Breath work may be the latest craze in the wellness world, however, it is far from new.
The historical significance of breath work dates back thousands of years. Globally, Indigenous cultures have used multiple forms of circular breathing techniques as a rite of spiritual passage. Similarly, breath prayer practices in Christianity can be dated back to 600 AD.
For centuries, practices such as Pranayama have helped unlock ethereal pathways to strengthen the mind-body connection, release tension, and support healing.
But what is breathwork, we all breathe every day, right?!
Let us ask you this though- When was the last time you did nothing but breathe? Phone down. Eyes closed. All your awareness directed to your breath?
Notice your breath at this moment. Are you taking calm, deep breaths? Or are you holding your breath entirely? For an essential, life-sustaining act that should be second nature, human beings aren’t always the best at breathing.
You may be surprised to learn that everything in our body is governed by the breath—our bones, blood, tissue, organs and cells all have a rhythm in which they breathe and operate within us. When under stress, panic, anger or fear, the breath quickens and shallows. This is called ‘under breathing.’ In our fast-paced modern lives, many of us actually under-breathe most of the time, meaning that simply put, we breathe in our chest and not in our belly where breathing is designed to happen.
Poor breathing triggers a cascade of negative reactions and has real physiological outcomes. Over time, this can affect the immune system, mental well-being and emotional resilience.
Learning how to utilise the power of the breath and retraining ourselves to breathe more efficiently and more effectively is so empowering. Which is where breath work comes in.
Utilising the breath on and off the mat
Many people first get a taste of breath work on their yoga mat or in a meditation practice. However, increasing numbers of people are seeking out stand-alone classes on breathing, even without the yoga and/or meditation component.
True breath work practice is about the intentional manipulation of breath. The practice continues to gain traction because of its versatility and efficacy. Simple practices can create huge, noticeable results quickly. Whatever the motivation for practising, from well-being to mindfulness to increased vitality, there are breath practices that help support you.
Many people are now taking the power of the breath off the mat, and into their daily lives, where it can really be put to use with incredible benefits.
Unlike meditation, where we are aware of our mental chatter, breathing exercises allows us to disconnect from the mind and reconnect with our body and energy. While meditation is an extremely useful form of self-reflection, it also keeps us stuck in our mind, while many people are seeking to get out of their own heads. Breath work can be easier to drop into when you are seeking more immediate feedback. It’s a great tool to pull out when you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or off-centre.
What is Breath work?
Breath work is a broad term for any set of exercises or techniques that involve mindfully changing your breathing pattern for a certain amount of time.
Some of these exercises can be more intense, while others can be done daily for a few minutes at a time, as a way to check in with yourself and hit the reset button.
In a society full of people constantly breathing shallow breaths into their chests, instead of their bellies, learning new techniques to engage with and deepen your breath can have profound effects on your overall wellbeing.
Different types of practices
Breath work can also be thought of as an active meditation used to usher stagnant energy out of the body and help reframe the nervous system’s response to stress or trauma. The practice can relax the mind and help you become more present.
Just like there are different types of yoga, there are different methods you can try. It is an umbrella term for all kinds of varied intentional and conscious breathing practices. Yogic pranayama are often used in combination with movements and mediation, Holotropic breathwork is often used as a spiritual and therapeutic practice, while the Wim Hoff method combines breathing techniques with cold immersions and movement to train the body and mind.
When should you use breath work exercises?
Breath work exercises can be integrated into different parts of your day depending on what you hope to gain from them. As you might expect, energising breathwork should be practised at times when your energy levels are low; this will often be right after you wake up, or during the body’s natural lull around mid to late afternoon. Think of anytime that you would have normally reached for a cup of coffee to supply a burst of energy, and replace that with a breath work practice!
The Benefits of breath work
Stress Relief
Breath work offers a very safe way to address stress and anxiety. Shallow rapid breaths make us anxious and on alert. While long deep breaths that originate in the abdomen can help us feel calm, centred and grounded. Deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which takes us out of the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). Activating your parasympathetic nervous system slows down your heart rate, lowers your blood pressure and naturally lowers stress and anxiety.
