In a world brimming with wellness trends and fitness regimes, one practice has emerged as both profoundly simple and incredibly effective: breathwork training. Research suggests that breathwork training can not only decrease inflammation, but also increase our life span and prevent damage to stem cells in the brain.
While many of us invest in gym memberships, organic foods, and elaborate health routines, breathwork offers a compelling alternative—or compliment—to these traditional methods of boosting well-being.
But with so many breathwork practices out there, how do you determine the best kind for you? Let’s dive into the world of breathwork training and discuss its potential for transforming your health and immunity.
The Power and Benefits of Breathwork Training
Breathwork training is more than just a method to relax or meditate; it’s a comprehensive approach to enhancing your overall health. At its core, breathwork involves consciously controlling your breathing patterns to achieve various physiological and psychological benefits. Here’s how breathwork can be as effective in building immunity as hitting the gym or eating a balanced diet.
Strengthening Immunity through Breath Training
Your immune system is the body's defense mechanism against diseases and infections. Conventional wisdom often points to regular exercise and a nutritious diet as pillars for a strong immune system. However, emerging research and traditional practices suggest that breathwork training can also play a crucial role.
Studies have shown that controlled breathing techniques can lower stress hormones like cortisol, which, when elevated, can impair immune function. Breath practices, such as deep diaphragmatic breathing, enhance the body's ability to oxygenate tissues and regulate the autonomic nervous system, leading to improved immune responses. In essence, breathwork training can activate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and reducing inflammation—key components in maintaining a robust immune system.
Practicing breath training at a Reconnect Instructor Certification in Playa del Carmen
The Science of Slow Controlled Breathing
1. Mechanisms Behind Slow Breathing
Slow, controlled breathing plays an integral role in breath training, but most people often overlook this essential part. This practice has several beneficial effects on the body, primarily through its influence on the autonomic nervous system.
Parasympathetic Activation: Slow breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, often referred to as the "rest and digest" system. This activation reduces the body's stress response, lowering cortisol levels and promoting a state of calm and relaxation.
Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA): RSA is a natural variation in heart rate that occurs with the breathing cycle. Slow breathing enhances RSA, which can lead to improved heart rate variability (HRV). Higher HRV is associated with better cardiovascular health, reduced stress, and improved emotional regulation.
2. Benefits of Controlled Breathing
Controlled breathing involves deliberately manipulating the rate and depth of your breaths. This practice has been shown to offer several benefits:
Stress Reduction: Techniques like box breathing (inhale, hold, exhale, hold) help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing anxiety and stress levels. By focusing on the breath and creating a rhythmic pattern, controlled breathing helps stabilize the nervous system.
Enhanced Focus and Clarity: Controlled breathing can improve mental clarity and concentration by promoting a state of relaxation and reducing cognitive overload. This is particularly useful in high-stress environments or during moments of mental fatigue.
Improved Respiratory Function: Regular practice of controlled breathing can strengthen the respiratory muscles, increase lung capacity, and enhance overall breathing efficiency. This leads to better oxygenation of tissues and improved endurance.
The Science of Breath Holds
1. Understanding Breath Holds
Breath holds involve temporarily suspending your breathing after inhaling or exhaling. This practice, often used in breathwork training, trains the body to manage oxygen and carbon dioxide levels more efficiently.
O2 and CO2 Tables: These are techniques used by freedivers to help them increase their breath hold time and lung capacity. They help to push our tolerance and condition our bodies to deal with either high levels of Co2 or low levels of O2. While they're designed for the water, they should never be practiced in or even near the water.
O2 Tables: An O2 Table is a series of breath holds you perform in which your hold time increases by 15 seconds each round, but your recovery time stays the same (generally 1:30-2 minutes. These help the body adapt to low levels of oxygen.
CO2 Tables: These go in a different format. You'll perform a series of breath holds using the same time (for example 1 minute) but your recovery phases will decrease by 15 seconds each round. See below for an example format.
2. Physiological Effects of Breath Holds
Increased Carbon Dioxide Tolerance: Breath holds help increase the body’s tolerance to elevated levels of carbon dioxide. This can improve respiratory efficiency and reduce the sensation of breathlessness during physical exertion.
