Breathwork is an experiential and highly personal process that utilizes breathing techniques that aid in clearing physical, mental, and emotional blocks or stressors. We are conditioned to suppress emotions physically through muscular tension and the restriction of depth in our breathing. This protective process is part of our ‘fight or flight response’ and is an automatic response that restricts the ability and capacity to experience and express our emotions.
By consciously manipulating breathing patterns we can activate and/or deactivate the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. Through this process we are able to dislodge or release emotions that are “stuck” in the body due to emotional disturbances or traumatic experiences.
- Breathwork is an excellent way to help relieve trauma.
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Basics of breathing: two things happen when we breathe: 1) take in oxygen; and, 2) release CO2. CO2 is acidic. If you do not breathe enough or do not breathe correctly, CO2 builds up and the blood becomes acidic.
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Forced breathing, artificially brings your PH up, CO2 goes down and O2 goes up. Making your blood alkaline
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During retention, your blood is really alkaline, because CO2 makes us need to breathe, you will notice being able to hold your breath because you offloaded so much CO2.
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The autonomic nervous system consists of the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and the parasympathetic nervous system (rest & recovery, relaxation, and digestion)
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Increased epinephrine and cortisol are released which speeds up our heartbeat releasing more glucose into the bloodstream enabling us to have more energy. This downregulates the innate immune system by reducing inflammation and at the same time we increase the amount of leukocytes white blood cells which help our body to fight infection and diseases.
