” We are earth people.
Feel the earth.
She is also breathing.
Breathe together.” Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen
I know my breathing is affected by all that is going on.
How are you? How is your breathing?
We are living breathing beings, how can we not be impacted, how can our breathing not be affected; it is psycho-emotional, somatic, as much as it is automatic.
Through these rapidly shifting and unrelenting times, we can’t wait for this to let up. We need to find tools to help us ride the wave, open to possibilities and integrate the overwhelming demands.
Rebirthing Breathwork continues to be my go-to reset and re-align practise. Yoga helps too - but I get the best re-balance when I attend to my breath with Rebirthing, and Nat is the same.
[ I am trying to imagine were I might be right now without my Rebirthing Breathwork practise - and it's not pretty. Suffice to say, my mentors always advocate opening to the unknown…. here we are, and it helps to release the fear of the unknown, then you can possibly think, choose and feel again. ]
Stress, grief, overwhelm, not knowing what is happening, fear, anxiety, uncertainty...even while I am loving my shifted pace of life, I would not be being honest with myself or you if I pretended my breathing was not impacted by our current and ongoing world situation.
More some days.
Less others.
But affected, and something I am more aware of than ever.
This has even ironically been impacted by reading and learning more about breathing - to the point where I felt utterly confused!! The myths and misunderstandings are a minefield - and so is the incredible impact better breathing has for all the systems of our body, mind and spirit.
Side note: that if there is any truth in my theory that the best way to 'get into' a foreign city is to get lost in it...well, I’ve been doing very well thank you :)
Being stressed, lack of certainty, more time in front of the computer (posture!!), increased stress in our environments - even a trip to the supermarket requires a level of thinking we aren’t used to, lack of social connection, regular activities cancelled - all of this and the other things we are currently living through can have us unconsciously restricting our breath, tensing our bodies, inhibiting our capacity to breathe, breathing more heavily/ mouth breathing to make up for poor breathing/poor posture..... just to begin...
So what can happen, with my breathing - and yours - being impacted??
Here are a few tid- bits from my reading:
If you go to mouth breathing - this is an excellent way to create anxious and depressed mental states
- also an excellent way to wake up feeling like you have been hit by a bus, with increased blood pressure, inflammation and a foggy brain
- rob ourselves of nitrogen oxide that with nose breathing forms in the nose and sinuses, relaxing our blood vessels (so mouth breathing = hello high blood pressure, increased acidity - a breeding ground for disease)
Over breathing - breathing too much is not good for us!!
- creates imbalances in our blood ph, so we cant use the oxygen we have,
- creates stress and strain on the body as it works too hard to generate energy
- increase cravings for unhealthy foods as we go to food for energy and comfort instead of being able to use oxygen and regulate our own nervous systems with our breath
Your body is always seeking equilibrium, homeostasis - so when we are doing things that cause disruption and discord, the body does what it can to counteract that impact… which often compounds the issue.
Carbon Dioxide - it's not a waste product!
- you need CO2 to utilise the oxygen in your blood
- CO2 is now being understood as a major (or the major) hormone in your body, and yes that means it will impact your hormonal levels/ endocrine system and the overall functioning of your body, mind and emotions.
This is fundamental to your health and wellbeing!
You've got to breathe, and this is taking on a whole new level of importance.
So far, Rebirthing Breathwork is still my favourite way to connect with and explore our breath - it helps us integrate the impact of past traumas that can be inhibiting the way we are breathing, and has the potential to enhance our overall health and well-being as we liberate our breath..
It helps us to unravel our unhealthy breathing patterns - like over breathing - and helps us to connect with our breath so that it can be our teacher and our healer.
Yes, your breath as your 'guru' - possibly one of the healthiest and most important relationships you can have!
On which note - clearing our past patterns and dealing with our shit (to get technical) helps us to build better relationships in all areas of our lives.
Poor breathing habits can be making us grumpy, disconnected, anxious and the like... not a good beginning for communicating with other people, and not a good foundation for our relationships - intimate, friendships, workplace - all our relationships can be affected.
Shifting our breath can help us process our stress (current and past) with decreased projection onto the people around us - supporting us to connect with others more openly and easily. This means healthier, more fulfilling relationships.
Well worth a good breath!
The super good news - workshops are back, and this month's BREATHE an Introduction and Breathe CONNECTION workshops are scheduled!
Come and can get your breathing on, while you sort your inner S#*t out.
Not to dramatise, but with COVID restrictions, spaces are very literally limited. Currently, I have one space remaining for the July BREATH Intro on July 18, and 5 spaces for Breathe CONNECTION on July 26 (experienced breathers only)