Take a deep breath.

Right now, stop reading, and just inhale slowwwwwlllllyyyyy…………………

………………………………………… and exhalllllleeeeeeeee

Do it one more time.

Inhallllleeeeeeeeeee………………………………………………………

…………………………………………….. and exxxxhhhaaaalllleeeeee

That right there – that is your PRANA.

YOUR LIFEFORCE ENERGY

YOUR CONNECTION TO THE UNCONSCIOUS AND YOUR CREATIVE MAGIC

YOUR ABILITY TO HEAL YOURSELF

IT IS THE MASTER FORM OF ENERGY WORKING AT EVERY LEVEL OF YOUR BEING

Want to know something simply amazing?

Breathing becomes Breathwork when you add intention, energy, and attention to it. It is literally as simple as becoming aware of your breath. It does not have to be a big to do. Even a few intentional deep breaths can change the trajectory of your day (and ultimately, your life).

You don’t have to be a nurse to know that if you’re not breathing, you’re dead. As if you needed a better reason to breathe. But in all seriousness, there are so many reasons why you should breathe. 

I want you to start thinking of your breath as your body’s built in reboot system.

How often throughout any given day do you find yourself needing a little pause?  Probably more than once, if I had to guess. We are only human, and mundane human annoyances like bills, bosses, and a big fight with your boo, are inevitable.

The easiest, cheapest, and most rewarding way through is by coming back to your breath.

When To Use Your Breath

1)     Anytime you are feeling stuck, overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, angry, sad, in a relationship rut, furious at the state of worldly affairs, spending too much down memory lane and commiserating about how you should have done this or that, or feeling fidgety about the future because you don’t have your shit together yet …

I want you to breathe. Simply breathing brings you back into the present moment.  Give yourself a flood of newly oxygenated blood to your brain and shake off any of that stagnating energy.

2)     When you find yourself too much “in your head”, I want you to focus your attention on your breath, inhale deeply, exhale fully, and focus on getting “into your body”. When we spend too much time in the cerebral thinking analyzing critical mind, we lose touch with our intuition. And no, intuition is not just some woo-woo thing reserved for a handful of a lucky few that have gifts like clairvoyance, psychic prowess and the ability to talk to dead people. We are all born with intuition. We just become conditioned to not listen to it, or to not believe that our guts could honestly hold all the answers to life’s most pressing questions. When we spend too much in our minds, we become reactive rather than intuitive. Breath gets you back INTO your body and allows you the primal sense of actually FEELING.

3)     Have you ever heard of the Wim Hof Method? I highly suggest you research him and all the awesome work he has done over the years. Wim has learned how to control his autonomic nervous system and thereby increase immune function by combining hyperoxygenation and cold therapy. Breaking this down a little bit – disease, bacteria, viruses, etc, looovvveeee an acidic environment. Hyperoxygenation increases the pH of your blood, therefore creating a more alkaline environment where bad guys DON’T like to grow. So yes, the more alkaline your blood and body, the less likely you are to be a breeding ground for disease and illness.

4)     Need an energy boost? You guessed it –  DO SOME BREATH WORK!! Mitochondria are organelles found within our cells, and they are the powerhouses of the cell, creating energy and basically powering our cells through life. Guess what!  Mitochondria absolutely LOVE oxygen! Well fed mitochondria produce more energy, and the cell is therefore able to carry out its function more efficiently, longer, and in better concert with all the cells around it. 

5)     Any fellow empaths out there? Well, my friend, breathwork is absolutely CRUCIAL to your mental and emotional health. We tend to take on the emotions (good and bad!) of others and can sometimes confuse them with our own. It’s not our responsibility to take on other peoples’ shit, but we do because we are big hearted, heart-centered creatives with keen intuitions and generally like the world around us to be peaceful and inclusive. By incorporating an intentional breathwork practice, you become better equipped to identify what is yours and what is not. Breathwork by and large allows for RELEASE – and an empath must release that which is not theirs in order to protect our sacred heart space, live in light, embrace compassion, and thrive

Physical Sensations You May Feel

(that are totally normal)

Tingling hands, feet, face

Intense emotional release through laughter or tears

Euphoria

Tetany (hyperoxygenation causes this)

Relaxation

Pain

Discovering how to unlock the healing power of your breath is a skill. Nobody came out of the womb breathing (oh wait a second … haha jk I know babies breathe when they come into the world), at least not intentionally breathing. Like any valuable life change, it comes with some fumbles while finding your footing.

It’s okay if you feel bored and monkey brain-ish and like you’ve reverted back to kindergarten and can’t even fathom sitting still for even one minute. These discomforts are your ego coming atcha, trying to sabotage you from making a powerful life change because “Change is bad! No one will love you if you change! You’ll never be able to do this! Just quit while you’re ahead so you don’t embarrass yourself!”. It has good intentions, but it’s a real pain in the ass. Its important that, like any new practice or lifestyle change, you find patience and grace for yourself. You won’t experience the reverence and peaceful solitude of a Tibetan monk after your first session. Or even after your 10th, tbh. So let yourself off the hook, lower your expectations, and enjoy the process of learning something new.

Side Benefits of Breathwork

Increased joy

More balance

More clarity

Heightened awareness

Decreased feelings of stuck and overwhelm

Better coping mechanisms

Increased feelings of fulfillment

More connection with your spirituality

Heightened intuition

Better control of impulses

More energy

An open heart