What is breathwork? A guide for beginners (+ 6 exercises)

What is breathwork?

Breathwork (also called "breathwork") refers to breathing techniques used to consciously manipulate breathing. These techniques are not new! Thousands of years ago in the East, they discovered that consciously controlling the breath can have an effect on your physical, mental and energetic state. The basic idea of breathwork is to rid your body of toxins and provide it with new energy. There is a specific breathing technique for each desired state of being. For example, slow breathing creates a calm state of being, while abdominal breathing provides more energy.

What is a breathwork session?

A breathwork session can last from 1 minute to several hours. The maximum length of breathwork sessions from the Meditation Moments app is 10 minutes. In a guided setting (with a professional), a breathwork session can last up to about 45 minutes, followed by part relaxation.

What is the difference between breathwork and meditation?

We live in a busy society where many of us are constantly "on. That busyness makes it almost impossible to sit still for meditation. Often our thoughts continue to race even after you have already sat on your meditation cushion for ten minutes.

If you're in your head a lot, breath work can be an effective way to get out of it. During meditation, you observe your own thoughts and feelings, but breathwork doesn't require you to think. Breathwork focuses on your body and life energy.

Breathwork can also help you get to your emotions faster. Many people experience different emotions during or after practicing breathwork. Some experience joy and euphoria. Some experience grief and sadness. And some experience emotions they didn't know were there. This is because manipulating the breath puts energy into motion. The Latin derivation of the word emotion is "emovere," which means "to move. Breath coaches sometimes refer to "emotion" as "energy in motion. So simply put, emotion is an energy moving through your body. Breathwork can therefore also help clear energy and process emotions.

Practicing meditation after breathwork

You don't have to choose between meditation or breathwork. Breathwork can actually be a great complement to your meditation practice. Many people find it easier to reach a meditative state after doing a breathwork exercise. These exercises help you get out of your head and reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. After this, it is easier to focus on your meditation.

The benefits of breathwork

Breathwork can reduce difficult feelings, such as stress, sadness, grief, overwhelm and gloom. But breathwork can also be valuable when you are feeling good about yourself. It can reinforce positive feelings and help you feel more love, joy, ecstasy, gratitude and happiness.

The benefits of breathwork are multifaceted and scientifically based:

• Slow breathing calms the nervous system, lowers blood pressure and reduces stress and anxiety.
• Breathwork has a positive effect on mental health.
• Practicing breathwork regularly improves the immune system and increases energy levels.
• Slow breathing helps deal with pain.
• Breathwork exercises build self-confidence and improve mood.

Practicing breathwork yourself

Anyone can practice breathwork. It is simple and does not require much practice: after all, you already do breathwork. If breathwork is new to you, a guided breathing exercise can be helpful. The instructor then guides you through the exercise. Furthermore, there are some rules to keep in mind if you want to practice breathwork.

Breathwork sets emotions in motion. So events, beliefs or feelings that are stored in the body may surface. Perhaps tears come up or you suddenly experience a feeling of overwhelm - without knowing where it came from. This is perfectly normal. Your body now has a chance to clear stored energies so that life energy can flow freely again.

You may also feel tingling in your body. That you become a little light-headed. Or that you may even begin to see colors or images. Remember that everything that happens, has to happen. Try not to force anything and be open to what occurs. Only when you fully surrender to the experience can you listen to the wisdom of your body.

6 breathing exercises you can try today

It doesn't matter if you are an experienced breathwork practitioner or if you have yet to discover the power of breathwork for the first time: everyone can experience the nice, calm feeling that comes after breathwork.

There are many different breathing techniques, and each has a unique purpose and effect on the body. In the Meditation Moments app, we have named each exercise after the desired effect. For example, "More energy or "Inner peace. This makes it easier to choose an exercise that suits you in that moment.

Here are 6 breathing exercises for all levels that deserve a place in your meditation routine:

• Breathing to Sleep Easy. Take 10 deep breaths and connect with the peace within you.
• Empowering Breath Work. Focus on your breath in this breathing excercise, feel the power as you inhale and exhale.
• 10 Slow Calm Deep Breaths. A breathing exercise to start your morning. 
• Breathe Away Tension and Pain. Physical and emotional pain can be relieved or even disappear with conscious, focused breathing.
• Breathe Away Stress. With this exercise, you will notice that you become calmer and more relaxed within a few minutes.
• How Is Your Breath Moving Today? Focus your attention to your breathing. Practice this meditation daily for optimum effect.

Is breathwork safe?

Everyone breathes, but intense forms of breathwork are not suitable for everyone. If you have had a stroke or have cardiovascular disease, intense breathwork is not recommended. Do you still want to practice mild forms of breathwork? If so, always consult a professional first.

Also, if you have the lung disease COPD or asthma, or if you are pregnant, it is wise to consult with a doctor first.

How often can I do breathwork?

You can practice breathwork every day. In fact, the more often you do breathwork, the more benefits you will experience and the stronger the effects will be.