Breathing by Leighanne

THE BENEFITS OF BREATH WORK
Breathing. It is something we do, all day and every day. Every human needs to breathe to live: the process allows oxygen into the body and in turn expels carbon dioxide. Since breathing is automatic, we don’t ordinarily think much about it. So why should we focus on something as simple as our breath? I encourage you all to continue reading so that you can better understand how conscious, controlled breathing can reduce stress, increase alertness and boost our immune system.
How often have you been told “just breathe”? Frightened? “Take a deep breath.” Hurt yourself? “Breathe, breathe, breathe.” Giving birth? “Keep breathing.” When you start to think about it, the majority of natural calming rituals focus on your breath and utilizing its power.
Deep breathing decreases stress by increasing your calm. When you become stressed or anxious, your brain releases the stress hormone called cortisol and your body kicks into the sympathetic nervous system which induces flight, fight or freeze mode. By taking deep breaths with a long exhale body switches to the parasympathetic nervous system, which communicates with the brain to relax and releases your endorphins…those feel good chemical in your brain.
Similarly, deep breathing lowers blood pressure. As muscles relax, your blood vessels dilate, which improves circulation and lowers blood pressure. Deep breathing also slows and regulates the heart rate, which also helps with lowering your blood pressure.
So what exactly is breathwork?
Don’t feel intimidated if you’ve never had a formal meditation or breathwork practice--many breathing techniques are simple enough to practice at home, during a work break, first thing in the morning, or before bed. Even if it seems like an “up-and-coming” wellness practice in the West, people in the Eastern part of the world have been practicing breathwork for thousands of years and it is quite simple to work you’re your daily routine.
Breathwork describes a group of exercises that teach you to manipulate your breathing rate and depth with the goal of bringing awareness to your breath. Although they may go hand in hand, breathwork and meditation are not the same thing. Meditation asks you to focus on your breathing, but rarely involves changing how you breathe. In contrast, breathwork is all about controlling the way we breathe and improves our breathing patterns and oxygen flow. Meditation involves sitting quietly and paying attention to the present moment—our thoughts and sensations, which can be intimidating and stressful to some; breathwork requires more active participation. Generally people feel more comfortable starting with breathwork because they don’t worry that they are doing it “wrong”, which is sometimes the case with meditation. Breathwork can offer a quicker means of achieving a calm and relaxed state, which can then lead more naturally into a meditation practice.
What are the different types of breathwork?
There are many types of breathwork practices, some ranging from fairly basic and easy to do at home, to others requiring a practitioner to teach you the practice. Here are some breathing exercises you can try safely and easily at home. Once you get started with a regular breathwork practice (even if it is only 2 minutes in the morning and evening) you will develop a means of calming your nervous system when you most need it.

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       Box     Breathing. This     exercise, which mental health practitioners commonly recommend,     involves visualizing a square shape and focusing on that, and then     breathing in deeply for a count of four. Then you hold your breath     for a count of four, and exhale for a slow count of four. After,     hold your breath again for four counts before taking another     four-count inhale.
   
   

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       Diaphragmatic     Breathing.     Taking a breath from your diaphragm, between your chest and abdomen,     can help you achieve deeper, more expansive breathing. Sit     comfortably (or you can lie down), with your knees bent and your     shoulders, head and neck relaxed. Place one hand on your upper chest     and the other just below your rib cage. This will allow you to feel     your diaphragm move as you breathe. Breathe in slowly through your     nose so that your stomach moves out against your hand. The hand on     your chest should remain as still as possible. Tighten your stomach     muscles, letting them fall inward as you exhale through pursed lips.     The hand on your upper chest must remain as still as possible.
   
   

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       4-7-8     Breathing. Rooted     in Pranayama, 4-7-8 breathing is another way to calm and ground     yourself by counting your inhales and exhales. Start by exhaling,     and then take a fresh breath in through your nose to a count of     four. Hold your breath at the top, for seven counts, and then exhale     any negative energy out for a full count of eight. Then, repeat this     breath cycle three more times for a total of four cycles.
   
   

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       Ujjayi     breathing: Seal     your lips and start to breathe in and out through your nose. Take an     inhalation through your nose that is slightly deeper than normal.     Exhale slowly through your nose which constricting the muscles in     the back of your throat. If you are doing this correctly your     inhales and exhales should sound like waves in the ocean. If you are     having trouble getting the sound and the rhythm for your breath,     open your mouth and exhale the sound “haaah”, the same sound     you’d make if fogging up a mirror. Get comfortable with this     sound. Then close your mouth and attempt a similar sound through     your nose. It may sound similar to snoring or some people think it     sounds a bit like Darth Vader. The breath is loud enough to be     audible if someone was sitting next to you.
   

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       Alternate     Nostril Breathing. This     type of breathwork, known as Nadi     Shodhana in     Sanskrit, also originated in Pranayama. The act of strategically     breathing in one nostril at a time has been shown to reduce anxiety.     It’s not as simple as the other breath exercises, but you can     certainly try it at home. First, take your right hand in front of     your face and with your right thumb, close your right nostril.     Inhale through your left nostril, and then plug it shut with the     right ring finger. Both nostrils should be plugged at the top of the     breath. Now, open your right nostril and exhale through that side.     Repeat the practice, now inhaling through the right nostril and     plugging the left with the right ring finger, pausing at the top,     and exhaling through the left nostril. This is one circuit; keep     doing this circuit a few more times.

In order to get you more comfortable and familiar with these exercises, I will be providing videotaped instructions on each of these breathing techniques over the next few weeks. So be sure to check your email each Monday for a demonstration of that week’s breathing exercise.
Beginning your breathwork journey presents you with an opportunity to collect “tools” that you can have in your toolbox that are readily available to help you in times of stress. The more you practice, the more accessible the tools will be when you require them because the breath with be automatic. Start small. Develop a practice of two minutes of breathwork in the morning and the evening. Then begin to build upon the practice. I’m certain you will want to do so once you feel the benefits. Remember, you are starting something new, so don’t get discouraged. These are positive exercises, meant to decrease and not increase any anxiety or stress. So always remember that any time you need instruction or further information, I am here to assist and guide you.
Sending you all wishes of health and happiness--
Leighanne