Breathwork for beginners
Breathwork is the deliberate control of your breath to effect your mind and body. Whilst breathwork has been around for a long time, it’s only relatively recently that it’s been used as a therapeutic tool in psychotherapy. Multiple studies have shown that deliberate control of your breath reduces stress and anxiety levels. As you inhale and exhale there is a direct effect on your heart rate, which in turn impacts how you experience stress. Controlling your breath therefore allows you to have control over your emotional state.
Alternatively, fast-paced breathing can also be used to simulate stressful situations, which can then be used to practice coping and recovery exercises which increases your resilience to stress.
Breathwork has been scientifically shown to improve conditions such as:
Aches and pains
Digestive issues
Headaches
Blood pressure
Insomnia
Muscular tension
Sexual dysfunction
Low immune function
While there are many breathwork practices, here are some of the basic ones:
Belly breathing (diaphragmatic) - sit or lie comfortably on a flat surface and place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest. Begin breathing deeply into your belly so that you feel your belly slowly rise and fall as you breath (which engages your diaphragm). Unlike normal breathing, your stomach, rather than your chest, moves with each breath, so try to keep your chest as still as possible. This one has been proven to lower blood pressure and heart rate and is great for people with lung conditions.
Box breathing - this is one of the simplest yoga breathing forms and involves four steps: 4 counts breath in, 4 counts of holding your breath, 4 counts slow exhalation and 4 counts post exhalation. This one helps bring us back into our bodies and away from the distractions of the world, so is good to reduce temporary stress.
4-7-8 breathing - inhale for 4 counts and hold your breath for 7 counts then exhale for 8 counts. This one helps with sleep by calming the mind, reducing anxiety and heart rate.
Five finger breathing - this is a simple yet powerful technique to induce deep relaxation by triggering the parasympathetic nervous system. One hand will not move and one hand will trace the other. Hold one hand in front of you, fingers spread apart, and trace the outline of your fingers with the other hand. While doing this, take a slow breath in while tracing up a finger, and exhale while tracing down. Once you’ve traced the whole hand, reverse the direction and trace back to where you started.
Pursed lip breathing - this is a way to slow breathing down. Purse your lips like you’re going to blow a kiss then slowly inhale through your nose and exhale through your pursed lips. This is a good technique for people with lung conditions.
Tips for starting your own breathwork practices:
Find a quite place where you won’t be interrupted
Practice ‘gentle acknowledgement’ of any intrusive thoughts - don’t try and ‘clear your mind’, but simply acknowledge passing thoughts as neither good nor bad but as something to be ‘parked’ for later
Find time in your day when you can do it regularly. Even if it’s just a couple of minutes while your getting a coffee or in the few minutes in the morning before you get out of bed. The key is to consistently practice so that it becomes second nature.
Focus on a word or mantra. It’s useful to choose something that’s relevant to a problem or issue you’re struggling with to create patterns in your brain and nervous system. In times of stress my mantra is just a simple “I’m ok, everything is ok”. Or when I’m struggling with intrusive or unhelpful thoughts I simply say “stop”. It doesn’t need to be buddha level inspiring, just something that works for you.
Practice self-compassion every day. This is the biggest advice I always give my clients. In the age of social media and FOMO, it’s easy to think that other people are better, stronger, wealthier, more attractive, more capable than us. We’re often our own worst enemy, and our harshest critic. But good mental health means being your very best advocate and best friend. So every day ask yourself: am I being a good best friend today?
Good luck with your practice and happy breathing!
