Most people don’t give breathing too much thought, because it’s an automatic function – like blinking, or our heart beating. But thousands of years ago, humans learned that manipulating and controlling your breathing can have tremendous benefits for the mind and body.
Breathwork is the quickest, easiest, and most rewarding solution to so many things like stress, depression, and anxiety. Integrative Breathing is a potent, safe, and natural healing technique which utilizes conscious breathing patterns to induce healing – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
Key takeaways
- Integrative Breathing is a natural healing technique
- Breathwork is a mind-body practice that affects the human nervous system and all your cells
- Modern science supports claims that breathwork is a great treatment for anxiety
What Is Integrated Breathing?
Integrated breathing is a potent, safe, and natural healing technique which utilizes conscious breathing patterns to induce healing – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. It’s often done in groups or in pairs along with a teacher to guide you through the practice. There may also be bodywork involved to help release any negative emotions.
There is research on the effects of music, movement, and breathwork that shows techniques such as integrated breathing have real effects on the human nervous system. Integrated breathing also reduces stress, decreases heart rate, and results in an overall general feeling of well-being.
What Happens to Your Body When You Do Breathwork?
Breathwork can have an immediate effect on the body, because every cell needs oxygen to function at every moment. In particular, studies show that breathwork has a positive effect on the respiratory system and function, as well as the autonomic nervous system.
This is how it works: inhales speed up your heart rate and excite your nervous system, while exhales slow down your heart and calm down your nervous system. That is the physiological basis for effectively hacking your autonomic nervous system.
If you exhale longer than your inhale, your body will respond by sending a signal to your brain through the vagus nerve, which will activate the parasympathetic nervous system – calming you down.
If you inhale rapidly and shorten your exhales, the opposite will happen. Your sympathetic nervous system will be activated, which causes your heart rate and blood pressure to increase in addition to your body producing cortisol, the stress hormone.
What Does Breathwork Do to Your Brain?
The benefits from breathing exercises like integrative breathwork affect both your brain and your body. Here are some of the amazing results you can expect to see when you include breathwork into your daily routine.
Increased Mind-Body Connection
Having a mind-body connection can best be described as how our thoughts, attitudes, feelings, and beliefs have a direct correlation to our biological functions with either a negative or positive effect. Or more simply, the quality of our minds can affect the quality of our bodies.
As you focus on your breathing with breathwork, it will improve your mentality and give you physiological improvements like lower blood pressure. It’s a cycle that will continue to improve on each other through the mind-body connection.
Increased Feelings of Clarity and Alertness
Taking the time to sit down in a calm, quiet location, check-in with your body, and focus on your breathing you will feel a sense of clarity come over you. This is because you will allow your thoughts to just come and go without judgment while simply focusing on your breath.
It will calm your mind and clear your thoughts allowing this clarity to take over. As a result, you will have increased awareness as you have cleared all the noise of the past and have a clear focus on the present.
Increased Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is how you perceive yourself with your actions, thoughts, and emotions with how they align with your internal standards and how others perceive you. Breathing exercises, like integrative breathwork, are an opportunity to check in with your body and focus on the status of how you are feeling and how your body is functioning. This helps develop self-awareness as you practice.
Increased Emotional Release
Breathwork is often called a fast track to an emotional release. It’s not a replacement for therapy or exercise or talking to a friend – but it is an accessible way to look deep within yourself, and allow your emotions to surface so you can let them go.
Is Breathwork Scientifically Proven?
Breathwork has been around for thousands of years and passed down through many cultures and religions. However, breathwork has evolved and can now be supported by evidence-based results.
The science of breathwork has been studied by the University of New Mexico,where it has been shown to give practitioners control over psycho-physiological states, and to improve organ function by giving your tissues an oxygen boost.
How Can I Practice Integrative Breathwork?
Integrative breathwork is best practiced in a group setting or with a partner, but it can also be practiced solo after some guided practice.
You can find breathwork classes on your phone, laptop, or tablet at Open. Try a live class for a more communal experience, or any of our on-demand classes available in our library.
What Happens During a Breathwork Experience?
Traditionally, breathwork exercises are done in a seated position in a calm, quiet space that is free of any distractions.
Some breathwork is just about awareness, and doesn’t ask you to change your breath in any way – simply to observe it. Other practices will play with the length of the inhale and the exhale, creating a rhythmic cadence to the breath that induces a deliberate state of mind and body.
No matter the approach, at the very least, your organs get a much-needed oxygen boost.
What Happens After a Breathwork Class?
There is nothing like the feeling you get after completing a breathwork class. Some people have said it can feel like you took a long nap but without actually falling asleep.
One great thing about taking a breathwork class, like the ones Open offers, is each experience can be different. There are some breathwork classes that will leave you feeling invigorated and empowered to tackle anything that comes your way.
Take a Deep Breath
There are numerous incredible, science-backed benefits from practicing breathing exercises, like integrative breathwork. The increase in self-awareness and mind-body connection will have you feeling more in tune with your body and will give you incredible mental clarity. You can be more confident in your actions and decision-making skills because of your connection within yourself.
We challenge you to find a class that works for you so you can begin to feel a sense of calm and increased self-awareness in addition to the many physical benefits like reduced blood pressure and a lower heart rate. Integrative breathing will be an incredible addition to your daily routine.
Sources:
Integrated Respiratory Control | Pathway Medicine