Breathwork Training Course

Breathwork describes planned ways of using breathing to support health and wellbeing. It involves paying attention to breathing and then adjusting the pace, depth or pattern in a safe and controlled way. In health and social care, breathwork is usually used as a simple self-management approach that can support comfort, focus and emotional regulation. It is not a replacement for clinical treatment.

This free breathwork course covers how breathing links to physical and emotional wellbeing, where breathwork may be used in care settings, and how staff can introduce it safely, appropriately and within professional boundaries.

Why Take This eLearning Course?

Breathing patterns can affect how people experience stress, discomfort, tiredness and emotional distress. A steady breathing approach can sometimes help people feel calmer, more focused and more in control. For staff, breathwork can also support communication, emotional regulation and wellbeing during demanding work.

This free course will help you to:

• Understand what breathwork is and how it is used in health and wellbeing.
• Recognise how breathing links to physical, mental and emotional health.
• Identify where breathwork is commonly used in health and social care settings.
• Understand the basic anatomy and physiology involved in breathing.
• Recognise the difference between shallow and deep breathing.
• Explore the role of the nervous system in breathing and stress responses.
• Identify signs of inefficient or stressed breathing.
• Learn about common breathwork techniques used in practice.
• Understand diaphragmatic breathing and slow, controlled breathing methods.
• Explore calming and gentle energising breathwork exercises.
• Recognise the physical, mental and emotional benefits linked to breathwork.
• Understand how breathwork may support stress management, relaxation, anxiety and low mood.
• Identify who may benefit from breathwork.
• Recognise situations where breathwork should be adapted or avoided.
• Understand the importance of working within professional boundaries.
• Learn when to seek additional support or refer to healthcare professionals.
• Explore how breathwork can be introduced safely to individuals.
• Identify ways breathwork can be used in daily care routines.
• Understand how breathwork can support wellbeing in the workplace.
• Recognise good practice when supporting service users with breathwork.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Define breathwork.
• Describe the purpose of breathwork in health and wellbeing.
• Explain how breathing links to physical, mental and emotional health.
• Identify where breathwork is commonly used within health and social care settings.
• Outline the basic anatomy involved in breathing.
• Explain the difference between shallow and deep breathing.
• Describe the role of the nervous system in breathing.
• Identify signs of inefficient or stressed breathing.
• List common breathwork techniques used in practice.
• Describe diaphragmatic breathing.
• Explain slow and controlled breathing techniques.
• Give examples of calming and energising breathwork exercises.
• Identify physical benefits of breathwork.
• Describe mental and emotional benefits of breathwork.
• Explain how breathwork can support stress management and relaxation.
• Outline how breathwork may support people with anxiety or low mood.
• Identify who may benefit from breathwork.
• List situations where breathwork should be adapted or avoided.
• Describe the importance of working within professional boundaries.
• Explain when to seek additional support or refer to healthcare professionals.
• Outline how breathwork can be introduced safely to individuals.
• Give examples of breathwork in daily care routines.
• Describe how breathwork can support wellbeing in the workplace.
• Identify good practice for supporting service users with breathwork.

Breathwork Awareness Course Outline

Module 1: Understanding Breathwork and Its Purpose
Learners will explore what breathwork is and how it is used to support health and wellbeing. This module explains breathwork as planned ways of using breathing to support comfort, focus, relaxation, and self-management. Learners will examine how breathwork involves awareness of breathing, gentle and intentional adjustment of pace or pattern, routine practice, and safe, purposeful use. The module also explains the role of breathwork in health and wellbeing, showing how it can support physical comfort, emotional balance, and a greater sense of control during stressful or demanding situations. Learners will also explore how breathing links to physical, mental, and emotional health, including the effects of stress on breathing, attention, tension, sleep, and emotional regulation. The module concludes by identifying common settings where breathwork is used in health and social care, such as mental health support, rehabilitation, palliative care, and long-term condition support.

Module 2: The Basics of Breathing and How the Body Responds
This module focuses on the basic anatomy and body systems involved in breathing. Learners will examine the role of the nose, mouth, trachea, bronchi, lungs, alveoli, diaphragm, and intercostal muscles in supporting effective breathing. The module also explains the difference between shallow and deep breathing, showing how shallow breathing is often quicker and higher in the chest, while deeper breathing tends to be steadier and more comfortable. Learners will explore the role of the nervous system in breathing, including how breathing responds automatically to stress, relaxation, pain, body sensations, and emotion, and how it can also be adjusted intentionally. The module also identifies signs of inefficient or stressed breathing, such as fast breathing at rest, upper chest movement, sighing, yawning, breath holding, and jaw or neck tension. The emphasis throughout is on recognising patterns safely and understanding when symptoms may need further review.

