Most of us are only using 20 – 25% of our respiratory capacity – but it’s possible to access a lot more of that and make shifts within ourselves when we practice breathwork.

Breathwork, as a practice, is bringing conscious awareness to the way our breath moves and directing it in a different way, to get a different result. It is a self-help and self-healing method.

A useful way to think of breathwork is as a form of meditation for those of us who find it hard to sit still and meditate.

Every time our internal state changes, our breathing pattern changes, and this is a two-way thing. If we change the way we breathe, we then change our internal state.

We can use the breath to reach profound states of relaxation, as well as heightened states of energy. Everyone has a different experience and response to breathwork, which is why I love it.

When we practice regularly, the benefits of breathwork are profound. It has the ability to improve our emotional and mental health, our physical wellbeing and endurance, our social lives and even our sex lives.

On a physiological level, we are detoxing. We release 70% of our toxins through the breath! Our cells rely on Oxygen as fuel, so when we bring in more fuel, everything works more efficiently.

Mentally, we gain more clarity and focus. Breath is the vehicle by which we process emotional energy. Over time trauma builds up in the body, and breathwork allows us to reprocess energy and emotion that didn’t get processed the first time around.

On a spiritual level, we can become more embodied, and explore parts of ourselves we aren’t so familiar with.

Ultimately, the benefits of breathwork are so diverse that it truly does offer something for everyone.