A recent study showed that slow breathing may actually help soother moderate emotional or psychological pain. The research published by the Journal of Pain linked yoga style breathing to easing chronic pain.
About 27 women with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, and 25 women with no pain complaints joined the study. The subjects belonged to the same age range.
The proponents of the study found out that slow breathing decreased their reactions to a painful stimulus. When the subjects slowed their rate of breathing, they reported lower rates of discomfort and pain intensity.
The benefits of slower breathing were more on the healthy subjects compared to those suffering from fibromyalgia.