How to Use Breathwork for Anxiety: What Women Over 40 Need to Know

 

If anxiety has been showing up lately, Sigmar Berg has a different explanation for where it's coming from. He is the founder of Lovetuner and a mindfulness expert who has spent over a decade at the intersection of breath, sound, and nervous system regulation, and his argument is that most of what we experience as anxiety is actually a body problem, starting with the way we breathe.

 

This is for you if you've been thinking:

  • I've never been an anxious person but now I'm anxious about everything and I don't know what changed

  • I've tried meditation and my brain won't shut off, it doesn't work for me

  • I know I'm supposed to breathe deeply but I honestly forget, and I'm not convinced it makes a real difference

  • I keep hearing about breathwork but I don't have 30 minutes a day to just sit and breathe

  • I've done talk therapy and it helps, but my anxiety still shows up

  • I'm skeptical about sound healing and frequency work but I'm open to hearing about it

 

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Why Anxiety Might Be Starting in Your Body, Not Your Mind

Most of us have been told that anxiety starts with a thought. Something triggers, the mind spirals, and then the body catches up: tight chest, racing heart, that low-grade dread that settles in. But Sigmar Berg argues that the loop often runs the other way. The body sends signals to the brain first, and when those signals read "danger," the brain produces anxious thoughts in response.

This matters because it changes where the intervention needs to happen. If you're trying to think your way out of anxiety, through willpower, cognitive reframing, or just telling yourself to calm down, you may be working against the current. The nervous system responds to physiological input, not intentions. That's why a few slow, conscious breaths can interrupt a spiral in a way that talking yourself down sometimes can't.

For women in their 40s and 50s, this is especially relevant. Hormonal changes during perimenopause can make the nervous system more reactive, which means you may be more susceptible to the kind of fight-or-flight activation that shallow breathing keeps running. The good news is that the breath is always available, all day, for free.



How Your Breathing Pattern Keeps You Stuck

Most of us, according to Sigmar, are breathing just enough to get through the day. We're not thinking about it, we're not doing it well, and we're keeping ourselves in a low-grade stressed state without realizing it. Shallow, fast, chest-level breathing, which is how most high-achieving, fast-paced people move through their hours, mimics the breathing pattern of someone who is under threat. The nervous system often can't tell the difference.

Sigmar uses an image of a Husky living in California, panting constantly because it belongs in Alaska. That's what we're doing. We're running a physiological marathon every day because our breathing pattern is signaling to the nervous system that we're in a sprint. And the more anxious we feel, the faster and shallower we breathe, which sends more danger signals, which produces more anxiety. It's a loop.

He also makes an interesting point: the cigarette break was, underneath all the obvious harm, a forced conscious breathing break. People stepping outside, filling their lungs, slowing the exhale, connecting with others. The ritual did something real. The invitation is to bring back the ritual, minus the cigarette.

The fix isn't complicated, but it does require noticing. Most of us go hours without paying any attention to how we're breathing. Sigmar suggests inserting conscious breathing pauses into the day, not a full practice, just a few intentional breaths, often enough to shift the signal the nervous system is receiving.



What the Extended Exhale Actually Does

If there's one breathwork principle worth knowing, it's this: an exhale that is longer than your inhale activates the parasympathetic nervous system. That's the rest-and-digest state, the biological opposite of fight-or-flight. And you can get there in under a minute.

The physiology is straightforward. The inhale is connected to a slight increase in heart rate; the exhale is connected to a decrease. A longer exhale tips the balance toward calm. It doesn't matter much whether you're practicing 4-7-8 breathing, box breathing, or just a simple breath in through the nose followed by a slow exhale through the mouth. The mechanism is the extended exhale. Sigmar's instruction is simple: start by emptying the lungs completely, blow out as much as you can, then inhale through the nose and make sure the exhale is longer and slower than the inhale.

Do this a handful of times. That's it. You don't need 20 minutes. You don't need to be sitting still or following a script. You need to notice that you're chest breathing or holding your breath, and redirect for a few cycles.



Where Sound and 528 Hz Come In

Sigmar created Lovetuner, a small single-note flute that you exhale into, producing a tone at 528 Hz. He didn't choose that number arbitrarily. 528 Hz is one of the ancient solfeggio frequencies, a set of tones with roots in healing traditions going back thousands of years. It's sometimes called the "frequency of love" or the "DNA repair frequency," and it occurs naturally in living matter: the hum of bees vibrates at this frequency, and chlorophyll in plant leaves resonates at 528 Hz.

