How you breathe comes as natural. Most of the time, it is not something worth paying attention to. In short, it is just a background, despite the fact that it is the very reason why we are alive. As a matter of fact, breathwork techniques only gain significant attention as a solution to managing stress and anxiety. Well, it is easy most of the time, that’s why.
As a natural part of us, breathwork techniques and exercises for anxiety and stress are always effective. Even simply paying more attention to how you breathe can significantly impact your stress and anxiety levels, lowering them. The results are definitely beneficial and help you handle life problems much easier.
Greatly, it is not a secret that there are countless ways to handle your stress, anxiety, and other negative feelings better. Yet, breathwork techniques steal great attention. Well, breathwork is already part of life, after all. By being natural, you don’t need to find a teacher — being efficiently mindful of how you breathe is already effective most of the time.
Continue reading to learn how breathwork techniques reduce stress and anxiety.
How does breathwork techniques reduce stress and anxiety
Technically, being stressed and anxious is much more evident physically. That’s why stress and anxiety are an inconvenience in life, despite the fact that they are completely natural and regular feelings. Nonetheless, it doesn’t mean that people are already immune to them. In fact, your body can always feel under attack when you encounter stressful situations.
When you are in unfavorable or unfamiliar circumstances, you will feel quick changes physically. Common body responses are adrenaline pumps through your system, pounding heart, fast breaths, and sweaty palms. What makes those responses is your body’s sympathetic nervous system. Basically, it is a fight-or-flight mode, which is also a common response to physical danger.
Now, here comes the exciting part: breathwork techniques as the solution. It works well like any other type of breathwork. Purposeful breathwork techniques can successfully calm your body, making it highly effective. The shallow, short breaths from your chest can ease stress and anxiety. You can do it until you already feel calmer to face your current situation.
Additionally, breathwork techniques can provide more oxygen exchange, which is important in releasing tension, slowing the heart, and reducing blood pressure. These physical changes can effectively help you become less stressed or anxious.
Greatly, concentrating on your breathing can bring you mindfulness and a clearer mind. In short, breathwork techniques serve as a counterattack to return your feelings and physical condition to normal. Unfortunately, you can’t completely eliminate stress and anxiety in your body. This is connected to a way that you can’t also completely shut off your sympathetic nervous system.
Even so, relaxed breathing can control such negativities, turning their volume down to make them more manageable.
What you should know before trying breathwork techniques
No matter how good breathwork techniques are, including their health benefits, it is undeniable that there are some risks to be mindful about. After all, how you breathe can be a powerful medium in altering your physical, emotional, and mental state. This is why doing breathwork requires you to be mindful of the impact it can have on your body and physical state.
A risk of breathwork is when you are performing breathwork the includes an intense breath pattern, be mindful of laying or sitting down. My preference is that you lay down if you are new to this type of breathwork.
If during your breathwork experience, you start to feel numbness, tingling, or dizziness, slow down your breath pattern and slowly breath in and out, through your mouth. Taking the practice of breathwork techniques slowly and gently will always be the one which guarantees a more satisfying effect on the body.
Now, the question is why you should learn breathing techniques in the first place? The answer is because of their outstanding advantages to offer. Discover them below.
Advantages of Breathwork Techniques
Interestingly, breathwork techniques are a powerful way to access your body’s innate intelligence to heal itself. Also, conscious awareness of your breath improves physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Now, take a look at these general advantages of breathwork techniques below.
1. Reduces Anxiety, Grief, Stress, Anger, and Depression
Nowadays, few of us haven’t struggled with depression or anxiety. Thus, breathwork techniques are their choice of mind and body relaxation. It offers a safe way to address our moods and take over our personal and professional lives.
Additionally, how we breathe often indicates how we feel. At the same time, shallow rapid breaths make us long deep breaths that can help us feel energized, centered, calm, and grounded.
2. Increase Energy Levels
Daily breathwork techniques allow you to learn to control your energy levels consciously. The body could use this extra energy to boost your energy if you didn’t get a good night’s sleep or a worried night.
3. Increase Presence and Self-Awareness
In breathwork techniques, we’re breathing through our mouth. This is where it creates an experience of deep presence by giving yourself the space where time almost ceases to exist.
4. Increase Self-Love
So many of us struggle to love ourselves fully. Others often get stuck in their head with feelings of unworthiness. To avoid this, simply foster a deeper relationship with yourself. As a result, you are beginning the process of self-love.
5. Help to Reduce Pain
If you are experiencing chronic pains, you likely have tried to distance yourself from your body to ignore the pain. But by distancing yourself from your body, distance yourself from your body’s innate ability to heal itself.
Different Types of Breathwork Techniques
With all the chaos in our lives, others sometimes forget to take a moment for themselves. This leads them to live in a constant state of stress. Now more than ever, mental and physical self-care is important for our wellness.
