Why Bother with Breathwork?

Why Bother with Breathwork?

There are so many incredible reasons to dive into a regular breathwork practice. So many! But let’s start with what is, in my opinion, the most simple.

1. Feel Better!

Breathwork makes you feel better. And who of us does not appreciate feeling better!  As we come to (what we hope is) the end of a global pandemic and I reflect back over the emotions that I have experienced during the past year and a half, I will admit that my emotional repertoire was: sadness, fear, anxiety, uncertainty, and depression playing on a relentless, continuous loop that would not let me go. It was during this time that I (very gratefully) discovered breathwork myself.

Breathwork helps you feel better almost immediately, during your very first session. No need to spend countless hours at a gym sweating it out for 6 months while you hone your skills and technique to experience noticeable results. It’s fast and efficient at shifting your state from anxious and crappy to calm and peaceful. It’s swift!

How does it achieve this swift shift? Consider my reason number two to give a cracker about breathwork:

2. Step Into The Present Moment

Breathwork demands that we be fully conscious with our breath. It is a simple practice that pulls us into the present moment.

Think about it – why do we feel sad or mad or anxious? Usually because we are focusing our attention on some past event that caused us pain and discomfort, or we’re focused on a future event that we dread or are frightened about.

When we focus our attention on the past or the future, we drag whatever it is that we are focusing our attention on into the present moment, and we become oblivious to what is actually happening around us in the present moment, or what is even possible.

But, when we consciously shift our attention to our breath we pull ourselves out of the quagmire of past and future, into the present where we can experience what Dr. Joe Dispenza refers to as the fullness of the generous present moment (love that juicy description – the generous present moment… Yes, that’s where I want to show up!).

The present moment is where you want to be, because that’s where the magic of life shows up. Believe me when I tell you, the magic of life is not hanging out in the memory of the heartbreak you suffered when your cheating first true love named Bob made out with your (ex) best friend, Shelly, one day after he dumped you… Nor is the magic of life to be found in the fear of losing your job or coming down with a rare form of incurable cancer at some point in the near or distant future…

The magic of life can only found here and now, friend.

Another reason to practice breathwork is that over time we have become a population of abominable breathers, and that’s bad news. Very bad news… because how we breathe affects our health, our mood, and our physicality. Bad breathing habits affect our very being, which brings me to reason number three:

3. Stress Buster

Modern life is both helpful and harmful. We live at a pace that is fast, furious, and overwhelming. And while the way we live provides great convenience and opportunity, it also generates a tremendous amount of stress – and that stress affects us to the core.

When we are stressed the sympathetic nervous system kicks in, dumping loads of stress hormones (adrenaline, cortisol, and the like) into our system and generating a fight, flight, or freeze response. This was a terrifically efficient response ages ago when we were part of the food chain and we encountered a predator. It got us out of harm’s way and once we were safe the parasympathetic system would kick in, to ensure a swift recovery from the stress response, and our system (body) would return to a state of balance. 

These days our stress response is in overdrive due to the amount of stress we encounter each day and our bodies fail to transition to recovery mode. As far as our bodies are concerned there’s a tiger drooling and smacking its’ lips at every corner because a stress response, is a stress responses, is a stress response… Your body can’t tell the difference between a tiger, an overdue bill, an angry spouse, or an axe murderer. It just responds to stress.

When we are stressed out our breathing becomes quick, shallow, and short. Our muscles tighten and our posture shrinks in on itself. We get all balled up and end up with our shoulders hanging off our ear lobes and tension cinched across our back and neck for hours or days at a time and that’s not a good situation. Over time this situation will take it’s toll on our general health. 

However, with a quick hit of breathwork (and by quick I mean 5 – 10 minutes) you can stimulate your parasympathetic system and return to a state of balance any time. Your body will relax and you will feel so much better!

These are but a few good reasons to consider taking on breathwork and there are so many more, from heart health and improved sleep to better mental focus and enhanced creativity. I’ll be sure to add a few more articles addressing these benefits so check back soon, and until then, sit down, shut up, and breathe…  ;o)