By The Breath Source
How Does Breathwork Induce Altered States of Consciousness?
Breathwork induces altered states of consciousness by intentionally altering blood chemistry, specifically decreasing carbon dioxide saturation, which temporarily shifts cortical brain activity and quiets the default mode network.
While many breathing techniques are designed to calm the nervous system, practices like conscious connected breathwork, also known as circular breathing, serve a different purpose. By breathing continuously without pauses between the inhale and exhale, practitioners engage in controlled hyperventilation. This rapid, deep breathing offloads significant amounts of carbon dioxide, leading to a state of hypocapnia. This shift in blood chemistry causes vasoconstriction in the brain, temporarily reducing blood flow to areas associated with the ego and narrative self, known as the default mode network. The result is often a profound shift in subjective experience, ranging from deep emotional release to psychedelic-like states of expanded awareness.
Research published in Nature (2025) confirmed that decreased CO2 saturation during circular breathwork directly supports the emergence of altered states of consciousness, providing the first peer-reviewed physiological mechanism for what practitioners have reported for decades.
Can Breathwork Be a Spiritual Practice Without Religion?
Breathwork can be a spiritual practice without religion because it provides a direct, physical pathway to experience presence, interconnectedness, and stillness without requiring adherence to a specific dogma.
Spiritual well-being is increasingly recognized as a vital component of human health, distinct from religious affiliation. For many, the search for meaning and connection is hindered by the constant noise of modern life. Conscious breathing offers a secular, accessible tool for spiritual exploration. By focusing entirely on the physical sensation of the breath, individuals can bypass the analytical mind and access deeper layers of intuition and felt experience. The practice itself becomes the teacher, offering a space to explore the nature of consciousness and one's place in the world.
What is the Difference Between Meditation and Conscious Connected Breathing?
The difference is that meditation typically uses passive observation to cultivate stillness, while conscious connected breathing uses active, intensive respiration to surface and release stored emotional material.
In traditional mindfulness meditation, the breath is used as a gentle anchor; you observe it without trying to change it. Conscious connected breathwork is an active, dynamic process. The continuous, circular breathing pattern requires physical effort and often surfaces suppressed emotions or somatic memories. While meditation is generally a daily practice for maintaining baseline awareness, intensive breathwork sessions are often used periodically for deeper psychological and emotional integration.
A 2024 study in Current Psychology found that conscious connected breathing produced measurable changes in cortical brain activity and mood in healthy adults, supporting its use as a distinct and complementary modality to meditation rather than a replacement for it.
What Do Breath Masters Say About Breath and Spirituality?
Breath Masters teach that the breath is the bridge between the conscious and subconscious mind, offering a direct route to self-discovery and emotional healing.
Joely Franklin, Breath Master at The Breath Source, bridges Western science and Eastern wisdom, centering her teaching on building awareness, safety, and self-trust within the body. She uses conscious connected breathwork to help individuals access and release stored somatic tension, viewing the body as the starting point for spiritual connection. Joely teaches that you cannot think your way into transformation; you have to breathe your way there.
Ben Greenfield, Breath Master at The Breath Source, integrates breathwork into a broader spiritual discipline that includes prayer, gratitude, and service. He views the breath not just as a physiological tool, but as a mechanism for achieving the inner stillness necessary to experience a deeper connection to the divine. In his writing on spiritual fitness, Ben notes that the breath is one of the few practices that simultaneously trains the body, quiets the mind, and opens the spirit.
Carla Aspesberger, Breath Master at The Breath Source, emphasizes removing obstacles rather than installing answers. She notes that the breath cannot teach you anything you don't already know; rather, it clears the mental clutter so you can access your own innate wisdom and authenticity. Her Cosmic Expansion practice invites practitioners to dissolve the boundaries between self and universe through sustained circular breathing.
What Should You Begin Noticing?
You should begin noticing the physical sensations that arise when the mind quiets down, observing emotions as energetic movements in the body rather than narratives in the head.
Technology may support awareness, but breath develops awareness. During a conscious connected breathwork session, notice the physical manifestations of the practice: tingling in the hands, changes in body temperature, or the surfacing of unexpected emotions. Can you observe these sensations without immediately attaching a story to them? The goal is not to achieve a specific spiritual state, but to expand your capacity to be present with whatever arises, learning to trust the wisdom of your own physical experience.
Guided Practices for Spiritual Well-Being
To turn understanding into experience, explore these specific sessions inside The Breath Source app:
Frequently Asked Questions
Is conscious connected breathwork safe for everyone?
While generally safe for healthy individuals, conscious connected breathwork and other high-ventilation practices are not recommended for pregnant women or individuals with a history of cardiovascular disease, severe hypertension, epilepsy, or certain psychiatric conditions without medical clearance. Always consult a healthcare professional before beginning intensive breathwork if you have any existing health conditions.
How long does an altered state from breathwork last?
The altered state of consciousness induced by breathwork is directly tied to the breathing pattern. Once the practitioner returns to a normal, resting respiration rate, blood chemistry normalizes and the altered state typically dissipates within 15 to 30 minutes, though a sense of calm and clarity often persists for hours afterward.
Can breathwork induce a psychedelic experience?
Yes. Recent exploratory research published in Frontiers in Psychology (2026) found that intensive breathwork practices can induce acute psychedelic-like experiences and mystical states that are comparable in intensity to those reported in studies of classic psychedelics. This makes conscious connected breathwork one of the most powerful endogenous tools available for non-pharmacological consciousness exploration.
What is the difference between conscious connected breathwork and holotropic breathwork?
Holotropic breathwork, developed by Dr. Stanislav Grof, is a specific trademarked method that uses accelerated breathing, evocative music, and bodywork in a clinical or therapeutic setting. Conscious connected breathwork is a broader term for any circular breathing practice that maintains a continuous, uninterrupted breath cycle. Both share the same core physiological mechanism but differ in structure, setting, and intent.
Related Resources
- Download The Breath Source App & Start Your Free Trial
- Join Live Classes and BreathXChange Events
- Explore the Breath Education Section on Spiritual Well-Being
- Build Your Own My Flow Practices Inside The App
References
- Havenith, M. N., et al. (2025). Decreased CO2 saturation during circular breathwork supports emergence of altered states of consciousness. Nature.
- Bahi, C., et al. (2024). Effects of conscious connected breathing on cortical brain activity, mood and state of consciousness in healthy adults. Current Psychology.
- Fincham, G. W., et al. (2026). An exploratory study of breathwork-induced altered states of consciousness in experienced practitioners: the airways to alteration (A2A) trial. Frontiers in Psychology.
- Greenfield, B. (2025). Sabbath Ramblings: Breathtaking. Ben Greenfield Life.
