A little, and only when it is relaxed rather than effortful. Slow breathing that you are concentrating hard on does nothing for pain in the lab; the same breathing done loosely raises pain thresholds. Four-minute cyclic sighing eased acute pain in a clinic waiting room. For persistent pain it is a companion to treatment, never a replacement, and the book says so.
The steps
- Position first. Pain is worse in a braced body; find the position that lets the belly move.
- Belly breathing, exhale longer, through the nose, loosely. No counting that takes effort.
- Attention on the breath, not on the pain, but not away from the pain either. Nearby.
- A few physiological sighs if it spikes.
- Ninety seconds of allowing on the worst of it: let it crest, do not fight.
- For ongoing pain: the daily pace work, because a lower idle lowers the volume on everything.
When not to, and when to get help instead
New, severe, or unexplained pain is a doctor first. Breathing does not treat the cause of pain. If you are managing chronic pain, tell your team you are adding this; it fits alongside almost any plan. Not while driving.
What the research says
A 2017 review of 31 papers found pain changes breathing more reliably than breathing changes pain, with paced slow breathing reducing pain in some studies. A sixteen-person experiment found only the relaxed version of slow breathing raised pain thresholds. A pooled analysis of 245 volunteers found mindfulness beat slow breathing alone for evoked pain, with slower breathing partly explaining relief in both. A 2025 pilot found cyclic sighing eased pain while waiting for an X-ray.
Other methods people use
Mindfulness-based programs have somewhat better evidence for chronic pain than breathing alone. Progressive muscle relaxation has a long record. Pacing activity, sleep and movement do more than any of them, and a pain clinic will say so.
Questions people also ask
Why does concentrating on my breathing make pain worse?
Effortful attention is a form of bracing, and bracing amplifies pain. In the lab, relaxed slow breathing raised pain thresholds and effortful slow breathing did not. Loosen the grip on the technique.
Is breathing or meditation better for pain?
In the largest comparison, mindfulness meditation reduced evoked pain more than slow breathing alone, though slower breathing explained part of the relief in both. For acute pain, the sigh is faster; for chronic pain, a mindfulness program has more behind it.
In the book
Techniques
Rooms
Two rules, no exceptions
Never practice any technique on this site while you are driving, operating machinery, or doing anything that needs your full attention. The slow ones can make you drowsy, faster than you’d expect. And never practice a breath-hold, bellows breath, or any vigorous breathing in or near water. Read Before you begin for the doctor’s list and the rest.
More in “The body”
- Can breathing exercises lower blood pressure?
- What breathing slows a racing or pounding heart?
- How do I breathe at the dentist or during a medical procedure?
- What breathing helps with needles and blood draws?
Written by Eric Bradley. Last reviewed October 2026. One performer’s craft, offered for general information; not medical advice, mental health treatment, or a substitute for care.