What is Breathwork?
Breathwork is a type of breathing exercise or technique that people use to improve mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.
During breathwork, you intentionally change your breathing pattern. Our breath can be truly transformative. When we focus on our breath, we learn a great deal about our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual state. For example, when the breath becomes erratic, it is showing us that we are feeling anxious, fearful, or worried. When it is smooth and calm, we are feeling at ease.
Breathwork moves us from our fight or flight mode to our rest and digest mode, allowing us to use our energy to heal, digest, process emotions, build immunity and create harmony, calm, and homeostasis within our bodies.
Sick of Being Sick? Then practice this Breathwork Exercise for Immunity!
1. Slowly bring your attention to your breath. Don't force it or change the breathing pattern, just pay attention to what it's doing and how it feels as the air enters and leaves your body.
2. Use your breath to let go of any tension you're holding in different areas of your body. Send your breath to those areas. Do this for a few breaths.
3. As you inhale, feel your belly expand with air.
4. When you reach the top of your inhale, release the breath, letting go of the tension in your shoulders and neck. Sink into that release.
5. Take another deep controlled inhale and again at the top of the breath, let go of the breath. Think of your exhale as a surrender, surrendering to the breath and to life. Just let it all go.
6. Inhale again slowly, allowing the breath to move up through your body. Feel the expansion of your belly, chest, and even into the shoulders, neck, and head.
7. Release the breath again at the peak, this time with a gentle sigh, allowing your body to sag.
8. On this final inhale, take the deepest breath you have taken all day, slowly and controlled.
9. Release anything else that you need to on this exhale, ensuring you're no longer holding onto anything. Soften your muscles and vocalise on the exhale if it feels right for you.
10. Pause for a few moments allowing your breath to return to its normal breathing pattern. Notice how you feel now in comparison to how you felt before the session.