Box breathing
Four counts in, hold for four, four out, hold for four. Lowers heart rate and tension within a minute. Use it before or after a difficult conversation, in the car (parked), before an exam or when young children are stressing you out.
Breathwork is consciously steering your breathing to bring about direct physiological change. No ritual, no belief required. Science you can apply in five minutes, even if you are sceptical.
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We are all busy. Full diary, full head, list never done. That is nothing new. But somewhere in all that busyness we lost something: the ability to stop for a moment. Not because we have to, but because your body needs it.
We breathe all day, but hardly ever consciously. Shallow, fast, high in the chest. The nervous system is switched on, the head keeps spinning. And we call that normal.
A pause for breath is not meditation. Not a ritual. It is simply coming back into your body for a moment. Five minutes of breathing differently changes something in your physiology. You feel it straight away.
Your breathing is the only bodily function you can steer both consciously and unconsciously. That is no coincidence.The method · De Adempauze
Your autonomic nervous system has two modes: active (sympathetic) and recovery (parasympathetic). Most people in our performance culture live in active mode most of the time, without realising it.
The Soviet doctor Konstantin Buteyko (1923 to 2003) found that many people chronically over-breathe, which lowers the CO2 level in the blood and keeps the nervous system in active mode for longer. That sounds technical, but the conclusion is simple: the way you breathe directly affects how you feel.
Research by Matthijs Kox and Peter Pickkers at Radboud University (published in PNAS, 2014) showed that breathing techniques can measurably influence the immune system and the stress response. Participants who did specific breathing exercises before being injected with a bacterial toxin showed a much weaker inflammatory response and fewer flu-like symptoms than the control group.
The vagus nerve, the longest nerve in your body, connects your brain and your organs. Breathe slowly, around six breaths a minute, and your heart rate follows you down and your nervous system shifts into recovery mode. No device, no months of training. Just breathing, the right way.
Your breathing is the only bodily function you can steer both consciously and unconsciously. That is no coincidence. It is a direct switch to your nervous system.
Good. So was I. What I offer rests on evidence and a clear purpose: a physiological technique you can apply in five minutes, with research behind it. Within a few minutes you notice in your own body what is happening, and that is exactly the proof a sceptic asks for.
Meditation often asks for silence, time and a mat. Breathwork works through physiology: you change something in your body directly, with a measurable effect on heart rate and nervous system. You can do it between two meetings, on the train, or before going to sleep.
Almost immediately during the first session, especially with the out-breath techniques. For lasting effects on sleep, focus and stress response you need two to four weeks of consistent practice. Hence the daily guidance via Ada. Not as a gimmick, but because repetition works. Ada only speaks Dutch for now, but will be speaking English soon.
No. Breathwork is a complement, not a replacement. With serious mental health problems, heart rhythm disorders or pregnancy, I always advise checking with a doctor or therapist first. I am happy to work with or alongside your practitioner, not instead of them.
Soon you will always have something with you that works, wherever you are. Book a 1-on-1 session in English, or start with the free twenty-minute introductory call.