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why is breathwork the perfect stress reliever?

Breathwork – a practise where you breathe with intention – holds the power to calm both the body and mind by signalling to your nervous system that it’s safe to relax.  

Uma Spender, yoga, meditation and breathwork teacher and founder of Both Yoga, explains that “as you develop a practice of breathing with greater consciousness, you are able to remain for greater periods of time leading with your parasympathetic nervous system, drastically lowering cortisol and adrenaline production in the body, leading to lowered stress and overall calm.” 

You can practise a breathing exercise anywhere and at any time, making breathwork one of the most useful and effective stress relief tools we have. 

the benefits of breathwork

Breathwork has myriad benefits, and there is a diverse array of breathwork styles that offer a variety of results – from those that grant more energy to those that encourage you to unwind. 

how breathwork reduces stress

Consciously or unconsciously, you can live in a state of chronic stress, which affects your physical and mental health in a multitude of ways. The simple act of focusing on your breath can significantly reduce stress hormones.  

Uma explains that when practising relaxing and mindful breathing, you can experience a shift from the amygdala (the reptilian brain focused on survival) to the frontal cortex (the more evolved part of the brain).  

“This sets the stage for a radical evolution in your consciousness and the nervous system's ability to release out of the survival, or fight or flight response, that is governed by the amygdala,” says Uma. 

When in a fight or flight mode, your breath becomes shallower – so if you deepen your breath, it indicates to the brain that it’s okay to return to a state of ‘rest and digest’.  

breathing exercises 

Finding the right style of breathing exercise for you will depend on where you’re starting from: some breathing exercises are suitable for beginners or those in a highly dysregulated state, while others are more advanced. 

“Basically, you want to deepen your breath, but trying to inhale deeply from this heightened place can be impossible, and in fact can cause more stress if you aren’t able to do it,” says Uma. 

how breathwork boosts wellbeing 

Breathing relaxation techniques are those that naturally reduce your stress, which has the flow-on effect of decreasing blood pressure, reducing stress hormones and bolstering your immune system. 

mental and emotional balance 

Mindful breathing fosters mental and emotional balance by helping you to become less reactive and to cultivate equanimity – a word often used in the Buddhist tradition to describe an even temperament.  

Breathing relaxation techniques do this by communicating to the brain that you are safe. Modern humans frequently feel under threat in situations that are non-life threatening thanks to the ancient or reptilian part of the brain, and breathwork can remind your nervous system to relax.  

“When you start to use the evolved and conscious part of the brain to breathe, you are training your nervous system to evolve and respond calmly rather than react out of the need to survive,” explains Uma.  

physical health benefits

Breathwork offers an abundance of physical health benefits in addition to the numerous benefits you receive simply by being more relaxed. Conscious breathing opens your lungs and helps oxygenate and alkalise your blood, which has an anti-inflammatory effect and helps improve your blood flow. It also reduces your blood pressure and can help improve sleep.  


 

“When you start to use the evolved and conscious part of the brain to breathe, you are training your nervous system to evolve and respond calmly rather than react out of the need to survive”


Uma Spender, yoga, meditation and breathwork teacher and founder of Both Yoga


breathing techniques 

The following breathing techniques can be practised at home.

make a sound as you exhale

“The first technique I would recommend is especially effective for when you are right in a strong heightened stress response and you can feel your heart rate rising and your breath becoming shallow,” says Uma.  

“The technique is to focus on bringing a sound to the exhalation. The sound could be “mmmmm” or “shhhhhhh” or “haaaaaaaa” – anything that works for you. The sound will help to naturally lengthen the exhalation.”  

Repeat as many times as you like, allowing the sound to become a little longer each time.  

box breathing

Box breathing, also known as square breathing, is appropriate for when you are feeling mildly stressed. It’s also suitable as a regular breath practice.  

To practise, breathe in for a count of four, gently hold the breath for a count of four, exhale for a count of four and gently hold at the bottom for a count of four (hence the box shape). If it feels okay, you can increase the count to six.  

“The breath holds act like little weights at either end of the breath, strengthening the lungs capacity and teaching the breath to lengthen,” says Uma.  

lengthen the exhalation

“The next technique I would recommend after you have become comfortable with box breathing is to lengthen the exhalation,” suggests Uma.  

This might mean inhaling for a count of four and exhaling for a count of six or eight.  

“Once you have become comfortable with this you can try holding your breath at the top of the inhale, perhaps starting with the count of four and building it up. This could be the 4-7-8 breath – counting four for the inhale, seven for the hold and eight for the exhale. Repeating this for a few rounds and building up over time is extremely nourishing for your nervous system.” 

simple breathwork for stress relief

If you’re feeling stressed and aren’t able to practise a regular breathwork session, you can practise the first technique described above (making a sound as you exhale), or you can practise a subtler version by silently counting a longer exhale than inhale.  

Uma suggests starting with a count of two for the inhale and three for the exhale, and building up to a count of four for the inhale and eight for the exhale.  
 
In terms of setting up your space to practise breathwork, Uma says it can be as elaborate or as simple as you like. To create a ritual out of your practice you might set yourself up with comfortable blankets and cushions, as well as candles and aromatherapy – or you can simply sit or lie down wherever you are.  

For a guided breathwork experience, take a look at Uma’s range of online classes of breathwork for stress relief.   

“All of my classes on endota Retreat are very effective for stress-relieving and nourishing your nervous system,” she says.   

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