Introduction – by Jack Sheehan
Main Article – by Ronan O’Brien
Thank you to Ronan O’Brien from Breathwave Ireland for composing this excellent piece of writing outlining the physiology of stress, anxiety and trauma within our bodies. He also shares the benefits of using breathwork as a way of regulating our nervous system and bringing our bodies out of the stress response and back into the relaxation response.
My Counselling & Psychotherapy training focused heavily on what Ronan describes in this piece, and it is something I often try to educate clients on, and indeed something I try to integrate into my own life. Ronan has captured it perfectly here – his writing is both relatable and informative. I hope you find it helpful.
Perhaps it is something you might like to try for yourself, but remember what I always say – don’t flood yourself with too much information. Try one thing at a time and see if it works for you. If breathwork is something you think might help, well then check out Breathwave Ireland. Ronan provides guided breathwork sessions. His details are listed at the bottom of the page!
ENJOY!
The Power of Breathwork
By Ronan O’Brien – Breathwave Ireland
If you find yourself hearing more and more about ‘breathwork’, don’t blame your Google algorithms! The resurgence of breathwork in several health categories is due to its simple effectiveness and accessibility.
Breath masters and gurus are making breathing sexy again and bringing this underutilised, often overlooked, and powerful practice where it is unlocking health benefits and reducing stress.
Now a triple-certified breath coach/facilitator, I first got involved in the breathwork area in 2014. For me, our breathing is the gateway to our nervous system. Breathwork is much more than just a tool in your mental health arsenal. It is something that focuses truly on the mind-body connection as opposed to something that separates your mind from your body.
Your mind is not just part of the brain or head, it is a key part of the central NS via a vast high way of interconnected electrical pathways that affect all of our cells and tissues throughout every part of your body. Your autonomic nervous system regulates the activities of internal organs (operates involuntary of our conscious control) and breaks down into subgroups of:
- The sympathetic nervous system, which is associated with states of high alertness or high energy and often referred to as the fight or flight state because the sympathetic nervous system mobilises the body for action, increases the heart and lung rate, and releases stored energy (glucose). All this is vital and valuable when needed. However, in our world today we often find ourselves in overuse of the sympathetic nervous system, leading to a deregulation of this state. And when unregulated, can lead to chronic overuse of stress responses (I.e., from work pressures, everyday challenges, relationships, financial stresses, or traumas). Chronic stressing of this part of the nervous can lead to adrenal fatigue, high blood pressure, digestion issues, hormonal disruption, weight gain and other health issues.
- The parasympathetic nervous system (the other branch of the autonomic nervous system) is associated with the rest and digestion, slowing down of the heart rate, deeper breathing, stored energy, and improved digestion.
Let me now introduce you to how breathing can become a gateway for tuning into your nervous system in order to support better health. For the purpose of this post, I am focusing on breathing to activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is the state that most clients need to return to in order to unwind their system into a state of relaxation for improved wellbeing. Simply put, breathwork (either via meditation or a focused breathing practice) communicates to the nervous system that the stress has passed and that it’s time to move out of a chronic stress state.
As they start working with their breath, clients often realize that they are shallowly breathing in a way that only extends to their chest. This gives a poor oxygen exchange and reduced breathing capacity. By breathing deeply into the tummy/diaphragm, there is a better access to the parasympathetic nervous system. When we tune into our breathing using rhythm (more difficult that you realise) and adopt a slow, diaphragmic rhythm of breathing, we invite the conscious connected breathing to tune into our body and support/nurture and attend to our nervous system in a way that is quick, relaxing and effective. When a person turns this into a regular practice or discipline, the benefits are unending.
Having studied various techniques including Butyeko, Oxygen Advantage and Breathwave, I have created my own version of an optimized breathing practice encompassing music and coached breathing that offers clients a tool to access the above-mentioned benefits. This is Breathwave Ireland.
A nervous system that is supported and minded promotes a greater level of self-awareness and dials down our reactionary state. Often this leads to better patience and communication, more alkalised body Ph, immune system support & better sleep… the list of accredited benefits to having a nervous system that is in great shape goes on. Breathwork for trauma release is a whole other level of letting go of unresolved stressful emotions that are held in the bodies tissue. For more info in this area check out Dr Stephen Porges and Dr Peter Levine.
If we consider the much-valued Maslow’s pyramid of needs, a positively regulated nervous system supports all levels on this needs system.
The top level of the pyramid ‘self-actualisation‘ is akin to the transcendental/observer experiences achieved in breathwork practices, an experience that is most often attributed to deep meditation or even plant medicine journeys.
The practice of being ‘in the now’ through the surrendering of needing to be in control, while instead a trusting, allowing, breathing and connecting into the great mystery of what is.
We can go weeks without food and just days without water but how long will you survive with holding your breath? Being aware of your breathing and how it affects you is the corner stone to better health, supported directly via a nervous system that is regulated, managed and working for you positively.
There are many other avenues in how certain breath modalities can serve and enhance your life goals.
Some to check out – Wim Hoff- Buteyko – Holotropic – prana yama – each of these bring a different flavour to understanding the power of adopting a conscious, connected breath practice.
Much love,
Ronan
