Can Breathwork Improve Your Well-Being?
Move over meditation, there’s a new it-mental health habit to adopt: breathwork. Commonly incorporated in meditation and yoga, breathwork is getting its time in the limelight, increasingly taught and practiced as its own resource in recent years.
Breathwork entails changing your breathing patterns to create a response in your body, like to relax or boost energy, and there are many types of techniques to produce the desired effects, like alternative nostril, box work, and Holotropic, which some say can alter your state of consciousness (no drugs necessary). Research has supported that introducing some types of breathwork into your routine can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression while others can improve cognitive function.
Even though breathwork has been around since ancient times, the practice has been gaining steam in mainstream health spaces in part because of the number of celebrities who swear by it. Famous people who have been vocal about the emotional and physical benefits they’ve experienced from practicing different breathwork techniques include Gisele Bündchen, Oprah, and Olympic athletes. Often recommended in tandem with other types of mental health treatments to supplement your efforts, breathwork can be part of a holistic approach to emotional and physical wellness. Common spaces to incorporate breathing techniques include therapy, exercise, and even during spa treatments.
While you can definitely start practicing breathwork techniques at home or take a virtual class, more luxe offerings have been rolling out to make the trend a truly pampering experience. The 1 Hotel Hanalei Bai, for example, is renowned for its spa’s wellness offerings and has a treatment called the 1 Reset incorporating Holotropic breathwork. Canyon Ranch and Miraval, two famous spa retreats with wellness-focused programs, also offer breathwork in their menus of activities encouraging a holistic approach to health.
Just like meditation and yoga, breathwork isn’t for everyone — especially if it comes at a steep cost. Luckily, you can test this trend out for free first, and there’s no harm in trying something as simple as a quick breathing exercise at home to see how it makes you feel. You can start with one mentioned earlier that’s also standard in yoga classes and intended to aid in relaxation: alternative nostril breathing (or Nadi Shodhana Pranayama in Sanskrit).
Using your thumb to block one nostril, take a deep inhale through the other. Then, use your pinky finger to block the open nostril while you remove your thumb and exhale out of the other. Continue this pattern for as long as you want; maybe start at two minutes per session and work your way up to five. You can watch a tutorial on the technique to learn more about it.
While you shouldn’t expect a miracle the first time you try out more mindful breathing, you never know what could happen. Maybe you’ll find it easier to focus after practicing, maybe you’ll realize you released the 24/7 clench in your jaw. Any little reprieve from stress is a win in our book.
