Today I wanted to dive a little bit deeper into the world of breathwork.
This might be the first time you've heard this term before.
So what actually is breathwork?
Breathwork is consciously working with the rhythm of your breathing in order to change your physiological state of being.
We can use the breath to move from stressed to calm,
From anxious to present,
From distracted to focus.
Cultures like the Hindus,
The Buddhists and the Chinese have been using breath-based practices to keep well and stay in balance for many thousands of years.
The beauty of breathwork is that it is accessible to everyone.
Everyone on the planet has the potential to benefit from breathwork.
And there is a multitude of different exercises and practices that can fit in anyone for any point in their life.
You don't need to practice it for a long time before you feel the benefit.
Breathwork has an instant physiological response.
When we alter the rhythm of our breathing we begin to alter our heart rate,
Blood flow and can alter our brainwaves.
A lot of styles of traditional meditation take practice and take dedication before we can begin to really feel the benefit.
A simple practice of 10 minutes daily can have huge effects for someone over a long period of time.
Working with these breathing techniques can help to alter your physical health too.
With breathwork we can expand our lung capacity,
Strengthen our diaphragm and improve the potential to breathe with more ease.
So where do I start I hear you ask?
When working with students I always bring them to the simplest and most difficult breath practice there is,
Breath awareness.
Awareness of breath is all about focusing your mind on your breath,
Becoming aware of each breath that you take,
How it feels.
The goal here is not to become distracted in thought but to remain focused on the breath.
Let's try it for the next 5 breaths.
Focus completely on your breath,
Keep your eyes open,
Feel each inhale,
Feel each exhale.
Maybe you begin to notice the difference in sensation between the inhale and the exhale.
Just notice what you notice,
Feel what you feel.
And then how was that for you?
Let me know in the comments below how you experienced that simple exercise.
And lastly if you want to try some easy and accessible practices then I suggest that you check out my insight timer page and I'd love to hear any feedback that you have.
Breathwork has the potential to transform your life and I greatly encourage you to give it a try,
See how it works for you and what it can bring for you in your life.
Thank you for listening and if you've enjoyed this track and you've got all the way to the I just want to say that I appreciate you and if you've got any feedback please leave it in the comments below.
