What is BreathWork? What are the benefits?

Take a breath in. Do you feel your ribs expand? Exhale, can you feel your abdomen contract? Can you sense a gentle hugging deep in your core?

There are many forms of breathwork, different forms for different situations. Breathwork is the simplest way to help your body free itself of tension, anxiety and pain.

To start, practice breathing through your nose. That’s why it’s there! This helps you humidify and filter the air you breathe in so you can use it more efficiently. In Bucket Handle breathing, you inhale through your nose and send the breath out into the sides of your ribs. We’re looking for a 360-degree fill of the abdomen during the inhale. Practice exhaling for double the amount of time you inhale. If you breathe in for a count of 5, practice exhaling for a count of 10. It is when you exhale that oxygen is delivered to your cells. Your muscles of exhalation are also your lumbar spine protectors. Often people who suffer from back pain find relief when they start breathing correctly.

Bucket Handle Breathing can be performed seated or standing but try Supine 90/90 and Crocodile Breathing that will help build load share. These are the positions that babies are in around 4-6 months. They are building load share and creating their low back space. You’ll see babies expand their middle and then the belly go down as they exhale. You can view Bucket Handle, Supine 90/90 and Crocodile Breathing in my free community by clicking here.

In The Rebalance Sequence using the MELT Roller, we focus on two directional breaths and then combine them to do a 3-D Breath. Again, the exhale is important and it’s slower than usual. Some of the benefits of the Rebalance Sequence:

Downregulate the sympathetic nervous system, turning down the fight or flight response