Connecting Breath
BY Ollie Loudon
Breathwork… For anyone new to the term and wondering, like many people I speak to, what exactly is it? It is quite simply as it sounds working with your breathing to create physical, mental and emotional Well-being.
Breathwork is on the rise because it is effective. To put it simply, breathing deeply provides more oxygen to every cell in your body. Oxygen improves cellular functionality so every cell is being given the best chance to perform optimally.
If you’re wondering what that feels like, take 10 deep breaths right now! Fully in, fully out and pay attention to your body.
Buddhist monks use Breathwork as one of the pillars of their practice. Elite military soldiers use Breathwork to regulate their bodies when going into high intensity environments like war zones. Athletes will tell you if they breathe better they perform better. So that also means Breathwork quite possibly has something to offer YOU, wherever you are in your life.
Let me explain how this works in short, so that you can understand how one practice can be so widely applicable.
Our nervous system is responding to the stimuli we encounter in the world all of the time, and it’s a very sophisticated system. It is looking out for you and reacting to your environment. It gives us adrenaline in a split second when we need to evade danger and then it calms us down afterwards once the process has been completed. Now there’s a little snag here – in the 21st century sometimes it isn’t appropriate to complete the process e.g. running for your life like a gazelle from a cheetah in the middle of a work meeting (even though you may feel like doing so!)
Peter Levine describes this masterfully in his book ‘Waking The Tiger’. He explains the process wants to be completed and the energy needs to go somewhere and importantly; it will stick around (and possibly compound) until worked with in some way.
The way we breathe directly affects our nervous system. Have you ever thought about why a classic piece of reflex-advice to someone in a stressful situation is to “stop and take a breath”? We say it because it’s great advice.
If you have experienced anything that has caused a build up of energy disabling healthy functioning of body/mind/emotions, you can work with that through Breathwork.
And the great news is there are gradients of Breathwork for all. From gentle, relaxing exercises that can be done anytime, anywhere and to deeper dives for the more adventurous types where we breathe steadily but deeply for longer periods of time to unlock the potential and real ‘magic’ of the work.
These sessions can be nothing short of astounding and it is my wish that everyone has the chance to experience what I have experienced through Breathwork.
Curious yet?
Whilst this may be beginning to sound complicated, it is not! Our bodies know innately what to do and all we have to do is simply breathe. Breathe with commitment, sensitivity and openness.
Try this exercise, it’s a calming technique called ‘Box Breathing’
Take a moment, sit still, feel your body
Inhale for 4 seconds
Hold for 4 seconds
Exhale for 4 seconds
Hold for 4 seconds
…repeat for 4 minutes (or however long you wish).
It is an important pillar of my practice to make sure no one feels like they have to ‘quiet’ or empty their mind of thoughts before they begin. Trying to stop ones train of thought is a common unnecessary stress load for someone interested in and embarking on new well-being practices and we have to let this concept go.
It can create unnecessary shame and self-sabotage and block the person from the practise. All are invited in Breathwork and all are welcome. We work with the state we are in, not against it. And I’m delighted to tell you that a byproduct of Breathwork is calmness, peace and meditative states ofbeing. It certainly is not a prerequisite.
My philosophy of Breathwork is that we are not trying to escape, deny or insulate ourselves from life, quite the opposite in fact. The ethos is to connect and meet life with pragmatic and nourishing breath practices so we can thrive irrespective of the circumstances. Breathwork is literally the embodiment of inspiration (breathing in health and transformation) and expiration (releasing and letting of that which doesn’t serve us any longer).
If you’re interested in making effective physical, mental and emotional transformation give Breathwork a try. You’re breathing anyway so, why not?
To learn more about Ollie and his Breathwork practice head to his instagram or website here.
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