Breathwork is the use of Breath Awareness and Conscious Breathing for healing and growth, personal awakening, and transformation in spirit, mind and body.
Dan Brulé
What is Breathwork?
Breathwork can refer to anything from breath awareness (noticing the breath), breath control, (breathing exercises used for a particular result) and breath therapy (different techniques are used with a therapeutic aim).
It can be used as a daily personal practice in the same way as meditation or exercise, or a tool to improve mental and physical health. For some it can be an exploratory pathway to change emotional patterns and gain clearer states of mind. There is a multitude of benefits you can experience from Breathwork.
People are using Breathwork to improve their experience of life and their wellbeing without external or chemical intervention. These practices are now taking a bigger place in the fields of therapy, stress release and personal development. Breathwork is one of the most natural methods of treating a variety of issues.
Breathwork can be also be used to connect with what is beyond our everyday ordinary consciousness, to go on an inner journey, individually or collectively, to experience deep awareness, profound insights, access our intuition and find answers within, to heal old wounds and trauma, anger or grief, to find personal freedom, to open to our sexuality, creativity, a greater capacity for joy, aliveness and even miracles.
Using the breath to heal, we find we have more choice, more freedom, a greater ability to self-regulate and function better in the world. Breathwork helps us to be more present, and more aware of our ways of being and of our reactions to things. It allows us more connection with our bodies, and what they might be telling us, as well as to be ‘in’ our bodies, when so many of us are living in our minds so much of the time.
As we learn to breathe more fully and freely, and relax into our breath, tension and blocks in our systems are released, and we can be more ‘in flow’, often finding a way to move forward where we were stuck in our lives before. Our relationship to our breath transforms, or may even just begin, as does our relationship to ourselves, our lives and the world.
There is literally more space to breathe, to be, to create, to receive, to enjoy, to perceive things differently, connect to the infinite possibilities from which we may have been cut off in our more restricted or limited ways of being, and we find new ways of being in the world that serves us and others more.
What are the benefits?
There are many health benefits to Breathwork, both for our physical and mental health. Here are just some of the most common reasons why Breathwork could help you:
- Reduces Stress and Anxiety
- Increased Energy
- Boosts Immune System
- Lowers Blood Pressure and Improves Circulation
- Strengthens Lungs
- Nervous System Regulation
- Improves Mood and Self-Esteem
- Releases Toxins
- Improves Sleep
- Trauma Release
- Improves Digestion
- Improves Focus and Mental Clarity
- Increases Creativity
For more information on the benefits, check out the Blog articles or follow me on Social Media for content.
Transformational Breathwork
If you’ve never participated in one of these sessions before then let me explain a few things.
1. This is NOT a slow breathing meditation experience
2. It's not for the faint of heart
3. Most importantly, this is also NOT for everyone (see restrictions below)
This is hard work. It requires facing our fears, leaning into discomfort and intensely breathing our way into a state of catharsis.
In this state we have the power to release our deepest traumas, process our most unresolved emotions, let go of our outdated thoughts and stories that keep us chained to reliving the most painful memories from our past... all while calling in the most incredible levels of inner peace, bliss, love and joy you may have ever experienced.
It's work!
But I promise you it’s worth it!
Recommended Environment and Set-up for a Breathwork Journey
We recommend having comfortable space to lie down for the session, even if you decide to start seated you may feel called to change position during the session so set up for comfort while lying down.
You will be better served if you are in a distraction free area. This needs to be time for you, no kids, no responsibilities just peace and space so you can get the most out of the session.
Be warned that some journeys require you to shout or scream so make sure you can do so or that you have let others know that are within ear shot.
We recommend a blanket, as many people experience a feeling of cold while doing intense Breathwork, and a spare pillow or cushion within reach, in case you need to scream into it.
If you have headphones, ideally wireless, we recommend using them for the full immersive experience.
Medical Advice
Please be aware that although Breathwork is one of the safest therapies for a healthy person, the transformational sessions do hold a greater risk to those with an existing health condition.
If you have any of the following, then breathwork may not be advisable and you must consult with a doctor before taking part:
- Cardiovascular problems
- High or abnormal blood pressure
- History of aneurysms
- Epilepsy or history of seizures
- Anyone on heavy medication
- Severe psychiatric symptoms, particularly psychosis or paranoia
- Bipolar depression
- Osteoporosis
- Recent surgery
- Glaucoma
- Pregnancy
- An active addiction
- Any person with mental illness who isn’t in treatment or lacks adequate support
- Anyone experiencing an emotional or spiritual crisis
This list is not all inclusive and we generally recommend if you have a question about a condition you may have that is not listed, that you consult a physician before beginning breathwork. If you have or have had any of the listed conditions, we strongly recommend you consult a physician before beginning breathwork.