Breath

Throughout history the breath has been used as a powerful tool for transformation, from yogic breath practices in ancient India, Qigong in China, to spiritual and healing ceremonies in indigenous cultures around the world. These cultures all have a deeper understanding of the breath, and the effect conscious breathing has on our body and mind.

A lot of us breathe very unconsciously throughout the day, taking short, shallow breaths. These exercises disrupt your normal patterns of breathing by having you take deep full body breaths, alternate breathing between nostrils, or breathing rapidly in and out of the belly. There are a wide range of practices, each with their own unique effects on our health and wellbeing. These practices don’t need to be incorporated into every day. Once you’ve tried them out a few times and you get a feel for how you respond to them, you can start to use them in a more prescriptive way. 

Even in small doses these practices can help calm down our nervous system, ground us in our body, increase our energy levels and mental clarity, clear out stuck emotions, and help us develop a deeper awareness of the sensations in our body. As with most things in the world of meditation and spirituality, these practices can be taken to great depths. When done for long enough, practices like holotropic or soma breath can bring us into altered states of consciousness. This can lead to deep healing by releasing trauma and stuck energy in the body. If you’re interested in exploring that side of things I would recommend working with a breath work facilitator who can guide the session, and who can handle whatever material or experience comes up for you.