So, you’ve heard about breathwork, you might have even tried it or been practising a while. Whether you have never dipped your toe in or you are a breathwork fanatic, here are 5 facts you might not have heard before about the medicine of breathwork.
All Breathwork is not the same! Yes each style has its benefits but they all offer something different. Whether you are doing Pranayama, Conscious Connected Breathwork (the main medicine I share), functional breathwork or Wim Hof style you will not be getting the same benefits from each of them. With some styles you can learn the technique and guide yourself, with others you need to be led due to them guiding you into altered states of consciousness. Want to learn more about the different styles of breathwork? I wrote a little something HERE.
Breathwork is the gateway to the nervous system and also the emotions. Our emotions are a direct response to the nervous system state, so it makes sense that if the breath is directly linked to the nervous system, it is also directly linked to the emotions too. With this any conscious breath, you can support the release of emotions and regulate your nervous system at the same time. Some styles will draw you into this more quickly, some will take dedicated practise. Which brings me onto numero 3 👇👇
The way in which you breathe affects your emotions and your emotions affect the way you breathe. It is a symbiotic relationship. So which one comes first I hear you say? Well, it’s a bit of a chicken and egg type situation. If you know you are someone who feels all the feels (join the gang 🙋♀️) you can shift your state with the breath. So, next time you are feeling a certain emotion, whether you are someone who feels a lot or not, bring your awareness to your breath and notice how you are breathing. Intrigued and want to explore this a bit deeper? Jump into my breath awareness meditation, as a little daily dose to start bringing more awareness to how you are breathing.
How you breathe is linked to your overall health. 95% of the population are not breathing correctly, and when we have a dysfunctional breathing pattern our body cannot find its way back into homeostasis and balance; the state where our body can heal from illness and injury. No wonder we are in an epidemic of chronic illness and dis-ease in the world.
Breathing in different parts of the lungs will activate different parts of the nervous system. The upper half of the lungs are directly linked to the sympathetic nervous system, the fight/flight response. This is also massively linked to a stressed response in the body, and when breathing in a prolonged way in the upper lungs can cause chronic conditions. The bottom half of the lungs is linked to the parasympathetic nervous system. Our rest and digest, and healing state. There is a reason why when someone is stressed, or anxious people say to take a deep, slow breath! It physically shifts your state of your nervous system into a calmer, more receptive state.