Breathe Better, Live Better: Uncover the Life-Changing Benefits of Breathwork
Most of us know how to breathe, or at least we think we do.
Unfortunately, the majority of us are passive breathers of the 30 lbs of air we inhale a day, not aware of the importance of optimized breathing. Similar to our relationship with another energy we ingest, food. We all know how to eat, but healthy eating takes more awareness and knowledge to incorporate into our lives.
Breathing is more than just a biological necessity; it is a gateway to physical healing and emotional transformation. Here, we will dive into the impacts of breathwork on both physical and spiritual well-being and some of the science that is shedding light on how mastering breath techniques can lead to improvements in health.
Why are we Breathing all Wrong?
James Nestor’s work has highlighted the anthropological implications of how the last few hundred years of innovation has affected our airways. Historically, humans had wider jaws and larger airways, which facilitated better breathing. However, with changes in diet and lifestyle, our jaws have become narrower, leading to a range of breathing issues. With less need to chew, our upper palate has shifted and shrunk, crowding the jaw, our teeth and our airways. You can see this impact in only one generation, it is that significant.
With this shift in the shape and size of our jaw, this has led to numerous respiratory, cardiovascular and other disorders. Couple that with the way that we tend to sit in front of a computer, bent through the spine not giving our diaphragms much room to move and you can start to get the idea how many (over 65% of the population) are becoming what we can call ‘mouth breathers’, especially at night. We are also on average only using about 10% of our diaphragmatic capacity.
By better understanding these evolutionary changes we can start to address current health issues related to breathing and start making more conscious choices.
The Art of Breath Control: Insights from Free Divers
One of the most interesting groups to observe when exploring the breath are free divers and the impact breath control techniques have on their biology. These athletes train to hold and suspend their breath for extended periods, achieving remarkable feats of physical and mental endurance. The ability to control the breath so precisely not only enhances physical performance but also provides insights into the potential of the human body and mind.
Experienced freedivers can hold their breath for several minutes, with professionals reaching up to nine minutes underwater. The improved oxygen utilization boosts stamina, endurance, and performance in aerobic activities.
We know that freedivers also have increased wellbeing when it comes to stress control, which seems to be in part because when you gain control over your breath, you can induce the mammalian dive reflex. This is a physiological response that lowers heart rate (bradycardia) and improves blood circulation. This reflex optimizes oxygen usage and can potentially reduce the risk of heart disease. The physical effort involved also provides a cardiovascular workout, improving overall heart health.
By mastering the breath, the freedivers also conquer natural fears around being underwater for long periods of time, increasing confidence and resilience.
Learning to hold and suspend the breath can have profound implications for spiritual practices. It teaches discipline, focus, and a deep awareness of the body's rhythms. While it may seem obvious, the more you dive into breath mastery, the more lessons you will be confronted with. There’s a reason that so many spiritual traditions say that the first step towards enlightenment involves mastery of the breath. It’s intrinsically connected to our ability to move through layers of consciousness.
Breathwork: A Tool for Altered States and Spiritual Awakening
There are many different types of breathwork which can be used to modulate energy levels, enhance sleep quality, and shift mental states instantly. There are more passive breath practices that subtly shift our hormones and our energetics. There are more overt practices that can dramatically move emotions and induce psychedelic states of consciousness. Techniques such as Kriya, Kundalini, and Transformational Breathwork can propel you into profound altered states without substances.
But what is happening in our bodies that causes these experiences? We’re still learning, but there seems to be both physiological and neurochemical changes induced by controlled breathing patterns.
For techniques involving extended breath retention, this can lead to an increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the blood. This respiratory alkalosis triggers several effects:
👁️ It causes constriction of blood vessels in the brain, reducing cerebral blood flow and oxygen supply to the brain. This mild hypoxia can produce altered states of consciousness, and as opposed to inducing a stress response the abdominal breathing can keep you in a receptive mode.
👁️ Higher CO2 levels make the blood more acidic, which can stimulate the release of endogenous dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in the brain. DMT is a powerful psychedelic compound found naturally in the human body and is believed to play a role in near-death experiences and dream/altered states.
Neurologically, there’s some evidence that there are shifts in the brain such as:
🧠 Endorphins: These natural opioids produce feelings of euphoria, pain relief, and well-being, contributing to altered perceptions.
🧠 Dopamine and serotonin: Changes in the levels of these neurotransmitters can induce shifts in mood, perception, and consciousness.
🧠 Glutamate: This excitatory neurotransmitter is involved in neuroplasticity and can contribute to the profound experiences reported during breathwork.
🧠 Increased theta and alpha brain wave activity, linked to meditative and trance-like states.
🧠 Activation of the prefrontal cortex, involved in higher-order cognitive functions and self-awareness.
🧠 Changes in functional connectivity between different brain regions, facilitating novel perceptions and insights ie. gamma brain wave patterns.
What’s particularly interesting is the activation of gamma brain wave patterns both through meditation and breathwork. You can see this shift in the brain when it’s almost like it’s shifted into superdrive with many different regions becoming more coherent.
Most of us expect meditation or breathwork to be regulated to the parasympathetic side of the nervous system (relaxation), however, this is not necessarily true. When you move into a mystical experience, it seems as though the brain ‘turns on’ and is highly activated in gamma, as well as the nervous system becoming aroused (sympathetic response).
We can start to become better stewards of this movement from mystical arousal back into the relaxation side of the nervous system and back again. The more you explore, the more you learn to move with these activations.
These practices do more than just alter physical states; they catalyze spiritual awakenings and emotional transformations. The physiological effects, such as changes in blood flow and the release of various brain chemicals, are well-documented. Yet, the subjective experiences—feelings of profound connection, insights, and shifts in perception—remain a fascinating area for further scientific exploration.
Other Benefits of Breathwork
Studies have shown that techniques like diaphragmatic breathing can lower cortisol levels, reducing stress significantly.
Research involving pranayama, or yogic breathing, has demonstrated improvements in blood pressure, with reductions significant in diastolic readings in regular practitioners.
Athletes who engage in regular breath control exercises are found to have an increase in performance due to better aerobic capacity and reduced lactate build-up during intense exercise.
Practical Applications for Improving Your Breathing
Addressing these breathing issues involves a combination of awareness and practical steps:
🫁 Chewing More: Encouraging especially children to chew more thoroughly can help develop stronger jaw muscles and a wider airway. Incorporating harder, more textured foods into the diet can stimulate jaw development.
🫁 Nasal Breathing: Training oneself to breathe through the nose rather than the mouth (on a daily basis) can improve airflow and reduce the risk of respiratory problems. Nasal breathing filters, warms, and humidifies the air, making it more suitable for the lungs. You can also explore mouth-taping at night to move more air through the nasal passages as opposed to the mouth. This will help you exchange even more oxygen, increase nitric oxide levels and reduce the likelihood for sleep apnea.
🫁 Breath Exercises: Incorporating breath exercises, such as those practiced in SoulPod can enhance your sleep, activate your diaphragms and assist you in your spiritual development.
The breath is a bridge between the physical and the spiritual. Mastering the art of breathing can lead to significant improvements in health, emotional balance, and spiritual awakening. By embracing these techniques and understanding the evolutionary aspects of our anatomy, we can unlock the transformative power of breath, guiding ourselves towards a more harmonious and enlightened existence.
Start small, build your controlled breathing abilities and maybe even discover your own personalized breathwork in each of our SoulPod journeys!