If you’re already ready to add breathwork to your wellness routine, there are lots of easy breathwork exercises you can add to your schedule.
1. Box Breathwork
Box breathing is known by different names, such as the square breathing technique or 4-4-4-4 breathing. No matter its name, it primarily helps focus on taking slow, deep breaths. Many professionals and athletes use it for stress reduction and improved performance.
As for its benefits, fine box breathing can regulate your autonomic nervous system to make you feel calm and lower your body temperature. At the same time, it is also best for improving mood, treating insomnia, and helping with pain management.
2. Diaphragmatic Breathwork
Diaphragmatic breathwork utilizes the diaphragm, stomach, and abdomen. It works as you use your muscles to force your diaphragm to move while you breathe. In addition, it allows your lungs to fill with more air.
If you have problems with your daily breathing pattern, diaphragmatic breathwork can correct it. At the same time, this type of breathing technique can create a sense of relaxation, lower stress levels, and improve concentration levels.
As it primarily focuses on the diaphragm for the breathing trick, it is quite natural that it helps strengthen the diaphragm while improving the core muscle stability. On top of that, it also supports better management of anxiety, sleeplessness, asthma, and depression.
3. Alternate Nostril Breathwork
Some people use this in their daily exercise, which allows them to practice breath control. It is often done during meditation or yoga as part of pranayama breathwork.
4. Equal Breathwork
If you want an exercise that focuses on making your inhales and exhales the same length. This is the best for you. It is done to make your breaths steady and smooth to help you achieve a sense of calmness and balance.
5. Shamanic Breathwork
Interestingly, a spiritual technique can provide an intense method of healing. In fact, based on the traditions of the Shamans, breathing is used to help practitioners enter a new state of consciousness. It helps to calm them to have a quiet mind.
6. Holotropic Breathwork
Primarily other people use it as a worldwide spiritual practice. It allows you to release negative emotions and access higher consciousness. As a result, holotropic breathwork sessions are held in groups and guided by a trained facilitator. They help participants achieve self-awareness, relaxation, personal growth, and stress relief.
7. Rebirthing Breathwork
Literally, it is often used to access the unconscious mind of people’s deepest desires and thoughts. It helps them heal from traumatic experiences or help uncover unconscious negative memories. Additionally, a rebirthing breathwork session aims to help you build emotional strength. With that being said, you move forward with your life.
8. Transformational Breathwork
Practicing this type of breathwork technique includes anxiety reduction and improved circulation. Thus, it is experienced through a training seminar, private session, or workshop before attempting it on your own.
9. Neurodynamic Breathwork
If you are trying to help provide easier access to breathwork workshops. This type of breathwork has been said to help practitioners increase their creativity. Furthermore, you can also gain more control over your emotions.
10. Pranayama Breathwork
Consequently, it is combined with yoga to allow proper breath control with each movement. So, if you’re into the ancient yogis of the Himalayas, this is the right one for you. Therefore, it will cleanse your body in a spiritual method.
Helpful tips to remember when trying breathwork techniques
Literally, you may notice a difference in how you feel once you take a deep breath and let it out. With that being said, your breath is a powerful tool to ease stress and make you feel less anxious. Therefore, even some simple breathing exercises can make a big difference if you make them part of your daily routine.
Before you get started, here’s what you should know before trying breathwork techniques:
- Find a quiet and comfortable area to begin your breathwork techniques.
- To aid with relaxation, focus on breathing while your eyes are closed.
- As you breathe in, your belly should push out. Breathe in for a count of four.
- As you breathe out, inhale while you draw your belly in. Then, gently and slowly exhale to a count of six.
- You can breathe in thinking of the word “relaxation.” As you exhale, think of “calmness,” “peace,” or any word you feel comfortable.
- Without a doubt, allow yourself to enjoy the sensation of relaxation that comes over your body as you breathe slowly. As a result, you allow tension to leave your body.
- Begin each day with 10 minutes of breathwork techniques.
Many breathwork techniques take only a few minutes. But, you can do them for 10 minutes or more when you have more time to get even greater benefits.
Moreover, people can try breathing techniques for the first time when they are breathing normally and calm. Like you, they may also find it beneficial to practice at the same time every day. Being familiar with a breathing exercise can take time.
Final Thoughts
As mentioned above, there are many types of breathwork techniques. Some range from fairly basic and easy to do at home, while others require a practitioner to guide you.
If you’ve ever taken a deep breath to steady your nerves, you’re familiar with breathwork. Effectively, this article covers what breathwork is and how to harness different types of breathing exercises for anxiety, stress, and other overwhelming feelings.
Keep in touch with us for more guidance about breathwork techniques and meditation.
Interested in experiencing breathwork with Regina? Regina holds two virtual breathwork sessions a month that you can access from anywhere in the world. Check out www.breathewithregina.com and join us for a session!
