What is breathwork?
The word breath means “spirit” in some translations. It is literally the life force that is the pathway between mind and body.
Breathwork is the act of conscious, intentional, active breathing and is one of the most powerful tools we have as humans. It is finding awareness with the breath. The best part? It’s accessible to nearly everyone, and it’s right under our noses. It is a widely underutilized and misunderstood function of the body that is there to optimize it's own internal mechanisms, and ultimately, our lives.
It’s not just a new-age trend or buzz word. It’s a scientifically studied and proven way to improve oxygen efficiency, regulate or stimulate the nervous system, remove up to 70% of the body's toxins, promote emotional release, process traumas, and overall increase awareness of your internal landscape.
There are a variety of breathing techniques and countless combinations that can be used to both up regulate and down regulate the body and the nervous system. When guided with intuitive but propelling cues and combined with intention, the breath can take you on a journey. A journey to explore your internal landscape, shed layers, break down barriers, touch things that typical talk therapy can’t quite reach, and stimulate parts of the brain that allow for new neural pathways to form. Through this somatic process, we can literally reprogram the mind and shift the direction of your life.
All through the breath.
Funny enough, most of us are over-breathing. “Normal” or optimal breathing is 8-12 breaths per minute. Eighteen or more breaths per minute is fight or flight - this shallow breathing upsets the CO2 and O2 balance in the body, which leads to an oxygen deficiency, ultimately sending the body into fight or flight. We have to fully exhale, let it all go, to create space for oxygen, and let it all back in.
There are so many signs that the body is craving a deep breath that range from digestive issues, anxiety/depression, mood swings, insomnia, emotional eating, chronic fatigue, low motivation or vitality, weakened immune systems, to headaches and migraines. The breath really does participate in and influence nearly everything that we feel or do.
The benefits of breathwork span from the physical, to mental, to emotional, to spiritual. By improving your capacity for breath, the natural rhythm of your breathing will sharpen your relationship with all of the above.
Now, are you ready to take a deep breath?
