What is Breathwork

What is Breathwork and Does it Work?

Did you know that by simply altering your breathing technique, you can bring radical improvements to your mental, physical and spiritual health?

Slow-breathing, fast-breathing, paced-breathing, and a few other techniques have different impacts on the human body, and consequently, they can be used in a strategic and well-designed breathwork practice.

Introduction to Breathwork

We need to understand what breathwork is before moving on to the techniques. Breathwork is a term that encompasses a wide variety of breathing techniques and procedures. People frequently engage in activities to improve their emotional, bodily, and spiritual well-being. Breathwork is changing your breathing rhythm on purpose. Breathwork therapy is a type of therapy that involves breathing in a mindful and organized manner. Anyone who tries breathwork will have a unique experience of their own.

Breathwork as a Therapy

Wellness practices, especially those in group settings, are very beneficial for people who care about physical and mental well-being.

Consulting a proper breathwork teacher or enrolling yourself in a breathwork program can help you achieve many health benefits from the chosen breathwork technique as a breathwork practitioner would supervise you, hence the fear of doing it wrongly will be eliminated.

Perhaps one of the most wonderful characteristics of embarking on the breathwork journey is that there is no need of consulting a doctor or conducting deep medical research on your body before you get involved in the practice. You can do it easily without the consultation of a doctor or a trainer.

Take the necessary care of responding to any breathwork techniques and even if you experience any adverse feelings, there is no need to worry as negative emotions are equally welcomed in the breathwork universe as positive ones.

Introduction to Breathwork

Holotropic Breathwork

Holotropic Breathwork is a therapeutic breathing method that can help you cope with emotions and evolve your consciousness. Dr. Stan Grof and Christina Grof, a husband and wife team, founded Holotropic Breathwork in the 1970s. 

According to some evidence, it may be beneficial for relaxing, stress alleviation, self-development, or self-awareness.

Rapid breathing might be overpowering or uncomfortable, but practitioners can always ease up if the feelings become too much. Breathers are urged to push through (as comfortably as possible) and this is considered an insightful approach that the breathwork technique aims to help its users with.

Spending quality time in a safe environment, concentrating on more serious life issues, knowing how to assist others, believing in your power to heal, and growing empathy are possible outcomes.

Deep Breath Breathing Technique

It’s also known as belly breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, or abdominal breathing, and it has been shown to help you relax. It can also help you relax tight muscles and lower blood pressure. It may be simpler to avoid bad choices if you discover healthy relaxation techniques. Anxiety makes it more difficult to make healthy decisions, such as choosing healthy foods or finding the motivation to work out. You can be more attentive while you’re calm.

Deep breathing necessitates relaxing the stomach area while taking a deep breath. As we breathe in, we start to fill the air sacs in the lungs and enable the lungs to expand, which will cause the diaphragm to move. We let the air out on the exhale as the muscles relax and the chest wall pulls back into its original position. We may slow our breathing technique by concentrating our minds and entering into an altered state.

One could argue that mental health is just as, if not more important, than physical health. Taking care of mental stress is also important as one keeps monitoring their vitals such as their blood pressure or blood flow. How can breathwork help reduce stress? The human autonomic nervous system also includes the parasympathetic system; different activities such as mild exercise, meditation, yoga, diaphragmatic breathing, and even nature hikes are all viable choices. Traditional meditation may be unappealing to some people. It’s all about figuring out how your body meditates and what helps you unwind.

Breath control can be part of a meditation or mindfulness practice, and breath-focused mindfulness doesn’t have to entail breathing techniques. While some yoga breathing is comparable to diaphragmatic breathing, it can also be quite distinct. Some breathing techniques in yoga, for instance, require people to keep their lips closed. When practicing diaphragmatic or deep breathing, doctors recommend breathing in via the nose and out through the mouth.

Alternate nostril breathing is another breathing technique that is simple to practice yet full of benefits.

Wim Hof Method

First, trainees are taught how to breathe deeply and controllably. This can be done on its own or with cold treatment, which involves exposing the body to extremely cold temperatures for many minutes. The Wim Hof Method is built on three key elements: breathing, cold therapy, and commitment.

As easy as it may seem, nobody can truly reach the heights of their accomplishments without being dedicated and working hard towards their goals. Wim Hof breathing method (WHBM) mixes hyperventilation (HV) with voluntary breath-holds (BH) at low lung capacity. Coaches and athletes are progressively using it to enhance their efficiency.

In addition to this practice’s benefits, a 2020 study found that a single session of Wim Hof breathing increased cycling production by minimizing perceived effort and speeding up the time it takes for oxygen supply to adapt to exercise requirements.

So there you are. Whatever the breathing technique might be, a person who has medical history must consult a physician. Once you do it the right way, it is pure magic!