Breath as the Bridge: Deepening Awareness in Meditation
- Kylee Smith
- Nov 5, 2025
- 7 min read
For many who begin meditation, the breath is the first point of focus. At an early stage, the instruction may be as simple as “observe the inhale and observe the exhale.” Yet as our practice matures, so too does the understanding of breath and its role in meditation. Beyond being a basic anchor for attention, the breath is revealed as a powerful interface between conscious awareness and the body’s most fundamental systems. An interface between the outer external world of activity and “doing” and the internal world of stillness and “being”.
"The breath is an interface between the external and internal worlds. The world of doing and the world of being."
The Dual Nature of Breath
The breath is unique among physiological processes. It occurs automatically, governed by the autonomic nervous system, yet it can also be brought under conscious control. Specifically, slow breathing results in a noted increase in sympathetic nervous system dominance and a decrease in sympathetic dominance. This dual nature makes it a natural bridge between involuntary and voluntary functions of the body (Jerath et al., 2006).
Through this doorway of the breath, practitioners discover that they can influence functions usually considered beyond conscious reach, including heart rate, blood pressure, gut health, brain function and so much more. In meditation, this understanding can transform the breath from a passive object of observation into an active instrument of self-regulation and growth.
Breath and the Autonomic Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) has two primary branches:
The sympathetic nervous system (SNS): Activates the body’s “fight or flight” response (sometimes called fight/flight/freeze/fawn), increases the heart rate and respiratory rate, raises blood pressure, and heightens alertness.
The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS): Engages the “rest and digest” response, lowering heart rate and respiratory rate, aiding digestion, and fostering a sense of calm and ease.
Breathing patterns can directly affect which branch dominates. For example, slow, deep, rhythmic breathing is shown to activate the PNS via the vagus nerve, increasing vagal tone and enhancing heart rate variability (HRV), a key marker of autonomic balance (Lehrer & Gevirtz, 2014). HRV acts as a proxy for autonomic nervous system activity, can be affected by breathing patterns and is discussed more below.
On the other hand, rapid or shallow breathing tends to activate the SNS, preparing the body to jump into action, to “fight off wild animals” historically speaking. However, this rapid, shallow breathing can often create a vicious cycle of unnecessary stress in daily life. Meditation that incorporates conscious breath awareness allows practitioners to observe and modulate these states, cultivating greater autonomy over internal balance.
Heart Rate Variability
Heart Rate Variability (HRV), as mentioned earlier, is the natural variation in the time from one heartbeat to the next. High heart rate variability means that your body can more easily adapt from situations of stress back to a state of relaxation and high HRV indicates that your body is flexible and resilient (Buteyko Clinic International, 2025). High HRV can be associated with greater cardiovascular fitness, resilience to stress, better executive function, lower impulsivity, and better emotional regulation (Arakaki et.al., 2023) and (Harvard Health Publishing Staff, 2024).
However, low HRV can be an indicator that your body is under ongoing strain and can be a sign of stress, poor sleep, fatigue or even associated with pathological conditions such as myocardial infarction, diabetic neuropathy, dementia, migraine, stroke or anxiety (to name a few) (Arakaki et.al., 2023).
Breathing is one of the most direct ways to influence HRV. Slow gentle breathing increases HRV by shifting the body towards the relaxation response (parasympathetic dominance), whereas shallow, rapid breathing decreases HRV, keeping the body stuck in a sympathetic nervous system state, or stress response (Buteyko Clinic International, 2025) (McCraty, 2015).
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Image Credit: The Conversation (2022) |
The Breath in Classical Traditions
While modern science describes the physiological role of breath, traditional contemplative traditions have long recognised its centrality in meditation.
In the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, Sutra II.49–51, Patañjali describes prāṇāyāma as the conscious regulation of breath, a practice that refines awareness and steadies the mind. By lengthening and refining inhalation, exhalation, and retention, the yogi creates conditions for inner stillness, a precursor to meditation (dhyāna), and in Sutra 52, Patanjali details the benefits of pranayama as having the ability to destroy the veil that covers the inner light, the veil of mental darkness Sri Swami Satchidananda, 1990).
In the Ānāpānasati Sutta, a Buddhist Theravadan text, which is a Discourse on Mindfulness of Breathing and part of the Pali Cannon, the Buddha taught the practice of sustained attention to inhalation and exhalation as a complete path of mindfulness. Breath awareness, when cultivated deeply, leads not only to calm but also to insight into impermanence (anicca), unsatisfactoriness (dukkha), and non-self (anattā).
The Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra, a non-dual Śaiva text by Abhinavagupta, presents 112 practice techniques (yuktis) and many of these are centred on breath practices. One well-known instruction invites the practitioner to rest awareness in the pause between the inhale and the exhale, discovering the profound still silent presence of consciousness itself. Here, breath is not merely a support but a doorway into recognising one’s essential nature (Wallis, 2022).
Across these traditions, breath is not simply a mechanical function. It is a vehicle of transformation, guiding practitioners from surface awareness into direct recognition of the ground of being, an inner cognition of pure awareness of our natural state of being.