Enhanced Oxygen Utilization: By practicing breath holds, you train the body to use oxygen more effectively, which can enhance overall energy levels and cognitive function.
Autonomic Regulation: Breath holds can influence the autonomic nervous system, promoting a balance between the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) systems. This balance supports better stress management and overall well-being.
Increased Lung Capacity: The other vital point which is so often overlooked is how breathwork training increases your lung capacity. Part of the reason doctors recommend exercise is because it forces you to breathe more, which forces you to use your lungs. The more you activate and use your lungs, the stronger they become, and the easier it is for them to push out any germs or viruses when they try to enter your body. A stronger lung capacity means a healthier and longer life.
Designing a Weekly Breathwork Routine
Creating a structured breathwork training routine can help you reap the maximum benefits of these practices. Here’s a breakdown of a weekly breathwork regimen that incorporates both slow and controlled breathing, as well as breath holds.
Monday: Tenacious Breath
Duration: 15 minutes
Practice: Sit down in a comfortable position with your spine straight. Focus on inhaling deeply through your nose for a count of 5.5 seconds and exhaling for 5.5 seconds. Repeat for 10 minutes. This practice also requires using ocean breath which you can learn here.
Tuesday: Exhume Breath
Duration: 11 minutes
Practice: Find a comfortable seated position with a straight spine or lie flat on your back. Take a slow breath in through your nose and as you exhale, gently hum. That's it. Vary the tone of your hum with each exhale and try to hit different tones throughout the exercises.
Wednesday: Breath Holds Training (CO2 Table)
Duration: 12 minutes
Practice: Begin by lying flat on your back. We'll do 1-minute breath holds with recovery times in between each hold. However, the recovery time will decrease by 15 seconds each round until we only have 15 seconds to recover before the final round.
Thursday: Segmented Breath
Duration: 15 minutes
Practice: This practices forces you to utilize all your breathing muscles. You'll perform this one lying flat on the ground. You'll start by breathing into your belly, then move up to your diaphragm, then your ribs, and finally into your chest. All of this is done through your nose.
Friday: Reconnect Breath
Duration: 12 minutes
Practice: Find a comfortable position lying flat on your back. This practice can be done through your mouth or nose. If you've been experiencing a lot of stress and anxiety lately, we recommend doing this one through your nose. We'll start by doing 4 seconds breaths in and 4 second breaths out. Then we'll transition to faster (but full) breaths in and out. Finally we'll do a breath hold after the final exhale. After the breath hold we'll breathe in and hold for 10 seconds. We'll then move onto the next round. Each round the breath hold time will increase.
Saturday: Triangle Breath and Meditation
Duration: 20 minutes
Practice: Sit with your legs crossed and your spine straight. If you can't keep a straight spine for 20 minutes it's good to lean up against a wall. We'll breathe in for 5 seconds, out for 5 seconds and then hold for 5 seconds, all while breathing through our nose. After the 5-minute breathing exercise, just remain seated for 15 minutes and focus on all the sensations in your body. If you start to feel uncomfortable, don't change your position. Bring your attention to that pain and simply notice it.
Sunday: Rest and Recover
(You can also find all these audio exercises on our Spotify channel).
Conclusion
Breathwork training offers a versatile and effective approach to enhancing your health and well-being. By incorporating both slow and controlled breathing techniques, as well as breath holds, you can significantly impact your respiratory efficiency, immune system, and overall stress levels. The science behind these practices reveals their profound effects on the autonomic nervous system, respiratory function, and mental clarity.
The key to a successful breath practice lies in consistency and mindfulness. Remember that the best kind of breathwork training is the one that fits seamlessly into your lifestyle and supports your unique health goals. Try out our free online breath challenge or jump into one of our upcoming instructor courses.
KEVIN CONNELLY
Kevin is the founder of Reconnect Breath and has led thousands of wellness enthusiasts through breathwork and ice bath experiences. He holds a number of certifications and his mentors include Palga Rinpoche and best selling author and breath expert James Nestor. Kevin delivers breathwork and cold exposure trainings for retreats and corporate events.
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