The Benefits of Breathing Well
There is nothing more essential to health and wellbeing than breathing: we breathe in and out thousands of times a day without taking any notice of HOW we breathe. As one of our automated bodily functions, we can breathe from the moment we leave the womb until our last few breaths on earth. Yet, as human beings, we have lost the ability to breathe properly, and dysfunctional breathing is much more prevalent than we realise.
“Why do I need to learn how to breathe? I’ve been breathing my whole life.”
We assume that we are breathing correctly just by the fact that we are alive. But stress, fatigue, illness, and anatomical variations can make us ineffective at breathing. For example, chronic nasal congestion resulting in mouth breathing puts our body into a state of fight or flight: increasing our heart rate, blood pressure and reducing the quality of sleep. Over time, this results in increased risk of chronic disease including heart disease and stroke.
Ever heard of phone apnoea? When emailing or on our phones, most of us hold our breath without realising. We are increasing our sympathetic drive (responsible for our fight or flight response) and stress hormone levels.
People who suffer with chronic pain, chronic fatigue or Long Covid often have dysfunctional breathing due in part to the effort of breathing but also a dysfunctional autonomic nervous system. Our autonomic nervous system is responsible for all the automated functions in the body including blood pressure control, heart rate, digestion, breathing and temperature control. When it is impaired, dysfunctional breathing patterns occur such as shallow rapid breathing. This is far more common than we realise.
Our ancestors had much bigger mouths and stronger jaws: a result of chewing raw and whole foods. In contrast, we are often fed a diet of overcooked, pureed or softened food resulting in smaller oral cavities and weaker jaws. Dental problems are much more prevalent now due to the lack of space in our mouths, and nasal breathing can be more difficult with smaller air spaces.
Our breath is inextricably linked with our entire body and mind; affecting our emotions, mood, energy, immune system and nervous system. It is the magical gateway into our body allowing us access and manipulate our nervous system. When our body perceives danger or stress, it responds by activating our sympathetic nervous system and breathing becomes quicker and more shallow, in preparation to flee from danger.
Conversely, if we slow our breathing down, adopting deep abdominal breathing through our nose, this reduces the stress response and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for rest and repair. None of this is new. Tibetan monks taught breathwork thousands of years ago, and it has been used in the East for centuries in practices such as Tai Chi and Yoga.
What is Breathwork?
Breathwork is the technique of using the breath to alter our nervous system or stress response. It involves conscious breathing to get us “out of our mind and into our body”, allowing us to be more present and to reduce stress, promote calm, improve health, energy, sleep and in some cases process emotions that we have not dealt with. Breathwork is a powerful, free and accessible tool that anyone can use to help promote a sense of calm and relaxation. The body cannot ignore the breath- it is the master of our nervous system.
“When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace” Anon
“The breath is the bridge that connects life to consciousness” Thich Nhat Hanh, 1975
Who is Breathwork For?
Everybody and anybody can benefit from breathwork. Ancient Tibetan monks taught 5 year old children the art of breathing before they learnt anything else. Teaching young people the art of breathing to control emotions and stress arms them with a powerful tool to use throughout life. For all of us, having an awareness of how we are breathing can help us understand our bodies better, and alert us to signals that something is not quite right.
When we are scared, we hold our breath.
When we are stressed we breathe more quickly.
When tired we breathe more shallowly.
When in pain, we breathe quickly.
When we are tired we yawn to draw in more breath.
When we are relaxed or asleep we breathe deeply.
By understanding how and why we breathe, it can help us tap into our body and mind for a better understanding of health and wellbeing.
Breathwork can help with:
Stress
Fatigue
Pain
Trauma
Poor sleep
Anxiety
Respiratory conditions
ADHD
Perimenopause and Menopause
Supporting the immune system
Depression
Where Do I Start?
To understand more about the science and effects of breathing, read James Nestor’s book, “Breath: the new science of a lost art”.
If you are new to breathwork, it can be helpful to start out with a breathwork coach in group sessions or 1:1 to learn the different techniques and tailor them to your needs. Biorigin can arrange 1:1 breathwork sessions for you with our highly experienced breathwork coach.
There are also several apps and websites that can also provide more information and guidance including:
Apps: Flourish and The Othership
Websites: https://oxygenadvantage.com/ or https://www.thebreathguy.com/
Top Tips to Get Started
Don’t overthink it- just try it out and see how it feels
Practice lying down with your hand on your abdomen and taking in deep breaths to make your slowly hand rise
See if you can manage nasal breathing throughout
Try the simple technique: in for 4 and out for 6
Allow any natural pauses in breath
GOOD LUCK.. Give it a whirl!
BREATH: THE MOST POWERFUL FREE TOOL YOU POSSESS