Mindful breath work is a powerful tool that can help both our daily well-being and long-term healing.
I’ll take a risk and say the majority of us are not educated on the importance of mindful breath from a young age or possibly ever within our lives and that’s just a gross societal oversight in self-healing awareness. Because breathing is an involuntary function, we don’t need to think about it to survive. But if we never focus on our breath, we miss out on the opportunity to connect with ourselves and learn about how we can better respond to internal and external triggers.
It’s not just about emotional health either, when we are aware of our breath, we are able to use it effectively to help regulate our nervous system and emotions, reduce stress and anxiety, improve our immune system, sleep and digestion, increase mental clarity and energy levels and so much more.
Any time you bring awareness and intention to your breath, you are practicing breathwork.
What Is Breathwork?
While it sounds like quite an official practice, breathwork doesn’t have to be complicated. Breathwork refers to any conscious or intentional breathing exercise. Any time you bring awareness and intention to your breath, you are practicing breathwork.
The simplicity can make a significant impact. A simple shift from rapid, shallow chest breathing to slower, deeper belly breathing can lower heart rate and blood pressure and give us the physiological relief we need in a very short amount of time. I see the breath as a shortcut to healing and expanded restorative function.
Breathwork can also include guided work, like types of Pranayama, which is the yogic practice of controlling the breath to expand prana (energy). A guided Pranayama sessions are hour-long journeys set to music that allow people to share intentions, do the work and feel supported in a safe container. They get to scream, laugh and move their bodies to shift energy around—it’s illogical, joyous and doesn’t gloss over the dark places.
Two Breathwork Exercises You Can Do Right Now
Breathwork is a practice that can take you deeper into healing, and it can be a stop-gap, need-it-right-now solution to calming anxiety or stress in the moment. Try these two exercises next time you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, anxious or in need of a break.
1. Elongate Your Exhale
Inhale deeply through your nose and release your breath through your mouth as slowly as you can. By slowing down and lengthening the exhale, you are stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls the ‘rest and digest’ functions, decreasing your heart rate and calming the body and mind. It's recommendable placing a hand on your belly or heart to help you stay present and grounded in your body as you begin to bring yourself back to a place of balance.
2. Inhale for Five, Exhale for Five
It’s meant to increase our intention when we breathe to a five count nasal inhale followed by a five count nasal exhale. Use this cycle, which works out to six breaths per minute, for five minutes a day (or as often as you need it). You can see the difference in your face afterward and less tension in your temples, jaw and shoulders, You will love it!
One Final Breathwork Tip
Breathwork of any kind is a beautiful way to do a full system check, return to our bodies and relax, but it is work. The brain doesn’t give in so easily, so it may send false distress signals like cramping, tingling and temperature change when you first begin.
While some people can easily engage and become devout in their practice, others might not feel a connection right away—and that’s okay. But I encourage everyone to try it because the opportunity to heal with breathing is so available to us and can truly save lives.
"Conscious breathing helps us thrive, not just survive."
You know the motto: More Action, Less Blablablabla.
Ivette
Source:https://www.wellset.co/blog/how-to-harness-your-breath-for-healing
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