Circular breathing

Three different things share these words.

Gentle circular breathing

Gentle circular breathing is the timer already at Gentle circular breathing. It is a comfortable nasal loop with no held pause, rate-capped at 10 per minute.

High-ventilation connected breathing

Rebirthing, holotropic or Grof breathwork, and some conscious connected breath sessions also leave out pauses. They are hard and fast, and they go on for a long time. This site does not time them.

They can drop carbon dioxide and cause tingling, cramping, dizziness, and fainting. People are told to avoid them in pregnancy, with epilepsy, with significant cardiovascular disease, and with unstable psychiatric conditions.

High ventilation is the longer note. An overview is Fincham and colleagues, Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2023.

Instrumental circular breathing

Instrumental circular breathing is a skill for a wind player. Air stored in the cheeks keeps a wind tone going while the player inhales through the nose. It is not a wellness practice here. Circular breathing describes that skill.