Just breathe
According to the Chopra centre, breath work can benefit your mind, body and spirit. Below is a clip from their website to describe how it affects us:
Body
When you think of breathwork, you probably think of the physical aspect of breathing—the inhaling and exhaling of air. Breathing is a vital part of life; it helps deliver oxygen into your bloodstream and remove carbon dioxide.
Completing a full breath cycle involves your whole body—your chest, belly, back, and mind. It takes effort to coordinate all elements of the breath, even though the simple process seems effortless.
The physical benefits of deep breathing are often immediate. By breathing deeply, you can activate your parasympathetic nervous system, and in turn slow down your heart rate and lower your blood pressure—creating a feeling of calm. You also rely on your diaphragm instead of your chest, inviting your neck and chest muscles to relax and engage your abs and a larger amount of oxygen to reach your body’s cells and organs.
When your body is operating under “fight-or-flight” response, or stress, it releases a surge of hormones (such as cortisol and adrenaline) that causes your breathing to speed up, increases your pulse and blood pressure, and puts you in a state of hypervigilance. Deep breathing can help reverse this response and relax your body.
Try this: Next time you practice breathwork, focus on the physical aspects of your breath:
Watch your chest and belly rise and fall.
Notice the temperature and moisture of your breath.
Tune into the muscles and bones moving in your body.
Observe how your body feels when you shift from shallow to deep breathing.
Mind
In addition to reversing the physical stress response in your body, deep breathing can also help calm and slow down the emotional turbulence in your mind. In fact, there are studies that show breathwork can help treat depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
Breathwork can help you reach a deeper state of mind. While in this state, you may be able to access buried emotions, grudges, and traumas, and ultimately release yourself from their grip on your mental state. Breathwork is often used to help those who have mental health issues and is seen as a way to calm and focus your mind.
Try this: Next time you practice breathwork, focus on your mind:
Be aware of the thoughts in your head, but don’t attach to them.
Feel what emotions come up.
Notice your inner voice.
Visualize the intention you set for your breathwork practices.
Spirit
Breathwork can also be spiritual. When you practice, you can move beyond your body and mind, and connect with your core spirit—your Self. In other words, you can remove your ego and connect to your true Self and the Universe. Many people who practice breathwork experience spiritual awakenings or attunements to their inner being.
Try this: Next time you practice breathwork, focus on the spirit:
Feel the universe filling you with air on your inhalation.
Experience the life force (prana) flow through you.
Allow yourself to make space for this energy within yourself.
Feel how this energy connects you with a deeper part of your Self.
As you exhale, send the energy to all the living things around you.
Again, thank you to the Chopra Centre for those techniques above.
A couple other breathwork practices to try out are:
The 4-7-8 breathing technique, also known as "relaxing breath," involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds. This breathing pattern aims to reduce anxiety or help people get to sleep.
The Wim-Hoff Method. While sitting in a comfortable place, take 30 quick, deep breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Then, take a deep breath and exhale; hold until you need to breathe in. Inhale again, as deep as you can, and hold it for 10 seconds. Repeat as many times as you like.
Advantages of the Wim Hof Method breathing exercises:
Stress reduction.
Faster recovery from physical exertion.
Better sleep.
Improved sports performance.
Enhanced creativity.
More focus and mental clarity.
The Wim Hof Method is also linked to reducing symptoms of diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, asthma, sarcoidosis, vasculitis, and several autoimmune diseases.
And so in times of uncertainty and stress, I hope this has given you a few tools to help you feel less fear and anxiety and remain in a state of calm. ✨
