Choose Breathwork as a Daily Practice

Just breathe…

From the moment we entered this world and took in that first powerful inhale of oxygen, we have been breathing. It is an autonomic function, just like our heart beating or our nervous system responding to external stimuli.

It just happens.

And at some point in human history, humans began intentionally working with the breath, controlling it, manipulating it, and using it for specific purposes. We discovered that by working with the breath, we could change our consciousness.

The range…

There are breathwork techniques that create subtle shifts, such as feeling calmer or more energized. And then there are techniques that can dramatically alter consciousness, experiences often likened to deep psychedelic journeys.

That is the range.

Breathwork can be a grounding practice that slows the mind and brings awareness into the body, or it can become a full-blown spiritual and revelatory experience, and sometimes both at the same time. This range is what first pulled me toward breathwork almost a decade ago.

Why breathwork…

I began practicing breathwork because it felt deeply aligned with the meditation practices I was learning, and because it made me feel really good. At the time, I didn’t know what that fully meant. The experience itself was wild, making me feel expanded in a way I had never experienced before. I was intrigued by the “getting high on your own supply” aspect of breathwork.

More importantly, I was working with the breath as a tool to regulate myself, to manipulate my energy levels, and to expand my consciousness. Only in the last few years have I come to fully understand the profound healing benefits of breathwork.

Some scientific benefits of breathwork include:

• Nervous system regulation - intentionally shifting from one nervous system state to another in a controlled way, increasing the capacity to stay grounded during emotional or stressful situations.

• Brain and blood chemistry - changes in oxygen saturation, carbon dioxide tolerance, and blood pH directly influence energy levels, focus, and perception.

• Increased immunity and decreased inflammation - research shows improved stress resilience and reduced inflammatory markers, training the body to respond rather than react.

  
  

Some spiritual benefits of breathwork include:

• Spiritual connection and embodiment - feeling more connected to the body rather than transcending it, which paradoxically opens us to have a deep spiritual experience.

• Emotional release and trauma integration - the breath opens pathways to stored emotions in the body, allowing them to release organically and complete interrupted stress responses so healing happens somatically, not just mentally.

• Altered states of consciousness - quieting the thinking mind and accessing deeper states of awareness, including expanded perception, visual imagery, and a felt sense of unity, peace, and Love.

  
  

To breathe intentionally…

For years now, breathwork has been one of my main practices, alongside meditation and exercise. And interestingly, when I’m crunched for time in the morning and have to choose just one practice, I almost always choose breathwork. Intuitively, I believe it tends to all aspects of health, emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual, making it, in my opinion, one of the most holistic and dynamic practices to commit to regularly, contributing to long-term transformation.

As you might tell, I am a huge proponent of breathwork. And not just the breathwork I facilitate, but breathwork of all kinds, because they all serve specific purposes. I personally work with the full spectrum of conscious breathing, from calming to energizing, all the way to blast-off, deep-dive techniques.

Trust me, it’s important…

Breathing is something we do all the time, and it is a clear reflection of how we are doing at any given moment. We may be shallow, rushed, or tight breathers. Or maybe you are usually connected to your breath but become disconnected in stressful situations. How we are breathing at any given moment significantly affects our overall wellbeing.

One thing we can do in highly stressful times is reconnect to the breath.

How are you breathing?

Does your breathing feel easy?

Are you breathing into your belly?

Can you breathe 5% deeper? 10% deeper?

Can you extend your exhales to be double the length of your inhales?

These are simple but powerful ways to create a state shift. I have felt overwhelmed countless times and used simple deep diaphragmatic breathing or box breathing, finding myself much more relaxed and grounded after just a few minutes.

Think of it as practice…

Upon waking up, I usually do sitting meditation, some type of breathwork, and exercise. However, if time is limited, I will opt for breathwork because of its effectiveness, reliability, and quick results. It sets me up properly for the day. And like all of these practices, the benefits are not limited to the 20 minutes of breathing on the cushion; it transfers into every part of life.

To practice breathing, in particular, as silly as it might sound, has been one of the most important things I have found to do regularly because of how helpful it is in facing all of life’s circumstances.

It is the ultimate connector, linking mind, body, and spirit through every life experience.

I encourage you to give it a try and practice with regularity. One of my favorite free resources on YouTube is Breathing with Sandy. My teacher, David Elliott, also has guided recordings available that range from 7 to 30 minutes. Really powerful stuff.

And, of course, I am a resource as well. Reach out with questions, or reach out about doing some work together. I would happily help you discover what kind of breathwork routine is most aligned with what you want.

All Love and Gratitude. I sincerely wish you the best through deepening consciousness, awareness, and expanding your capacity to Love. Breathwork helps significantly with that.

Blessings,

Ohl Albritton

Moon Mountain Healing