Invest in Your Future by Slowing Down Your Breath

The Benefits of Breathwork and How it Could Save Your Life

8 min readOct 6, 2020

Yoga studios are closed. So are gyms, swimming pools, and all other places where we gather to sweat it out. The absence of this alone is putting many of us on edge.

Breathwork is the newest trend in holistic healthcare. At a time in history when we are all sheltering in place, isolated, and unsure of what’s happening to our world economy it’s no wonder that we turn to our breath.

It’s no mistake that breathwork is rising in popularity.

You can easily do it at home
It’s very internal
And it instantly lowers anxiety.

There are so many health benefits to a breath workout. Practicing for as little as 10 minutes a day could end up saving you in medical bills in the future.

The practice of breathwork is thousands of years old. There are many variations all designed to tune you into your own innate intelligence. Your body can heal itself when you are connected to your body through conscious awareness.

This is often associated with someone looking for personal transformation. Along with the spiritual wellbeing this offers a practitioner, it also improved their physical, emotional, and mental states.

Most of us go through our day, and our lives using shallow breathing (breathing only into the chest). This shallow breathing keeps you in a state of anxiety, or fight or flight. Your breath literally is keeping you alive, yet most of us go around living without a second thought about how it could be affecting our health.

The more full your breath, the more full your life.

Breathwork raises your energy.

This therapeutic method is part of creating emotional well-being.

By combining modern science with ancient wisdom you have within you the potential to heal your life and change your body chemistry one breath at a time.

Below are 7 health benefits of a breathwork practice that will help you live a long and healthy life.

1. Boost your Immune System

When you practice breathing deeply it increases the oxygen capacity in the blood(1). This leads to improved energy levels.

The amount of energy our cells receive is directly related to the amount of oxygen we inhale.

By breathing deeply you will have better stamina for your workout and throughout your day. This extra energy will boost your immune system.

2. Releases Toxins Held in your Body

Over half of the toxins in your body are meant to be expelled through breathing(2). Carbon dioxide is the main culprit. But when you go through life only breathing into your chest cavity the air in your lower lungs sits and becomes stale.

In order to release these toxins, you must breathe deeply into the lower lungs. This begins to boost your lungs’ efficiency and keep your heart healthy.

As you expand your diaphragm through the practice of deep rhythmic breathing, your body relaxes. This sends the message to your lymphatic system to start eliminating toxins.

As you begin to strengthen your lungs you will naturally start breathing deeply more often. And the deeper you breathe, the more toxins you release. The more oxygen rich blood your cells have the better your blood circulation.

Blood circulation is another major way you can detoxify the body.

3. Escape the Constant State of Fight or Flight

Everywhere you look there is something in your outer world causing you some level of stress, anxiety, or depression.

If you are tired of your mood being controlled by outside forces, then a solid breathwork practice is a safe way to address these issues.

You can easily look at a child and know how they’re feeling based on their breath. Rapid short breaths tell us that they are anxious, or scared, whereas long deep breaths tell us they are calm and rested.

It’s the same for you and me.

But our world, the media, relationships, and jobs are keeping us on edge. Keeping you in a constant state of fight or flight. Without even being aware of it your breath matches these outside influences. This is keeping your breath short, and causing unnecessary stress and anxiety.

By simply making an effort to begin slow long deep breaths that start in the abdomen, who will almost immediately feel more centered, grounded, and calm.

This activates the parasympathetic nervous system, taking you out of fight or flight (the sympathetic nervous system).

Slowing down your heart rate.
Lowering your blood pressure.
Reducing your stress levels
Causing anxiety in your body to relax.

4. Reduces Pain

How many of us are dealing with chronic pain? Likely we use some form of painkiller to help manage the discomfort. Unfortunately years of doing this leads to a ton of side effects from the drugs. Not to mention an addiction just to maintain from day to day.

Distancing your mind from your body to ignore the pain will only lead to more pain and more medications. By choosing to look for outside answers to inside problems you are disassociating yourself from your body’s natural ability to heal itself.

Breathwork is how you reconnect your body to your mind. As you breathe deeply your body releases endorphins, which reduces sensitivity to pain(3). Endorphins are our pleasure chemicals.

Jumpstart your healing process by reconnecting to your body. Breathing into the pain will help bring awareness and space to the area. Your body will naturally become more alkaline, reducing the acidity levels in your body which helps to reduce pain.

When you introduce breathwork into your routine your cortisol levels will decrease(4). This means less stress, and less stress equals less pain.

Chronic pain can be reduced by deep belly breathing. It’s the natural way to relax the muscles.

5. Supports Organ Functions

When you’re new to breathwork you might notice an increase in bowel movements. This goes back to those stored up toxins waiting to be released. You are starting to create movement within your body. Causing your origins to function at a higher level because of the increased blood flow and oxygen they are receiving.

Your digestive tract is stimulated, and intestinal activity is improved.

This also reduces bloating and gas.

So as your origins are pushing out toxins your cortisol levels will decrease. This reduces inflammation.

Once you start to notice increased energy, because you aren’t bogged down from stale toxins, you will be more in tune with making healthier choices for your body. Meaning you will be less likely to overeat or eat foods not in alignment with your body’s needs.

6. Increase Awareness

Conscious breathing brings you into the present moment. Allowing you to escape the things that have tied you to your past, and release to the pressures of the day.

As you work on deep rhythmic breathing you will practice breathing through your mouth. Helping you to arrive in the moment and become more self-aware. When this happens you have more space to go within.

With practice you will start to feel how alive your body is as a living organism.

Your brainwaves have a chance to slow down from all the thinking it’s constantly doing. Moving your brain to a more dreamlike state.

Any change we want to make must be made in the present moment. Breathwork guides your awareness into the present where all things are possible. This feeling of connecting to the infinite puts light on your experience and brings joy to your heart as you notice a shift in consciousness.

7. Explore Your Subconscious

The breath or prana, is often referred to as the gateway between your outer and inner worlds. Finding a deeper connection to yourself through breathwork creates a powerful experience into self-exploration.

A tingling sensation is just the beginning of feeling your connection to spirit.

A deep sense of connection to the divine spirit within is often part of the experience.

Many who turn to psychedelics say this is a matched experience of surrender. Probably because breathwork has an effect on how your conscious and unconscious minds interact.

Opening new pathways in your mind will allow for more creativity, insights and inspiration.

Deep rhythmic breathing puts you in the present moment. Where your mind and body are connected and working together. Changing your whole frequency, and lifting your vibration to new heights.

By switching your breathing to your mouth instead of your nose you shift from mind into body.

Getting you out of your head. Setting you free from all the thoughts that keep you stuck in a pattern of stress, worthlessness, and depression.

A deeper sense of self-love is felt as your body vibrates, and a new relationship with yourself is formed.

Change your breath, Change your brainwaves.

Breathwork is the new workout. It will shift your brainwaves from being hyper alert to a heightened consciousness.

The positive effect breathwork has on the nervous system is undeniable, but as you now know, the benefits go beyond that.

You will feel more at ease and in alignment with your body. Feel more in control of your surroundings, not be so quick to anger and judgement. And all you have to do is breathe.

A 30 minute breath workout could set your body and mind on a whole new path towards health, wellness, and awareness.

***I encourage you to check with your doctor before beginning any new exercise workout to be sure it is the right course for you.