I pay attention to my breathing probably more than most people do, but I’ve never thought to engage in breathwork except to stop abdomen pain when it occurs. I find that slow deep breaths can help me get rid of any pain I’m having in that area.
The reason I pay so much attention to my breathing is that when my hormones change throughout my menstrual cycle, I sometimes have a hard time breathing. It almost feels like someone is sitting on my chest and I have to work harder to breathe.
I’ve asked my doctors about this – both conventional and holistic – and nobody has a reason for this yet.
The fact is all my stats are good when they are checked so there is no reason that I should be having a hard time breathing at all. I chalk it up to hypothyroidism, but I can’t exactly explain what is happening. One day I will find the answer to why it happens (if you know, please share in the comments below!) but for now, I just know when it’s likely to be coming according to my cycle, and I try not to freak out about it.
Since learning about breathwork last week, I’m changing how I deal with it.
I Attended An Online Class On Breathwork By Dan Brule
Dan Brule did a class inside Mindvalley University last week on breathwork. He is an interesting guy with a lot of passion for breathwork. You can check out Dan’s website here.
For me, one of the most interesting things Dan Brule said was that when we control our breath with deep breaths, we are hacking into our lizard brain. If you are holding your breath and don’t realize it, your brain is getting the message that an emergency is happening. But, when you regulate your breath in a positive way, it tells your lizard brain that everything is good and safe.
It got me thinking that when I feel short of breath during the month, I could work with my breath to let my mind and body know that everything is OK instead of worrying about what the heck is causing me to be short of breath. I wondered if it would help with the shortness of breath. (It did by the way!)
A few other points I liked from his talk were:
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- Yawning is good. It’s your breath opening up. You can’t yawn too much.
- Everything begins with awareness and consciousness. (Where better to focus your awareness or consciousness than on your breath!)
- Smoking is a substitute for inner fire. Smoking plays with the breath, but it’s a good idea to do it with a carrot or something else rather than a cigarette. In other words, quit smoking and do other things to play with your breath.
- Practice with breathwork as often as you want.
- Breathe in the sun, flowers, sunset, and all of nature. (I’ve been doing this every time I go outside, and it feels really good to breathe in nature. I highly recommend it.)
A Video Of Dan Brule Talking About Breathwork
Dan Brule is very animated. He was animated in the class, and he is animated in every video I’ve seen. And he plays with his breathwork in every video he is in. You can hear it.
It’s obvious he is extremely passionate about breathwork. Apparently, he even coaches Tony Robbins on breathing.
If you’ve never heard from him before, here’s an interview with Dan Brule on breathwork. I think you will find it interesting if you are interested in breathwork.
Hypnosis Live Power Breathing Habits
Since I’m playing with my breathwork since listening to Dan Brule, I decided to get a hypnosis session focused on breathing.
In case you don’t know, I love hypnosis sessions. Hypnosis has impacted me positively in many ways.
To sum it up, I find hypnosis sessions help you get whatever it is you want to stick into your head to stick there. Hypnosis helps you get rid of limiting beliefs, form empowering beliefs, and form new habits.
I knew that if I wanted to make breathwork a habit, a hypnosis session on breathwork is what I needed so that I could drill the message that breathwork is important to me into my subconscious mind.
So, I bought the Power Breathing Habits hypnosis from Hypnosis Live.
You can find this Power Breathing hypnosis on their homepage here, along with all their other sessions.
This session is long at 41:29 minutes. There is a lot of talk about how the hypnosis session is not meant to cure breathing problems and such for the first little while. You also get a lesson on why breathwork is so important.
After you listen to it once, you can skip to the 14:50 mark where she really starts to get into the session. However, if you have the time, listening to the whole thing really helps you relax and get into a relaxed state of mind where you will be really susceptible to the messages on breathwork. Plus, the reasons that breathwork is so important will be drilled into your subconscious mind over and over again, and those reasons are what motivate you to stick with it.
I like the hypnosis session. It’s meant to help you have peace of mind and relax while maintaining a great breathing technique. It gives you the mindset to practice power breathing whenever you choose. It includes a breathing session where you play with your breathing and visualizing what it is doing to your body.
In short, breathing deep and long is what you will find yourself doing during this hypnosis session.
Between Dan Brule and Julie Amos, I was convinced of how much impact good breathing habits can have on your life. Weight loss, reduced anxiety, improved mood, body detoxing, stronger immune system, and lower cortisol levels are just a few of the things that good breathwork can do.
I highly suggest you sit up while doing this hypnosis session for breathwork. There are parts where she stops talking so that you can focus on your breathwork, and I can guarantee that if you get as relaxed as I get with her voice, there’s a high chance you will fall asleep during this period.
I’ve Been Experience Good Things Since Playing With Breathwork
Dan Brule had said that if you are not doing the breathing, you are being a witness. And, I was definitely mostly a witness before his class. As I said, I used breathwork for reducing pain in my abdomen when I needed to, but I never thought of it as a tool for other things in my life.
Since I’ve been playing with my breathwork, I’m experiencing better breathing, even during the time of the month when I normally have a heck of a time catching my breath.
Now, I take control of my breath whenever I want. I’m becoming an active breather instead of a passive breather.
I find myself thinking about and controlling my breath when I’m stressed out, when I’m relaxing, and when I’m working. Even while I’m going to sleep or waking up, I’m paying attention more to my breath.
I’ve found that playing with my breathwork has helped me be more present and focused. It just seems to ground me in the moment, which makes sense since meditation teachers often tell you to focus on your breath.
Lastly, I’ve also found that it gives me energy when I’m feeling a little tired or worn out from whatever I’m doing. You could say that it breathes life into me when I practice breathwork.
