Benefits of Breathwork
Benefits of Breathwork and Deep Breathing
The quantity, quality, and circulation of the breath creates the foundation of a vital and creative life. It is a barometer of how much energy we normally run on, and how much reserve capacity we have created for emergencies.
Unfortunately, most people do not breathe correctly and often breathe shallowly and in the upper chest cavity, without pulling the breath into the diaphragm. Of all the positive changes a person can make, learning to breathe deeply and completely is probably the most effective for developing higher consciousness, better health, vitality, and a feeling of connectedness.
Benefits of Deep Breathing include:
- Relaxes and calms the nervous system
- Reduces and removes toxins in the lungs
- Stimulates brain chemicals
- Stimulates the pituitary gland, increasing awareness
- Pumps spinal fluid to the brain
- Readjusts the magnetic field
- Releases blockages in the energetic pathways
- Cleanses the blood
- Regulates the body’s pH levels
- Aids in speeding up emotional and physical healing
- Aids in fighting addictions
- Energizes and increases vitality
Attendees of Breathwork sessions often report the following:
- Addiction recovery
- Alleviation of chronic pain
- Alleviation of depression
- Gaining insight into their lives
- Removing negative thought patterns
- Discovering newfound meaning and purpose
- Increasing creativity and thought
- Experiencing mystical feelings
The 3-Part Breathwork Experience
Breathwork is done when laying on the back and playing the music of one’s choosing. A trained Breathwork teacher usually leads the sessions that can be done individually or in a group session. There isn’t really a “correct” method for Breathwork; what can feel normal to one practitioner may feel awkward or unpleasant to another.
Tips commonly offered to those considering Breathwork are as follows:
- Take complete breaths – Fill the lungs and vacate the lungs completely with every single breath.
- Constant breathing – There should be no gaps in one’s breaths, such as keeping the air inside or out of the lungs. These breaks can hinder the body’s natural tempo, which is essential in the use of breathwork.
- Fast breathing – While staying conscious of the first two breathing tips, also make sure to be breathing faster than normal, but not so fast that the body experiences tension or strain, as this too will disrupt the body’s natural cadence.
While there are hundreds of excellent breathing techniques and ways to use breath, the 3-part Breathwork technique taught by The Art of Sound Healing most closely resembles Holotropic Breathing and is done through the mouth, not the nose. However, a practitioner in one of these Breathwork classes can switch over to the nose if this method become too intense or uncomfortable.
While the effects of Breathwork can often simulate the effect one might feel using psychedelic drugs or cannabis, one of the most valuable benefits of Breathwork is that you can control the intensity and length of the experience without altering your physical body.