Breathwork
If I had to choose one practice to do, it would be breathwork. Yogis believe the air we breathe has another substance in it. That substance is prana or life force energy. The more we consciously breathe in this energy, the more vitality we have for life.
Breathwork has been used for thousands of years to reset our energy, fuel our bodies and relax. Think of the mind as the middle man between you and your infinite intelligence. Breathwork transcends the middleman and connects you directly to your source. This allows the body to heal itself physically, emotionally, and energetically. It is the most powerful natural reset I have experienced and is the key to staying present.
Techniques you will Master
I approach this practice with intention then I choose a technique to work with. What you will learn is how to listen to yourself so that you choose the appropriate technique then we will practice together. Working with another person will encourage you to continue the work and you will have the support to let go and feel the breath. We will have time to debrief and integrate the experience. Breathwork is the perfect time to go deep and transcend the monkey mind. Every time we do breathwork we build our mindfulness muscle and the more resilient and joyful we become.
Some exercises are energizing others are calming and some are for healing. The complete breath is something we can do whenever we remember to and eventually it can become our default way of breathing. The techniques I use and teach are…
Complete breathing
Box breathing
Connected breathing
Breath retention
Kapalabhati pranayama
Nadi Shodhana alternate nostril breathing
Two part pranayama
The Benefits of Breathwork
The breath is unique in that it is automatic and also within our control, acting as the gatekeeper to a calmer more aware state of being. Breathwork leads to breath awareness which is anchoring to our breath and in turn ourselves. When we are anchored to ourselves through our breath we are sovereign, clear and open. It’s the space we need to not lose our attention to something else. We are all breathing if we are reading this so you are definitely doing something right but we can all get better and more mindful of our breathing. How we breathe can be a reflection of our overall health and vitality. It is also a reflection of our mindfulness.
Physically we expel a lot of waste through our lungs and by taking full complete breaths we rid our body of harmful waste that can build up over time. We are also purifying our blood with our breath by oxygenating deoxygenated blood. This exchange happens in the lungs, releasing cellular waste and oxygenating the blood.
Breathwork also connects us to our mind and when we focus on breathing our mind quiets. It is very practical to know how to connect to your breath and mind because we have so many distractions.
The Autonomic Nervous System
When we do breathwork that is intense we are engaging our sympathetic nervous system. The fight or flight response is activated voluntarily and the body gets ready for action. When we do this voluntarily we are learning how to respond to an activated sympathetic nervous system with awareness. We are redlining our system ultimately to strengthen it. This kind of breathwork teaches us how to work with stress. We turn on our stress so we can go beyond it.
INTENSE BREATHWORK
Turns on Sympathetic Nervous System
Fight or Flight Response
Transforms Anxiety and Stress
Energetic Reset
Personal Healing
When we do this voluntarily we have the opportunity to transcend intense feelings and experiences through our breath. The feelings, uncomfortableness, and stress, become the fuel for transcendence and expression.
CALM/SUBTLE BREATHWORK
Taps into Parasympathetic System
Slows Heart Rate Down
Stimulates Relaxation and Recovery
Deep Inner Listening
Personal Healing
Long Deep Breaths Through the Nose
There is still a lot we don’t know about breathing but what we know is that over the long run, the way we breathe can have a drastically positive impact on our overall health and vitality. Long deep breaths into the belly and lungs activate nerves that turn on the parasympathetic system, that’s why long deep breaths are relaxing. The deeper and more softly we inhale and the longer we exhale, the more slowly the heart will beat, and the more relaxed we become.
Cost Breakdown: 1 - 2 people $150 - $250. 3 - 20 people $250 - $350
A few books I would recommend.
Just Breathe by Dan Brule
Breath by James Nestor
The Tibetan Yoga of Breath by Anyen Rinpoche & Allison Choying Zangmo
Science of Breath by Yogi Ramacharaka