Breathwork Training: The Benefits of Breath Therapy
Breathing is natural. From the moment you were born and took your first breath, you’ve never stop taking air into your body and letting it out. And the moment you leave this world, you stop taking air into your body. It is a natural part of being human.
But since we breathe automatically, we tend to ignore the importance of breathing and the wonders it does to us - not just physiologically, but also mentally and emotionally. What’s in breathing that we do not understand and do not see? When we are panic-stricken, someone might tell us, “Take deep breaths.” When we are too excited about something, we might hear someone call out, “Don’t forget to breathe.” Or when we are stressed out, we tell ourselves, “Breathe. Breathe.” And then just like magic, when we take deep breaths, we feel better, lighter and more calm.
We breathe in and out almost 22,000 times a day. 22,000 times! Thankfully, we don’t have to keep count of the number of times we take air in and out every day. But why is it so important just to remember to breathe? Shouldn’t it be easier to just do it without being told or reminding ourselves to do it?
What is Breathwork Training?
The act of breathing can be practiced like a form of exercise. This is what we call breathwork training. Breathwork training is a breath exercise where you adjust the rate and depth of your breathing to maximize the good things you get out of it, just like any other physical exercise would do.
Breathwork training has made its mark as exercise after people have seen the benefits to one’s physical, emotional and mental health. However, only a few people really know the powerful effects of breathwork. Many of us are still unaware of how life-changing it can be. After all, how can something change our lives and make us healthier when we’ve been doing it all along? That is the power of breathing!
The key is that breathwork training exercises have to be done consciously and consistently for them to be effective. But overtime, people who practice consistently seem to breathe deeper unconsciously which makes the exercises a habit, in turn benefitting from it.
How Has Breathwork Evolved Over Time?
Although breathwork has gained recognition in the past few years for the amazing benefits it offers, it has its origin in ancient times. “Pranayama”, as the ancient yogis call it, is the practice of breathing with intent and awareness – in short, breathing consciously. Even in those times, the positive changes it brought to practioners was notable.
As time went by, breathwork evolved. It now involves various breathing techniques that you can do, and still get the amazing transformation to your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, as promised.
What are the Different Breathing Techniques?
There are many breathing techniques that you can try to learn what is best suited to you. It’s helpful to understand what they are and what makes each different from the other:
4-7-8 Breath. This is a great practice to calm and focus your mind, as you breathe in beats. This also helps in letting go of stress. It is done this way:
Breathe in in 4 beats.
Hold your breath for 7 beats.
Exhale for 8 beats.
Alternate nostril breathing. This technique aims at mind and body balance.
Apply pressure on your right nostril with your thumb.
Breathe in with your left nostril holding your breath.
Release your right thumb while placing your right index finger (with pressure) on your left nostril.
Exhale on your right nostril.
This cycle can be repeated alternately after a short pause in between breaths.
Diaphragmatic or deep abdominal breathing. This technique aims at relaxing your body. To try it:
Inhale feeling your chest and belly expand as you fill it with air.
Exhale feeling your chest relax and your navel drawing in towards your spine.
If you think you might do this technique wrong the first time, you may put one hand on your belly and the other hand on your chest to feel the expansion of your chest and belly when you breathe in, and the emptiness of air from therein when you breathe out.
Breath of fire. Breath of fire aims at restoring body energy and creating balance in the mind. As the name of the technique suggests, you create a breathing pattern that uses your stomach muscles and warms up the body.
Letting your stomach muscles work, exhale through your nose.
Inhale through your nose, feeling your stomach muscles expand yet relaxed.
Holotropic breathwork. This breath exercise aims to renew body cells by bringing oxygen throughout the body. This is more advanced than the one previously mentioned, thus, the I suggest the help of an experienced instructor’s guidance while practicting it. How is it done?
The pattern: inhale – exhale – inhale – exhale (done continuously without pauses or breaks in between).
What are the Benefits of Breath Exercise?
We do breathwork for different personal reasons. Some may do it to relax, calm down, destress, clear the mind, renew body energy, enjoy the air taken into the body, hear the sound of their breath – or just simply to breathe.
But most of us do breathwork with the goal of bringing out the best mental, emotional and physical benefits to our being. I have shared some of the wonders breathwork can do with you. You may have personally experienced your own benefits of breathwork, but here are a few common benefits:
Takes away negative thoughts. When you have a positive disposition and outlook in life, challenges are easier to overcome, relationships are easier to establish and last longer, you are eager to wake up every morning, and you can better deal with yourself – emotionally and mentally.
Reduces stress and anxiety. When you breathe, you become calm, relaxed, and steady when it comes to the triggers around you. When you have clarity of mind, you do not fret about what tomorrow will bring.
Increases happiness and joy. When the feeling of grief is shortened, or the trauma healed, the possibility of depression knocking at the door of your emotions is unlikely. Overtime, feelings of happiness and joy set in.
Improves sleep. Breathwork has been proven to improve sleep quality. Handling stressors triumphantly, reducing your worries and fears, looking forward to a brand-new tomorrow – you might sleep more soundly at night.
Alleviates pain. When a woman is in labor, she is told to breathe in between contractions. Breathing while in pain relieves the discomfort and eases the pain. The same holds true for people suffering from chronic pain for various reasons.
Boosts immunity. When things are smooth sailing, you think, eat, drink, move and feel healthy. When you are in this situation, your perspective of life becomes better, you do things you love to do, which creates the balance you need, and you avoid getting sick.
How Should I Go About Doing Deep Breaths?
Taking deep breaths is simple, however, in doing the breathwork training techniques, you may need a certified, well-trained instructor to get you started. Attempting to do it by yourself may pose risks as there may be underlying medical conditions that need to be considered before you do it. Your instructor will be the best person to consult with on which breathing techniques will safely and uniquely work for you.
Consult with your doctor or breathing instructor before starting with your breathwork training if you are/have:
pregnant
heart problems
breastfeeding
vision issues
high blood pressure
injuries
surgeries
decreased flow of oxygen in the brain
history of stroke
muscle spasms
ringing in the ears
These medical conditions should not be ignored as breathwork therapy should do good and not cause further harm.
It is time for you to BREATHE! I am certified trauma-informed breathwork facilitator in Baltimore, MD. If you are interested in a 1:1 session with me, click here to book your new client session. I offer employee wellness , community wellness and senior yoga in Baltimore and surrounding areas.
