My wild guess is that 60-70% of you reading this are unconsciously breathing in a way that keeps your nervous system stuck in a stress response.

The way you breathe - whether fast or slow, deep or shallow, through your nose or mouth - directly impacts your nervous system.

And your nervous system? Well, it shapes your entire experience of life.

When you breathe in a way that signals stress to your body, your brain follows. Your thoughts get more anxious, your muscles tense, and your ability to relax, focus, or feel safe is compromised.

But you have the power to shift this. And the 80/20 is surprisingly simple.

Your breath is the fastest way to communicate with your autonomic nervous system - the part of your body that controls your stress and relaxation responses:

• Fast, shallow breathing → Sympathetic state (fight-or-flight).​
  Your body thinks there's danger, even if the "threat" is just an unread email.
• Slow, low breathing → Parasympathetic state (rest-and-digest)
  ​Your body gets the signal: We’re safe. We can relax.

Instead of letting stress dictate how you breathe, you can consciously use your breath to shift your state.

Here’s how:

1. Slow Down Your Breath

Your breath is like a metronome for your nervous system. The slower you breathe, the calmer you feel.

A stressed-out nervous system often leads to fast, shallow breathing - sometimes without you even realizing it. But when you consciously slow down your breath, you activate the vagus nerve, which tells your body: All is well.

Here is how:

1. Inhale through your nose for 4-5 seconds.
2. Exhale even slower for 6-8 seconds.
3. Pause briefly before inhaling again.

That extended exhale is the key. It signals relaxation and gives your body permission to shift into a calm state.

2. Bring Your Breath Low into Your Body

Most people breathe into their chest, which is a survival-driven, stress-based pattern. It’s the kind of breathing your body does when it’s preparing to run from danger.

But you’re most likely not running from a real threat.

The antidote? Diaphragmatic breathing - or breathing low into your torso. The diaphragm is innervated by the vagus nerve, meaning: it helps to activate your rest and digest relaxatgion response.

Here is how:

1. Place your hands on either side of your lower ribs.
2. Breathe into your hands
3. As you inhale, your lower ribs and belly expand
4. As you exhale, your lower ribs and belly come back in

It might feel unnatural at first, especially if you’re used to breathing shallowly. But this is actually your natural way of breathing - you just have to reclaim it.

3. Breathe Through Your Nose

Mouth breathing is a stress signal. Nose breathing is nature’s built-in calming mechanism.

Your nose is designed for breathing, your mouth for eating. It’s connected to the parasympathetic nervous system. It also triggers nitric oxide production, which relaxes your blood vessels and lowers stress hormones.

Mouth breathing, on the other hand? It prompts a sympathetic response in your body. It can lead to poor sleep, anxiety, and even structural changes in your face over time.

Here is how:

• Keep your lips lightly sealed throughout the day and night. Relax your jaw, make sure your tongue is resting on the roof of your mouth.
• If you wake up with a dry mouth, consider taping your mouth at night (yes, really - mouth tape is a game-changer).

How you breathe is how you live.

If your breath is shallow and restricted, so is your energy. If your breath is slow and low, your life starts to reflect that.

So here’s a challenge for you:

For the next 3 days, pay attention to your breath throughout the day.

1️⃣ Set reminders on your phone to check: Am I breathing through my nose? Is my breath slow and low? (use the Tripple Flame app)

2️⃣ Practice at least 5 minutes of slow, low breathing in the morning and before bed.

3️⃣ Notice how you feel. Do you feel calmer? More grounded? More focused?

Your nervous system is always listening to how you breathe.

You can let stress dictate your breath, or you can take back control and use your breath to create more calm, clarity, and connection in your life.

​Which one will you choose?​

→ Breathe better. Live better.

👀 Recommended Resources 👀

🎥 Video

​Pain, relief, pleasure, and despair: what do we convey with our breath? (must watch)

This video made me tear up a little. Like laughter and facial expressions, breathing is something of a global language, capable of communicating a surprisingly wide and nuanced range of emotions without a single word. This collection video explores the human breath and its innumerable forms – from the first gasping cries of a newborn to the sighed relief of a well-earned chance to rest.

🧬 Science Paper

​The Science-Backed Way to Lower Blood Pressure (No Meds Required)​

Hypertension is a silent killer, affecting 1 in 4 people worldwide. But what if you could lower your blood pressure, improve heart health, and reduce stress - just by breathing differently? A recent review of 13 studies found that slow breathing (6–10 breaths per minute) for just 10 minutes a day can significantly improve cardiovascular function. No devices, no cost - just a simple shift in how you breathe.

