Feb 25, 2020

Fitness Tuesday: Why you should try Breathwork

Happy Tuesday!! Hard to believe that it is the last Tuesday of Black History Month, February, & Fat Tuesday also. Already decided what I am giving up for Lent & what I am picking up as well. Will go into that next Tuesday since it is wellness related. Besides that, I went to my first Pilates class in about 3 years yesterday. It did wonders for my neck & back. For the first time in a long time, I went through all day Monday with no neck, back, or shoulder pain.

Today I wanted to talk about Breathwork. One of the things that I love about the beginning of the year is seeing all the new trends & ideas that are coming out of the health & wellness space. I did Breathwork around when I started mediating regularly, after my car accident in Fall of 2016. However, I fell off some reason. Most do Breathwork while they are mediating, which is how I was doing it. Now, many are doing it by itself, which is useful during a work day or a stressful time when you can not meditate. Here are a few reason from mindbodygreen why you should try adding Breathwork to your day:

Helps with stress & anxiety

Doing repeated sessions of Breathwork have been found to lower levels of the cortisol, the stress hormone. Having high level can cause chronic inflammation. Controlling your breathing in a stressful situation can help tell your body relax, reducing the release of cortisol.

Aid in lowering blood pressure

Practicing breathwork to music for around 10 minutes a day can reduce blood pressure. It has been found that in people with hypertension after practicing slow, deep breathing there was a drop in their blood pressure.

Reduce symptoms of depression

Pairing breathwork with other stress reducers can help in reducing the symptoms of depression. People who engaged in breathwork & yoga together for 12 weeks saw a decline in depressive symptoms. A study done found the breathing-based meditation eased severe depression in some people. It also helps with boosting ones mood by reducing the part of the brain that controls the fight or flight response.

Make focus sharper

Practicing breathwork in a regulated way can help with the amount of noradrenaline, a natural chemical messenger that affects attention and certain emotions, in our brain and ultimately enhance focus.

Help with pain management

Breathwork through slow deep breathing has been found to help reduce the perception of chronic pain, helping them better cope with physical discomfort. It can also help alleviate back pain by breathing through your diaphragm, creating blood flow and movement in that

back & spine.

If you would like to learn more on Breathwork here are some articles & books to read:

Articles