Think of breathwork as the workout and meditation as the cool down.
Although breathwork and meditation are considered separate practices, both are completely ingrained. If you’ve ever tried to sit in meditation after a long stressful day, you know it can be difficult to quiet the mind of restless thoughts. You may try to focus on the breath, but sometimes it's not enough to calm your mind.
During breathwork, we not only focus on our breath, but we also breathe in various patterns, rhythms and in different areas in the body. Breathwork Pranayama involves techniques intended to clear blockages in the body & calm the mind, making it easier to get in deep states of meditation.
It is also recommended to sit in meditation after breathwork to allow the systems to calm down and return to balance.