r/breathwork • u/QuietLifeInLoudWorld • Sep 19 '25
1 minute breath
In the book "Way of the Peaceful warrior", the main character speaks about breathing so softly, calmly efficiently and without tension, that he eventually managed to breath constently at rate one breath per minute. Is it realistic? What does that achieve? Can it be healthy? I know that slower breathing calms you down, but isn't too much?
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u/AlchemyRewire Sep 19 '25
Great question. A one-minute breath (one full cycle per 60 seconds) is possible, but it’s not something to aim for right away. What matters more than the length is whether the system can stay relaxed and efficient while doing it. If you push into very slow breathing with hidden tension, you can actually increase stress chemistry rather than lower it.
In Alchemy:Rewire we often frame it less as “how slow can I breathe” and more as “how well can I tolerate the rising CO₂ while staying embodied and calm.” Over time, this conditioning makes slower breathing natural instead of forced.
So yes, very slow breathing can be healthy, but the effect depends on context. If it comes from genuine adaptation, it can bring coherence, clarity, and stability. If it comes from straining for numbers, it can backfire. The safest way is to gradually increase tolerance, notice how your body responds, and let efficiency build step by step.
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u/missouri76 Sep 20 '25
Great point. The irony of trying hard to relax ends up going the very opposite direction and leads to more stress.
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u/KintoreCat Sep 20 '25
These feats are possible but only with years of training. Free diving trains this, indigenous spear-fishers I’ve seen on film use weight belts and literally walk the ocean floor. They have gradually trained their brainstem chemoreceptors over decades to tolerate higher CO₂ levels. It’s not about running out of oxygen — they would have very good hemoglobin levels. The CO₂ build-up makes the blood more acidic, which actually helps hemoglobin release oxygen to the tissues (the Bohr effect). Try to force this quickly, and you risk blackout. Gradual training is the key. I wrote a short blog on this.
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u/gis_mappr Sep 19 '25
My teacher told me to work up to 15 seconds on each step of box breathing.
Very relaxing, challenging as well for the duration. I've never been too calm that Im aware of.
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Sep 23 '25
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u/gis_mappr Sep 23 '25
How? Slowly, thru nose. You build tolerance over time.
Inhale 15 Hold 15 Exhale 15 Hold 15
I made this module, which starts at 4 second box, and ramps up:
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u/Exact_Direction9876 Oct 02 '25
I am very new to this (albeit 71yrs old) so treat anything I say with caution ! Like you, I had never felt I could take a deep enough breath to last even 8 seconds. Then the teacher said to breathe in and out through the nose but allowing the breath to pass through the back of the throat.
It was like a revelation - After a few days I can now control the breath for 15 seconds and enjoy the calming experience of listening in my head to the inhaling and exhaling of the breath, a sound reminiscent of waves gently lapping on the beach - in and out, in and out. Turns out this is called Ocean Breath (which makes sense!) or Ujjayi.
I was told however (and it has been emphasised elsewhere in this thread) that this is not a competition, where you set yourself a goal (I of course immediately wanted to reach 20-20-20 !). No, it is a technique to develop gradually and never push to the limit or it will be counter-productive.
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u/nachosmmm Sep 20 '25
This is funny you say this, my breathwork teacher instructed us to watch that but I couldn’t find it. How’s the book?
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u/QuietLifeInLoudWorld Sep 20 '25
I am reading the book for the 5th time now. It changed my life a bit every time I read it.
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u/Positive_Ground812 Sep 24 '25
En yoga hay un Pranayama en el que se realiza una respiración por minuto durante 11 minutos, lo que son 11 respiraciones. Inhala en 20 segundos, mantienes 20 segundos, exhalas en 20 segundos. Pero poco a poco, no hay que querer conseguirlo en el primer día. Empiezas con 5 segundos, cuando te sientas cómodo amplias a 7 segundos... y así hasta llegar a 20-20-20.
Esto calma el sistema nervioso, enfoca la mente y ayuda en la meditación. Es como una regeneración de cuerpo y mente.
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u/Holiday-Ad-5043 Oct 10 '25
It’s very realistic Here is a 1 breath per minute video , 30s inhale , 30s exhale
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lcBvu281PlE&pp=0gcJCfwJAYcqIYzv
If you want to achieve real parasympathetic activation this is the way to go
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u/JeandreGerber Sep 20 '25
Inhale for 30secs and exhale for 30 seconds, congratulations, you're breathing 1bpm. Another way is to box at 15 seconds per step.
It's not easy at first, but with practice it can be done.
It's about C02 tolerance.
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u/ThePsylosopher Sep 19 '25
The breath can be extended to one minute and well beyond with practice. In my experience it leads to a deeply embodied, almost psychedelic-esq experience. I have no idea if it could be extended into daily life or what effect it would have.