What Exactly is Breathwork All About?!
As a Trauma-Informed Breathwork Facilitator, regularly practising as well as teaching and holding space for others’ breathwork, I can sometimes forget that what breathwork actually is and actually does can feel a bit mysterious. It might sound ‘woo woo’ but there is solid science behind it! Read on if you would like to understand a little more.
We all breathe all day every day, naturally and without effort or thought, even in our sleep. What constitutes ‘breathwork’ is when we place conscious intention behind or attention on the breath. Various breath patterns can be utilized, depending on the desired outcome – how we want to feel after the session or what we want the session to support. Through this, we experience the powerful and transformational potential of our breath. And, through this, the potential of ourselves. It really is that simple and that powerful.
We’re living in a space and time where we’re busier than ever. We’re somewhat disconnected from our bodies. We’re on auto-pilot. We experience feelings and emotions that we don’t fully deal with or process. Or perhaps don’t even notice. We can bury or over-ride these feelings, self-medicate, distract ourselves, be overwhelmed by or repress or deny them. For many of us, the default is stressed, anxious, worried, tired, overwhelmed. For most of us, at least some of the time, we are not fully present in our minds and bodies. This isn’t our choosing, it is just how we have become conditioned, a result of life’s challenges and expectations and how society ‘functions’.
Health problems, disease, blocks and unhelpful patterns in our lives are often created from unresolved emotions. What these unresolved issues are and where they came from is less important than just being able to process them. Repeatedly ignoring or over-riding emotions, stress or issues results in the body and mind absorbing them and this has significant negative health and wellbeing repercussions. “Ignore it and you store it”.
Breathwork can process stagnant emotions and feelings in the body and support us in connecting to our highest potential and infinite resources. It is a practice of deep connection to our bodies to liberate the intelligence and energy contained within our systems. It offers a holistic way to heal, release, and transform. It is also supremely beneficial to our nervous system, body and overall health.
It can also be wonderfully relaxing, down-regulating or upregulating, depending on what is needed in that moment! Learning breath patterns that we can effectively, quickly and discretely use to change our state (e.g. to bring more energy or to calm anxiety) is an added benefit that breathwork sessions equip us with for life.
Benefits include:
· Immediate stress reduction & anxiety relief.
· Connection with our emotions & our response to them.
· Revitalise our organs.
· Access our higher power.
· Reduce toxins in our body & provide an energetic release.
· Increase energy & mental clarity.
· Deepen our relationship to & understanding of our body.
· Release trauma that has been stuck in our system.
· Increase access to our intuition, higher self and source energy.
· Tools & strategies to take into daily life.
Having space held by a trained and qualified breathwork facilitator supports the safe, trauma-informed processing and/or releasing of what is no longer serving us. Having a skilled, trained guide with you ensures that we go ‘to our edge’ but never beyond it and that whatever arises is safely and compassionately met.
Breathwork allows us to be still, be with ourselves, and breathe and feel through our experiences and our feelings. Safely, easily, naturally and beneficially. It really is as simple as that. It really is that simple and that powerful.
Further reading:
‘Breath, The New Science of a Lost Art’, James Nestor
‘The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma’, Bessel Van Der Kolk
‘When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress’, Dr Gabor Mate