Breath as Regulator and Teacher
For meditation practitioners, it is helpful to recognise the two complementary roles of breath in meditation:
Breath as a Regulator. By refining our breathing pattern, such as slowing down the rate of breathing and allowing the breath to become deeply subtle with a longer exhalation, the meditator actively shifts the body into a state of relaxation and stability. This practice not only supports concentration but also reduces the physiological stress load through increased vagal tone and higher heart rate variability.
Breath as Teacher. Observing the breath without manipulation reveals its impermanence and spontaneity. No two breaths are exactly alike, and each breath passes of its own accord. In yoga, Buddhist mindfulness and in the non-dual Śaiva traditions, this reveals the transience of experience and the continuity of awareness. Breath can help us to unfold the layers that obstruct us from recognising our true nature.
Beyond Technique: Integrating Science and Contemplation
As research deepens, science increasingly validates what meditation practitioners have long experienced. Slow, gentle, controlled breathing has been shown to improve emotional control and psychological well-being, enhance autonomic, cerebral and psychological flexibility (Zaccaro et al., 2018). At the same time, contemplative traditions emphasise the symbolic and experiential significance of breath as life-force and presence.
Integration of these perspectives offers a more complete approach. Breath is not only a biological process that can be shaped to regulate the body; it is also a mirror of awareness, continually pointing back to the immediacy of the present moment. To meditate with the breath is to stand at the threshold between the conscious and unconscious, the voluntary and the involuntary. As our practice develops, breath reveals itself not only as an anchor for attention but also as a profound teacher of impermanence and connection.
As the ancient teachers and practitioners remind us, breath is not merely a function to observe but a pathway to transformation. It is at once a biological necessity, a contemplative practice, and a revelation of the rhythm of consciousness itself.
Sacred Stillness Meditation & Mind-Body Medicine
Work with me:
In both the meditation classes and my Mind-Body Medicine sessions, I place an emphasis on the breath and using the breath to deepen awareness. I personally, have found deep stillness as well as pain reduction and transformation through using breath as the focus of meditation.
In class, we practice mindfulness of breath, observing the way we are currently breathing and working towards refinements of the breath until that subtle, still awareness can be achieved. Sometimes we work in pranayama practices to assist with refining the breath and depends upon the level of experience and interests of the class attendees for each session. We also incorporate meditative practices that focus on the breath from the Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra (VBT), particularly Yukti 1, the first and one of the most important practices from this important text.
In the mind-body medicine sessions, I can measure your current BOLT score[1], and map out a program that aligns with your physical health and/or spiritual goals. Breath practices may include for example, Nadi Shodhana, Ujjayi Pranayama, Brahmari Pranayama and many others. Similar to the classes, we can also incorporate breathwork practices from the VBT if there is interest.
So please reach out to find out more: Contact Me
OR book a session here: Classes & Services
[1] The BOLT score is the length of time that you can comfortably hold your breath out and is used here as a general measure of breathing health.
References
Arakaki, X, R. Arechavala, E. Choy, J. Bautista, B. Bliss, C. Molloy, D. Wu, S. Shimojo, Y. Jiang, M. Kleinman and R. Kloner (2023) The connection between heart rate variability (HRV), neurological health, and cognition: A literature review, Frontiers in Neuroscience, [Online] Last viewed Thursday 9th October 2025, <https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1055445/full>
Buteyko Clinic International (2025), Can Breathing Exercises Improve Your Heart Rate Variability (HRV)?, [Online], Last viewed Wednesday 5th November 2025, <https://buteykoclinic.com/blogs/news/can-breathing-exercises-improve-hrv?srsltid=AfmBOoqLpseCDGiPuguQR8hdWOYjAyZ7e9x8lazE44IGvmcSr_0mSVZi>
Harvard Health Publishing Staff (2024), Heart rate variability: How it might indicate well-being, [Online], Last viewed Wednesday 5th November 2025, <https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/heart-rate-variability-new-way-track-well-2017112212789>
Jerath, R., Edry, J. W., Barnes, V. A., & Jerath, V. (2006). Physiology of long pranayamic breathing: Neural respiratory elements may provide a mechanism that explains how slow deep breathing shifts the autonomic nervous system. Medical Hypotheses, 67(3), 566–571.
Lehrer, P., & Gevirtz, R. (2014). Heart rate variability biofeedback: How and why does it work? Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 756.
McCraty, R. and F. Shaffer (2015) Heart Rate Variability: New Perspectives on Physiological Mechanisms, Assessment of Self-regulatory Capacity, and Health Risk, Global Adv. Health Med. 2015;4(1):46-61. DOI:10.7453/gahj .2014.073
Sri Swami Satchidananda (1990), The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Integral Yoga Publications, Satchidananda Ashram Yogaville, Virginia
The Conversation (2022), Heart Rate Variability: What to know about this biometric most fitness trackers measure [Online], Last viewed Wednesday 5th October 2022, <https://theconversation.com/heart-rate-variability-what-to-know-about-this-biometric-most-fitness-trackers-measure-194898>
Wallis, C. (2022), Vijñana-bhairava-tantra verses 22-27: the foundational practice [Online], Last viewed Wednesday 4th November 2025, < https://hareesh.org/blog/2022/11/30/vijana-bhairava-tantra-verses-22-27-the-foundational-practice>
Zaccaro, A., et al. (2018). How breath-control can change your life: A systematic review on psychophysiological correlates of slow breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 353.
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