How do we do it?

The technique is simple – these are extended, deeper breaths than you will be used to, breathing down into your belly for a few seconds and then just letting go of the exhale. The inhale and exhale stay connected with no pause in between. It’s versatile. You can choose to do this by breathing in and out from your mouth, which activates your sympathetic nervous system, or your ‘fight or flight’ mode, and brings you more energy if you need a pick-me-up. Alternatively, you could activate your parasympathetic nervous system by breathing in and out through your nose, which helps you relax from being in a heightened state.

When breathing, keep your spine straight, posture upright, and shoulders back, and my advice would be to count breaths on your fingers so you don’t have to think about it. Focus solely on your breathing. Make sure to reassess how you’re feeling after the 20 connected breaths.

While this is a great tool for everyone to use, breathwork has tremendous depth as a practice. I trained with a company called First Breath, which has the most comprehensive training programme for breathwork in the UK. It was a three-year programme, and this is because it takes about two years to embody the practice and support others. I can highly recommend going onto YouTube to watch the 20 connected breaths in action before trying it.

What benefits could we see from using this technique?

It puts you back in control when you may feel like you’ve lost it. The world can feel very chaotic at the moment, and we are all guilty of thinking too often about what the next step is rather than being in the moment. Twenty connected breaths can help you respond rather than react, and they can help you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings.

I am told that the hour-long sessions of conscious connected breathing I facilitate are one of the most popular sessions and holistic treatments on offer at Delamere, and for good reason. Memory is stored in every single cell in the body. Breathwork can help you start to feel everything you have been avoiding. If we take guests in addiction recovery, breathwork can stimulate your body to re-experience and remember something you numbed out from. Connection tends to be what many people in recovery are searching for, and this can support that.

One Good Thing: how the 20 connected breaths exercise could transform your mental health