“Just take a deep breath”

Have you heard this before? Has it helped?

For me it never did, and I assumed there must be something wrong with me rather than the approach.

Breathwork is rising in popularity as a therapeutic practice.

However, it’s important not to rush into controlled breathing techniques before establishing a connected awareness with your natural breath.

In my personal practice, and my work with clients, I use the breath a lot.

When I shifted my approach to working with the breath to build awareness, everything shifted. My connection to myself and my ability to “drop-in” was so much deeper and fulfilling.

Slowing down to check-in regularly with the breath affects you both physically and emotionally. Our breath is a direct line to interoceptive awareness – what’s occurring within our being.

Rather than chasing methods, I encourage taking time first to simply connect with the breath as it already is.

Notice its patterns, speeds, locations of presence in the body. Be curious, rather than having expectations and judgements around how things “should” be.

Breath awareness is an important resource for building space and capacity within our systems for healthy regulation. Creating the space for breathwork practices to unfold safely and meaningfully.

But the breath-body relationship need not be hurried. It is a lifelong teacher when respected as such. I am curious to hear your experiences with breathwork practices, how have they worked for you?