The Benefits of Breathwork

As many of you who follow my work know, I focus extensively on breathwork and always begin coaching sessions with conscious breathing exercises.

Why? Because of its many profound benefits.

Now, I can hear your questions and doubts already. Breathing? Just breathing? But I already do that every minute of every day and night, so what more is there to know? And why is it so important?

Well, there’s actually quite a lot to it.

I’ve been exploring the research for some time now, and the evidence is compelling. Participants in slow and conscious breathing exercises experience increased feelings of comfort, relaxation, pleasantness, vigour and alertness as well as reduced feelings of anxiety, depression, anger and confusion. Conscious and paced breathing also promotes deeper sleep, which supports our overall health and wellbeing. On a spiritual level, this profound state of relaxation and inward focus deepens our connection to self and inner essence. Meaning, we feel more connected to our inner world of feelings and what truly matter to us, our values.

These results are significant and I hope many of us can experience them.

So how does breathing actually deliver these results?

There is some science behind it, which I will break down for you as clearly and concisely as I can.

Breathing techniques activate our parasympathetic nervous system through the vagal nerve. The vagal nerve is the main channel for our parasympathetic system. This nerve transmits signals throughout the body, functioning as a communication highway between our brain and our digestive system. Vagus comes from the Latin word for “wandering,” and the nerve extends from the brain all the way to our thoracic and abdominal organs.

When activated, the vagal nerve promotes our parasympathetic system to ‘rest and digest’. This means our body slows the heart rate and increases digestive activity. Here’s why this matters: our brain interprets a slow heart rate as a sign that the body is safe, leaving us feeling calm and relaxed while also influencing gut health and mood.

Activating our vagus nerve is where we want to start if we want to feel calmer, more relaxed and more focused. Breathing is especially effective at stimulating the vagus nerve because our diaphragm is closely connected to it. Long exhalations, in particular, activate the vagus nerve, which is why, during breathwork practices, your practitioner will guide you towards an extended exhale compared to the inhale.

All of this activates the parasympathetic system, lowering the heart rate and sending calming, safety signals throughout the body.

The key components for well-being results? Slow breathing with long exhalation.

Very shortly stated: conscious breathing helps our bodies to relax.

Breathing Techniques to Try

There are several different types of breathing techniques. Here are a few to explore:

• Box Breathing
  Find a comfortable spot and sit or stand quietly.
  - Inhale slowly through your nose for 4 counts
  - Hold for 4 counts
  - Exhale through your mouth for 4 counts
  - Pause for 4 counts.
  Repeat this for a couple of minutes maintaining four equal counts making a 16-second cycle.

• Cyclical Breathing
  Find a comfortable spot and sit or stand quietly.
  - First inhale: breathe in deeply through your nose
  - Second inhale: take a second shorter sniff to fill your lungs completely.
  - Long exhale: slowly exhale the air through your mouth, letting out a sigh sound.
  Repeat for a few minutes and remember to exhale longer than you inhale.

• 4-7-8 Breathing Technique
  Find a comfortable spot and sit or stand quietly.
  - Inhale slowly through your nose for 4 counts
  - Hold your breath for a count of 7
  - Exhale through your mouth, making a whoosh sound, for a count of 8.
  Repeat for four breaths.

• Pursed Lip Breathing Technique
  Find a comfortable spot and sit or stand quietly.
  - Breathe in slowly through your nose
  - Hold and purse or pucker your lips as if you would blow out a candle
  - Exhale through your pursed lips making the exhale longer than the inhale
  Repeat for a few minutes

• Diaphragmatic Breathing Technique
  Lie comfortably on your back with your knees bent.
  - Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your tummy just below your ribcage.
  - Breathe in slowly through your nose, letting the air in to you lower tummy allowing it to rise. Keep your chest as still as possible.
  - Tighten your abdominal muscles and let them fall inwards as you breathe out. The hand on your tummy should move back to its original position.
  Repeat for a few minutes.

• Humming Bee Breathing Technique (Bhramari Pranayama – a yoga breathing technique).
  Find a comfortable spot to sit quietly.
  - Close your eyes and ears.
  - Inhale deeply through the nose.
  - Exhale while making a steady buzzing or humming sound.
  Repeat this cycle a few times and focus on the vibrations.

• Alternate Nostril Breathing Technique (Nadi Shodhana – a yoga breathing technique).
  Find a comfortable spot to sit or stand quietly.
  - Closing the right nostril with your thumb, inhale through the left nostril
  - Remove the thumb and now close the left nostril with your ring finger, exhale through the right nostril.
  - Then inhale through the right nostril,
  - Remove your ring finger and close the right nostril with your thumb,
  - Exhale through the left nostril.
  This completes one cycle. Repeat for 3 – 5 minutes.  

Take some time to experiment and try these techniques, discover which ones you enjoy doing the most.

With all this knowledge and information, the one thing that I find amazing is that breathwork is accessible to us all, we all have our breath available to us.

It is one of the simplest and most profoundly effective tools we have, to boost our physical and mental resilience.

The Challenge of Showing Up

Now, I know we often set great intentions and then, in our day-to-day lives, find it difficult to keep up with them. The same can happen with your intention for a regular breathing practice.

But this is especially important for all those busy women with full on and demanding lives - managing their families, work, social lives and their health. As women we tend to have a lot on our plates. Adding one more thing to do, even if it’s in the interest of our own well-being, can feel like one thing too many to maintain regularly.

As a life coach for women in seasons of change, I am invested in helping them do those essential and important things that will move the needle forward. I know what it feels like to want things to change but to feel too stuck and too overwhelmed to actually make that change happen. As a mom with three children, a dog and living abroad for my husband’s dream job - while also keeping up with my health and work goals - there have been several moments over the past years when I wanted and needed things to shift. Adding another helpful exercise of routine to my overflowing schedule felt impossible.

But I did manage to navigate my desired changes. In my experience, what helps is committing to a time and place to practice together with several supportive women. Knowing I was in the same boat as other women and connecting with them regularly gave me the support I needed and the encouragement to move towards change.   

Practice Together

This is where I create space to help women like you who want to commit to a breathing practice and show up for it on a steady, regular basis. I host breathwork sessions over Zoom so that you can practice in the comfort of your own home or space. I guide you through breathing exercises, making it easy for you to simply follow along and relax, knowing you are tending to your own wellbeing.

If you’d like to commit to a regular practice of mindful breathing, follow the link below for more details on the Spring into Stillness breathwork sessions.

Your breath is waiting. Your calm is within reach. All you need to do is show up - and I'll be there to guide you.

~ Caroline