“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” Thích Nhất Hạnh
I remember when my son was small, and he would get overwhelmed with things, or, given his lack of fear, when the inevitable happened and he took a tumble or broke a bone … ‘breathe’, I would say. This would be my first ‘go to’ action for regulating his system, holding him against me so that he could copy my deeper, slower breathing. Magically, his nervous system shifted in response to this vital and fundamental movement of energy. We all intellectually and somatically recognise this, yet we don’t do it. The idiomatic expression of things being a ‘breath of fresh air’ is universally translated and used: the implicit understanding that breathing, and the air that we breathe, are pivotal to our existence. This is just as true for teams – to bring breath work into the boardroom is to have a team that breathes and thrives together. This awareness brings about change and care, and stillness and personal rituals become the ‘inner tech’ of being human.
Imagine an executive boardroom early in the morning: the CEO, faced with high-stakes decisions and a tense team, pauses the meeting. Instead of diving into data, they ask everyone to close their eyes and take slow, deep breaths together. Now imagine another scene thousands of years ago: a circle of indigenous elders and hunters around a fire, collectively chanting and breathing in rhythm as dawn breaks. At first glance, the corporate strategist and the tribal elder seem worlds apart. Yet both are tapping into an ancient human tool for regulating the nervous system – the simple act of breathing. In fact, conscious breath control influences our brain and physiology, and today’s leaders can harness breathing practices to lead calmer, healthier, and more innovative teams. In my recent discussion with Anthony Abbagnano (listen here), founder of Alchemy of Breath, we explored the fact that today we overlook the importance of soul-level care and the balance (harmony) of energy in the body, meaning that we do not tap into 80% of our potential for wisdom, creativity and calm. Can you imagine what would happen if we did?
An evolutionary advantage
We humans are unique among animals in our ability to consciously control our breathing. Early humans could adapt to stress and their environment in ways that other species could not. Breathing is normally automatic, governed by the brainstem, but we can override it at will – allowing us to hold our breath underwater, sing, speak, or calm ourselves down deliberately. This ability, once conscious, offered us an evolutionary edge in that it improved our adaptability, helped regulate stress in dangerous situations, and even boosted cognitive function by ensuring ample oxygen during intense focus.
All these factors will gain even greater importance as we move into partnerships with more binary AI systems and processes. I heard a great analogy recently from Dr Nadya Zhexembayeva talking about reinvention, with biology being the hardware and psychology being the software – even once the coding and processes of the software are understood, this is only half the battle to making our now conscious evolutionary edge intentional. We need to make sure that the hardware is prepped and ready.
Modern neuroscience illuminates how breath influences the nervous system. Each slow, deep breath actively shifts the balance of our autonomic nervous system – dialling down the sympathetic fight-or-flight response and ramping up the parasympathetic rest-and-digest response. In practical terms, a long exhale and brief pause (like in box breathing) increases carbon dioxide in the blood, which triggers the vagus nerve to slow the heart rate and induce calm. This is literally a biological “off switch” for panic. Slow, mindful breathing also correlates with higher heart-rate variability, which is a sign of a resilient, well-regulated nervous system, in turn associated with better emotional regulation and cognitive flexibility. It’s no wonder that elite performers like special forces soldiers train in tactical breathing to stay cool under fire and prevent cortisol spikes, anxiety and overactive internal narratives.
Breathing can therefore, literally, change your mind. We pay so much for ‘bio-hacks’, why not use the one that is the most innate? Slow breathing can even synchronise brainwaves across different regions of the brain, enabling more coherent communication within it. In advanced meditators, this shows up as remarkable states of calm focus where large swathes of the brain oscillate in unison. How incredible would it be to put this knowledge and practice at the service of your team? Solely by breathing deliberately, we might clear brain fog and sharpen mental clarity. Indeed, one study demonstrated that just two minutes of deep, slow vagal breathing before a complex task led to improved decision-making and accuracy under pressure. Imagine what that could mean for putting together business cases under stress, overthinking difficult conversations, or having to iterate on huge strategic decisions that could make or break your business model?
Ancient systems wisdom
Long before we had neuroscientists and HRV monitors, cultures around the world had discovered the power of breath and built rituals to harness it. Many of these traditions framed breath as the essence of life itself. The very word for breath often meant “life force”: in India prana, in China qi, in ancient Greece pneuma – all concepts tying airflow to vitality and spirit. This philosophical link was backed by practical techniques. As early as 800 BCE, yogic sages in India developed pranayama, a repertoire of breathing exercises to stabilise the mind and body. By controlling inhales, exhales, and retentions, they believed one could control prana (vital energy) and thus one’s mental and physical state. Modern research concurs that such yogic breathing reduces stress and induces meditative relaxation, while also boosting physical health markers like lung capacity and blood pressure. In Tibet, monks practiced Tummo breathing to generate inner heat and enter trance-like states of awareness. Likewise, ancient Chinese Taoists practiced breath regulation (in methods like Dao Yin and Qigong) to balance internal energy, improve health, and extend longevity. They intuitively knew a calm breath leads to a calm spirit.
