Benefits of Breathwork
Our autonomic nervous system consists of two parts: the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) and the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS). The SNS speeds up our heart rate, releases stress hormones and increases blood pressure, preparing our bodies for fight or flight. The PNS slows down our heart rate, reduces blood pressure and releases repairing hormones when we need to rest, digest and repair. Our nervous system has been maintaining homeostasis in our bodies ever since our ancestors roamed the savanna’s of Africa.
However, our environment today is very different from the plains of the savannah. The constant notifications, endless scrolling and 24/7 news cycle is keeping our nervous system in a constant state of fight or flight. It is often stuck in overdrive, leading to chronic stress, anxiety and a host of related challenges. This heightened sympathetic state has become normalised and we are usually not paying attention to it, but our bodies are keeping the score. We carry that stress and tension in our muscles and tissues and it can manifest as chronic pain.
Breath is a powerful tool to control your state of being
Consciously connecting to your breath is one of the fastest ways to create a change in your current state of being and reset your nervous system. Your respiratory system is designed to move you around in terms of state, to get you up when you need to get up, to calm down when you need to calm down.
Breathing flows that are slower than normal switch on your parasympathetic nervous system, calming your nervous system and putting your body and mind into a resting, healing state.
Breathing flows that are deeper and faster than normal activate your sympathetic nervous system. These types of flows can release and process stored or unresolved emotions/stresses that have built up over time.
Benefits of Breathwork
- Reduce stress and anxiety
- Increase energy and boost immunity
- Lower Blood Pressure and improve circulation
- Help manage pain
- Strengthens the lungs and respiratory muscles
- Improves mood and self esteem
- Releases tension
- Improves sleep
- Helps manage depression
- Improves physical performance
- Helps heal past trauma
- Improves digestion
- Improves focus and boosts creativity
