The term ‘breathwork’ is commonly used to describe a practice of consciously controlling your breathing patterns to activate specific effects on your body, mind, and energy state. By intentionally manipulating your breath, you can influence how you feel, either calming and regulating your system or activating and enhancing it. There are a variety of breathwork techniques, each designed to support different outcomes, helping you connect more deeply with yourself and the present moment.

Breathwork is a powerful tool for transformation and healing, and the best part is that it's natural and always available to you. Throughout the day, our sensory nervous system gets overloaded without us even realizing it, triggering our sympathetic nervous system and the fight-or-flight response. Breathwork helps you tap into your parasympathetic nervous system, relieving mental, physical, and emotional tension, and bringing you back to a state of balance and harmony.

Stress Reduction

Activates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering blood pressure and improving overall cardiovascular health.

Improved Mental Clarity

Enhances focus, concentration, and decision making.

Enhanced Emotional Well-Being

Releases stored energies held in the subconscious and promotes a sense of inner peace.

Better Sleep

Calms the mind and body, helping to improve sleep quality and combat insomnia.

Increased Energy Levels

Boosts energy and vitality, promoting alertness and a sense of being grounded.

Strengthened Immune System

Enhances oxygen flow and circulation, and helps to release toxins in the body.

Pain Management

Reduces the perception of pain and provides relief from chronic pain conditions.

Enhanced Creativity

Clears mental blocks, stimulating creativity and innovation.

Improved Respiratory Function

Strengthens the respiratory muscles and improves lung capacity.

Greater Self-Awareness

Fosters a deeper connection with yourself and can be an entry into altered states of consciousness.

Breathwork involves the deliberate manipulation of breathing patterns to influence physiological and psychological states. Here is a basic understanding of what is going in the body from a scientific lens:

Autonomic Nervous System

Breathwork involves consciously influencing the autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary bodily functions like heart rate, digestion, and respiratory rate.

Oxygenation and Endorphin Release

Breathwork involves consciously influencing the autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary bodily functions like heart rate, digestion, and respiratory rate.

Diaphragm Strengthening

Deep breathing techniques strengthen the diaphragm, the primary muscle involved in breathing. This allows for better oxygen intake and carbon dioxide removal, improving overall lung function.

Lymphatic System and Circulation

Deep breathing supports the lymphatic system, which helps remove waste and toxins from tissues. It promotes the circulation of oxygen-rich blood throughout the body, enhancing overall circulation and vitality.

Respiratory Alkalosis

Rapid or deep breathing can lower carbon dioxide levels in the blood, leading to respiratory alkalosis (increased blood pH). The alkalization of your blood pH helps your body to function at its very best.

Mind-Body Connection

Studies have indicated that mindful breathing techniques activate the amygdala (the emotional regulation center of the brain), reducing negative emotions and stimulating positive changes in mood and cognition.

Breathwork can have some distinctive effects on the body due to its impact on the autonomic nervous system and the increase of blood flow. Here are some examples:

Dry Mouth or Throat

Mouth breathing can reduce saliva production and lead to a parched sensation.

Temperature Fluctuations

Altered breathing patterns can lead to sensations of warmth, coolness, or alternating temperature changes throughout the body.

Tetany

This is the term for an involuntary cramping, tightening, tingling, paralyzing, or numbing sensation in the hands and/or feet and even the face.

Dizziness or Lightheadedness

Hyperventilation can cause a reduction in carbon dioxide levels in the blood, resulting in feelings of dizziness or lightheadedness.

Emotional Release

Crying, laughing, screaming, or sighing are some examples of the body releasing stored

energy.

Paralyzation or Muscle Immobility

The activation of the sympathetic nervous system, the body's "fight or flight" response, can lead to heightened physical sensations, including muscle tension and a sense of being unable to move.

Yes! Breathwork is your body's natural regulation system and your innate born superpower. As with anything, you should always listen to your body's intuition, and while it can be highly uncomfortable, you should never push yourself to the point of pain and never practice breathwork while driving or in water.