The missing link in anxiety, focus, and nervous system health.

You’ve likely been told to “just take a deep breath.” But what if the way you breathe - including that deep breath - is part of what’s keeping you stuck?

Two years ago, I began exploring breathing beyond 'release of stored stress' or as techniques to find temporary calm - but as a behaviour.

That shift changed everything.

By retraining my own breathing patterns, I resolved chronic anxious, tightness in my chest and discovered something far more impactful than calming exercises: a stable internal state built on balanced respiratory chemistry.

Now, this work has become a foundational pillar in my private somatic practice - along with trauma-informed body-based somatic practices - for clients seeking nervous system regulation, improved energy, and lasting change.

Why Breathing Behaviour Matters

When breathing becomes habitual (often unconsciously), it can lead to chronically low arterial CO₂ levels (hypocapnia).

CO₂ is not just a waste gas - it plays a vital role in:

• Regulating blood pH

• Releasing oxygen into cells

• Supporting energy production

When CO₂ is too low, oxygen can’t effectively reach tissues - impacting how you feel, think, and function. This can contribute to or maintain symptoms such as:

• Anxiety, brain fog, poor focus, low mood

• Shortness of breath, chest tightness, palpitations

• Chronic tension, fatigue, dizziness, poor recovery

• Digestive issues, sleep disruption, and more

A New Perspective: “Good Breathing” Re-Defined

When we look at breathing as behaviour, everything changes.

Instead of applying one-size-fits-all techniques, we begin to:

• Identify patterns driving symptoms

• Restore optimal respiratory chemistry

• Expand our capacity for self-regulation

Introducing the Better Breathing Workshop Series (Winnipeg, MB)

This 3-part, in-person series is designed for different audiences—but grounded in the same science and approach:

• April 14: Better Breathing for Anxiety Relief

  • For individuals seeking understanding, validation, and practical change

• April 28: Better Breathing for Improved Client Outcomes

  • For clinicians and manual therapists ready to go beyond mechanics and techniques

• May 7: Better Breathing for Learning

  • For educators and counsellors supporting focus, behaviour, and cognitive function

Each workshop will help you recognize how breathing may be causing, contributing to, or maintaining what you’re feeling and seeing in your clients or students, and what to do about it.

If this resonates…

Whether for yourself, your clients, or your students - this work offers a missing piece that many people don’t realize is there.

And if someone comes to mind who would benefit, be sure to share this article with them.

Warmly, Joy

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Joy Onyschak is a Somatic Practitioner and Certified Breathing Behaviour Analyst who helps people struggling with nervous system dysregulation who want body-based solutions to restore their energy, access resiliency, and be fully present for their lives.   

Learn more about her work at: https://www.joysomatics.ca

View current availability for community workshops or schedule a private breathing behaviour assessment at: https://www.joysomatics.ca/bookings