Healing through breathwork
Ever find yourself taking a deep breath when you’re feeling stressed and trying to calm down? We innately know the power of the breath but we might not know how to take it that step further and build breathwork into our daily routine to help our mental wellbeing.
Breathwork is integrated in many different cultures, from alternate nostril breathing and lion breath in yoga to vase breathing in Tibetan culture. The majority of research into the impacts of breathwork on mental and physical wellbeing looks at what’s called slow paced breathing; that is a timed inhalation and exhalation that is at least half as slow as your spontaneous breath. A 2023 meta-analysis of the impact of breathwork showed small but significant impacts on mental wellbeing and while it acknowledges that maintaining mental wellbeing requires a multi-faceted approach, breathwork is a free skill that anyone can learn and adapt into their life (1).
So where to begin? I’ll list below some well established breathing techniques but my advice is to pick one or two that feel best to you and adapt them into your routine for a a few minutes a day. This might look like box-breathing while the kettle is boiling or belly breathing before you go to sleep, building small changes into your daily routine is the key to building sustainable practices.
Box Breathing
Box breathing gets it’s name from the picture of a four sided box. Each side represents an equal length inhale, hold, exhale and hold. Repeating a slow pattern, for example of 4 seconds for each, helps reduce overwhelm and help focus (2).
Lengthening the exhale
Increasing the length of your exhale in comparison your inhale signals helps reduce your heart rate and give an overall sense of calm. Start with a 3 second inhale and a 6 second exhale and shorten or lengthen as you feel comfortable (3).
Belly breathing
Belly breathing is a great technique to practice lying down in bed. Place a hand on your chest and hand on your belly. Notice your belly expand as you take a deep inhale and flatten as you exhale (4). Children can also use this technique by holding a teddy bear to their tummy and notice it move up and down or visualising a balloon; it’s a great introduction to breathwork for worried children and something you can practice together as a family (5).
All breathing techniques have a handy YouTube link below to help visualise and practice these techniques.
References:
1. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-27247-y#Sec24
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7uQXDkxEtM
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY7QJaHOnYA