Module 3: Common Breathwork Techniques and How They Are Used
Learners will explore a range of common breathwork techniques used in health and social care settings. This module explains how simple calming and focus-based techniques, such as slow nasal breathing, longer exhale breathing, paced breathing, grounding breaths, and box breathing, can be used to support self-regulation. Learners will examine diaphragmatic breathing in more detail, including how it supports gentler use of the diaphragm and reduces unnecessary upper chest effort. The module also explains slow and controlled breathing techniques, including supported posture, gentle inhale, longer exhale, even pacing, and checking for discomfort or signs of over-breathing. Learners will also explore examples of calming and energising exercises, recognising that all breathwork in care settings should remain gentle, adaptable, and easy to stop if it becomes uncomfortable.

Module 4: The Benefits of Breathwork for Health and Wellbeing
This module focuses on the physical, mental, and emotional benefits that breathwork may offer when used safely and consistently. Learners will examine how breathwork can support muscle relaxation, sleep routines, and the management of breathlessness-related discomfort. The module also explains how breathwork may support mental and emotional wellbeing by improving focus, reducing overwhelm, increasing emotional awareness, supporting distress tolerance, strengthening confidence in coping, and supporting calmer communication. Learners will explore how breathwork can support stress management and relaxation by slowing breathing rate, lengthening the exhale, shifting attention away from rumination, and creating a routine that helps the body recover after pressure or upset. The module also considers how breathwork may support people experiencing anxiety or low mood as part of a wider support plan, while making clear that breathwork is not a replacement for treatment.

Module 5: Who May Benefit, When to Adapt, and Professional Boundaries
Learners will explore who may benefit from breathwork and when it may need to be adapted or avoided. This module explains how gentle breathwork may be helpful for people experiencing mild anxiety, tension, overwhelm, poor sleep, or difficulty settling, as well as for staff working under pressure in emotionally demanding roles. Learners will also examine situations where breathwork should be adapted or avoided, including acute breathlessness, chest pain, flare-ups of respiratory illness, panic linked with dizziness or tingling, trauma-related triggers, uncontrolled heart conditions, or situations where consent and understanding are unclear. The module also explains the importance of working within professional boundaries, including role clarity, consent and choice, avoiding therapy or diagnosis claims, keeping records where breathwork forms part of a care plan, and following local escalation routes when there are concerns. Learners will also identify when additional support or referral to healthcare professionals is needed.

Module 6: Safe Introduction and Everyday Use of Breathwork in Care
This module focuses on how breathwork can be introduced safely and used practically in daily care routines. Learners will examine how to introduce breathwork through clear explanation, consent, safe positioning, short practice, simple cues, and observation of the person’s response. The module also explores examples of how breathwork can be used within routine care, such as before personal care, before meals, at bedtime, during mobility support, or after a distressing event. Learners will consider how breathwork can support wellbeing in the workplace for both individuals and teams, including brief pause points, calmer preparation for communication, and short grounding practices between tasks. The module also explains what good practice looks like when supporting service users with breathwork, including plain language, person-centred adaptation, respect for dignity and cultural difference, clear recording, and consistent review of how the approach is working.

Target Audience

This course is suitable for:

• Health and social care workers.
• Care assistants and support workers.
• Senior carers and team leaders.
• Social care practitioners and assessors.
• Rehabilitation and wellbeing staff.
• Managers and supervisors.
• Anyone involved in supporting health, comfort and emotional wellbeing in care settings.

No previous specialist knowledge of breathwork is required.

FAQ

Is this course relevant to health and social care in the UK?

Yes. The course is designed for UK health and social care practice and focuses on the safe, low-intensity use of breathwork within person-centred care, wellbeing support and professional boundaries.

Does the course explain breathwork in simple terms?

Yes. It explains breathwork clearly as a practical way of using breathing to support comfort, calm and focus, without presenting it as a replacement for clinical treatment.

Will this course help me understand when breathwork may be useful?

Yes. It covers the common situations where breathwork may support people who use services or staff, including stress, tension, settling routines and low-level anxiety.

Does it include safety and professional boundaries?

Yes. The course explains when breathwork should be adapted or avoided, the importance of consent and choice, and when staff should seek clinical advice or refer on. This course does not qualify you to deliver breathwork as a therapy.

Is anatomy and physiology included?

Yes. It includes a simple explanation of the anatomy involved in breathing and how the nervous system influences breathing patterns and stress responses.

Does the course cover workplace wellbeing?

Yes. It includes how breathwork may support staff wellbeing and team routines, while making clear that it does not replace safe staffing, supervision or organisational support.

How long does the course take?

The course is self-paced and typically takes 1 hour to complete.

Will I receive a certificate?

Yes. A certificate is issued after successful completion.

Is the course CPD accredited?

Courses are not currently CPD accredited, but accreditation is planned.

A clear understanding of breathwork helps health and social care workers use simple, low-intensity breathing techniques in ways that are safe, respectful and useful. By understanding when breathwork may help, when it may not, and how to introduce it properly, professionals can support comfort, wellbeing and emotional regulation more confidently.

Enrol now to build your understanding of breathwork in health and social care.