Breathwork: A Beginner's Guide

In a world of constant stress, stimulation and struggle, Breathwork could well be the antidote that you’re looking for. In this beginner’s guide you’ll learn how to cultivate the breath for greater focus, reduced stress and emotional release.

We’re all aware that breathing is essential for our survival, but most of us do it without much thought or care. We usually breath quick and shallow, which perpetually increases our levels of stress and anxiety.

Breathwork trains us to nurture the breath. To breathe with great focus and control. To breathe slow and deep and deliberate. It brings us back into balance by improving the flow of oxygen and stimulating the relaxation response (opposing the fight-or-flight-response).

It also reminds us that breathing is truly one of life’s greatest joys.

What is Breathwork?

Breathwork is a popular practice with ancient eastern roots. It involves conscious control of the breath to influence your mental, emotional and physical state.

The basic idea is to nourish your mind and body when you breathe in and release toxins and stress when you breathe out.

A variety of Breathwork practices exist, some with practical applications and others with more spiritual intentions, but each uses a system of breathing to bring about change within the practitioner.

Breathwork can be a deeply relaxing experience but it can also be a moving experience. You may observe light headedness, tingling limbs, muscle cramps, lucid visions and outbursts of strong emotions.

The benefits of Breathwork

There are a number of benefits that accompany Breathwork and deep breathing practice. Many of them, similar to the benefits of meditation. These include:

1. Improved focus and concentration. Breathwork can improve your focus and ability to concentrate. Regular practice helps to quiet the mind and increases your capacity to ignore distractions, both internal and external.

2. Reduced stress and anxiety. According to the Mayo Clinic there’s sufficient evidence that intentional deep breathing can help to calm and regulate the autonomic nervous system (ANS). This promotes the relaxation response and produces feelings of calm and composure.

3. Improved mood. Breathwork promotes relaxation and the feel good chemicals that accompany it. Regular practice develops a more positive mood and sense of well-being.

4. Better sleep. Breathwork can help to calm the nervous system at night and make it easier to fall asleep. It may also improve quality of sleep.

5. Emotional release. Longer and more intense Breathwork sessions can produce lucid visions and outbursts of strong emotions, unique to each practitioner. Techniques such as Holotrpic Breathing are claimed to release repressed emotions and promote inner healing.

Some people find Breathwork to be easier than meditation, as counting gives them a more tangible focal point.

Just be aware that there are a lot of exaggerations surrounding Breathwork. It’s not a magic pill and it can cause discomfort in some people. You should consult your physician before practicing any of these techniques and work with an experienced instructor if possible.

Styles of Breathwork

There are many styles of Breathwork for you to explore. Each has a slightly different focus and level of intensity. The choice can be overwhelming at first, so I recommend starting with deep abdominal breathing. That’s the simplest and safest technique to learn.

Abdominal breathing – Abdominal breathing, also known as belly breathing and diaphragmatic breathing, encourages full oxygen exchange by using the lungs more effectively. Instead of breathing shallow and into the chest, you breath deep into the belly and fill the lungs with air.

Abdominal breathing is easy to learn and is a popular stress management technique. It slows the heart rate, lowers blood pressure and develops a state of calm.

Pranayama – Pranayama is the yogic practice of controlling the breath. “Prana” means vital life force, and “yama” means control. It is said that through this practice you can improve the flow of energy within the body and attain higher states of awareness.

Different types of Pranayama direct different activities within the body. These include alternate nostril breathing, victorious breath, cooling breath and breath of fire. The aim of Pranayama is to connect body and mind.

Holotropic Breathwork – Holotropic breathwork is a technique that was developed in the late 1960’s by the Czech-born psychologist, Stanislav Grof. The name Holotropic means “moving towards wholeness” and the method combines accelerated breathing with evocative music.

The aim of Holotropic breathing is to induce an altered state of consciousness and promote healing within the practitioner. Healing that could otherwise not be attained through an ordinary state of consciousness. People often experience lucid visions, uncontrollable spurts of emotions, and muscle cramps during the practice.

Other styles of Breathwork include Transformational Breathwork, Shamanic Breathwork, Box Breathing, 4-7-8 Breathing, and the Wim Hof Method. You can learn more about each of these techniques by following the links.

How to begin practicing Breathwork

With so many techniques and so many schools of thought, it’s easy to dither whenever you start something new. You feel overwhelmed and put off practicing because you “need to learn more”. Or, you continue searching for the perfect technique, all the while failing to develop any technique.

I always ask myself, “Is the goal to learn 100 techniques poorly or master just a few?”

That helps to quell the excitement and focus on just one new skill. If you can practice once or twice daily, until you’re competent, until you’re consistent and until you experience the benefits, then you’ll be far better off.

And, you’ll have stronger foundations to build more skills upon.

Pick one Breathwork technique from the list above and practice it everyday for a minimum of 30 days. Sit with it, play around with it and become one with it.

Once you notice the effects, you can explore the other techniques.