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The Power of Breath: Simple Methods to Incorporate Breathwork into Your Daily Routine

Breathing is super important, but we often don’t realize it. It’s peculiar because breathing keeps us alive, stating that it is the most underappreciated biological phenomenon and the source of existence for all life.
When we think about staying healthy, we forget that breathing is free and something we do naturally.
It’s one of your body’s essential functions that just happens without you having to do anything. And it’s a good thing, too, considering that the average person takes around 22,000 breaths daily.

You might have heard that breathwork can help with stress, anxiety, and overall wellness, but it’s still not widely known despite its many scientifically proven benefits.

If you can make breathwork a regular part of your routine, you’ll feel better daily and make a big investment in your long-term health. Research from the Framingham study, which has been going on for over 50 years, has shown that improving your oxygen intake and lung capacity can lower your risk of dying early—it’s one of the best indicators of how long you might live. It directly affects your nervous system, which controls things like memory, learning, waking up, and how well you move.

Your breath is in charge of your autonomic nervous system, which handles internal activities like circulation, blood flow, heart rate, how well you absorb oxygen, your immune system, hormones, and even your mental state.

Well, to sum it up nicely: “If I had to offer only one tip for healthy living, it would be to master the breathing technique.”
Responses to fights or flights in the contemporary era.

About 80 percent of the signals sent to your brain originate from your body, indicating that your body might have control over your brain.

This means that the depth, volume, and pace of your breath can influence how your brain instructs you to feel and respond, thereby impacting your emotions and neurological functions.

But how does this process work? Think about how your breath shapes your perception of the world, closely tied to your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. When stressed, your sympathetic nervous system, also known as the fight-or-flight response, kicks in. It prepares your body for danger, tenses up entirely, and breathing becomes shallow and rapid.

When your parasympathetic nervous system is activated, your breath slows down, becomes deeper, and more even. Your neurological system allows you to experience joy and form deeper connections.
When you feel strong emotions, your body can get stuck in a loop where what you think feeds back into how your body reacts.

But real life-threatening situations are pretty rare nowadays. In today’s world, where we’re always connected, even a message on WhatsApp or a post on Instagram can suddenly make you feel like you’re in danger. It is more prominent when you live like me in a buzzing suburb like Santacruz, Mumbai.

Sadly, you might start your day with these kinds of stress triggers and keep facing them all day long, which makes it hard to feel happy or important.

If you’re constantly stressed or have some deep-seated issues that haven’t been dealt with, you might stay stuck in this stressed-out mode. Being in this high-stress state is linked to being overweight, heart problems, feeling low, and other health issues.

Your body and mind must know it’s okay to stop this stress overload.

That’s when they can switch into a mode where your body can heal and recharge. Doing conscious breathing is the quickest way to break this cycle of intense emotions and teach your brain to calm down. By purposely changing how you breathe, you can make your body react how you want it to, which can help improve your mood and mental health.

If you notice you’re feeling stressed out, take a moment to acknowledge it without being hard on yourself. Try slowing down your breathing and using your diaphragm fully. This sends new signals to your brain, letting it know that you and your surroundings are actually safe.

Taking slow, even breaths with a longer exhale, like breathing in for four counts and out for eight, can lower your heart rate and help your body relax.

Three Types of Breathwork for Better Health and Mood: Up, Down, and Explore

All kinds of breathwork come down to three main ways. I call them Up, Down, and Explore.

Sympathetic Reaction (Fight-Or-Flight State)

When stressed, your heart beats faster, you focus more, and your brain releases a chemical called norepinephrine to help you pay attention. This gets you ready to take action. Double breathing is an example of this type of breathing, where you take quick, short breaths to activate your fight-or-flight response.

I start my “up” breathwork routine by doing 7-10 minutes. Do this first thing in the morning, maybe while you’re having your coffee. It’ll wake you up and prepare you for the day ahead, reviving your body’s engine.
Ways to Relax Before Bed
  • When you’re stressed and trying to sleep, it’s important to remember that you don’t have to feel stuck.
  • If you’re anxious, don’t force yourself to sleep. Instead, focus on calming down before bedtime.
  • For people who have had trouble sleeping for a long time, training your brain to sleep better might take time and effort.
The good news is that it’s never too late to make a change. Parasympathetic Response (Down) (Rest-And-Digest State) You activate your vagus nerve when you breathe slowly and deeply from your diaphragm. This nerve tells your body to relax, called the “rest and digest” mode. Box breathing is a type of slow breathing where you breathe in, hold your breath, breathe out, and then pause, all for the same amount of time. It helps calm you down and deal with feeling overwhelmed. It also stops you from breathing too fast. I use it when I’m in bath or to stay calm during medical procedures like blood tests or shots. Almost every day after work, I do box breathing to help me relax and switch from being busy to being present with my family. It lets my subconscious take over, and my body unwinds for the night. Understanding and Dealing with Emotions To deal with your feelings and heal, sometimes you need to look inside yourself, think about what’s happening, and deal with your emotions. <br. “Explore” breathwork helps you work through trauma and emotions. Some of my clients say it’s similar to using psychedelic drugs. One type of exploring breathwork is called holotropic breathing. In holotropic breathing sessions, people breathe fast, which makes them have psychedelic experiences, see things differently, or feel like time is changing. Setting aside time to explore breathwork, especially on Sunday mornings, helps you deal with your emotions and let go of things that have been bothering you during the week. Explore breathwork sessions I do once a week helps me be positive and love myself more. It resets my mind and lets go, almost like starting fresh. Combining Meditation with Breathwork Many people who visit Samarpan Healing Spa think meditation and breathwork are the same I tell them they’re not. I am a spiritual healer and counselor myself. I’ve learned from my Guru and seen how meditation, breathwork, kriya yoga and therapy can really help people grow. Meditation is paying attention to your breath, body, and feelings without trying to change them. Breathwork, though, is more like active meditation. It’s an exercise because it affects your nervous system in a deliberate way. While meditation is known for reducing stress, it takes time to see big changes. But breathwork can quickly help your body deal with stress. You don’t even need to be as focused as you do with meditation. Breathwork is easier to do, especially if you listen to some happy music while you do it. I like adding smells like essential oils, burn sage, or palo santo to make it even more relaxing. It’s great for your lungs and heart, which can aid with asthma or if you’re an athlete. Both breathwork and meditation are good for you, but they’re different. Using them together can give you even better results. Are you having trouble while meditating? Or do you want to know more about breathwork? I also offer services such as sound healing, counseling, chakra balancing, and many others. Connect with me today to explore the deeper side of your soul. Schedule an online appointment on samarpanhealingspa.in or you can meet me at Vakola, Santa Cruz, Mumbai. Contact for more information.

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