Breathing Exercises:
Are They All That Valuable to Our Clients?

Breathing exercises can offer so many benefits, not just for our mental health but also for our physical health. While they can be remarkably effective, they are often met with some scrutiny when we try to teach them to clients – and for good reason! So how to you begin to present these valuable exercises in a way that fits for your clients?

Why is There Push Back? 

I will be honest, when I started out as a therapist I thought breathing exercises were corny. I didn’t feel comfortable teaching them to my clients because I was skeptical of their effectiveness. 

Reasons your clients (and you) may avoid breathing exercises: 

  1. They seem simple. We breathe all day everyday, how can a breathing exercise really help?

  2. There’s some self-consciousness surrounding them. Many people feel strange trying anything new, this can be particularly true for a breathing exercise. 

  3. They don’t know how to do it. There are a lot of different exercises out there, however, that doesn’t mean your client (or you) know how to do them properly. 

  4. They have tried them and they didn’t work. Who wants to keep trying to do something if it doesn’t work? I certainly don’t. Unfortunately, we have to practice anything to get better, breathing exercises included. 

While all of these sources of resistance are understandable, they aren’t insurmountable. The more you build your comfort with breathing exercises the easier it is to help support your clients in using them. 

Benefits of Breathing Exercises

There are many benefits to breathing exercises, specifically diaphragmatic breathing: 

  • Helping you to relax

  • Improving muscle function during exercise

  • Increasing oxygen levels in your blood

  • Reducing blood pressure

  • Reducing heart rate

  • Making it easier for your body to release waste from lungs

  • Improving ability to be present

  • Maybe even improving your mood

  • Giving you a break from obsessive thoughts or rumination

As  you can see, the benefits aren’t limited to mental health. These skills can help your clients in a variety of ways.  

Are Breathing Exercises Right For You? 

Every client, and therapist, is different. If breathing exercises aren’t for you that’s alright, however, you may be leaving a valuable tool on the table. As a therapist who thought they were hokey, and then tried them I have to encourage you to truly try them yourself before you completely rule them out in your practice. The first time I gave an exercise an honest try I thought to myself, “oh…. These really do work.” There may have been some other words thrown in there but we will leave those out for now. 

Finding the Right Ones

There are so many types of breathing exercises out there. It can be helpful for you to try them yourself so that you can build confidence and awareness surrounding them. This will allow you to see the benefits and drawbacks of each exercise and implement them with your clients in effective ways. 

Types of breathing exercises can include: 

  1. Deep belly breathing

  2. Diaphragmatic breathing

  3. Box breathing or square breathing

  4. The 4-7-8 technique

  5. Alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana)

  6. Pursed lip breathing

  7. Lion’s breath

  8. Resonant breathing

  9. Humming bee breath (Bhramari)

  10. Breath counting

Do your research and see what skills you enjoy doing. This can be a great place to start. If you don’t like a skill or understand a skill it will show, however, there are wonderful ways to work past that. Growing your knowledge, seeking consultation and even supervision can help. 

In Conclusion: These Skills Work If You Work Them

Just like we say in therapy, you get what you put into things. If you want to grow your practice and begin to utilize any skill effectively you have to put in the work. You don’t have to go it alone either. Supervision and consultation can be especially important when you are expanding your clinical skills. Finding a supportive practice can be essential to continuing to grow clinically. 

If you are a licensed therapist in North Carolina and interested in learning more about private practice, reach out! Carolina Counseling Services has been in the business of providing exceptional mental health care since 1994. CCS can help you to grow your practice and find the support you need to thrive.