Why would anyone want to do this?

To understand this, we need to get into a little bit of science.

We all know that the body is fueled with oxygen. We need air to survive the same way we need food and water. Fortunately or unfortunately we spend an amazing amount of time, effort and energy on our eating and drinking habits, while we may neglect our breathing habits. If oxygen is our main source of fuel oxygen we can understand that our entire physical emotional mental systems operate on oxygen as well.

Did you know that it takes more oxygen to burn fat than to store it? That’s why aerobic exercise burns calories- anaerobic builds muscle. It’s not the exercise that’s burning the fat as much as it’s the influx of oxygen you take in when you get your heart rate up. Does this mean you can lose weight without exercise? Yes! Think about breathing away the pounds! ;)

Emotions need oxygen too! The vast emotional range that we have can be regulated because emotional processing needs oxygen too. So what do you suppose happens when we dont breathe through our emotions? Or our frustrations do not receive oxygen? Trauma processing needs oxygen too, even joy and happiness!

Have you ever held back your sadness? Have you ever held your breath in fear or anticipation? I know I did!

When we hold our breaths, we dont give space or breath to what is really going on underneath and we force it down or stuff it down without cycling through to a release. Our minds may forget about the feelings but our bodies never do. That’s why breathwork is instrumental in moving emotional stuckness.

Breath is energy and energy can be very powerful, it can also be quite destructive when it is not allowed to move. Imagine holding the breath of someone who is scared or wants to cry, what happens to those emotions? Unexpressed energy affects us on a cellular level, suppressing our feelings, our sensations and even our immune systems. Breathwork is a natural, G-d given way to help us release heal and calibrate all that.

But I’m already breathing?! Let me just do it on my own!

You’re right, and there is a specific targeted value in working with a breathwork facilitator. There is no one “right” way to do Breathwork and each breathworker is unique to their own craft and are trained facilitators who have may spent years developing a relationship with Breath and its healing properties. A skilled facilitator will guide you to the breath practice and experience that is optimally suited for what you desire to acquire from your session. Some breathwork facilitators will give you a take-home exercise that could be implemented to a personal breath practice. It is important to mention that unless specifically trained or instructed by a facilitator, participants should not try doing Breathwork on their own.

Breathwork can be used as a process designed to go deep into the psyche and bring up old emotional wounds that are ready to heal. In the process of Breathwork, participants may find themselves flashing through old memories, various emotions, and physical responses. These responses are what facilitators are trained to help with. A Breath Facilitator will guide you through stuck emotions, limiting beliefs, old stories and trauma patterns, to help you move and release the energy- making room for the joy and peace that always lie underneath.

So what happens?

Because breathwork is a physical emotional mental process it can affect these 3 realms. During the process participants may experience some physiological responses such as:

Tingling, Dizziness. Numbness, Tetany (a clenching of the extremities such as fingers, toes, and face), Sweating, Cold, Nausea/need to purge, Trembling, Shivering

Some emotional responses may be:

Crying, Laughing, An urge to move, jump, dance, or sway, A disconnect from Self, Anger or frustration.

Some mental responses may be:

Rumination, Old patterns of thinking, Memories of childhood, Mental clarity and sharpness

Each and every response is normal and safe and welcome. A seasoned breathwork facilitator has been trained to hold space for whatever comes up. At the end of Breathwork sessions, you can expect to feel a sense of calm, release, ease and lightness. There is time after a breathwork session to share and integrate. While optional, expressions and sharing can be beneficial to process the experience.