Breathing has long been recognized as the center of life and death.
The benefits of breathwork are endless, and they all start with you. Those seeking help with addiction can benefit from breath work in a number of ways, and we’re here to talk about a few of them.
Read on for four of the best benefits of breathwork.
1. Calm Your Entire System
In recovery, facing symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks are common. Your heart may begin to race, and your body enters its fight-or-flight mode.
When this happens, all of your internal systems speed up. Your blood pumps faster (which leads to that racing heart). Your body begins releasing stress hormones, causing you to tense up, clench your jaw, brace for impact.
Breathwork meditation helps to calm these systems. By consciously slowing your breath, you’re slowing your entire body. It lets your instincts know that they’re physically safe.
2. Improve Digestion
Breathwork also works with your digestive organs.
On an emotional and psychological level, your body is naturally calmer, and you’re not as likely to stress eat. You’re setting yourself up for success when it comes to making healthier diet choices.
On a chemical level, your body begins to produce less cortisol, which helps with gut inflammation.
3. Release Trauma and Fear
As one experiences trauma, grief, and other forms of stress, the body begins to carry it. Some of this stress dates back to childhood and has been carried with you throughout your adolescent years and into adulthood.
While therapy helps us to identify these stressors, it doesn’t dislodge them from the body. That’s where breathwork comes into play.
Not only does it increase blood circulation, but it increases free thought. By letting your mind wander during breath work and meditation, you are working through those fears and traumas. Eventually, they will pass without much force.
In turn, you will receive increased levels of self-love and abundance while releasing limiting beliefs and negative emotions.
4. Improve Sleep
Humans consume a lot of data throughout the day. While caffeine is a well-known stimulant, you may not realize that social media can act as a stimulant as well.
This, combined with everyday stressors and anxiety, can make it tough to sleep at night. Luckily, breathwork helps our body reduce the effects of these stimulants and works to bring us more calm.
This promotes a healthy night of deep, restorative sleep every night.
Keep These Benefits of Breathwork in Mind for the Future
Seeking help for addiction is a long journey. There are tons of outside resources to seek when it comes to finding help, but the biggest source of calm you’re going to find is your breath.
If you’re having a particularly rough day, or even just a rough moment, remember these benefits of breathwork. They can help bring you back down to reality when it’s needed.
If you have other questions or are seeking treatment for yourself or a loved one, be sure to contact us today.
