Is Breathwork the Next Necessity of Wellbeing? – Wanderlust

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Can you heal yourself just by breathing? It looks like the answer is yes. Breathwork, a practice many of us may know little about, is flooding yoga class schedules, wellness programs, and, yes, wanderlust festivals. So what is this practice about?

Well, the word “breathwork” is an umbrella term for various practices that combine conscious control with breathing. Each exercise is meant to serve its own purpose, but in general, breathwork helps users gain a sense of self-awareness to release anxiety and trauma. In general, a breathwork practice helps users gain a sense of self-awareness that allows for healing, restoration, and ever-expanding perspectives. Specifically, this involves the cumulative release of fear and trauma, restoring the nervous system, and building the inner musculature to live in increasingly consistent states of flow.

Sounds magical? Yes, it kind of is. On one of those rare rainy evenings in Los Angeles at Wanderlust Hollywood, I entered my first breathwork class. The room was dark and cool, the energy calm. Yogis who had just finished a vinyasa flow class would grab a few more props from the wall: an extra blanket, maybe some padding, basically anything to get comfortable.

My class was with breathwork and meditation teacher Scott Schwenk. Knowing I would be writing an article on the subject, I interviewed Scott before taking the more “hands on” approach to practice.

“Breath isn’t the work, it’s a tool to make the work easier,” says Scott at the beginning of our discussion, and I can say that this knowledge will prove useful. Breathwork isn’t necessarily about changing your body by adding anything that makes you feel better; it is certainly not about external influences. It’s about clearing the energy available to hit the metaphorical reset button and cleanse the body.

” is like shaking an etching sketch after you’ve finished a drawing. They harmonize the energies physically, emotionally, mentally and beyond, bringing the entire being back into the neutral state to truly live and flow deeply with the present moment, rather than dragging the undigested noise of past experiences into every situation.

Here’s how it works: When we experience trauma – even minor forms of trauma, like a disappointing date after a bad breakup or a negative experience in a foreign city – we leave “imprints” or toxic energy memories in the body. Breathwork blends the energy and creates space for us to become more aware of our mind and body. We let go of negativity instead of holding onto it.

“Removing noise and interference from the nervous system is the first task of breathwork,” Scott tells me. “Tensions, once digested, are released. space is created.”

A Brief History of Organized Breathing

Breathwork has roots in Eastern practices like yoga, tai chi, and Buddhism, but became an important form of therapy in the 1960s. Holotropic breathwork and rebirthing breathwork were among the first in this era. Rebirthing, developed by Leonard Orr and Sondra Ray, focused on the traumatizing experience of childbirth. The holotrophic breathwork developed by Dr. Stan Grof and his wife Christina Grof grew out of their research into consciousness and the effects of psychotherapeutic processes in the expanded state induced by psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin. When funding was withdrawn in the late 1950s, Grof was introduced by the powerful Indian teacher Swami Muktananda to using breathing processes to open up the same expanded states as the psychedelics, which activated a person’s natural internal pharmacy of neurotransmitters.

Scott teaches what he calls Ecstatic Breathwork, a combination of what my research shows to be Biodynamic and Clarity Breathwork. Both focus on the breath and focus on relieving trauma, releasing tension and supporting natural healing. In particular, biodynamic breathwork recognizes that trauma is stored in both psychological and physical ways and aims to restore balance in the body.

In Scott’s class, we lie down on mats or blankets (at the practitioner’s discretion) and get comfortable/cozy to dive headfirst into the practice. Scott leads us through the base feel the uncomfortable feelings. When we learn to look within, as in skillful somatic practices (transformational inner work that uses breath and body awareness to release and digest contracted energies in the nervous system), we learn to identify our imprints. That’s all good, Scott notes, but through breathwork, we actually let go of those traumas rather than simply naming them.

For those new to breathwork, Scott recommends coming to class with an open and willing mind; an attitude of discovery. If you want to maintain a regular breathing practice, he recommends combining it with other healthy habits, such as: B. Eating fresh, clean, and seasonal foods and paying attention to your breath throughout the day. (He also does cryotherapy and cold showers — I might need a little more convincing before this one.) Another tip is to challenge yourself to see how many deep breaths you can take throughout the day. Learn to soften the muscles by paying as much attention to the quiet spaces of your mind as possible.

“Most people are so busy listening to their own thoughts that they continue to suffer,” Scott reminds me. “Use the breath to free your attention.”

Regardless of where you are, allow this process to unfold. You might be surprised or at least rewarded.

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Amanda Kohr is a contributing editor at Wanderlust. You can find her exploring new freeways, sipping diner coffee, and on Instagram.