The Beginner’s Guide to Breath Work

Breath

Breath. It is something we do involuntarily. We take our first breath right after we’re born and continue breathing until our very last. It’s one of the few constants that every person experiences and does throughout their entire life. Most of us don’t think about it and we do it in our sleep. It’s an essential function our body performs as every human needs to breathe. Unfortunately though, many people do not know how to breathe effectively. Some people have to be taught in a way that is healthy. A lot of people come to see me for issues with anxiety and discontentment. Of course there are many reasons for these feelings but eventually we usually come to having a conversation about our bodies and about the simple yet powerful act of breathing.

It goes like this - I’ll usually ask them if they’ve ever done any “breathing exercises” and if they say no, I’ll ask if I can teach them one during our session. I’ve never had anyone say no, so I take the opportunity to hold up my hand and demonstrate tracing one hand with my other hand’s index finger and slowly breathing in as I trace up along a finger and then slowly exhale as I trace the other side of the finger. I trace each finger on my hand and I encourage my client to participate by mirroring me.

I explain that our bodies are creatures of habit and sometimes it takes time to learn new habits, such as deep breathing, so I encourage them to do their best to try the exercise once a day until the next time I see them.

Other ways to incorporate breath work include meditation, intentional breathing with guided imagery, or practicing yoga. What’s your experience with breathing exercises?