It is important to have resources in moments of high anxiety and stress. Yes, we can always ask for help. But we can also fill ourselves with knowledge and work towards achieving our well-being. Our health is not just about physical aspects but also about our mental health. That’s why today we want to talk about breathwork, a practice we can add to our toolbox to take care of our mental health.
If you’re already working on your breathing, today you’ll learn some facts you might not have known about this practice. And if you’re not yet familiar with the benefits of breathwork, stay tuned because this blog is for you.
Breathwork, more than just breathing
According to the National Health Institute (NHI), breathing is intimately linked with mental functions. In the millenary Eastern tradition, breathing is an essential aspect of most meditative practices and is considered a crucial factor for reaching the meditative state of consciousness.
But how can breathwork help us? It produces greater improvement in mood and a reduction in respiratory rate, while both reduce negative emotions, including state anxiety. Have you ever started to breathe and noticed how your body begins to relax? Well, you were experiencing the effects of breathwork.
Slow breathing – even short sessions at home – can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression in the general population and among those with clinical depression or anxiety. Research on breathwork in helping post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is also promising.
Diaphragmatic breathing to improve lung function and strengthen the diaphragm can improve breathing and exercise intolerance in chronic heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma. It can also improve exercise performance and reduce oxidative stress (an imbalance of more free radicals and/or fewer antioxidants, which can damage cells) after exercise.
Here Are The Benefits of Breathwork
The number of studies and researchers that underline the positive impact of breathwork on emotional, mental, and physical health is constantly rising. Indicative studies and research regarding the positive benefits of breathwork in cases of depression, anxiety, agoraphobia, panic attacks, relaxation, couple counseling, etc.
According to the organization Breathwork, by turning our attention towards our breath, we instantly start the journey within. Sensing our breath, observing whether it is shallow or quick or sharp, whether it moves freely from our nose to the belly or whether it’s impossible to go all the way down, we can assess our physical, emotional, and mental state and use a breathing technique that can respond to our specific needs ie, relaxation, concentration, release, alertness.
Breathworks helps us to:
- Reconnect with our sensations and emotions.
- Explore limiting thought patterns.
- Align our body, mind, and spirit.
- Safely manage or release our traumas and hence their symptoms, ie. addictions, panic or rage attacks, depression, asthma, insomnia.
How to Get Started
Using our breath as a vehicle, a tool accessible to all people, of all ages, physical states, or geographical locations, we can change the way we feel and think in every single moment, every single time. Because breathwork is a tool for personal empowerment and freedom.
Getting started effectively and safely is simpler than you might think. We found these tips from Conni Biesalski:
- Establish a functional breathing pattern 24/7.
- Practice breath awareness.
- Practice diaphragmatic breathing.
- Practice coherence breathing (with a slight air hunger).
- Master the art of showing up daily.
- Try out transformational breathwork.
- Learn about the principles of breathing and the nervous system.
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Conclusion: Why Breathwork?
Did you know that humans breathe over 25.000 times a day? Every single person has the ability to quickly shift how they think and feel just by breathing differently, no matter where they are or what they are doing. In daily life, our breath provides much more than just the opportunity for quick awareness. It may be a means of realizing, controlling, and letting go of numerous thought and behavior patterns that, as a result of traumatic experiences, we carry with us for the most portion of our lives.
The most organic and secure method for dealing with trauma and the emotional and physical symptoms it causes—such as addictions, phobias, panic or fury outbursts, sadness, and sleeplessness—is through conscious breathing. Breathwork can help us embody the relationship between ideas, feelings, and sensations and help us truly listen to and connect to whatever is happening in our bodies.
So… Why Breathwork? Because we can, right?
