I never really thought about creating a daily Breathwork practice when I first started this journey.
This is what my journey looked like and how it’s evolved…
After my first Breathwork journey I felt more calm than I ever had in my life – I distinctly remember thinking:
“Wow…I’m in my body. This is my body. I can feel my heart.”
Through my breath I physically released through tears, shaking and movement; I felt the most light and free I’d ever felt.
This experience was so powerful that I began researching and finding out anything I could about Breathwork, and in the end, I decided to get certified to be a Breathwork guide so I could bring this peace to as many others as possible.
When I first started my certification journey, I actually felt very resistant to doing a daily practice. We were encouraged to do daily Breathwork and at least one long journey a week – I rolled my eyes and thought, “I don’t have time for this!”
I began to notice, though, that I felt good when I did Breathwork and I felt off when I didn’t.
So one day, I said “What the hell – I wonder what would happen if I did Breathwork every day for 2 weeks.”
After those two weeks I felt so good I never went back, and now I’ve been doing Breathwork every day for the last couple years since then.
So what does a daily Breathwork practice look like?
For me, I began by doing anywhere from 5-20 minutes every day of upregulated breathing to get my day started.
After doing this religiously for a couple of months, I started to notice that I was catching myself when I was holding my breath in the car, I noticed my shoulders and jaw getting tight when I was stressed – and I would automatically begin doing slow, deep belly breathing.
I began to notice how much my ability to respond to life increased, and my window of tolerance had widened (AKA my ability to cope). I was more resilient, patient, able to concentrate, and overall happier.
About a year in, I said to my husband, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…I’m happy.”
This was the first time in my life I was ever able to truly say that I was happy, I really felt happy.
Nowadays, my practice looks different every day – for me, I’m a morning person so I love to start my day with Breathwork. By doing this practice I’m able to find that quiet spot inside of me so I can carry it into my day.
And, my practice varies depending on how I feel, what time of month it is, and what I’m going through.
Sometimes, it’s long, slow breaths. Sometimes it’s simply laying on my bed, hands on my heart and stomach, and feeling my breath move in and out.
My husband, who was also resistant to Breathwork and didn’t want to believe me about how good it was, is now hooked.
He loves movement, and so his practice every day looks a little different than mine – he breathes big breaths while moving his arms and body in different ways, and does that several times throughout the day – and I can vouch that he is definitely more patient and loving.
He comments to me multiple times a day, “I feel so good! I feel so clear – I was getting stressed out, and I did a couple breaths, and I feel so much better.”
A daily Breathwork practice is powerful and it can look different for everyone.
To sum it up, here are some options and what it can look like for you:
- A 5-20 minute practice every morning, afternoon, or evening – by yourself or with a recording
- Intermittent breaths throughout the day – anywhere from 5-30 breaths of your choice
- Deep, slow breathing at night
- Slow breaths with your hands on your stomach and heart to move through big emotions or just to relax
- Breaths with body movement
- A mix of one or all or something else!
Bottom line: The more you connect to yourself through your breath, the more you’ll feel calm, connected, and ready to take on life.
You’ll increase your resilience and ability to respond, your concentration, relationship with yourself and others, and overall enjoy a heightened sense of awareness that improves every aspect of your life.
It’s all about consistency – you just have to do it 🙂
Need a little guidance in creating your own Breathwork Practice?
Check out the FREE recordings or buy the Come Home to Yourself album so you have a variety of Breathwork sessions to integrate into your everyday!
