the power of breath
Far from being the latest wellness trend, breathwork originated in ancient times and goes well beyond the superficial to create profound change in our minds and bodies.
Uma Spender, yoga, meditation and breathwork teacher and founder of Both Yoga, shares with us some of the wisdom she has gathered over her many years teaching and practising breathwork (in her case, pranayama).
“A very simple, regular breathwork practice can positively impact every layer of your wellbeing,” she says.
understanding breathwork
“Breathwork encompasses a diverse range of practices where the breath is controlled,” explains Uma.
“Breathwork is the umbrella term given to the intentional practice of breathing,” she says. “There are so many different techniques and styles coming from various traditions – some are ancient and some are very modern; some will relax you and some will stimulate you.”
Uma practises and teaches pranayama, which is breathwork that springs from the yogic tradition. In fact, pranayama is one of the eight limbs of yoga, alongside asana (postures) and dharana (meditation).
Most pranayama techniques use nostril breathing as opposed to mouth breathing, “as the nose refines the breath with its complex filtration,” and because of the nose’s “correlation with the subtle or energetic body”, says Uma.
Like breathwork itself, some styles of pranayama are straightforward, relaxing and meditative, while others are more stimulating (such as those that fall into the category of kriya, which means ‘purifying actions’).
breath and wellbeing
Breathwork has myriad benefits, including stronger lungs and more oxygenated blood.
In a fast-paced world, breathwork can also help you rediscover a slow, long breath.
“Essentially you are learning to remember the breath you were born with,” says Uma.
Changing your habitual breathing patterns is a “bottom-up” approach: while being overly stressed can lead to shorter, shallower breathing, consciously slowing down your breath can help regulate your nervous system to calm both body and mind.
Lengthening your exhales, for example, helps tone the vagus nerve, which enables you to shift from ‘fight or flight’ (sympathetic nervous system) to ‘rest and digest’ (parasympathetic nervous system) mode. This is why mental health professionals are increasingly turning to breathwork as a tool for their clients.
“Simply put, a few minutes of mindful breathing can quieten your mind, dramatically boost your mood and open you to deeper layers of pleasure, joy and connection,” says Uma.
She adds that many of her students have reported “huge emotional shifts and realisations within the first few sessions, as well as improved digestion, drastically improved sleep and surprisingly altered libido and pleasure.”
While relaxing breath techniques can support those of us experiencing stress and anxiety, the more stimulating style of breathwork can help us release stagnant emotions.
“Simply put, a few minutes of mindful breathing can quieten your mind, dramatically boost your mood and open you to deeper layers of pleasure, joy and connection”
Uma Spender, breathwork teacher and founder of Both Yoga
how to incorporate breathwork into your daily routine
Breathwork is a very accessible practice – especially since it can be performed from wherever you are without any special tools. And for the very busy, even five minutes of breathwork is beneficial.
If you are new to the practice, Uma suggests starting with breath awareness before you move on to breath control.
“This can be done lying down, perhaps as you lie in bed upon waking or going to sleep. Notice, without judgement, how you breathe,” she says. “Does your belly move? Do you feel the sides or backs of your lungs expanding and contracting? Is there any restriction? Does the inhale or the exhale feel more easeful? Are you breathing through your nose? Is one of your nostrils working more than the other?
“Even simply bringing awareness to the breath going in and the breath going out can be a profound awakening to the miracle of your life.”
Uma also points out that noticing your natural breath will also act as a “wonderful touchstone to monitor your progress”.
You can explore Uma’s range of breathwork classes on endota Retreat. These practices are suitable for people at any stage of their breathwork journey.
breathing techniques
Pranayama includes a range of breathing techniques, from the meditative ujjayi (victorious, or ocean breath) and balancing nadi shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) to the stimulating kapalabhati (skull shining breath) and energising simha (lion’s breath).
In recent years, Wim Hof has popularised the Wim Hof Method, which involves very deep breathing, long breath holds and ice baths for increased mental and physical resilience. Hof credits Tummo (an ancient Tibetan Buddhist monk breathing practice) as the inspiration for his method.
Uma explains that other modern breathwork techniques involve open-mouthed breathing and are used to initiate an altered state of consciousness by triggering the release of DMT (Dimethyltryptamine) from the pineal gland – such as conscious connected breath, rebirthing breath, holotropic breath, shamanic and ecstatic breath.
finding the right practice for you
Deciding which style of breathwork to practise will depend on what kind of effect you are seeking, but a good place to start is with gentle breathing techniques such as slowing down your breath and lengthening your exhales.
“Breathwork can certainly be intense, especially the more dynamic and stimulating techniques,” says Uma. “I always recommend building a strong and solid foundation of the more simple pranayama techniques before moving onto kriya and other modern or extreme forms of breathwork.”
The more dynamic breathwork styles are also generally not recommended for those with very high or low blood pressure, heart conditions, glaucoma, those who are pregnant, or those experiencing migraines. Uma emphasises the importance of listening to your body and pausing to rest if you notice signs of dizziness, heart palpitations or nausea.
combining breath and meditation
Breath and meditation are intimately linked, and many meditation techniques involve a concentration on the breath both as an anchoring tool (to help with focus) and as a way to calm the nervous system.
“Breathwork has been used in various spiritual traditions to journey deeper into the layers of consciousness,” says Uma. “I like to think of breathwork as the bridge between the conscious and unconscious mind, as well as the bridge to meditation, which can feel elusive and out of reach for many.”
The things that are revealed to us during breathwork can also be further reflected on during meditation in a gentle, compassionate way.
“As you begin to practise breathwork a lot of surprising things can happen. The breath represents life…The breath can show you where you might be blocked or hiding; where you might have space to grow and expand.”
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