The Power of Breath: Breathwork for Mental Health

You’ve probably been encouraged at some point in your life to take a deep breath when stressed, anxious, or upset. Maybe by a parent when you fell and scraped your knee as a child, or by a friend when upset over a breakup or stressed at work.

Our breath holds so much power and is an amazing tool for relaxing, healing from stress and trauma, and preparing for meditation.

What is Breathwork?

Breathwork is the manipulation of the breath into patterns using inhales, exhales, and retentions (breath holds). So basically, intentional and purposeful breathing.

Breathwork originates as early as ~2500 B.C. with the practice of yoga. Called “Pranayama” by Hindus, it is the art and science of yogic breathing techniques. Pranayama in Sanskrit means “extension of life force.” Within this culture, “prana” (or breath) is the universal energy that is within and flows through our body. Other East Asian cultures such as the Chinese Tao and Buddhists have used breath as a way to connect with divinity as well as a powerful medicine to increase vitality. 

Breathwork isn’t just for meditation or spiritual practice. Breathwork is used for purely practical reasons by the military and extreme sports athletes to help them stay calm during their intense work as well!

Why is it Useful? Why is Breath so Powerful?

Our breath is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which also controls heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and sexual arousal. It is divided into the sympathetic response (fight or flight, stress) and parasympathetic response (rest and digest). 

The parasympathetic response is where we want to be, however most of us live in a sympathetic response, which means that our body is in a constant state of arousal, filled with acidic chemicals like adrenaline and cortisol, and it is unable to grow or repair itself. This is why so many of us with depression, anxiety, or PTSD also suffer from physical symptoms like gastrointestinal problems, chronic pain and inflammation, and insomnia. 

The good news is that breath can be used to activate our parasympathetic response. Breath is always accessible, always with us, and completely free!

Breathwork for Meditation

Meditation has been studied more and more over the past ten years. Neuroimaging has shown that a consistent practice of meditation can alter brain structures because it increases neuroplasticity (or our brain’s ability to shift and learn through the creation of new neural pathways.) 

Within the first 30-45 seconds of meditating, the brain sends dopamine and serotonin throughout the body. These are FEEL GOOD chemicals that combat adrenaline and cortisol. Studies have shown that it positively affects conditions like pain, high blood pressure, IBS, ulcerative colitis, anxiety, depression, insomnia, immune function, and inflammation. On an emotional level, it increases self-esteem, connection, happiness and wellbeing, intuition, and creativity while reducing stress and being able to meet life’s demands and challenges.

Breathwork helps to prepare the mind and body to sit in meditation. If you’ve ever had trouble staying focused and in meditation, breathwork is the perfect tool to calm the mind so that you can more easily sit in stillness. 

What to Do If You Get Distracted

First of all, getting distracted is completely natural! And not just for beginners, even those of us with years of practice can still struggle to drop in fully. Some days, I will sit for 20 minutes and only get maybe 5 minutes of deep meditation.

The key to meditation isn’t doing it perfectly or not thinking at all; the key is to keep choosing to redirect your focus back into the meditation. 

If you feel like you get distracted too easily to meditate, breathwork may be the perfect addition to your practice. Breathwork prepares the mind to slow down. It is also a form of active meditation which combines a present state of mind with counting, breathing, chanting, or sequential movement. When most of us think of meditation, we think of someone sitting completely still, however that is only ONE way to meditate. There are many ways to meditate that are active such as yoga or a tea ceremony.

Also remember it gets easier with practice! It takes practice to retrain your mind to be fully present. If you have been stuck in a chronic stress response (anyone who’s been through trauma, or lives with depression, anxiety, or PTSD) then the practice can be more challenging at first. Shallow meditations play an essential role in releasing stress. All meditation experiences are different day to day and all experiences are an important part of the process.

How to Start Using Breathwork

If you’re struggling with stress, anxiety, or PTSD, or if you just struggle with focusing and shifting into a rest and digest response, breathwork is a powerful and free tool that is perfect for adding to your healing journey.

To help you begin incorporating breathwork and meditation into your life, I’ve created a free Breathwork and Meditation Guide for beginners - and it only takes 10 minutes to do! Fill out the form below to have it sent straight to your inbox and experience the truly transformative power of breath.