Breathwork For Emotional Regulation
Although it may be having a moment, Breathwork has been around for thousands of years and has been used within many cultures and as part of different traditions and practices. And with research abounding, there is now growing evidence to support its many benefits, from calming the mind and elevating our mood to regulating emotions and altering our current states.
Join me as we explore the basics of breathwork, the science behind it, and some of its powerful benefits.
What is Breathwork?
Breathwork is the practice of intentionally manipulating the breath and changing our breathing pattern to help shift out of physical, mental or emotional states. There are a number of breathwork techniques, but essentially breathwork is about bringing awareness to and consciously controlling the breath.
Why Breathwork?
Breathwork is commonly used to calm our minds and bodies in moments of stress. The key reason being that our breathing rate is controlled by our Autonomous Nervous System, which is responsible for our fight or flight responses. This system is made of two parts: the sympathetic autonomic nervous system, which triggers responses within the body, and the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system, which helps to calm our system, conserve energy and restore tissues.
In moments of stress, our breath becomes fast and shallow, but by consciously controlling the breath, we help to kickstart the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system, allowing us to enter a state of calm and relaxation.
How often have you been told to ‘take a deep breath’ during a stressful or emotionally charged event? That is because the breath holds the power to calm our internal systems and regulate our emotions and responses to stress.
Breathwork and the Subconscious Mind
While some breathwork techniques help calm our minds and bodies, other techniques are used to access the subconscious mind, where we are able to process and release emotions and traumas within the body. “According to cognitive neuroscientists, we are conscious of only about 5 percent of our cognitive activity, so most of our decisions, actions, emotions, and behaviour depends on the 95 percent of brain activity that goes beyond our conscious awareness.”
Breathwork has been shown to alter our brainwaves, moving from beta to alpha or theta brainwaves which are most often connected to the subconscious, meditative states and the state between wakefulness and sleep. Breathwork can thus facilitate our journey into the subconscious, where we are able to rewrite our unconscious programming and process suppressed emotions and trauma.
Is Breathwork Scientifically Proven?
Numerous studies have been undertaken in recent years that prove the many benefits of breathwork, from the psychological to physiological. “Specific breath practices have been shown to be beneficial in reducing symptoms of stress, anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, attention deficit disorder, and schizophrenia.”
There is also research to support “that breathing exercises (e.g. pranayama breathing) can enhance parasympathetic (inhibit neural responses) tone, decrease sympathetic (excitatory) nervous activity, improve respiratory and cardiovascular function, decrease the effects of stress, and improve physical and mental health.”
Breathwork Techniques
There are several breathwork techniques, including Diaphragmatic Breathing, Rebirthing, Holotropic Breathwork and Pranayama. There are also a number of exercises, including 4-7-8 breathing, box breathing, breath of fire and belly breathing, all with a variety of benefits.
These different techniques and exercises can help in different ways, whether you are looking to focus the mind, calm the nervous system, release emotion, shift negative energy or enter an entirely different state of awareness.
The method that I use is a two-step Pranayama which has been used in yogic practices for centuries, with “Prana”, meaning life force and “yama”, meaning control.
This controlled breathing technique consists of a two-part inhale and a single exhale through the mouth. It helps lower your brainwave state and access deeper levels of your subconscious mind, and it is here that you can access limiting beliefs, trauma or unprocessed emotions that are holding you back. The breathwork lasts 20-30 minutes before you are guided to a rest and relaxation phase where you can integrate anything that comes up during the session.
Breathing is an automatic process, but when we bring intention and awareness to our breath, we hold the power to transform and heal. The process helps awaken our body intelligence and allows us to relinquish control and enter a state of being where we can release repressed emotion and trauma.
Trauma is often stored within our diaphragm and psoas muscles, known as the ‘muscle of the soul’, and are within close proximity to our nervous system, which controls our fight or flight responses. Pranayama breathwork helps tap into these traumas and emotions, providing a powerful release through our breath.
What are the Dangers with Breathwork?
If you are new to breathwork and attempting it without the help of a practitioner, it may lead to hyperventilating, which can cause dizziness, tingling, irregular heartbeat, muscle spasms, change in vision and ringing in the ears. As breathwork can often result in intense physical and emotional releases, it is not recommended for those with cardiovascular diseases, severe mental illness, seizure disorders or a history of aneurysms.
Whether you are working with a practitioner, incorporating breathwork into your yoga practice or have mastered breathwork techniques yourself, breathwork can act as a powerful tool in regulating your emotions, relieving stress, improving your immune system and healing on a subconscious level.
How often should you do Breathwork?
Grounding breathwork exercises that help to destress and calm the mind can be practised daily. Activating breathwork sessions that delve into the subconscious are more intensive, so should only be done every few weeks to allow time to integrate whatever comes up during a session.