Breathwork: A way out of chronic stress
As described in steps 1-7, our stress response mechanism, nervous system, brain, and lungs are highly interconnected, and chronic stress can set them into a vicious self-fueling cycle. Simply put, stress causes our breathing to become unhealthy, whereas unhealthy breathing can cause or further promote psychological anxiety or mental disorder.
Based on steps 1-7, it becomes evident that breathing sits at the core of our brain and nervous system regulation. Luckily, breathing is the only core physiological function under our control. Thanks to the bilateral brain-lung connection, breathing changes can change how our brain and nervous system work. In other words, deliberate changes in our breathing patterns, a process also referred to by many as breathwork, can induce positive effects in our brain and nervous system and thus provide a viable solution to chronic stress.
Breathwork has many forms; each one targets a different part of our breathing apparatus. The graph below provides an overview of the most popular breathwork technics categorized based on the element of our breathing system they affect most.
Conclusion
Our brain, nervous system, and lungs are connected in an intricate relationship that can bring about a virtuous or vicious cycle for our mental health. In other words, breath can be the obstacle or the enabler of mental health. Understanding whether your breathing is positively or negatively affecting your stress levels and psychosomatic state is the first step toward leveraging the power of breathing to achieve a better quality of life. No matter the quality of your breathing, breathwork and the deliberate manipulation of your breathing can be a source of improvement of your mental state and habit that can improve your life.
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