Indigenous cultures across continents also wove breath into their spiritual and community life. I learnt when I went to work in Peru that among some Amazonian tribes like the Shipibo-Conibo, breath is central to shamanic healing ceremonies. Shamans use specific breathing techniques and breath-driven chants to guide energetic release, purification, and spiritual connection. Likewise in the Andes, Quechua and Aymara elders include intentional breathing and collective chanting in rituals to connect with nature and the divine.
These practices recognise that when a group breathes and vocalises together, they sync up emotionally and biologically, creating a powerful sense of unity. The different layers of energy and listening are brought together in harmony, so that we can start to intentionally design what comes next. When you just know that something is not quite right, or indeed very right, but you’re not sure why and too busy to ask the question. What would happen if you voiced this thought for people to do something with it?
Even the absence or intensification of breath can serve ritual purposes. In Africa, the San Bushmen (one of humanity’s oldest lineages) hold a famous trance dance for healing – an all-night group dance where healers intentionally hyperventilate through rhythmic breathing and movement to enter an altered state. As the women chant and clap around a fire, the dancing shamans breathe faster and deeper, dancing themselves into an altered state that sometimes involves tingling, shaking, and even pain. This intense breathing trance is said to awaken a potent healing energy, which the shamans then channel to cure illness or resolve tensions. In this context, fast, heavy breathing acts as a catalyst for collective catharsis – releasing fear, anger, and sickness from the community. It’s a striking contrast to the slow, serene breathing of a yogi in a cave, yet the underlying principle is the same: through breath, we can change the state of body, mind, and even community. While these rituals may differ across cultures in form – one culture breathes fast to drumbeats, another breathes slow to find stillness – all reflect a common understanding of breath’s power.
Just as with working culture, each tradition arose to serve its people’s needs: gentle breath for introspection in peaceful times, vigorous breath for courage and healing in times of crisis. As modern leaders in multicultural environments, recognising these differences is key to respecting and learning from ancestral wisdom. Using this knowledge to create, tweak and co-create new rituals for emotional regulation and more efficient decision-making offers us a rich sand pit in which to experiment – small but often, less is more. Indeed, breath and space are often what is missing from many performance and business strategies.
From the campfire to the conference room
So how does all this ancient knowledge translate to the fast-paced world of leading teams and organisations? I hear more and more about breath practices in organisations as leaders struggle to regulate themselves and their teams. Increasingly, executives and leaders are using such techniques to allow people to ‘land in the meeting’, and high-performance teams have rediscovered breathwork as a secret weapon for improving collective focus, resilience, and cohesion. The underlying reason is simple: a team is a human system, and if each human can regulate their nervous system via breathing, the whole group benefits.
Let’s take stress and creativity, two opposing forces both physiologically and in the workplace. When we’re stressed, we shift into survival mode: narrow focus, guarded mindset, risk aversion. This is poison for creativity and collaboration. Deep breathing literally helps deactivate the fight-or-flight response and steadies the mind. With a steadier mind, a leader can maintain clarity and composure even during a crisis, making sound decisions instead of reactive ones. We all know the difference in team atmosphere when a leader is anxious and agitated versus when they are centred and confident – humans have an unconscious ability to read and feed off each other’s emotional states. A leader who takes a moment to breathe and speak from a grounded place is signalling safety to everyone listening, and buying themselves space for calm and different perspectives.
So what does this low-cost, low-resource activity that can yield surprising results mean for teams? It is a deliberate and intentional step away from ‘the way we do things around here’ and from the busyness of delivery and back-to-back meetings. Research in psychophysiology has shown that deliberate breathing not only reduces negative feelings but can also lead to a positive, energised mood and greater mental flexibility. Teams that incorporate brief breathing exercises report a more relaxed, open mindset in meetings – fertile ground for creative ideas. It is no coincidence that many top companies have introduced mindfulness and breathwork sessions for their employees, noticing reduced burnout and enhanced focus. In fact, forward-thinking organisations sometimes kick off innovation workshops with a breathing ritual to prime everyone’s brains for insight. The physiological calm from breathwork enables the psychological safety needed for people to voice bold, novel ideas without fear.
