Hi,
I'm Shana Bryant and welcome to my Insight Timer channel.
I'm really glad you are here.
In this talk,
I want to share a tiny bit about my background and give you a short introduction to breathwork.
Breathwork is an ancient practice that started gaining popularity in the 1960s.
Breathwork is often used as an umbrella term to describe a broad array of focused or active breathing exercises.
There are many,
Many ways to practice breathwork.
I've recorded a few styles and I'm eager to learn which one is your favorite.
Intentional or focused breathing,
Even in short settings,
Can have profound effects.
Breathwork can help us connect deeper to our bodies,
Release stress,
And be more present.
The list goes on and on from there.
Know that every breathwork experience might feel different.
Sometimes breathwork can give you a floaty,
Relaxed feeling.
Other times it may stir up some emotions that you have stored far,
Far away and maybe not taken the time or had the opportunity to fully explore and express them.
I encourage you to approach your breathwork practice with a sense of curiosity.
I've been practicing breathwork for over a decade and I started leading or facilitating breathwork about five years ago.
You might be surprised to hear this,
But I'm not what you would call a go with the flow super relaxed person.
Not what you would expect a meditation teacher to say,
Right?
But here's the thing.
My clients,
The people who come to me for breathwork,
They are not leisurely folks either.
They are,
For the most part,
Busy professionals who want to learn quick and effective ways to handle the stresses of their daily lives.
I learned about breathwork and immediately started sharing the practice with a few of my Pilates clients.
Before we started working out,
I would invite them to take a few deep breaths.
And the effect was so dramatic.
I witnessed the stress melt away.
I found that my clients were more focused and more present during the session as well.
Of course,
We all breathe all the time naturally.
But when we shift our focus to breathwork,
When we add intention to the breath,
That's where the magic happens.
If you are new to breathwork or if you've been practicing for a few years,
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you explore.
Two major things.
One,
Build your way into longer sessions.
It's OK to start small.
We can move so much.
You can do a lot of really big things in even a short amount of time with breathwork.
So it's totally fine if you need to start off with,
You know,
With a five or eight minute session and build your way up.
Number two is keep in mind that breathwork is going to feel different almost every time you do it.
It's really hard to curate your experience.
Just imagine that you are practicing breathwork and kind of showing up for whatever your body and your breath wants to show you that day.
Try to let go of any expectations.
So now why don't you give it a try?
Bring your hands to your low belly or maybe one hand to the belly and one hand to the heart and take a deep breath in.
And then let all the air go out.
Again,
Big breath in.
And let all the air go out.
Do a couple more rounds and notice how you feel.
Notice what you feel.
Again,
I'm Shana Bryant and I'm really looking forward to practicing breathwork with you.