The most compelling evidence Sigmar points to is Masaru Emoto's research on water. When 528 Hz was played near water, the water structured into a perfect hexagonal crystal pattern, the same shape found in pristine mountain spring water. Given that the human body is 75-80% water and blood is 91% water, the implication is that frequency has a measurable effect on the body's composition. Japan recently released treatment protocols using frequency-based therapy for cancer patients, with 528 Hz as one of the primary frequencies used, citing cell restoration and repair.

For skeptics, the breathwork benefits of using the Lovetuner are on solid ground regardless of where you land on the frequency question. The tool gives you an audible cue for the exhale, making it easier to sustain and feel the practice. The tone tells you when your exhale is dropping. You inhale and go again. For people who struggle to maintain a breathing practice, the sensory feedback matters. The frequency, Sigmar believes, heals on a cellular level in ways the breathwork alone does not. You get to decide how far down that road you want to go.

FAQs

Can breathwork actually help with anxiety, or is it just a relaxation technique?

Breathwork does more than create a sense of calm. When you slow your breath and extend your exhale, you directly stimulate the vagus nerve and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the measurable biological opposite of the stress response. Research on slow breathing interventions consistently shows reductions in anxiety, improvements in heart rate variability, and better stress regulation over time. It works especially well for women in perimenopause, whose hormonal changes can make the nervous system more reactive and anxiety harder to manage through thought alone.


What is 528 Hz and why does the Lovetuner use it?

528 Hz is one of the ancient solfeggio frequencies, a set of tones found in healing traditions across cultures for centuries. It occurs in living matter, including the hum of bees and the vibration of chlorophyll in plants. Researcher Masaru Emoto found that when 528 Hz was played near water, the water structured into a perfect hexagonal crystal pattern. Because the human body is 75-80% water, some researchers believe this frequency has a direct and measurable effect on cellular function. The Lovetuner is built around this frequency because it combines the proven nervous system benefits of extended-exhale breathwork with the proposed cellular benefits of this specific sound.


How long do you need to practice breathwork before you feel a difference?

Less than you think. Even three to five slow breaths with your exhale longer than your inhale can begin to activate your parasympathetic nervous system. It won't erase an acute stress response on the spot, but it gives your nervous system a clear signal to start downshifting. For lasting change, Sigmar Berg recommends brief conscious breathing breaks inserted throughout the day rather than one long formal practice. Two or three intentional pauses of even one minute each, done consistently, can meaningfully reduce baseline anxiety over time without requiring a major schedule overhaul.


What's the difference between breathwork and meditation? Can I do breathwork if meditation doesn't work for me?

Yes. Breathwork gives the mind something concrete to do: track the breath, feel the physical sensation, notice when the exhale is dropping. Mindfulness meditation often asks you to observe your thoughts without attaching to them, which can feel impossible when your mind is already racing. Breathwork sidesteps the mental noise by giving you a physical task. Many women who say meditation doesn't work for them find breathwork much more accessible because there's no right way to think during it. You just breathe.

Meet Sigmar Berg:

Sigmar Berg in black T-shirt and black hat with right hand over his heart

Sigmar Berg is the founder of Lovetuner, a breathwork and sound healing tool featured in CNN, the LA Times, and Buzzfeed.

He is the author of One Journey and has spent over a decade working with the 528 Hz solfeggio frequency and breathwork as tools for nervous system regulation and cellular healing.

Connect with Sigmar Berg:

lovetuner.com | @lovetuner528hz | One Journey book

 

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Belong Wellness and its members, managers, employees, contractors, and other agents or representatives are not licensed medical care providers and do not provide medical services or advice, including without limitation diagnosing, examining, preventing, treating, or curing any medical conditions. The information shared in this podcast is meant to be educational, not prescriptive. Please consult your medical doctor before making any changes to your diet or lifestyle. Further, the opinions of guests on this show do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Jessica or anyone affiliated with Belong Wellness.




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Hi! I’m your host, Jessica.

I am a trauma-informed breathwork facilitator, certified menopause coaching specialist, Pilates instructor, mom of two and long-time health nut here to help you feel informed, connected and badass during this wild stage of life.

 
 
 

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