🎥 Video

​Why We Fall Into the Cycle of Creating What We Hate​

Tim Fletcher explores how people with complex trauma unconsciously recreate painful experiences from their past, even when they are actively trying to avoid them. Why do we repeat harmful patterns in relationships, parenting, and behavior? It has to do with deep, unmet childhood needs that drive these unconscious cycles.

📖 Book

​In an Unspoken Voice by Peter Levine

As a Somatic Experiencing practitioner, this is a book I leaf through for research at least once a week. Blending neuroscience, somatic therapy, and real-world stories, the wonderful Peter Levine reveals how tuning into our body’s innate wisdom can lead to deep healing. A must-read for anyone curious about the body’s role in trauma and recovery.

🎥 Video

​Mind-Body Syndrome & The Science of Chronic Pain & Illness​

A great discussion on the neuroscience of chronic pain, neuroplasticity, and how stress and emotions contribute to physical symptoms. Dr. Howard Schubiner is a pioneer in mind-body medicine and explains how the brain creates pain, why chronic symptoms persist even in the absence of structural damage, and how neuroplasticity-based techniques can help reverse them.

🌬️ Breathe With Me Live 🌬️

​Breathwork for Emotional Release + Integration​

Breathwork Alchemy's monthly/bi-monthly powerful signature deep dive session.

Date: Sunday, February 23rd 2025
​Time: 6pm CET Berlin / 5pm GMT London / 12pm EST New York
​Where: Online via Zoom

Transformational Breathwork is an active meditation using conscious connected breathing. It is designed to:

• release stress, tension and held emotion
• improve mental clarity & focus
• connect you to your inner wisdom, creativity & awareness
• help repattern your nervous system and mind by completing emotional stress cycles to return back to homeostasis for increased self-regulation

So let's get together to heal, feel and release using the power of the breath.

In order to make these offerings as accessible as possible, I am offering sliding scale pricing for this session, so you can choose how much you can pay based on your financial resources.

🪐 What's Happening in My Universe 🪐

• 🎥 I've been making weekly YouTube videos again for the last two months and even though they are a lot of work to produce, it's been very fulfilling to get back into a consistent schedule again.
• 📱More offline time: I got myself a new phone for the main purpose of now having a dedicated online and a dedicated offline phone (ie. a dumb phone with only the necessary apps). This is a further step to reduce screen time and limit my social media usage. So far it's been great.
• 📖 More book reading time: Instead of scrolling, I have been spending a lot more time reading books. During the week about 2 hours per day and 3-6 hours per day on the weekend. My concentration and reading speed have increased massively. And I get so much more out of reading high-level books than online content.
• 🎧 Focus Upbeat Playlist: I wrote this newsletter while listening to this.

I always love hearing from you, just hit reply and say hi and let me know what you enjoyed the most in this week's newsletter edition!

Keep breathing, keep feeling, stay awesome!

Conni. 🐋

PS: One of the most essential skills as a human being is consciously feeling and processing your emotions. You can learn the somatics of emotional fluidity here.

Here is how I can support you further:

→ 🫁 Breathwork + Nervous System Foundations Course​

Learn how to regulate and rewire your nervous system. Access more calm, energy and focus by using the power of the breath. It will teach you how to properly and safely use the remote control (aka your breath) for your nervous system. Get it here. ​

→ 💨 Live Free Breathwork for Nervous System Regulation​

Join me each week for a live 20-minute breathwork and somatic practice focusing on nervous system regulation. 👉 Tuesdays 6pm London / 7pm Berlin / 1pm New York / 10am Los Angeles on my Instagram @breathwork.alchemy​

→ 🎓 12-Month / 500-Hour Intesoma Breathwork Teacher Training (🇩🇪🇨🇭🇦🇹)

If you are passionate about the breath and feel the calling to share it with the world, learn to become a breath coach and nervous system specialist. Applications for our 2024 training are open.

→ 👥 1:1 Inner Work Mentoring (4 months)

Heal old wounds, integrate unprocessed traumas and feel stored emotions that may have been holding you back from living the life you truly want. Together, we will get you out of your head and into your body.

I usually have a 2-3 months wait time, but you can apply anytime.

--

Conni Biesalski

Nervous System Specialist
Breathwork Facilitator & Meditation Teacher
Somatic Trauma Practitioner (Somatic Experiencing©️ & NARM©️-informed)
Pain Reprocessing Therapist
Attachment and Relationship Coach
Founder Breathwork Alchemy​
Co-Founder Intesoma©️ Breathwork Teacher Training​

“Regulate your nervous system, process your emotions, and come home to your body.”