We Breathe In, We Breathe Out: The Benefits of Breathwork
People often ask, “Why breathwork?” For me the answer is simple…and personal. When I discovered breathwork, what struck me most was learning that certain breathing patterns can help release stored trauma within the physical body, freeing us from side effects such as chronic pain, inflammation, dissociation, and depression. Forty-some years ago, alternative healing methods helped me recover from a life-threatening disease, so this revelation was very exciting to me.
Our breath can be a tool for optimizing health, releasing tension and trauma, improving emotional well-being, and expanding consciousness. At its core, breathwork involves conscious manipulation of the breath to achieve specific physical, emotional, and even spiritual outcomes.
Most of us take around 24,000 breaths per day. That’s a lot of breathing! Making small changes in how we breathe moment to moment can provide enormous benefits. As a functional breathing coach, I often work with clients on helping them understand the biomechanical and biochemical elements of their breathing and guide them to optimize each breath for better health. As a breathwork practitioner, I use various breathing patterns, sounds and movements depending on a client’s intentions for the session.
Controlled breathing has been used for thousands of years by various cultures. Here are a few examples of how breathwork can support your particular goals:
Emotional Release: Our breath and our emotions are intimately connected. Certain breathing patterns help us release emotions from the physical body without having to delve into the story behind the emotions. Feeling into the physical body is the key for emotional release caused by tension and trauma.
Physical Healing: Specific breathing techniques stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, promote circulation, and support the body’s natural healing processes. Improved functional breathing can improve lung capacity, reduce blood pressure, reduce plaque and improve heart rate variability.
Stress Reduction: We can easily manipulate our breath to engage our parasympathetic nervous system, the “rest and digest” part of the system. Extending the exhale is one key to relaxing the body and mind. Coherence breathing is another tool that helps balance the system and promotes a sense of well-being.
Anxiety Relief: By combining improved functional breathing with grounding and centering breath patterns, one can settle an anxious mind.
Freeing Ourselves from Trauma: With the expertise and guidance of a certified trauma-release breathwork facilitator, we can peel away the layers of stored trauma that hide in the physical body. For lasting effects, it is important that this work is done in a safe and regulated fashion.
Improved Mental Clarity: Certain breathing patterns calm the mind, improve mental acuity, release brain fog and sharpen our focus and attention.
Enhanced Self Awareness: Breathwork can also be used to guide us in taking a closer look at our inner landscape, ultimately helping us reconnect with our true essence.
Our breath is our constant companion and a free resource at our disposal. If you haven’t already experienced the benefits of a consistent breathwork practice, I encourage you to give it a try. It has certainly transformed my life.
