5 Benefits Of Breathwork

We all know breathing is not only good for us, but a vital process of life. Most of the time, we aren’t even aware that we're breathing, it just happens automatically while we go about our day. While that kind of breathing is certainly important for keeping us alive, a true breathwork practice is about the intentional manipulation of breath.

By intentionally changing the depth and the rate of your breathing pattern, you can experience many physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits. In fact, it’s one of the simplest, cheapest and most effective ways to optimise your wellbeing. And the best part? You already have everything you need to get started - your breath!

So, let’s dive into 5 healing benefits of breathwork:

Deep breathing techniques decrease stress by increasing your calm and communicating with the brain to relax and release your endorphins, aka feel good chemicals. How we breathe often indicates how we feel. In the way shallow rapid breaths make us anxious and tired, long deep breaths that originate in the abdomen can help us feel calm, centered, grounded and energized. The reason for this is because deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which takes us out of fight or flight (the sympathetic nervous system). By activating your parasympathetic nervous system, which slows down your heart rate and lowers your blood pressure, you’re creating a deep feeling of calm and reducing your overall stress and anxiety.

Breathwork improves oxygen capacity in the blood which leads to overall improved energy levels and stronger stamina. The brain requires a great deal of oxygen to function and breathwork helps us to achieve clarity and be more productive. The quality of our breath helps to relax the mind and enhance the ability to learn, focus, concentrate and memorise.

Breathing detoxifies and strengthens our immune system. Did you know that around 70% of our toxins are released from our body through our breath? The main toxin that’s being expelled through the breath is carbon dioxide. Through the practice of deep rhythmic breathing you’re expanding your diaphragm which relaxes the body and massages your lymphatic system which helps the elimination of all those toxins. You are also strengthening your lungs, which directly affects your toxin release. 

Throughout each day, we are bombarded with stimulants, as well as the stresses and strains we carry, which are ultimately responsible for negatively impacting our sleep. Thankfully, the deep breathing we practice in breathwork helps to calm the nervous system, which in turn reduces the effects of stimulants and calms the stress, allowing you to get a better night’s sleep. Additionally, quieting the mind, which breathwork does so well, allows you to fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply.

Breathwork creates an experience of deep presence and self-awareness by giving yourself the space to go within. It connects us to our true essence, to our heart, to our higher self. Breathwork helps us to become conscious of our thoughts, feel more confident, increase our energy levels and be more mindful of what we are putting into our bodies. It can also help relieve anxiety and negative thought patterns. When your body is vibrating during breathwork and you are fully in the experience, it is hard not to feel that deeper connection with yourself.

It is clear that breathwork offers an array of magical benefits, and it does so immediately. The practice is truly life-changing; give it a try for yourself to see, first-hand, how breathwork can change your life.

Are you ready to join me on a journey with your breath to unlock your full wellbeing potential and optimise your health? I recommend you get started with breathwork by signing up to Show Up & Shine, this program was designed to introduce you to different types of breath to use in your daily life.