Life can sometimes feel like a rollercoaster. I know us ladies aren’t alone in this…but hormonal shifts don’t help… bring waves of sleep challenges, and changes in energy levels.
While life continues to throw curve-balls, does it ever leave you searching for ways to feel more grounded, calm, and balanced in your body?
Two accessible, powerful tools that often come up are breathwork and meditation. They sound similar, and sometimes even overlap, but they each bring unique benefits for all of us (I have to say personally, especially during perimenopause + beyond)
🌬️ What Is Breathwork?
Breathwork is the intentional practice of changing how you breathe to influence your physical, mental, and emotional state.
Think of it as a reset button for your nervous system. Depending on the technique, breathwork can help you calm down when anxiety spikes or energize you when fatigue hits.
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How it works: You actively control the rhythm, depth, or pace of your breath.
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Examples: Box breathing, alternate nostril breathing, the Wim Hof method, or deep diaphragmatic breathing.
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Benefits include:
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Quick relief from stress.
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Eases tension in the body.
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Helps regulate erratic energy levels.
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🧘 What Is Meditation?
Meditation is a broader practice aimed at training your attention and awareness. Breath may be a focus in some styles, but it’s not always required.
Where breathwork is about doing something with the breath, meditation is about observing—thoughts, sensations, emotions, or simply the present moment.
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How it works: You sit or lie down, and gently guide your mind toward presence, stillness, or compassion.
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Examples: Mindfulness meditation, body scans, loving-kindness, mantra meditation.
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Benefits include:
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Reduces anxiety, irritability, and racing thoughts.
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Improves sleep quality by calming the mind before bed.
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Builds emotional resilience for mood swings and life changes.
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⚖️ Which One Should You Choose?
Here’s a quick guide tailored for the ups and downs of life:
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When you’re stressed (or having a hot flash) → Try slow breathwork (like 4 second in-7 seconds hold-8 seconds exhale). It can cool and calm your system within minutes.
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When fatigue hits hard → Try energizing breathwork (like a few rounds of Wim Hof breathing which isn’t always slow…its defintely energizing!) to bring back alertness.
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When your mind won’t stop racing at night → Go with meditation—a body scan or mindfulness practice can quiet thoughts and prepare you for rest.
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When mood swings feel overwhelming → Loving-kindness meditation helps soften emotional edges and restore balance.
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When you want a quick reset during a busy day → Breathwork delivers immediate shifts.
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When you want to build long-term calm and clarity → Meditation slowly retrains your baseline stress response.
💡 A Powerful Combo
You don’t have to choose just one. Many find that a few minutes of breathwork before meditation helps settle you in… calming the body, making it easier to sit in stillness.
Think of it this way:
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Breathwork = a lever you can pull to shift your state right now.
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Meditation = a long-term practice that gradually reshapes your inner landscape.
Final Thought
Both styles here, are a powerful tool for both men + women.
Personally in my experience… Perimenopause is a time of transition, and with transition comes opportunity: the chance to reconnect with yourself in new ways. Whether you lean on the steadying power of meditation, the immediate relief of breathwork, or both, these practices can help you ride the waves of change with more ease, clarity, and grace.
Let me know your thoughts on this blog today by replying here, helpful? I may film some breathwork for my online studio if you think it would be useful for you?
(PS – beautiful photos used in this blog here, are of our retreat venue in April ’26…how gorgeous 🙂
