The way we live is the way we breathe.
Breathwork is a somatic approach based on Conscious Connected Breathing, coupled with many other breathing techniques. It’s a superb tool that can help us:
- reconnect with our sensations and emotions
- explore limiting thought patterns
- align our body, mind and spirit
- safely manage or release our traumas and hence their symptoms, ie. addictions, panic or rage attacks, depression, asthma, insomnia
One breath, this seemingly simple act, encapsulates all the wisdom of human nature. Everyday we take around 25.000 breaths and every one of these breaths follows the same principle. The inhalation, the process of letting the life-force energy in, is an energetic process.
It requires intention and activates the sympathetic nervous system (flight and flight), causing a slight sense of alertness. It requires intention and activates the sympathetic nervous system (flight and flight), causing a slight sense of alertness. The outbreath – the toxins and tension releasing process – activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest, digest, pleasure) and requires the exact opposite: to do nothing, to relax, to just let go.
The wisdom of our breathing mechanism reflects the constant effort of the human body to achieve homeostasis and balance, and acknowledges both states – alertness and relaxation – as essential for its survival and growth. It works as a metaphor for the constant sway between doing and being, between alertness, creation, achievement, motivation, survival on the one hand and peacefulness, pleasure, healing, resting, enjoyment on the other. From our first breath to our last, we nod between two states: “going after what we need, creating the new…” and “appreciating what we already have, letting go of what doesn’t serve us anymore”.
Why Breathwork?
Using our breath as a vehicle, a tool accessible to all people, of all ages, physical state or geographical location, we can change the way we feel and think in every single moment, every single time.
Because Breathwork is a tool for personal empowerment and freedom.
How does it work?
Turning our attention towards our breath, we instantly start the journey within. Sensing our breath, observing whether it is shallow or quick or sharp, whether it moves freely from our nose to the belly or wether it’s impossible to go all the way down, we can assess our physical, emotional and mental state and use a breathing technique that can respond to our specific needs ie, relaxation, concentration, release, alertness.
The benefits of Breathwork
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Empowerment
Every single one of us, wherever we are, in every moment, we can alter our breathing and change instantly the way we think and feel.
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Awareness
Our breath offers way more than the possibility of instant awareness in everyday life. It can be a way through which to realise, manage and let go many thought and behavioural patterns that we carry throughout the biggest part of our life, due to traumatic experience.
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Freedom
Conscious breathing is the most natural and safe way to approach, manage and release trauma, and the symptoms it produces in the physical and emotional level ie addictions, panic or rage attacks, depression, phobias, insomnia.
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Connection
Breathwork can support us to really listen and connect to whatever is going on in our body, and to embody the interrelation between thoughts, feelings and sensations.
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Balance
In a breathwork session we become familiar with “uncomfortable” feelings like anger, fear, sorrow, guilt, we learn to stay present with them, to express them and go way beyond them. Very often, the end of a session finds us in a state of deep inner peace, mental clarity, creative motivation, gratitude and unity.
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Wellness
When our cells get the oxygen they need, the toxins are released, the function of all inner organs is greatly improved and the levels of physical energy are much higher.
Boost your Immune System
Breathing freely and deeply cleanses the airways, strengthens the lungs, increases the blood flow towards our vital organs, detoxifies and reduces drastically our cortisol lives (stress hormone). Although cortisol can be beneficial in activating our protection against infections or external threats, having high levels of cortisol for too long (as it happens with long term stress) is linked with weak immune system, hormonal imbalance, insomnia, digestive difficulties, exhaustion, etc. Research has shown that conscious breathing is extremely effective in managing everyday stress and self-regulating the autonomic nervous system.
