Find Your Breath

Find Your Breath

‍

In a different interaction of this blog I started a series talking about mental skills and how to improve our mental skills to elevate your life, whether that be professionally, athletically, or personally. It was a short lived series. But I’m bringing it back. It’s a three-part series focusing on the skills of: Visualization, Meditation, and Breathwork. I wrote the first one on visualization, that is re-uploaded and found here. Now I am working on the Meditation and Breathwork parts. Today we are diving into Breathwork. 

‍

Breathwork has become an increasingly popular term in today’s society. More and more people are talking about the benefits of breathwork and how it can improve your everyday life. At its core breathwork is a simple and effective way to calm your nervous system and refocus on the world around you. Many times Breathwork is tied to a Meditation practice, but the two are distinct from each other. 

‍

Generally a breathwork practice or technique involves deep, focused breathing that follows a specific pattern for a specific amount of time or sets. One of the most simplistic breathwork practices is box breathing. Box breathing is where one inhales for a specific amount of time, hold for a specific amount of time, exhale, then hold again, then repeating at the start. Box breathing is a relatively simple breathing exercise, inhaling for 4 seconds, holding for another four, exhaling for four, then holding again before you inhale is a fantastic way to just slow down and bring your awareness back to a present moment. 

‍

Additionally, box breathing is a way to get familiar with breathwork and more complex breathing patterns. Not to mention the physiological benefits that slow, deliberate breath does for the body. 

‍

Beyond Box Breathing is diaphragmatic breathing, breathing focusing on expanding the diaphragm while laying still. There is also Ujjayi breathing which is a common form of breathwork that gets worked into yoga practices where you focus solely on inhaling and exhaling with your mouth closed. Combined with a yoga practice it can help you find balance and serenity. 

‍

Lastly, there is 4-7-8 breathing which is a more advanced breathing technique that consists of a four second inhale, a hold for seven seconds, and a long eight second exhale. This is usually repeated for 8 rounds or breaths. However, if you are new to the world of breathwork it is suggested to only do four rounds as you practice the skill and get comfortable with holding your breath with long exhales before you inhale again and replace your oxygen. 

‍

Like most tools, find the one that works for you and challenge yourself to find five to ten minutes a day to practice your breathwork and find grounding and peace. You’ll be surprised at what you find out about yourself the more you practice. 

‍

Let me know if this was helpful! 

‍