Mechanisms Of Breathwork For Healing & Transformation Breathwork Breathwork is a unique therapeutic method that has the potential to heal and transform us by helping with a variety of issues that we face daily. It alleviates stress and promotes openness, love, serenity, gratitude, clarity, communication, and connection. Breathwork can also alleviate anxiety, fear, grief, rage, and other physical, mental, and emotional issues. Here Is How Breathwork Heals Stress & Trauma Breathwork is holistic healing: It increases the capacity of oxygen in the blood, resulting in increased energy and stamina. The amount of oxygen you breathe directly impacts how much energy is delivered into your cells. The body uses this extra energy to uplift your immunity and provide the needed energy if you have sleepless nights or have a day filled with worry or anxiety (which can be a significant reason to drain energy). Deep breathing improves lung efficiency and aids in detoxification: Nearly half of the toxins stored in your body are expelled via exhalation; the primary toxin being carbon dioxide (CO2). Deep rhythmic breathing expands your diaphragm, which calms the body and massages the lymphatic system, which aids in the removal of toxins. The lungs can also be strengthened, which directly impact the toxin release. Some breathwork techniques are more effective than talking therapies because they assist in clearing trauma from the body. One of Holmes, Morris, Clance, and Putney’s (1996) studies is about breathwork and factual oriented verbal psychotherapy. The results showed that breathwork therapies, such as transformational breath, rebirthing breathwork and holotropic breathwork, have a considerable effect on self-esteem and decreased death anxiety compared to the people contributing only to factual-oriented verbal psychotherapy. Similarly, the advantages of diaphragmatic breathing have been studied in cooperation with the earliest eastern religions, meditation, and martial arts. Diaphragmatic breathing is considered a fundamental component of Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) and yoga. It helps with emotional balance, social adaptation, and particular rhythmic positions and movements. Research data from studies in health psychology and clinical treatment suggest that diaphragmatic breathing is an efficient, relaxing energy breathing approach in complementary and alternative medicine, with valuable benefits for mental and physical health. Breathwork – Natural Healing for Arthritis: Arthritis is a painful inflammation of the joints. It causes pain, swelling, and stiffness, particularly in older adults. Numerous studies show that breathwork has a natural healing impact on arthritis. Yoga practice, which includes pranayama, meditation, and breathwork, provides significant physiological and psychological holistic health healing advantages for people of all ages. In elderly yoga students, the positive effects can be especially beneficial in alleviating arthritis, osteoporosis symptoms, and hypertension. The ultimate benefit is improved musculoskeletal flexibility, range of motion (ROM), decreased pain, and improved posture. How Breathwork Sessions Work Breathwork is a fairly easy technique, you can have sessions at home alone or with friends and family. In a professional setup, these sessions are usually held in group settings and facilitated by a qualified practitioner to achieve altered states of consciousness. The practitioner instructs and trains you to breathe rapidly for a specified period. Holotropic breathwork sessions include music too. Breathwork allows you to become the most refined version of yourself. The exercise assists you in tuning into your frequency and activating your full potential. How Do Your Body & Brain Respond To Breathwork? Lilia, a certified breathwork therapist, says, “Long-term stress is connected to an increase in inflammation in the body,” “which in turn links to disorders like heart disease, diabetes, stress, depression, and crippled immune system.” Deep breathing triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, which sends a message to the anxious part of your brain affirming that you are secure. It essentially suppresses the flight, fight, or freeze reaction. More oxygen reaches the thinking brain through deep breathing. Furthermore, you free up mental energy to directly address the physical, fight, flight and freeze sensations. Breathing produces electrical activity in the human brain, which improves emotional judgments and memory recall. In addition, mindful breathing can help shrink the amygdala, which has stress-relieving properties. The amygdala is a brain region that perceives danger and initiates the fight or flight response. Chemical changes occur in your brain and body during breathwork. Breathing rhythm alterations are frequently linked to alterations in peripheral signals mediated by the vagus nerve. Final Words Breathwork is a holistic means of healing and transformation. Breathing consciously deeply helps you overcome trauma by releasing tension and constrained energy buried deep inside your subconscious mind. Read more here if you are all intrigued and choose the right breathwork to embark on the journey of mental and physical wellness.