Nose Or Mouth? How You Breathe And How To Stop Mouth Breathing

For the full picture, see our Yoga For Sinus Problems And Hay Fever guide, which sets out what Mr Iyengar, the yoga doctors and the research say.

How to stop mouth breathing: the short version

What would happen if you could only breathe through your mouth for ten days? Writer James Nestor found out, with his nose blocked by silicone plugs, and what he reported is a good reason to learn how to stop mouth breathing. In yoga, the nose is the way in for quiet, everyday breathing, and every pranayama (breath meditation) practice we teach is done through it. You stop mouth breathing by noticing it, then practising slow nose breathing lying down and sitting tall, with a longer out-breath. Nasal breathing is a skill, and it grows with practice.

This note in short form

• The experiment: a 10 day mouth-only experiment left James Nestor snoring more and with higher blood pressure.
• The research: a 2022 review of 223 studies found slow breathing switches on the body’s calming side.
• Our view: breathe in and out through the nose for everyday breathing, and in all pranayama.
• How to start: notice your breath, then practise slowly lying down, then sitting tall.
• The out-breath: making it long and slow is the key skill.
• Go gently: never force a blocked nose; breathe comfortably and tell your teacher.
• Next step: learn it in class, in the studio or LIVE online. Your first class is free if you’re new.

Last updated: 25 October 2026.

Back to our Breath And Pranayama notes. For the wider picture, see our guide to the benefits of breathwork.

Breathing nose vs mouth: what did the experiment show?

James Nestor, the author of the 2020 book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, reports that his health declined quickly when he breathed only through his mouth. A Stanford ear, nose and throat doctor, Dr Jayakar Nayak, helped run the experiment. According to the book, a second volunteer, Swedish breathing therapist Anders Olsson, did the same.

By Nestor’s account, on the first night his snoring went up by 1,300 per cent and his sleep apnoea events (pauses in breathing during sleep) increased fourfold. Over the ten days his blood pressure and pulse rose, his sleep got worse, and he tired quickly when he exercised. When he went back to breathing through his nose, these changes eased, by his account.

What it shows is how fast a change in breathing can change how you feel. You can read a longer summary at Sleep Review magazine.

Is it better to breathe through your nose or your mouth?

For everyday quiet breathing, the nose is what yoga teaches. The mouth has its place, for example when your nose is blocked, and we would never ask you to force it. In pranayama you breathe in and out through the nose, and that instruction is not decoration.

Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props. It is sometimes called modern classical yoga, and it’s the style we teach at Flametree. Props matter in breath work too: a bolster, a chair, a wall or a pranayama stick keeps the back straight so the breath has room.

The yoga tradition also holds that the two nostrils do different jobs, with the right side linked to a more alert state and the left side to a calmer one. That comes from long practice. We teach alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) for exactly this reason, and you can see where it fits in our article on what pranayama is.

How to stop mouth breathing: where to begin

To stop mouth breathing, notice it first, then practise slow breathing through the nose in a shape where it is easy. This is how we begin:

1. Notice. A few times a day, check where your breath is going and whether your mouth is open. In Ujjayi 1 (the first stage of Ocean Breath) you simply watch your normal breath. Nothing is changed.
2. Lie down, supported, with a bolster and blankets arranged to open the chest. Breathe in and out through your nose, slowly.
3. Make the out-breath long and smooth. Do not strain. Trying too hard tightens the ribs and belly.
4. When your back is stronger, sit tall on a chair, against a wall or with a stick across your back, so long as the spine is straight, and breathe the same way.
5. Practise at home what you learn in class, a little and often.

It takes time and conscious effort to become mindful of breathing, and most of us have breathed on autopilot for years. Do not be put off. We all start somewhere. Chris says it is like growing a tree: you plant the seed, water it regularly, care for it, and one day it matures into a beautiful tree.

Why does the out-breath matter so much?

The out-breath matters because it is where yoga teaches you to slow down. Nestor’s book describes Carl Stough, a choir conductor who worked with people with emphysema (a long-term lung condition), and who put the art of breathing out at the centre of his teaching. Yogis have emphasised the long exhalation for centuries. Research backs the slow part. A 2022 review of 223 studies (Laborde and colleagues, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews) found that slow breathing raises heart rate variability (a sign the calming side of the nervous system is working).

A humming practice is a pleasant way to lengthen the out-breath through the nose. Bhramari (Bumble Bee Breath) has its own page: Bhramari pranayama benefits. See also box breathing and how to improve lung capacity.

