Breathwork for Performance Anxiety: What Helps Singers and Performers
When Breathwork Is Most Helpful for Performers
1) Before you go on stage
Use breathwork to reduce physiological escalation and give your mind a more stable platform.
This is where you’re most likely to benefit from:
paced breathing (slow + steady)
longer exhales
short, repeatable routines you can do backstage
2) When you feel the “spiral” starting
Breathwork helps most when you catch the moment your thoughts begin to speed up:
“What if I mess up?” → “What if I blank?” → “I can’t handle this.”
You’re not trying to force calm. You’re trying to create space between the trigger and the reaction, giving you time to think rationally rather than react emotionally.
3) After the performance
Post-show nervous system downshifting is underrated. Breathwork after a gig can reduce the “crash,” help sleep, and prevent your body from staying in high alert all night.
What Breathwork to Use for Performance Anxiety
The best all-around option is any slow-paced breathwork pattern, emphasizing a long exhale.
Longer exhales tend to be calming for many people because exhaling is associated with parasympathetic activation.
Try (60–120 seconds):
Inhale 4 seconds
Exhale 6–8 seconds
Other options include box breathing: inhale for 4 counts - hold 4 counts - exhale for 4 counts - hold 4 counts
Or a physiological sigh: double inhale- hold - long exhale
The “Breathwork + Acceptance” Script (This is the real game-changer)
Here’s the mindset piece that keeps your breathwork aligned with psychology:
Instead of:
“I need to calm down NOW.”
Try:
“I notice nerves. That’s normal. I can allow this—and still perform.”
Then breathe.
You’re teaching your brain:
nerves are not an emergency
you can feel activation without being controlled by it
you can return to the task (singing/acting/playing) even with sensation present
This is how breathwork becomes a performance skill, not a desperation move.
A Simple Backstage Routine for Singers and Performers
2 minutes total
Name it (10 seconds):“I feel BLANK and that’s okay.”
For example: “I feel nervous and that’s okay.”
Slow exhale breathing (90 seconds):
Inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 8.Re-focus cue (20 seconds):
“What is my job right now?” “What can I focus on instead now that I’ve accepted the nerves”
Sing the next phrase
Tell the story
Listen to the band
Connect to my scene partner
That’s it. Short. Repeatable. Reliable.
Breathwork Helps You Think Clearly Under Pressure
Breathwork won’t erase your humanity.
But it can help you regulate your body enough to:
access your training
reduce mental chaos
shift from “threat mode” into “performance mode”
And that’s the real win.