Open is breaking new ground this May with our inaugural Mental Detox program. This 14-day breathwork exploration is not just about cleansing the mind and rejuvenating emotional well-being. It's about transformation. Mental Detox bridges science and spirituality to help you regulate your nervous system while gaining a new perspective on managing stress and energy levels. It's a journey that promises to leave you feeling hopeful and inspired. 

In this article, we’ll preview what you can expect from the Mental Detox Program, share the importance of Mental Health Awareness Month, and inspire you to begin your practice.

Mental Detox: Why Now?

Spring is a season of rebirth and rejuvenation. We can feel it in the world around us as the days get longer, the weather gets warmer, and nature comes alive after the long, dormant winter. This season of fresh starts coincides with Mental Health Awareness Month, a time of heightened awareness and advocacy for mental health. Modern life can feel like a deluge of challenges, stressors, and pure information overload. Mental Detox is an opportunity to quiet the everyday noise in order to refresh, renew, and reconnect with our inner selves. 

What to Expect From Mental Detox 

Mental Detox progresses through four core stages: Focus, Regulate, Activate, and Breakthrough. You’ll be guided through simple yet powerful breathwork techniques and multi-sensory journeys to regulate your nervous system while cultivating inner balance and resilience. You’ll also practice journaling and reflection to capture insights or clarity gained during the practice. Along the way, you’ll learn how to relieve stress, increase your energy, and approach your everyday life with a renewed sense of purpose and power. 

Stage 1: Focus

In the Focus stage of Mental Detox, you will learn grounding techniques for balancing the nervous system and fostering a heightened sense of presence. These techniques slow and steady the pace of your breath to begin stabilizing your nervous system. The result is a state of clear perception and calm alertness. Consider Focus the foundation of your practice, upon which the following three stages will build. 

The tools and techniques you learn in the Focus stage can help with:

• Rumination
• Information overload 
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Lack of focus

Stage 2: Regulate

In the Regulate stage of Mental Detox, you’ll begin mastering down-regulation breathwork techniques that calm the nervous system and prepare the body for rest and recovery. This is achieved primarily by extended exhalation. When you extend your exhale, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which sends signals along your vagus nerve to trigger various calming processes within your body. This “rest-and-digest” cascade helps relieve excess stress and anxiety, and consistent practice can help regulate your emotions. 

The tools and techniques you learn in the Regulate stage can help with:

• Stress
• Anxiety

Stage 3: Activate

In the Activate stage of Mental Detox, you will focus on up-regulating breathwork techniques that energize the body and mind. This is achieved by intensifying the pace and strength of your breath, particularly during inhalation. Activating breathwork practices can be particularly valuable when you need an energy boost without relying on external stimulants like caffeine. These techniques can also generate heat within the body, expand lung capacity, and refine the body’s stress response. 

The tools and techniques you learn in the Activate stage can help with:

• Lack of energy, feeling drained
• Feeling lazy
• Feeling uninspired

Stage 4: Breakthrough 

In the final stage of Mental Detox – Breakthrough – you’ll step into a territory of self-exploration. This is the practice of transformative breathwork. First pioneered by Stanislav Grof and his wife, Christina, in the 1970s, the practice began as a technique to explore the therapeutic aspects of altered states of consciousness without the use of controlled substances. In this stage, you'll learn advanced techniques that can lead to profound emotional release and psychological exploration, allowing you to access unconscious ideas and processes often inaccessible under normal circumstances.

The tools and techniques you learn in the Breakthrough stage can help with:

• Emotional residue
• Fixed patterns of thought 
• Feeling stuck / plateau 
• Lack of creativity



Join Mental Detox

Whether you're seeking stress relief, emotional balance, improved focus, or a deeper appreciation of mindfulness, Mental Detox offers a transformative pathway to finding your unique “breathprint.” Join Mental Detox to get started on your journey.