What is breathwork?
Breathwork is a general term used to describe controlled breathing and breathing exercises that improve physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.
By consciously deep breathing you can activate your parasympathetic nervous system and in turn this will slow your heart rate down and lower your blood pressure creating a real sense of calm.
By breathing out slowly we also activate the Vagus Nerve, which in turns helps to put our body in rest and digest mode.
Whenever you feel a sensation of panic, anxiety or stress its good to take a deep slow breath and exhale nice and slowly.
This takes us from the fight or flight mode to rest or digest mode.
Some stress and anxiety is good for us, however if we spend most of our lives in the fight or flight mode (the stressed, anxious mode) then we start to notice in other areas of our health. Its important to take time out and slow down and take a breath.
I literally mean takde a nice deep slow breath and exhale nice and slowly through the mouth., notice how you feel afterwards. I like to add a sigh of relief after my deep breath and this really does then help to kick in the vagus nerve which will help you calm down and go into rest or digest mode.
Rest or digest mode is when the body is harmony and operating at its best. Its when we feel those feelings of calm and serenity.
Can you imagine living a life with those feelings of calm and moments of bliss every day?
Well you can and it’s so easy and costs absolutely nothing, just a little bit of your time.
Learning to breathe changed my life and i know it can change yours too.
Try laying in bed, before you get up in a morning and do 5 mins of conscious breathing exercises. Breath in through the nose and out through the mouth nice and slowly. After one week, increase your time to 10 mins each day, and start to notice the difference in your day.
Its good to play some calming music or upbeat music if you would like to increase your energy and continue to increase you amounts until you reach maybe 20 min each day. Notice how you feel calmer each day and how things that used to concern you start to disappear.
This is just the beginning, it really can change you life in so many ways.
Give it a go and let me know how you go with it.
Happy Breathing