Reduce depression
Neuroscientists have made a direct correlation between an increase of alpha brain waves and reduced symptoms of depression. Breath work is an effective way to shift your brainwaves from beta to alpha and even theta. This can decrease negative thought patterns and depression levels. In 2017, researchers found that people who engaged in breathwork practices for 12 weeks had a measurable decline in depressive symptoms.
Sharper Focus
Having a hard time staying on task? Breath work has been shown to have the power to boost our attention span. Breathing in a regulated way can balance the natural chemical messenger in the brain that affects attention and certain emotions, and ultimately enhance focus. So often we skip around between tasks, juggling a dozen different things at a time. Taking a few moments to pause and empty the mind can create a clean slate. This allows you to step back into life with greater focus and mental capacity.
Pain Management
Deep breathing causes the body to release endorphins. These endorphins can help to reduce sensitivity to pain and boost pleasure, resulting in a feeling of well-being. Deep belly breathing has a very therapeutic effect on chronic pain. It relaxes the muscles which otherwise tense up as a result of pain and in turn further aggravate the pain itself. Multiple studies have found that slow, deep breathing can reduce the perception of chronic pain or help patients better cope with physical discomfort.
Increase Energy
Breath work improves oxygen capacity in the blood which leads to overall improved energy levels and stronger stamina. The body can use this extra energy to support your immunity and help ward off stress. With a daily breath work practice you can begin to learn to consciously control your energy levels and continue to boost your immune system at the same time.
Improved Sleep
Stress, diet, caffeine, stimulants, work, technology- there is so much in modern life that interferes with our sleeping patterns. Breath work helps to calm the nervous system. In turn, this reduces the effects of stimulants and calms stress, allowing you to get a better night’s sleep. Over time, enjoying a short breath work practice before bed can be a powerful way to get much more restful sleep.
Releases Toxins
Over 50% of the toxins in your body are meant to be expelled through breathing. The main toxin that’s being expelled through the breath is carbon dioxide. Through the practice of deep rhythmic breathing you’re expanding your diaphragm which massages your lymphatic system and helps eliminate toxins. Deep breathing also assists the circulatory system, improving blood circulation, another major channel of elimination and detoxification.
Improved Digestion
Conscious breathing can help the digestive process by stimulating and increasing blood flow throughout the digestive tract. Breath work has also been shown to reduce the uncomfortable symptoms of bloating and gas. Stress greatly inhibits the body’s ability to digest, because digestion is placed on hold when we are in a state of fight or flight. Breath work switches the body back to the parasympathetic nervous system which is where digestion can happen with ease.
How to start your own practice
These days it is very easy to start your own practice at home. There are an infinite amount of resources for breath work online, or you can also likely seek out breath work classes or courses at local yoga studios or health centres close to you.
At Escape Haven, we love introducing you to breathwork on retreat, bu you can also enjoy practising breath work with us online. Below are links to some of our favourite breathwork classes taught by our passionate and experienced breathwork teachers.
These are suitable for all levels and are easy to incorporate into your day or self care routines.
Below are 5 classes you can enjoy over 5 days to experience a different variety of breath work exercises and breath work meditations. This is very gentle breathwork that allows you to simply discover and tap into the power of your breath and how it can support you in daily life- either to reduce stress, boost energy or bring you back to your centre.
Escape Haven Breath Work Challenge
Breathwork challenge day 1- Click here.
Breathwork challenge day 2- Click here.
Breathwork challenge day 3- Click here.
Breathwork challenge day 4- Click here.
Breathwork challenge day 5- Click here.
Try Breath work on a Bali Retreat!
On your luxury Bali wellness retreat you have the chance to try breath work during your morning or afternoon yoga classes. The breath work practices are suitable for all levels and you have a chance to try different styles and sample all of the great benefits.
Want to become a breath work teacher? Join our breath work teacher training!
If you LOVE breath work and would like to become and accredited teacher, you can also join our online Breath work and Mediation Teacher Training.
