is a technique which is named for its balanced three-part pattern of inhaling, holding, and exhaling, each for equal durations.
Improves Oxygen Efficiency
Enhances oxygen-carbon dioxide balance, reducing stress on the respiratory system (Telles et al., 2013).
Improves focus and emotional stability
Training the brain to stay present under pressure (Zaccaro et al., 2018).
Increases vagal tone
Enhancing parasympathetic activation and improving heart rate variability (HRV) (Lehrer & Gevirtz, 2014).
Triangle breathing trains the nervous system to maintain equilibrium, even in challenging situations.
Day 15 Breathwork
Triangle Breathing
Triangle or 3-Part Breathing is a mindful breathwork technique that focuses on dividing the breath into three distinct phases: inhalation, retention, and exhalation, often visualised as tracing the three sides of a triangle. Each phase is given equal attention and duration, such as inhaling for a count of 4, holding for 4, and exhaling for 4. This technique promotes focus, balance, and calm by engaging the mind and body in a steady rhythm.
Additionally, the practice encourages greater awareness of the breath’s movement, helping to anchor attention in the present moment. Triangle breathing is effective for reducing stress, improving focus, and cultivating a sense of stability during challenging times. With its simplicity and grounding effects, this practice is ideal for both beginners and those looking to deepen their mindfulness through breathwork.
Key Takeaways
- Routine breathwork strengthens the nervous system, increasing adaptability and reducing stress response
- Scheduling and tracking breathwork practice helps integrate it as a long-term habit.
- Triangle Breathing enhances focus, reduces impulsivity, and fosters emotional stability.
- Building breath-based regulation into daily life strengthens resilience and self-awareness