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Breathwork: Using the Breath to Steady Your Nervous System
Breathwork simply means using the breath on purpose — changing its pace and depth — to shift how you feel. Slow, steady breathing is one of the few levers that speaks directly to the nervous system, and it's available anywhere, with nothing to buy.
Dr. Mark Halpern is a certified HeartMath practitioner, and the breathing he teaches is specific: a slow, heart-focused rhythm of roughly five to six breaths a minute that helps bring the body toward what HeartMath calls coherence. It's the same practice at the centre of his book and course, The Coherence Revolution.
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What you'll learn
- What breathwork is — and what it isn't
- A slow, heart-focused breathing rhythm of about five to six breaths a minute
- Why slowing the breath changes how the body feels
- How to use short breathing resets during an ordinary day
- How breathing connects to coherence and heart-rate variability
- Simple ways to make the practice a daily habit
Who it's for
Anyone who wants a practical, portable way to steady themselves — before a meeting, in traffic, at the end of a long day. No experience is needed, and you don't need any equipment.
Why the breath is such a direct lever
Most of the body's stress machinery runs automatically and isn't easy to influence by will. Breathing is the exception: it runs on its own, but you can also take it over deliberately. That makes it one of the most direct ways to signal to your body that it's safe to settle.
Slowing the breath — lengthening the out-breath in particular — is a simple way to nudge the nervous system toward a calmer gear. It's why Dr. Mark treats breathing as the first tool to learn, not the last.
Coherence breathing, the HeartMath way
The specific practice Dr. Mark teaches is a slow, even rhythm of about five to six breaths a minute, with attention resting gently on the area of the heart. In HeartMath terms, this helps bring breathing, heart rhythm and attention into alignment — the state called coherence — which shows up as a smoother pattern in heart-rate variability.
You can practise it for a couple of minutes or build it into a longer daily habit. The value is in returning to it often, not in doing it perfectly.
Your instructor
Dr. Mark Halpern
Workplace Wellness, Stress Physiology & Resilience
Dr. Mark Halpern is a chiropractor, author and lecturer who graduated from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto in 1996 and has spent 30 years working with people of all ages — from children and exhausted parents to athletes, lawyers and retired teachers. He is a certified HeartMath practitioner and is also certified in PSYCH-K and Hoʻoponopono. Across his career, he has focused on one question: how stress shapes the way we feel, think and live, and what we can do about it. For over 30 years, Dr. Mark lived with anxiety himself. During the first COVID lockdown, he decided to face it head on. He went back through every book, method and practice he had tried, kept the tools that genuinely worked, and let go of the habits that didn't. That process became his book, **The Coherence Revolution: Finding Flow on Your Journey to the Present Moment**, a practical guide to self-regulation and self-inquiry. On Eduvek, Dr. Mark teaches how stress affects the body and mind — from posture and physical strain to burnout and anxiety — and gives students practical tools and a guided process to build resilience and learn to self-regulate their emotions. His approach is inspired by authors and mentors including Dr. Joe Dispenza, Dr. Bruce Lipton and Gregg Braden. Outside of teaching, he loves hiking, skiing, scuba diving, golf and cycling — especially challenges that keep him fully in the moment — and he's a guitar-playing music lover with a soft spot for Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. *These courses support general wellbeing and stress management. They are not medical or psychological treatment and do not replace care from a doctor, psychologist or licensed therapist.*
View Mark's full profile →These pages are for general education and wellbeing. They are not medical or psychological treatment and do not replace care from a doctor, psychologist or licensed therapist.
Frequently asked questions
Is breathwork the same as meditation?
They overlap but aren't identical. Meditation is usually about where you place your attention; breathwork is specifically about changing the breath itself. The coherence breathing taught here uses both — a slow breath with gentle attention on the heart.
How long do I need to do it?
Even a minute or two can help. What matters more is returning to it regularly through the day rather than doing one long session.
Do I need a device or app?
No. Some people enjoy watching their heart-rate variability respond on a device, but the breathing works perfectly well on its own.
Is breathwork safe for everyone?
Slow, gentle breathing suits most people. If you have a heart or breathing condition, or you feel light-headed, ease off and check with a professional. These sessions are for general wellbeing, not medical treatment.