On Breathwork

Breath is life. Without life, there is nothing. Breath connects us to our life force energy. It is a reflection of the energy state in our body. When one is deeply relaxed, one experiences deep breaths. When one is angry, afraid or in any kind of stress (fight or flight mode), one experiences shallow breaths. 

Conversely, when one is in distress and experiencing shallow breaths, it is often advised to focus on deep breathing. This is the magic of breath. It connects one to the moment's presence. It connects one to their body's internal energetics. It brings the body back to here and now - where it is meant to be, instead of being caught up in the instances of the past and uncertainty of the future. 

We can practise breathwork as a means to connect to the rhythm of our innate life force. It aligns us back into the stream of our life journey. Being aware of the energy of our body means being aware of the internal sensations that are activated as a response to different stimulators. These responses are habitual and conditioned based on the stories we tell ourselves. At its core, being aware of these sensations can encourage us to respond differently and change outdated patterns to more deliberate, expansive and loving responses. 

A Breathwork Practise 

* Kindly consult your specialist or family doctor before you begin this practice. Breathwork includes energy exchange and could trigger painful emotions. The idea is to stay with the unpleasant feeling and hold it, to get through this. This requires a secure nervous system regulation. It is also best practised with a support/ partner if needed for co-regulation. 

Enter a physical space - a room or anywhere outdoors where you will not be disturbed for the duration of this practice. The practice can range from 15 min to however long you wish to practise this. I would encourage you to sit with a journal and a pen during this practice. I encourage gentle music in the background only after a few practices, as in the beginning, we want to learn to connect with our inner body without any distractions. 

It is best advised to practise a few deep stretches for 5-10 min or dance it off to circulate stagnant energy and activate the body for light and free energy. Be seated in a cross-legged position. Close your eyes. When you begin, simply breathe with the energy of your body. Slowly move your awareness fully into your body. Your arms, your solar plexus and the area around it. Allow your awareness to radiate from this point, and keep breathing the energy you feel. Allow the breath to express the energy of this space. Continue this for a few breaths or however long you wish to practice this. 

Next, move your awareness to different points of your body and express its energy through your breaths. Your cheeks, forehead, crown, mouth, stomach, shoulder, feet and any spaces as you please. As you breathe in these points, observe the live energy radiating through it. These sensations are the aliveness of your inner world. Continue this for a few breaths or however long you wish to practice this. 

Once you are more comfortable with the above practices, you can either continue the breaths at the same pace or go deeper. The point of the exercise is to experience your body's energy - comfortably and lovingly. Allow your breath to naturally deepen as your body relaxes, during the practice. This happens because your body feels witnessed. It feels seen and experienced. The breaths encourage the energetic expression. Once the practice is complete - reflect on the experience and insights revealed during this in your journal. This is a practice to experience deep presence in our body. 

Other than this practice, there are many variations of breathwork available on YouTube, including Pranayama. 

Breathwork & Chakra Opening 

I have personally been practising different forms of connecting with my body energy and integrating my shadows. This includes breathwork and other practices which I intend to share in detail in the coming posts. These are creating shifts in my body's energy and thought patterns. This shift has unknowingly encouraged and provided me with the experience of gently blooming and opening of my root, sacral and heart chakras. 

Crown Chakra: Opening allows protection through individuation, and our purpose to the world. 

Third Eye Chakra: Opening allows us to embrace the world in a wider context.

Throat Chakra: Allows us to convey our true expression with compassion, and to relate with others through assertive communication. 

Heart Chakra: Opening allows our individual self to open up to the whole existence. This centre radiates love and joyful physical and spatial expansion. 

Solar Plexus Chakra: Opening allows us to express our strong sense of self and individuate. This is the core of our self-expression. 

Sacral Chakra: Opening allows us to experience the pleasures of life in moments. Practise this expansion and you'll learn that you have always been worthy of the simple and bountiful pleasures this universe provides you with.  

Root Chakra: Opening this allows you to experience your connection with existence. It connects you with the flow of life and with the rhythm of your body. This centre is a reminder that you have been and will always be free. It also opens you up to the abundance of the universe. 

In your breathwork practice - you can also place your awareness on the 7 chakras in your body one by one. You can place your intention on each chakra one at a time. Visualize the chakra radiating and glowing in its representative colour, and gently express this energy through your breathing patterns. Then imagine the chakra bloom open. Express this process through breaths. Then move your body gently from side to side or in any way that this new energy wishes to be expressed. Take a few moments to soak into this. Allow this energy to fully be embodied through a few expressive body movements - with your arms, torso or even your full body - however it pleases to move. Allow its full expression. 

*Please note: This article is comprehensively based on the revelations I experienced during my everyday breathwork practice. Everyone has their own way of practising this. I wanted to share my experience with anyone who felt called to try this out