It’s all about our Breath - my training experience so far

 

For the last 3 months breathwork has become a big part of my life. As part of my 400hr breathwork course one of the requirements is to practise a daily 5 minute breathwork as well as a weekly 30 minute conscious connected breathwork.

I have practiced the daily breathwork while out for walks, driving the car, shopping in the town or supermarket, lying on the sofa, relaxing in the bath and on a couple of occasions while trying to escape racing anxiety at night, and often as I’m drifting off to sleep.

 

The breathwork techniques I’ve focused on have been those used for relaxation practises. (There are other types of breathwork which can help to energise and stimulate you too). For me, I wanted to explore ways of bringing the body back into balance and regulate the ‘fight or flight response’ we feel when we’re stressed, using the breath as an anchor to help us to feel safe. This is particularly helpful if we’re feeling a bit ‘up a height’ during the day or experiencing sleeplessness due to anxiety or stress, worrying about what happened today or what might happen tomorrow. 

Anyone can benefit from these techniques though, whether we’re stressed or not. The quality of our breath effects everything in our bodies, invigorating our organs and biological systems, helping our mind to rest and restore, and clearing emotional blockages. On a spiritual level the breath is the key to connect us to our inner selves, used frequently in meditation, we can concentrate on our breath flowing through our energetic bodies, allowing us to keep our spirits lighter, awakened and connected to source.

To begin with the most incredibly helpful point I learnt in the first book I read on my reading list – ‘The Oxygen Advantage’ by Patrick McKeown - Is the importance of breathing through your nose. So many of us are often ‘mouth breathers’ and there is lots of scientific evidence explaining why we should be breathing through our noses, which could a subject for a different blog but I want to mention it very briefly here as I feel it’s something really fundamental that we can easily become conscious of. Adapting to nose breathing is key for optimising the quality of our breath in our bodies. So now that we know that…

These are 3 of my favourite breath techniques that I’ve practised so far.

The box breath is a technique of deep long breaths. It helps to reduce anxiety and stress and helps you to feel grounded and calm. I find it can also make me feel quite energised too. It goes like this… Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4 and hold for 4… repeat. You can continue for as long as you like but you will likely feel the benefit after just a few minutes. The number can be changed to 3 if it suits the breather better. While doing the box breath some people like to visualise a square which can help to take attention away from your thoughts. Within the first couple of weeks of my daily breathwork journey, I led Box Breathing to 17 fellow students online. This was really empowering as I got such amazing and supportive feedback and I realised I can do this! It’s given me the confidence to raise awareness of the benefits of simple and short breathwork practises with my friends, family, kids and partner. I’ve uploaded a video to social media about this breath technique and I plan to record some more techniques.  

Coherence breath is another one of my regular practises. It is a truly beautiful breathwork that can connect us to our bodies in the most heart-felt and loving way. It’s helpful for initiating self-care and learning to love ourselves. I have practised this almost daily for the past 2 months. I can do it easily when I’m around other people as it takes little concentration, and no-one seems to notice that I’m doing it. It is very balancing, as you breath in for 5 seconds (with no hold) and exhale for 5 seconds. Again, this can be adjusted if you find it easier to breath for 4 seconds then do that. I led this breathwork in my festive willow wreath workshop. It was the first time I’d led a group breathwork face to face as opposed to online, and it felt amazing as we all breathed in unity together for 5 minutes. Some of the benefits of the breath technique as well as the others that I talk about, are improved heart rate viability, reduced blood pressure and inducing feelings of relaxation.

 

For the last few weeks, I have been practising the 4,7,8 technique. I love this breathing exercise, I find it so good to relax my nervous system, after just a few rounds I feel blissfully chilled out.

With this breathwork I have really noticed a difference in my ability to stay calm in stressful situations, particularly on the school run! As well as being great for helping you get to sleep, the long breath hold allows your body to replenish its oxygen, from the lungs outward, this technique gives your organs and tissues a much-needed oxygen boost.

 

As part of my training, I have also been practising weekly Conscious Connected Breathwork. This is a type of breathwork which is facilitated by a trained breathwork facilitator. Through this I’ve been able to acknowledge, process, embrace and let go of a lot of emotion that I’ve had stored up. The key thing that I’ve learnt is that my breath has its own unique intelligence of my body.  I don’t need to think, I may feel resistance to it sometimes but it’s all about trust and knowing that my breath will find it’s way to clear any stagnant energies that I have. This has sometimes resulted in a release of emotions, or it has given me blissful, nurturing and relaxing experiences. Whatever healing has taken place during the Conscious Connected Breathwork I know that it is what I have needed at the time. I feel like this weekly practise has benefited me so much over the past 3 months. After a tough couple of years I’m looking forward to things to come, feeling bright, with more awareness of my dark edges and more at peace with them.

I know that I’ll continue to practise this breathwork as it has such a valuable place in sustaining my wellbeing on all levels. I have now also started to facilitate Consciousness Connected Breathwork and holding space for others in this way, through group and 121, to provide people with a portal into their own breathwork self-care and healing journeys. I am also going to be incorporating various breathworks to my Forest Bathing events. It feels so fitting that we connect and breathe in synchronicity with trees - they breath out and we breath in.

In terms of my daily breathwork, I’m looking forward to moving into more energising practises such as alternate nostril breathing, breath of fire and lung stretches and seeing how they can support me as I continue to grow and learn.