How Breathwork Coaching Can Improve Employee Wellbeing in Tech
The Rising Cost of Burnout in Your Tech Teams
Your top developer stares anxiously at her screen, surrounded by granola bars and coffee cups, as Slack notifications pile up. She hasn’t taken a real lunch break in weeks. Down the hall, your product manager just requested his second medical leave for stress-related issues this year.
Between constant notifications and looming deadlines, burnout in tech is at an all-time high. But what if the solution was as simple as… breathing?
Stress and burnout have been increasing steadily in the corporate world, particularly in sectors such as technology, where the pursuit of innovation, breakthroughs, and career advancement come with relentless pressure.
Companies have been talking a lot about improving work-life balance, supporting employee well-being, and creating more engaged teams, especially since the pandemic really shook up the way we work. Many have introduced flexible schedules, unique perks, and new ways to encourage collaboration and high performance.
But despite these efforts, burnout is still a major issue. According to the 2022 Burnout Index:
Two in five tech workers are at high risk of burnout.
Two in five tech workers are at high risk of burnout.
42% are thinking about leaving their job in the next six months.
62% end their workday feeling completely drained - both physically and emotionally.
As a tech leader, you've likely tried implementing flexible schedules, wellness perks, and new collaboration tools. Yet despite these well-intentioned efforts, your team still struggles with sustainability.
Let me introduce you to a solution that's easily accessible, science-backed, and remarkably effective.
What is Breathwork Coaching?
Breathwork coaching focuses on enhancing breathing patterns through various breathing and movement practices to increase vital capacity and improve heart rate variability (HRV), thereby cultivating a sense of calm and balance and promoting greater clarity and longevity.
A breathwork coach guides individuals in understanding and applying various breathing techniques to:
Improving breathing mechanics
Regulate the nervous system
Reduce stress & anxiety
Process difficult emotions
Cultivate greater self-awareness
Enhance focus and clarity
Depending on the coach's approach, sessions may involve different types of techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing, conscious connected breathing, or breath holds, often combined with mindfulness, somatic work, or coaching conversations.
For your tech teams, breathwork coaching can be especially beneficial for reducing stress and anxiety, preventing burnout, improving focus, and supporting personal growth.
Sessions typically include techniques tailored to your team's specific challenges - whether that's anxiety before presentations, afternoon energy crashes, or trouble transitioning between work and home life.
The Science-Backed Benefits for Your Tech Teams
Breathwork coaching teaches techniques like flow breathing, box breathing, and alternate nostril breathing. These practices activate the parasympathetic nervous system (essentially hitting the "calm" button) lowering cortisol levels and helping you feel more relaxed.
They also increase oxygen flow to the brain, which can improve focus and mental clarity. Slow, deep, rhythmic breathing even stimulates the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for decision-making and complex thinking.
Other techniques, like Owaken-style activating breathwork, Kapalabhati (Skull Shining Breath), and Bhastrika (Bellows Breath), work differently.
They stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, boosting energy, alertness, and vitality. During activating breathwork, the body converts breath into energy, releasing pent-up tension and emotions.
With the help of a trained coach, these techniques can improve emotional clarity and resilience, essential skills for navigating workplace stress.
Research backs this up: Tavoian & Craighead (2023) found that deep breathing exercises effectively reduce stress, anxiety, and blood pressure. Another study by Ma et al. (2017) showed that 20 sessions of 15-minute diaphragmatic breathing over eight weeks significantly lowered stress and negative emotions.
Implementing Breathwork Coaching in Your Workplace
Regular breathwork sessions can help create a healthier, more balanced work environment by reducing stress, boosting energy, and enhancing employee performance. It’s a simple, powerful tool that fits seamlessly into any corporate wellness program.
Ready to bring these benefits to your team? Here are practical implementation options:
1) Regular breathwork sessions, whether in-office or virtual
These guided sessions blend gentle movement practices with Owaken-style activating and restorative breathwork to reduce stress, enhance clarity, and support mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Each session also includes guided meditation to cultivate deep calm and relaxation, as well as journaling and brief group sharing to support integration and reflection.
2) Educational Workshops
Empower your team with knowledge about functional breathing. These workshops cover:
• Biomechanics of Breathing: Understanding dysfunctional breathing patterns, their impact on health, and effective techniques to restore optimal function.
• Breathing & the Nervous System: How breath influences the autonomic nervous system, stress regulation, and emotional resilience.
• The Role of Breath in Sleep & Wellbeing: Exploring how breathing affects sleep quality, circadian rhythms, and overall health and well-being.
3) ONE-ON-ONE COACHING
For team members facing specific challenges (high pressure roles, presentation anxiety, leadership stress), individualized coaching can identify and correct dysfunctional breathing patterns.
4) CUSTOMIZED PROGRAMS
A customized program is designed to fit your unique needs of your team, combining guided breathwork and meditation sessions, specific breathing techniques and exercises, as well as educational workshops to enhance well-being and performance.
The Bottom Line for Employers
Implementing breathwork coaching isn't just a wellness perk - it's a strategic investment in your team's sustainability and performance.
The benefits include:
Higher employee engagement and morale
Reduced absenteeism and healthcare costs
Improved team communication and collaboration
Greater team resilience during high-pressure periods
Better retention and attraction of talent
All of these translate directly to your bottom line and competitive advantage in a tight talent market.
Conclusion
Incorporating breathwork and breathwork coaching into the workplace provides a simple yet effective solution for addressing stress and burnout in the tech industry. By promoting relaxation, reducing stress and anxiety, and boosting energy, breathwork can not only support employee well-being but also improve performance and prevent burnout. Ultimately, it creates a healthier, more engaged, and productive work environment, benefiting both individuals and the company as a whole.
Ready to Help Your Team Breathe (and Perform) Better?
Reach out today to schedule a discovery call and explore customized programs that can help your team reduce stress, boost energy, and perform at their best.