Why breathing is your hidden super power
Breathing is the master regulator of the nervous system
We take around 20,000 breaths each day, and we do so automatically, without thinking about it. Breath is a basic human mechanic that just gets on with things in the background, hence why it is part of our autonomic nervous system. Generally we don’t want or need to think about breathing because it’s doing its job, keeping us alive and there are lots of other things to think about.
But breathing well has a powerful effect on our physical and emotional wellbeing. While it’s good for our breath to be mostly automatic (imagine having to remember to breathe 20,000 times a day!) the beauty is we can harness our breath when we need to, and it’s the fastest way to shift between sympathetic and parasympathetic states.
As the only autonomic function we can consciously control, our breathing provides us with a doorway into emotional regulation, resilience, and safety. You can think of slow diaphragmatic breathing (breathing low and wide into your belly instead of just your chest) as the body’s “built‑in brake pedal,” helping you slow down and feel a bit calmer.
Obviously, the way you breathe isn’t going to magically fix a difficult situation. But most of us would do well to breathe just that bit better sometimes.
So here’s an invitation to breathe well….
As you read this, you might like to pause for a moment and notice your breathe.
Where do you feel it? Is it shallow or deep, slow or fast? Does it feel nice to notice it, or a bit weird and uncomfortable?
It might feel really really good for you, or it might not.
Sometimes, I find when I tune into my breath I notice a little flutter of panic rise in me… my breathing becomes quicker and shallower… perhaps because I’m suddenly becoming conscious of it (like when you think about walking and find yourself tripping over). My subconscious might kick in with “oh no, I should be breathing more deeply than this” and of course that little word ‘should’ makes me feel bad about myself, so my breathing becomes yet more shallow.
With all that in mind, acknowledging the weirdness and the discomfort that may arise, here’s another invitation to pause again, notice your breath and with curiosity and interest (no agenda or judgement) and try the following:
Breathe a nice, easy wave of cool air in through your nose.
Let your belly gently rise as you breathe in.
Breathe out, and feel your belly soften.
Maybe you notice the air is warmer as you exhale.
On your next in‑breath, let the breath drop low.
Pause / hold for a moment.
Then enjoy lengthening your out‑breath… see if there’s an extra inch of air you can let go.
Repeat at least four times, following the natural ebb and flow of your breath.
Maybe you felt yourself relax just a little. I know I did, after I got past the initial discomfort.
Why is breathing well so important during labour?
Your brain and vital organs need a steady supply of oxygen. Freshly oxygenated blood carries important nutrients and fuels your muscles. This is especially important during labour, when the muscles of the uterus, having the workout of their life, need oxygen‑rich blood to work efficiently.
And it’s not just about oxygen. We also need enough CO₂ in the system to keep the body’s chemistry balanced so our cells can function properly. Slow, steady breathing helps maintain this balance.
Slow breathing activates your body’s calming system
Deep, slow breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system; the part of your body responsible for rest, digestion, and calm. This creates a sense of safety in the body, and that safety helps oxytocin, the hormone essential for labour, to do its work more effectively.
Oxytocin works by binding to oxytocin receptors, real, physical structures found in places like the uterus. When these receptors respond well, they help the uterus muscles work rhythmically together and support labour to progress.
When you’re calm, stress hormones like adrenaline stay low. Low adrenaline means oxytocin receptors can respond properly.
That’s why calm, steady breathing can support labour to progress.
How to breathe well
The key to breathing well is to feel as if you’re filling your tummy rather than just your chest with air. The diaphragm is the muscle at play. It sits under the lungs and pulls downward as you inhale, increasing the space in your chest. When you breathe out, the diaphragm rises back up, gently pushing the air out.
The easiest way to know you’re using your diaphragm is to put one hand on your chest and the other on the upper part of your tummy (where the rib cage opens out). As you breathe in, the hand on your chest should stay still while the hand on your tummy rises as air flows down into your lungs. You may even feel your back expand as your lungs fill.
In praise of the long exhalation
During pregnancy and birth, it can be difficult to breathe in deeply as your lung capacity is naturally reduced by your growing baby. But that isn’t a problem, because the exhalation is actually the most important part of your breath.
A long out‑breath naturally encourages a deeper, wider inhalation. It helps oxygenate your muscles and blood, calms your mind, and softens the features of your face, which in turn helps release and relax the pelvic floor muscles. There’s a well‑known connection between the jaw and the pelvis, so softening your jaw as you breathe out can help the rest of you soften too.
Getting into the slow exhale rhythm…
If it feels comfortable, you can try counting to 7 on the inhale and 10 on the exhale for the first few breaths, noticing how tension flows away from your neck, shoulders, and anywhere else as you breathe out. Combining this with visualisations in hypnobirthing helps keep your mind working with your body during labour.
After some regular practice, you’ll find it becomes much easier to slow your breath down and lengthen your exhales without needing to count. The more you practise your hypnobirthing relaxations, the more this calm, steady breathing starts to feel familiar, almost like your body remembers the way back.
Learning how to relax on command means this kind of calming breathing settles into your muscle memory, becoming something you can draw on when you need it most.
Breathing well is something you can lean on anytime — when you narrowly miss your train, when your laptop crashes and you want to throw it out the window, and especially during childbirth.
