Breathing exercises and meditation are often conflated, but they're distinct practices with different mechanisms. Breathing exercises directly manipulate the autonomic nervous system through respiratory mechanics — you're using the physical act of breathing to change your physiology. Meditation works primarily through attention and awareness — you're changing your relationship to your thoughts and sensations. The overlap occurs because most meditation traditions use breath as an anchor, and many breathing exercises produce meditative states.
Key differences: (1) Speed — breathing exercises produce measurable physiological changes in 30-90 seconds; meditation typically requires 10-20 minutes for comparable shifts. (2) Skill — breathing exercises work immediately for beginners; meditation requires consistent practice to develop. (3) Mechanism — breathing is bottom-up (body → mind); meditation is top-down (mind → body). (4) Use case — breathing is better for acute regulation (panic, performance, sleep onset); meditation is better for trait changes (baseline anxiety, emotional reactivity, self-awareness).
For most people, the optimal approach combines both: breathing exercises as a daily regulation tool and a gateway into meditation, and meditation as a deeper practice for long-term psychological resilience. Start with breathing exercises if you want immediate results, add meditation once the breathing practice is established. The breathing practice literally makes you better at meditating by pre-regulating the nervous system.