Using Breathwork to Heal
It’s been said that emotions, traumas, and experiences live rent-free in our bodies. Where does it all go? What happens to our minds or our bodies if we don’t release anything? Recently, I was reading a book about a boy teaching a school course to his classmates. When asked by an outsider, “What are you teaching?” all he said was, “I’m teaching them how to breathe.” When we pause and take a moment to think about it, no one taught us how to breathe; it is natural, innate, an action we do without thinking. As I got more to thinking about this topic, it dawned on me that maybe that’s the problem. If no one is teaching us how to breathe properly, how can we learn how to regulate our nervous system? Maybe it is because breathing without consciously thinking about it keeps us from being present.
I was diagnosed with bipolar 2 disorder last year. Throughout the process of navigating my disorder, I’m learning new things about myself daily. The most challenging aspect of living with bipolar disorder is living with mood swings in constant flux. It’s a feeling of never really trusting what your mind is telling you because it is slightly altered by a disease, and my mood can change week by week, no matter what is occurring externally. This brings me to breathwork, a reliable, conscious technique that gives me the agency to be present, no matter what mood I’m in or what day I’ve had.
Leveraging breathwork in times of distress, fatigue, despair, or even joy has allowed my body to naturally move through emotions, navigate challenging experiences, or release old traumas stuck in the corners of my body.
So, what is breathwork?
“Breathwork is a term for various breathing practices in which the conscious control of breathing is said to influence a person's mental, emotional, or physical state with a therapeutic effect.” aka it helps the mind, body, and soul.
Some of my favorite breathwork practices:
Box breathing
Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Repeat.
Lion’s Breath
Inhale deeply through the nose, exhale forcefully our the mouth with the tongue out. It’s great - ok.
Breath of Joy
a.) Inhale one-third of your lung capacity and swing your arms up in front of your body, bringing them parallel to each other at shoulder level, with palms facing the ceiling.
b. Continue inhaling to two-thirds capacity and stretch your arms out to the side like wings to shoulder level.
c. Inhale to full capacity and swing your arms parallel and higher in front of your chest—or even over your head.
d. Exhale out your mouth completely (if you wish with an audible ha!), bending the knees deeply as you swing your arms down.
Here’s to learning how to breathe more consciously, xx.