Harmony In Every Breath
The breath brings oxygen into the body, making the breath a vital component of our well-being. When we are physically or mentally stressed, our breath is affected. Controlling the breath can help calm us by activating our parasympathetic nervous system to bring balance and harmony back into our physical and mental being.
Though breathwork is an ancient practice, most of the modern breathwork practices that are used today emerged during the self-awareness era of the 1960s and 1970s. Breathwork has been used to promote physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
The benefits of breathwork:
Deep Relaxation
Stress Relief
Mood Elevation
Lowers Blood Pressure
Improved Sleep Quality
Improves side effects of anxiety or depression
Amid the constant rush of today's fast-paced environment, it’s challenging to take a moment solely for ourselves. We find if we do take time for ourselves, we can connect the mind and body. Connecting these parts of ourselves can be accomplished by using the breath. When we breathe with intent, we can feel a sense of calm wash over us, resulting in deep relaxation.
Breathwork has a positive impact on our central nervous system. When we are stressed, our breath tends to become fast and shallow, limiting the oxygen entering our bloodstream. Our brain interprets this as a threat, triggering the fight or flight response or our sympathetic nervous system. However, focusing on our breath can help alleviate this. Breathing slowly and deeply with intent allows more oxygen to enter the bloodstream, in return - activating the parasympathetic nervous system, signaling to our body that it's safe to relax. This allows for a wave of peace to wash over you. Taking time to focus on our breath, even when not feeling anxious or overwhelmed, is important. Slow, deep breathing lowers your heart rate and dilates blood vessels, therefore reducing overall blood pressure.
As mentioned earlier, breathwork can relax the body, by decreasing stress and anxiety. This results in an elevated mood. Taking control of the breath helps us focus on what the mind and body are currently feeling. After we acknowledge this we can redirect the flow of our emotions. This increased self-awareness helps release tension and trauma stored in the body.
Breathwork also enhances sleep quality. Slow, deep breathing has been shown to result in melatonin production which not only promotes relaxation, but is an essential sleep-inducing hormone. Additionally, breathwork redirects your attention away from insomnia-inducing worries and concerns. By practicing breathwork before bedtime, you can improve the duration and quality of your sleep, including deeper and more restorative sleep stages, such as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is essential for overall sleep quality.
There are so many different types of breathing techniques. Some of which can trigger the rest and digest hormones and some of which can increase your energy levels. Our breath is the most important thing we have, it is far more important than food or water. Honing in on your breath can be beneficial to help offer relief from anxiety, depression or fear but it’s also important to note that different breathing patterns can also bring up feelings of anxiety, depression or fear but bringing up trauma. People all around the world are becoming more and more aware of the benefits of breathwork therapy and how it can heal emotional and even physical trauma.
If you want to get more in touch with your breath we have multiple breathwork offerings being lead by some of the best facilitators in Ohio. We incorporate breathwork in our yoga and sound healing classes and we take pride in educating the youth about the benefits of the breath and practicing breathwork in our Aire-Kids Yoga classes. We will be offering multiple breathwork workshops within the next couple of months. At Aire Studios we know how life-changing breathwork can be for EVERYONE! We are passionate on offering our community a diverse range of breathwork classes & workshops so that you can either include this in your journey in becoming a better you or continue to advance and thrive in your current breathwork practice.
Breathwork Workshops coming soon to Aire Studios :
Somatic Breathwork with Sarah Waller
Breathing 101 with Maria Cataland
AcuBreath with Klara Zatloukalova & Melanie Lonas
Neo-Shamanic Breathwork with Klara Zatloukalova
