Breathwork is becoming an increasingly popular mind-body medicine. Celebrated books such as “Breath” By James Nestor[1] and “Do Breathe” by Michael Townsend Williams[2] highlight that what links our body, mind and emotions is the breath. Our breathing reflects how stressed we are; when we are tense, we breath fast and shallow; when we are calm, we breathe more regularly, taking deeper and slower breaths.
Yet breathing is not just a reflection of our emotional state; we can actively use the breath to change the way we feel. We’ve all been told that taking deep breaths can help to calm us down in stressful situations, but not many people know that deep breathing for just sixty seconds is all it takes to rid our bloodstream of cortisol. When we are anxious, the prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for rational thinking—becomes impaired, which is why stressed people don’t usually react well to being told to “calm down”. Stress makes it hard for us to think straight, but with the right breathing techniques, we can regain mastery of our mind and, therefore, our nervous system. All we need to remember is to make a long exhale.
The key to relaxation is to do the kind of abdominal breathing that comes naturally to a baby, inhaling through the nose and filling the belly with air before exhaling through the nose for longer than the inhale. Breathing through the nose allows the nose hairs to filter the air and purify it. The long exhale stimulates the vagus nerve that runs from our brain stem to our abdomen, activating the parasympathetic nervous system and shutting off the stress response.
Because of its relaxing effects, breathwork has some impressive health benefits. Scientific studies show that slow breathing can boost the immune system, lower blood pressure, improve sleep and digestion, help blood circulation, increase muscle tone, manage pain, strengthen the lungs, boost the lymphatic system and remove toxins, as well as mental health benefits such as lowering anxiety and depression, improving mood and self-esteem, heightening focus and creativity.[3]
Breathwork is not just used for de-stressing, however; different breathing exercises do different things. For instance, “double breathing” (taking fast inhales and exhales) can boost our energy levels, while alternate nostril breathing (breathing through one nostril while blocking the other, then reversing) can increase brain coherence by connecting the two hemispheres of the brain (as the left nostril increases activity in the right side of the brain while the right increases the left.)[4]
“Iceman” Wim Hoff has demonstrated how different breathing techniques can even be used to influence supposedly involuntary responses of the nervous system, enabling incredible feats to be performed such as running barefoot marathons in the snow, swimming under ice sheets as well as being in full body contact with ice for nearly two hours. His techniques have become so popular that thousands of people have trained in the “Wim Hoff Method” to withstand extreme cold using a combination of breathwork, meditation, yoga and frequent cold exposure.
Hoff’s techniques have similarities to the “pranayama” breathwork practised in yoga and the Tibetan Buddhist practice “Tummo” (which means “inner fire”), involving a combination of breathing techniques and visualisations to raise body temperature. One Harvard study of meditating monks in the Himalayan mountains found that practising the Tummo technique raised the temperature of the monks’ fingers and toes by an astonishing 17 degrees while lowering their metabolism by as much as 64% (compared to sleeping, when our metabolism drops by 10-15%).[5]
Breathwork is not just a tool for spiritual practitioners, extreme athletes and wild swimmers, though; it can also be used for emotional release and self-healing. Breathwork has become popular for treating a wide range of issues, including anxiety, depression, anger, chronic pain, grief, and trauma. Research highlights how different emotions correlate with different breathing patterns, so changing how we breathe changes how we feel. The reason why breathwork can help with emotional release may also have something to do with the myelin sheath—the protective layer which surrounds the neurons of the brain. Ayurveda holds that many of our negative memories are stored within the myelin sheath, and that breathing techniques such as yogic breathing move fluid through the channels of the brain to flush out the imprints of those memories. The benefits of breathwork are not just relaxing but lifechanging.
*This is a short exert from my upcoming book "The Ripple Effect: Healing Ourselves, Healing Our Planet", to be released November 23, 2024
[1] Nestor, J. (2021) “Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art”, Penguin Life
[2] Townsend Willams, M. (2015) “Do Breathe: Calm Your Mind. Find Focus. Get Stuff Done”, The Do Book Co
[3] 15 Breathwork Benefits: “The Science Behind Breathing Practices” (2021), www.othership.us (accessed 20/08/22)
[4] Garg, R. et al (2016) “Effect of left, right and alternate nostril breathing on verbal and spatial memory”, Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, 10(2): CC01- CC03, www.researchgate.net, 9accessed 16th July 20220
[5] The Harvard Gazette, (2002) “Meditation dramatically changes body temperatures”, www.news.harvard.edu (accessed 20/08/22)
Comments