Just as importantly, breath rituals build trust and cohesion, as the nervous system passes back into the parasympathetic state and is calm enough to sit with things. When a group engages in breathing together, there is a subtle bonding effect. Heart rates synchronise and the collective tension drops. Anthropologists note that communal rhythmic activities (chanting, singing, breathing exercises) historically helped tribes bond; in modern terms, it fosters team cohesion and empathy. A leader introducing a shared breathing pause in a heated meeting defuses tension but also reinforces a sense of “we are in this together”. Over time, these small rituals create an environment where performance and innovation flourish because team members feel calm, connected, and clear-minded.
Bold practices: integrating breathwork into the leadership system
It’s one thing to appreciate the power of breathing and intellectually understand it, but it’s quite another to make it a practical part of leadership and teamwork. The objective is to start, master and hone these practices when you and your team don’t need them, so that when you do, the muscle is there. Here are some actionable ideas, drawn from both ancient practices and modern best practices, that I have tried and tested to help incorporate breathwork for better results:
- Start meetings with a breath ritual: Begin team meetings not with a rush into the agenda, but with 60 seconds of synchronised breathing. For example, “5-5-5 breathing” – inhale for 5 seconds, hold for 5, exhale for 5, repeated for a minute. This simple ritual, much like an indigenous circle gathering, helps everyone transition into a focused, calm state. Don’t be afraid to explain the why: it clears the mind, allowing for greater focus and concentration and puts everyone’s nervous system in a receptive mode. A team that breathes together before brainstorming will notice the difference in the room’s energy – more attentive, patient, and creative.
- Adopt a personal breath-reset routine: Great leadership starts with self-leadership. Train yourself in a daily breath practice that grounds you, whether it’s morning pranayama from yoga or a midday box-breathing break. Even a 5-minute exercise can have measurable effects on your stress hormones and cognitive sharpness. Think of this habit as hitting the reset button on your nervous system.
- Create a team breath-reset routine: People thrive when they are on the same wavelength and in a space where their nervous system can relax somewhat – decide with your team when and how you will breathe together to create this space.
- Introduce cross-cultural breath learning: Tap into the richness of your team’s diverse backgrounds by sharing different breath-centred practices. One month, a team member from a different practice/culture/religion might guide everyone through a gentle breathing technique. If you have indigenous team members or connections, respectfully learn breathing or chanting techniques that they find grounding. This not only gives everyone a practical relaxation tool, but also celebrates and builds on cultural differences in a respectful way. It sends a powerful message: in our team, we value ancient wisdom and inclusive innovation.
- Design the environment for breath and mindfulness: Consider the physical and cultural environment you create in your team. Take the holistic view: can you provide a quiet corner or a “breathing space” where people can go for a minute of deep breathing? Some companies now have meditation rooms or outdoor walking paths for this purpose. Culturally, encourage the norm that taking a moment to breathe or pause is not slacking but recharging for performance – necessary restorative rest. When leaders openly take a breathing pause (“I’m going to take two deep breaths before I respond, I invite you to do the same”), it normalises emotional self-regulation. Over time, this builds a culture of mindful performance – high-paced when needed, but also deeply thoughtful and centred.
- Breathwork for team resilience and conflict: The next time your team faces a setback or conflict, try something unconventional: before launching into problem-solving, do a brief group breath session. This can diffuse emotion and help everyone approach the issue with a cooler head and collaborative spirit. It’s a bold departure from business-as-usual, but it stands to dramatically improve outcomes by preventing defensive reactions.
The ROI is tangible: reduced stress-related sick days, improved decision-making under pressure, and teams that have higher morale and creativity. The added benefit is leading in a way that nurtures well-being.
Breathing new life into leadership
Modern science validates what our ancestors intuitively knew: when we control our breath, we can control our state of being, tapping into reservoirs of calm, clarity, and creativity that transform how we lead, interact and innovate. For leaders operating in a world of constant change, technology and pressure, this is key. The simple practice of breathwork can be the antidote to stress and the catalyst for high performance. It costs nothing, carries no risk, and is available anywhere at any moment – a technology of peak leadership hidden in plain sight. Even in the moments that are darker, breathing through them will bring positive and different perspectives, and ultimately results.
By embracing conscious breathing, we also become modern-day storytellers, modelling progressive, empathetic leadership for our teams. There is something boldly innovative yet deeply primordial in this approach: it recognises that sometimes the next big breakthrough in business won’t come from a new app or strategy, but from revisiting the fundamental human abilities that got us here in the first place. In the age of AI, this is definitely not only an evolutionary advantage but also a competitive advantage. So the next time you find yourself in a tense meeting or facing an overwhelming challenge, remember the wisdom of stopping and taking a breath. In that breath lies the power to steady your nerves, open your mind, and lead those around you to different, better results. The future of high-growth, multicultural teams may well belong to those who breathe best and breathe together. After all, leadership is a human endeavour, and to be human is to breathe.
Thank you for reading.
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