Deep breathing is our nervous system’s love language -Dr. Lauren Fogal Mersy
If you need to control yourself - your mind, body, emotions, or behavior - then start by getting control of your breathing. -Dan Brule, author of Just Breathe
Fun Facts About Breath
We breathe on average 20,000-30,000 times a day (that’s 30,000 opportunities)
Western medicine shows we only use 10% of our breathing capacity
70% of waste is eliminated through your lungs just by breathing, 3% through defecation, 7% through urination, 20% perspiration
Most people think we get our energy from food, but contrary to popular belief, we get 70% of our energy from our breath.
When we are stressed, we tend to breathe through our chest/lungs. Chronic chest breathing can lead to dysfunctional breathing, which can contribute to chronic illnesses, stiff joints, tense shoulders and neck, stomach problems, autoimmune diseases such as cancer or diabetes, and more.
Dysfunctional breathing is often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed with COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma, sleep apnea, and more.
Changing how we breathe can change how we feel. For example, when you feel joy, your breathing will be regular, deep and slow. If you feel anxious or angry, your breathing will be irregular, short, fast, and shallow. So if you are able to consciously breathe slower through the diaphragm, this can also shift anxious emotions to calmer ones.
People who struggle with breath work or do not find it attractive often struggle with slowing down. They may be accustomed to speed, resist reflecting or looking inwards, and fear dissociating if they close their eyes.
Practicing breath work has been proven to help decrease anxiety, stress, insomnia, sleep apnea, PTSD symptoms, high blood pressure,IBS/digestive issues, depression and more.
Practicing breath work has been proven to increase emotional health, focus (including those with ADHD), heart health, lung health & oxygen levels, fatigue & energy levels, stress management, and more.
Please scroll below if you attended my Intro to Breathwork course and would like to review the slides. If you are interested in a 1:1 breath work session or for the next workshop, don't hesitate to get in touch with Annie at annie@behaviorroots.com or submit a form on this website.
Before trying anything of these breath practices, it is always recommended to meet with a 1:1 breath coach to review precautions to these breath practices and how and when to effectively use them
Box breathing is considered a more advanced practice for those who have practiced holding their breaths. However, feel free to give it a try with this visual video prompt to help calm your nervous system by lowering blood pressure, calming the body, and reducing anxiety. Practice this a few times in the morning and in the evenings.
Lion's breath is appropriate for both adults and children and an easy practice to try anywhere. Make it silly! This practice helps with removing tension & tightness, energizes & awakens, detoxifies breath, exhaling stale air, and helps with expelling energy. A great practice when you are just waking up, coming home from work, or need to release some energy from anger.
A video teaching how to practice diaphragmatic breathing, or what some may call belly breathing. This breath is what we call any "anytime breath", meaning this breath is helpful for your overall general health and helps you control your ability to regulate better. When first beginning, try laying face down on the floor with your hands up to use the feedback from the floor, or if you prefer laying face up, use a small object such as a book to place on your belly to notice smaller movements. It is normal to expect minimal to almost no movement when first starting.