The Unexpected Key to Releasing Anxiety: How High-Ventilation Breathing Changed My Life

For decades, I lived with chronic anxiety that was so overwhelming and constant, it became part of my identity. It drained my energy, clouded my thinking, and left me feeling isolated and hopeless. Over the years, I tried countless ways to manage it—therapy, meditation, medication, deep breathing, mindfulness, diet changes—you name it. Some things helped a little. Most didn’t help much at all.

Then one day, everything changed. And it started with something completely unexpected: breathing faster.

Yes, faster.

In the world of anxiety treatments, this seems totally counterintuitive. After all, everything we’re told says to slow down your breath. Calm the nervous system. Find stillness. And that works for some people—especially those with mild to moderate anxiety. But for people like me, people who live with more intense, chronic anxiety that feels baked into the nervous system, slowing the breath can feel like trying to push a river upstream.

So when I stumbled into an advanced yoga class one day and the teacher guided us through what’s called high-ventilation breathing (HVB)—a rapid, intense style of breathing—I didn’t know what to expect. But what happened surprised me. Within minutes, I felt like my entire inner landscape had been activated. My heart pounded. I felt lightheaded and jittery, like all the familiar anxiety symptoms had been dialed up to 11. I wanted to stop.

But something told me not to. Something told me to keep going.

So I stayed with it. I played with the speed and depth of my breath. I started to feel like I was riding a wave of energy that had always been there—but now I wasn’t fighting it or trying to push it down. I was actually in control of it. And that changed everything.

The next few minutes were intense. But as the breathing slowed and my body settled, I felt something I hadn’t felt in years: calm. Deep calm. Not the kind that comes from suppressing anxiety, but from fully meeting it and moving through it. That experience was the first crack in a shell that had encased me for most of my life. And it opened up a path I’ve been following ever since.

Why HVB Works When Nothing Else Did

As a yoga and meditation teacher for more than 20 years, I’ve explored and taught many breathwork techniques. I’ve studied ancient traditions and modern research. What I now understand is that high-ventilation breathing isn’t new—it’s just not well known in the West. In fact, it has roots going back thousands of years in spiritual practices across cultures—from Hindu pranayama to Sufi dervishes to Inuit and Native American ceremonies.

And now, modern science is finally catching up.

Randomized controlled trials have shown that practices like Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY), which incorporate HVB, significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety, PTSD, and depression—not just immediately after sessions, but weeks and even months later. One study (Seppälä et al., 2014) found these effects persisted at one-month and one-year follow-ups. That’s profound. Check out this overview.

Other approaches like Holotropic Breathwork, developed by psychiatrist Stanislav Grof, use similar high-intensity breathing to help participants reach non-ordinary states of consciousness. Studies have found that people using Holotropic Breathwork often report significant improvements in anxiety, depression, and trauma symptoms (Lalande et al., 2012; Uthaug et al., 2022).

In essence, what these techniques have in common is their ability to amplify feelings rather than suppress them. That might sound scary, especially to anyone who already feels overwhelmed by their inner world. But the magic of HVB is in how it allows us to experience those feelings safely and with agency. Instead of being at the mercy of anxiety, you become its guide. You turn toward it. You meet it. And in doing so, you change your relationship with it entirely.

A Daily Practice That Transforms

What’s most exciting is how accessible this can be. You don’t need hours of therapy or a spiritual pilgrimage to the Himalayas. Just ten minutes a day of guided HVB practice can begin to shift the nervous system and, over time, create deep and lasting change. I’ve seen this in myself and in countless students I’ve taught over the years.

You may start out feeling overwhelmed, but if you stay with the breath, you learn to ride that wave. You learn that anxiety isn’t an enemy—it’s just energy. And when you work with that energy instead of resisting it, the whole experience of anxiety begins to transform.

And here’s something else I’ve found remarkable: not only does this technique reduce anxiety, it often leaves people feeling more energized, connected, and emotionally open. That’s something I never got from just trying to calm down.

Why This Matters Right Now

We’re living in a time of extraordinary stress. According to the World Health Organization, over 301 million people were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in 2019—and that number doesn’t include the millions more who suffer silently without ever seeking help. Many people report that traditional treatments just aren’t enough, or don’t work for them at all. There is a growing gap between what people need and what’s available.

HVB fills that gap.

It’s natural. It’s fast. It doesn’t require years of training. And for many people, it’s incredibly effective.

The ripple effects of this practice go far beyond individual healing. When we’re no longer gripped by fear and tension, we become more present in our relationships. We become more compassionate, more resilient, and more capable of facing both personal and collective challenges. Imagine a world where anxiety no longer controls us—but instead becomes a portal to empowerment and clarity.

Your Next Step

If you’ve been living with anxiety and nothing has worked—or if you’re simply curious to explore a new tool—consider giving high-ventilation breathing a try.

We’ve made it easy for you, whether you have tried HVB or not. Visit our Yoga Breathing page – it is a virtual beginner’s guide to pranayama. If it is new to you, go through the bottom 6 videos first to learn the yogic breath. Then, try any of the rest of the short videos. The sessions that include HVB techiques are The Skull Cleanser, Bellows Breath, Tummo Pranayama and A Stimulating Breath (Pranayama) Practice and the Pranayama for Anxiety Sessions. Most importantly, they are all free!

Start simple. Find a quiet space. Sit comfortably. Then press play. (Note: it’s best to get advice from a physician if you have any underlying health conditions before doing HVB.)

I want you to know this: Anxiety doesn’t have to run your life. Even if it’s been with you for years, even if you’ve tried everything, there is still hope. There is still a way forward.

For me, it started with the breath.

Not by slowing it down, but by letting it lead me straight into the heart of what I was trying to escape—and discovering, on the other side, a depth of peace I never thought was possible.

And if it worked for me, it might just work for you, too.