This new research was just shared by the team at the Health & Human Performance Foundation in an article titled:
Conscious Breathing Appears to Synchronize Brain and Body Activity | PsyPost by Eric W. Dolan
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“We were motivated by a growing interest in how conscious control of breathing can influence brain–body interactions,” said study author MariNieves Pardo-Rodriguez, a PhD candidate in engineering sciences at Universidad Iberoamericana.
“While breathing techniques are widely used in meditation, yoga, and stress reduction practices, the underlying neural mechanisms— particularly the bidirectional communication between the brain and the autonomic system at the bodily level—are not well understood. We saw an opportunity to help bridge that gap using EEG and heart rate variability (HRV) metrics.”
“We were particularly intrigued by the directionality of the effects—suggesting that conscious breathing doesn’t just passively reflect internal states, but may actually drive top-down changes in brain activity and autonomic function,” Pardo-Rodriguez told PsyPost. “In simpler terms, while we typically think of the brain as being in charge of the body, our study shows how bodily states and feedback derived from conscious breathing can influence and reshape brain dynamics.”
“Conscious breathing isn’t just calming—it appears to actively reshape the communication and dynamics between the brain and body,” Pardo-Rodriguez said. “Even short sessions of intentional breathing can enhance regulatory processes that support the coordination of global brain and heart rhythms, aligning them more closely with the respiratory frequency.”
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Link to the study here: https://www.psypost.org/conscious-breathing-appears-to-synchronize-brain-and-body-activity/
