Breath work is an active form of meditation based on ancient Pranayama techniques.
"Prana" means energy and "Yama" stands for control.
Breathing and glucose are what gives us energy. So, Pranayama is control over your energy through breathing. There are many Pranayama techniques with meditational or therapeutical purposes. From there also different ways of breathwork have come to be. If you have experienced one class or one teacher you have experienced one flavour of breathwork. There is much to discover!
I have practiced breath work with SOMA from 2019. It was a natural choice to also take their course. Soma offers an intensive training , coaching and takes value to experience. You can not go on till level 3 until you have a years experience of teaching. I also prefer the style of breath-work. It's mainly based on the Pranayama techniques and supported with modern science.
There are intense styles of breathwork that take your body into a state of hyperventilation. Like rebirthing and holotropic breathwork. This activates a stress reaction where the mind is shut down and strong physical sensations take place. This practice can be very powerful. However this is not a daily practice. Soma focuses on bringing a daily dose of breathwork to calm the nervous system and activate an array of health benefits. There can be phases of hyperventilation but this is not the main focus. Two other beautiful key aspects are the use of music and intention setting. This creates a very strong formula which I stand for proudly. I am also trained to tailer a session depending on focus, needs or themes.
This may depend on the kind of session you are joining and the intention or theme that is set. A session can be very harmonising. During these sessions you might experience a feeling of deep meditation, calmness, feeling grounded, a lightness or even a deep feeling of tiredness. Emotions can surface and insights might come to you. You might see colours or images in your inner eye or experience a deep feeling of oneness. In a sessions where we breathe more frequently and more intensely also a tingling in the body can be felt or cramping of the hands and jaw. You might become dizzy. I will teach you how to cope with this and guide you through to ensure you have a beautiful experience.
When you come to, you might experience a deep feeling of peace, being well rested, calmness and oneness. You might also feel a little high, ecstatic and full of energy. You might want to talk about your experience and be enthusiastic to share what you felt or saw. Or you might be at a loss for words, still trying to fathom what you just went through. You have stirred something deep within you and you might notice things in the coming day or week. You can notice a deeper awareness and inner calmness to address situations in an authentic manner. If you start practicing daily you will experience more energy throughout the day, a calmer head, feeling happier and a gained courage to face whatever you want to face.
Do you have a minute? There are many mental and physical benefits to breath work. All of them are multiplied once you practice daily, but can also be felt when you do it whenever it suits you.
Some of the benefits are:
Physically:
Mentally :
There is a vast array of modern science to support the effect of breath work.
I will explain some key aspects here.
Research has shown that hypoxic environments quickly induce all kinds of health benefits. Hypoxic environments are spaces with very low oxygen levels. This means that we benefit from breathing less and deeper.
we as humans tend to over-breathe. Due to the life we lead and for instance talking. The science behind it is that we breathe in more oxygen. However oxygen is not absorbed when there is no marker of Co2 to attract the oxygen into our tissues. With this excess of oxygen however our body's do undergo the strains of oxidative stress. We are not able to absorb the oxygen with the effect of less energy and impaired healing of our body.
But, if we create a state with higher levels of Co2 in our body the oxygen can be absorbed. We do this through breathing rhythmically and less. Using intermittent hypoxic training. We do this in the form of holding our breath out. Pushing past the comfort zone. That is why the session consists of phases of breathing rhythmically, holding your breath out and holding your breath in. The rhythmical breathing, intention setting and music support us doing so.
Once you come in you will have some time to enter the space and settle in. We might do some moving before we get into the breath work. Also, I wil take you through all the needed knowledge and techniques for the session. I will guide you through the optimal way of breathing for this session. When everyone is comfortable I will guide you through the meditations, rhythmical breathing and breath-holding fases. Ending in a deep meditation and integrating what has been experienced. Gently allowing you to come back in the now. There will be space to share what you have experienced if you wish to do so.
Yes! Everyone can join breath work,
Everyone can benefit from the rhythmical breathing, deep meditations and intentions.
However the hypoxic fases are not suitable for people who have any of the following:
In the following circumstances you can inform your doctor:
Breath-work will allow you to connect with who you are deep inside. This means every person can have a different need after the practice.
The only recommendation is to drink plenty of water and eat healthy because breath work is a detoxifying practice.
The following are suggestions that will suit depending on your needs at that time. You can scan them to feel into what you need at that time. I do however invite you to allow what is moving through you and not dissociate by working, watching a screen or swiping.
JESSI ATTENBORUGH