What if your nose is blocked or you snore?

If your nose is often blocked, do not force it. Breathe in a way that is comfortable, and tell your teacher before class so they can adapt the practice for you. Slow nose breathing practised by day is the habit that carries into the night.

Nasal breathing when you move: why the nose comes first

Yoga has always taught nasal breathing. On our Male Yoga class sheet, the very first line is: breathe through the nose.

What happens if you breathe through the nose while you move? In a 2023 German study, 19 healthy adults cycled gently for an hour, once breathing only through the nose and once breathing as they pleased (Rappelt and colleagues, Frontiers in Physiology). With nose-only breathing they moved less air, breathed more slowly, and had lower blood lactate (a marker of how hard the body is working) towards the end. They did not rate the effort as any harder, although they rated the discomfort slightly higher.

So nasal breathing suits easy, steady movement. Breathing coach Patrick McKeown puts it as a simple rule: if you have to open your mouth, slow down. Mouth breathing is kept for short, all-out efforts. That rule is his coaching experience rather than a trial result, but it fits how yoga is taught.

In class, the same idea applies. Keep the breath at the nose and keep the out-breath slow. If you cannot, ease back until you can.

Start with yoga poses, then add breathing

We usually suggest starting with some yoga poses before breathwork. The poses quieten the mind, and a quieter mind makes the breathing techniques of pranayama much easier to feel and learn. If you have done yoga before, or are coming back after a break, start with our half price non-beginner deal. If you are new, start with the half price beginner deal. Both include two free classes.

Learn how to stop mouth breathing in Darwin, or live online

Your first class is free if you’re new to Flametree. New students, and anyone who has been away three months or more, can also get a half price 10 class pass with 2 extra classes free, to use online, in the studio, or both. We teach in the studio at Woolner and Coolalinga in Darwin and LIVE online, and beginner classes start with slow nose breathing, lying supported on a bolster and blankets. For the studio, just come along. For an online class, click the class time you want and we email you the link to join.

See the half price pass or see the beginner timetable.

Already practising yoga? The same half price 10 class pass for new students, and for anyone away three months or more, is also available as the non-beginner half price pass.

Questions people ask about mouth breathing

Is it better to breathe through your nose or your mouth?

For everyday quiet breathing, yoga teaches the nose, and all pranayama is done through it. The mouth has its place, for example when your nose is blocked. In James Nestor’s 10 day mouth-only experiment, his snoring and blood pressure rose.

What is the first step to stop mouth breathing?

Notice it first, then practise slow nose breathing lying down with the chest supported, with a long, smooth out-breath. When your back is stronger, sit tall and breathe the same way. Practise a little and often.

How do you stop mouth breathing at night?

Practise slow nose breathing lying down by day, so the habit carries into the night. A long, slow out-breath before bed also settles the body for sleep.

Is mouth breathing bad?

In James Nestor’s 10 day self-experiment, mouth-only breathing went with more snoring, more sleep apnoea events and higher blood pressure, by his account. Breathing through the mouth for a short time, such as when your nose is blocked, is normal.

Why can’t I breathe through my nose?

A blocked nose has many possible causes. Do not force it in a yoga class. Breathe in a way that is comfortable, and tell your teacher.

Can you train yourself to breathe through your nose?

Start by watching your normal breath, without changing it. Then breathe slowly through the nose while lying supported, and lengthen the out-breath. It takes time to become mindful of breathing, and a little practice most days helps.

What is a pranayama stick?

A pranayama stick is a stick that tucks across your back and under your arms to keep the spine straight while you sit for breath work. It is one way to sit. A wall or a chair works too, as long as your back is straight.

Where can I learn to stop mouth breathing in Darwin?

Flametree Yoga Studio teaches slow nose breathing and pranayama (breath meditation) in the studio at Woolner and Coolalinga in Darwin and LIVE online. Your first class is free if you’re new to Flametree.

Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin NT, teaching Iyengar yoga in the studio and LIVE online. This note is general information, not medical advice.

Sources

• Nestor J. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. 2020. Summary at Sleep Review magazine
• Laborde S and others. Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability: a systematic review and a meta-analysis. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 2022. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104711
• Flametree teaching notes by Chris Lalor, Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Studio.

Should I use nasal breathing when I exercise?

For easy, steady movement, yes. In a 2023 study of 19 adults cycling gently for an hour, nose-only breathing meant less air moved, slower breathing and lower blood lactate by the end, with no extra effort felt. A simple rule from coach Patrick McKeown: if you have to open your mouth, slow down.