Breathe In and Bliss Out; Navigating the Path of Conscious Breathwork

The Journey, the Benefits, and the Rewards

Are you looking to have more clarity in your life? You may be at a crossroads and questioning your thoughts and actions. Maybe life has thrown you a curveball and you’re left feeling anxious, scattered, and overwhelmed. Let’s face it, it’s 2024 and what was once considered normal is no longer the case. This leaves us with many questions as we move forward in life. When life feels chaotic, conscious breathwork is the anchor to carry you through.

Breathwork is the gateway guiding you from your external environment to the internal one. It’s one of the few things we do automatically that we can learn to control and manipulate to our benefit! Here’s how it works…

When you take the time to consciously think about your breath you begin to unlock a variety of benefits. Various physical, mental, and emotional insights are achieved through breathwork. It’s no wonder it is often associated with other mindfulness and meditation practices.

Conscious breathing techniques include breath practice where you are actively engaged in the process, instead of being a passive participant. Conscious breathwork deepens the mind-body connection so you can achieve a higher awareness of self.

Mind-Body Awareness

Throughout the day, you may notice things like your shoulders tensing up as you sit in traffic or that you tend to hold your breath while listening to a co-worker drag on. Tension builds up in our bodies all the time, and when you consciously connect to your breath you tune in to the subtle body and physically feel the release of that tension.

It works for mental stress too. Situations and stories about your life create all kinds of mental tension that play out into our lives. When you practice slow mindful breathing practices you reduce cortisol in your body. Cortisol is considered to be the stress hormone that as a society we have gotten used to.

Conscious breathing practices bring that awareness inside, so you begin to embody the work. Almost immediately you can feel your nervous system regulate as stress melts away. Without all the stress and tension in your mind and body, you begin to see where you’ve been focusing your time and energy and can determine if that’s healthy or not as you sharpen your mental clarity.

Enhanced Mental Clarity

Focused breath practices can enhance mental clarity, concentration, and mindfulness by reducing the mind chatter and giving you pause from the stories that play out in your head.

90% of your thoughts are the same thoughts as the day before, and these thoughts create the same set of choices that lead to the same emotional connections that influence more of the same thoughts.

And the cycle continues!

When you take your mind off of these thoughts for even the smallest amount of time you begin to get more clarity on the thoughts you’ve been thinking based on how your body and mind feel. Then you can begin to change your thoughts, but first, you must pay attention to your thoughts, and breathwork gives you the clarity to do that.

Emotional Healing

With reduced mental mind chatter and a release of stored emotions, you have created a sense of calm within yourself. Now emotional healing can take place. Many of the more dynamic breathing practices promote the release of stored emotions stuck in the body creating energy blocks. Circular, somatic, and holotropic guided experiences are a great way to connect to your breath consciously. Allowing you a gateway to let go of trauma without having to relive that trauma. By releasing that block you are more open to experiencing a spiritual connection or transcendent experience full of downloads and insights.

Actively using your breath to induce a trance-like state can be a tool for self-discovery.

Guided breathwork facilitators are highly recommended when deciding to try dynamic practices as they are not appropriate for everyone. When unlocking the conscious mind through breathwork it is important to keep your health in mind so you don’t create more harm than benefit.

A Tool for Transformation

When you consciously take a look at your life you will most likely come up against blocks. Blocks most likely put into place to protect you. So it’s not uncommon to be met with some resistance. The act of conscious breathing can be a beautiful one that creates ease and calm, even under the most stressful of situations. Because of this, it can be a great tool for personal transformation, but only when practiced regularly will the benefits come into play.

Breathwork as a practice helps us to see beyond our daily lives. Science calls this metacognition. Metacognition is defined as awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes.

When you become aware of your thought process is the exact moment you’re no longer controlled by a set of programs. The programs of your daily thoughts, actions, and choices. This is where transformation can take root.

Through the power of conscious breathwork you can begin to think about what you’ve been thinking about. This practice gives you the power to turn your challenges into opportunities for growth.

Your breath is the greatest tool you will ever own and it has the power to transform your life, one breath and a time.

Are you ready to embrace the power of your breath? Join me online weekly for conscious breathing opportunities or if you’re in the Seattle area come attend one of my workshops, seminars, or retreats. Follow me on Instagram @breath_mindset for more information and to breathe with me.