What is Breathwork?
WHAT IS IT?
You’ve seen clips of it on social media, or tried some Wim Hof breathing before an ice bath.. perhaps you’ve even seen it appearing in your office or local pilates studio!
Breathwork is slowly infiltrating the mainstream but is actually an ancient modality that spans across multiple cultures (Qigong, Pranayama, Kiko, Tummo, Sufi breathing etc).
It is an umbrella term that describes practices that use the conscious control of breathing to affect physical, mental and/or spiritual states.
HOW CAN IT HELP ME?
The breath is so powerful because it is the only process in our autonomic nervous system (heart beating, digestion etc) that we can also consciously control.
Doing so allows us to communicate directly with our nervous system, which sends the signals to the body to prepare it for fight/flight, or rest/digest.
With practice, we can use our breath to identify where our nervous systems are at, and guide it along the scale to where we would like it to operate more from - whether that’s generating more energy for action, or releasing it’s grip on our being for rest and healing.
The effects are often felt immediately, but can even be felt days after an experience.
There are many different techniques that can be utilised for various outcomes including (but not limited to):
improving sleep
calming anxiety
trauma release
increasing stress tolerance
increased focus
emotional healing
improved athletic performance
better digestion
mental clarity
reducing stress
Sounds too good to be true? I wouldn’t have believed it until I experienced it either
HOW CAN I GET STARTED?
1) Get clear on what outcome you are hoping to get out of it.
Do you want some tools to manage your stress levels?
Are you looking to dive deeper into yourself and release past traumas?
Are you just curious and want to experience something new?
Do you just want a good night’s sleep?
2) Find a practitioner.
Since there are so many practitioners and styles, I would say choosing your practitioner is more important than the ‘style’ you decide to try.
Do your due diligence to see if you would be comfortable with them holding space for you, and if they are trauma-informed if you think you’ll need that level of support.
BREATHWORK /w KAIZBEN
My personal approach is to support you to find safety, groundedness and clarity in the face of whatever is gripping you.
Whether that is teaching you techniques to better regulate your own nervous system, or guiding you through a more potent, and immediate release through transformative breathwork, I seek to help you raise awareness about areas of avoidance, and build confidence to BE with every one of your experiences.
Some clips on instagram from previous transformational breathwork sessions:
More SPACE in the mind, & in the body
“I haven’t felt joy through there in so long”
As a somatic practice, we don’t have to talk about any energy that has moved. Often, creating (literal) breathing room is all someone needs to clear the fog and get back on track.
However, if you find yourself reverting to old patterns, I would recommend doing deeper inner work to bring these subconscious old patterns into awareness and dissolve them.
Unless the internal source of tension is resolved, the body will continue to take the shape of it’s grips.
Since the applications of breathwork are so broad, I encourage you to book in a call to discuss what you’re looking to get out of it, and if you’d like to work with me.
May your breath carry you back to freedom and clarity.
Hi, I am Ben.
If this post resonated with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
I help people live freer & more powerful lives by dissolving chronic pain of the mind, body & spirit.
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I post practical tools and inspirational reflections drawn from lives of real people, nature’s wisdom, and the wonderful world of art.
