Breathwork vs. Meditation—Which One Helped Me More?

I was feeling overwhelmed, mentally scattered, and emotionally exhausted. In search of calm, I turned to two practices that are often recommended for relaxation and clarity: breathwork and meditation.

While they share similarities, breathwork and meditation offer distinct experiences and benefits. One is rooted in active, intentional breathing; the other in stillness and focused attention. But which one helped me more? The answer was surprising — and it wasn’t what I expected.

What Is Breathwork?
Breathwork involves consciously controlling the breath to influence the mind and body. It can be as simple as deep belly breathing or as intense as rapid-fire breathing techniques.

Popular forms of breathwork include:

Box Breathing: Inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold for four.

4-7-8 Breathing: Inhale for four counts, hold for seven, and exhale for eight.

Alternate Nostril Breathing: Inhale through one nostril, hold, and exhale through the other.

Holotropic Breathing: Intense, rhythmic breathing to release suppressed emotions and enter an altered state of consciousness.

Breathwork is active, dynamic, and physical. It can energize, release tension, and even evoke powerful emotional responses.

What Is Meditation?
Meditation, on the other hand, is the practice of observing the mind without attachment. It involves sitting quietly, focusing on the breath, a mantra, or simply noticing thoughts without engaging with them.

Common forms of meditation include:

Mindfulness Meditation: Observing the present moment without judgment.

Guided Visualization: Following spoken prompts to imagine calming scenes or sensations.

Loving-Kindness Meditation: Sending compassion to oneself and others.

Body Scan: Mentally scanning the body for areas of tension or discomfort.

Meditation is passive and introspective. It encourages stillness, acceptance, and awareness.

My Experience with Breathwork
I started with breathwork because it felt more accessible and tangible. I could feel my breath moving in and out, creating a sense of control and grounding.

Immediate Effects: Within minutes, my heart rate slowed, and my mind felt clearer. The rhythmic breathing created a calming, hypnotic effect.

Emotional Release: Certain techniques, like Holotropic Breathing, brought unexpected emotions to the surface — sadness, frustration, even joy. It was as if old, stored feelings were being exhaled out of my body.

Physical Energy: After a session of rapid-fire breathing, I felt energized, almost euphoric. It was a natural high that left me buzzing with clarity and focus.

Grounding and Centering: Breathwork anchored me in my body, helping me feel more connected to the present moment.

However, the intensity of some techniques was a double-edged sword. While they released tension, they also stirred up emotions that I wasn’t always ready to face. There were moments when the intensity felt overwhelming, leaving me feeling raw and exposed.

My Experience with Meditation
Meditation was a completely different experience. Instead of engaging with the breath actively, I was asked to observe it passively — to sit in stillness and let thoughts come and go without attachment.

Stillness and Silence: At first, the silence felt deafening. My mind raced with thoughts, worries, and to-do lists. I resisted the stillness, feeling restless and fidgety.

Emotional Awareness: Unlike breathwork, which felt like releasing energy, meditation felt more like observing energy. It was less about doing and more about being — a practice of witnessing my internal landscape without judgment.

Gradual Calm: The effects were subtle but profound. Over time, the mental noise softened, and I became more aware of my thought patterns — the stories I told myself, the worries I clung to, the fears I avoided.

Sense of Acceptance: Meditation taught me to accept what is, rather than trying to control or change it. This practice of non-attachment brought a quiet, steady calm that lingered long after the session ended.

Which One Helped Me More?
Both practices were valuable, but they served different purposes:

Breathwork was a powerful tool for releasing pent-up energy, processing intense emotions, and feeling grounded in the body. It was immediate, physical, and energizing.

Meditation was a practice of observation, acceptance, and cultivating mental stillness. It was subtle, introspective, and emotionally calming.

On days when I felt anxious, agitated, or overwhelmed, breathwork was the clear winner. It helped me discharge excess energy, reconnect with my body, and reset my nervous system.

But on days when I felt mentally scattered, emotionally numb, or detached from myself, meditation provided the space to sit with my thoughts, observe my emotions, and practice acceptance.

How I Combined Both Practices
Eventually, I stopped choosing between breathwork and meditation and started combining them:

Start with Breathwork: I began each session with 5-10 minutes of deep breathing — enough to release tension, calm my nervous system, and ground me in the present moment.

Transition to Meditation: Once my body felt settled, I shifted into meditation, focusing on the breath or a simple mantra. This allowed me to observe my thoughts from a calmer, more centered state.

End with Reflection: After meditation, I spent a few minutes journaling any insights, emotions, or observations that arose. This helped me integrate the practice and reflect on what my body and mind were trying to tell me.

The Takeaway: Different Tools for Different Days
Breathwork and meditation are not mutually exclusive; they’re complementary practices that serve different purposes. Breathwork is the fire — it’s active, intense, and physically engaging. Meditation is the water — it’s calming, contemplative, and reflective.

If you’re feeling agitated, anxious, or disconnected from your body, breathwork can be a powerful way to release tension and ground yourself in the present moment.

If you’re feeling mentally scattered, emotionally heavy, or disconnected from your inner self, meditation offers a quiet space to observe, accept, and reconnect.

Ultimately, it’s not about choosing one over the other — it’s about learning to discern what you need in each moment. And sometimes, the most effective practice is a combination of both — a dance between breath and stillness, between doing and being, between releasing and receiving.

Because sometimes, the breath is what grounds us. And sometimes, the stillness is what sets us free.