The Impact of Breathing Exercises on Arousal and Relaxation

The way you breathe can affect your level of arousal and overall bodily control. Breathing exercises like box breathing can increase arousal while emphasizing the exhale triggers a calming response. The brain can set its own level of activity based on breathing patterns, which is at the boundary between conscious and unconscious control. Rapid breathing can increase heart rate and blood pressure while slow, conscious breathing can have the opposite effect.