Breathwork: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 19:18, 22 March 2025

A set of breathing practices used for therapeutic purposes

Breathwork refers to a variety of breathing exercises or techniques used to improve mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. Practitioners of breathwork employ conscious control of breathing to influence a person's mental, emotional, or physical state, with the aim of achieving a state of relaxation or heightened awareness.

Overview[edit]

Breathwork encompasses a range of practices that involve the conscious alteration of breathing patterns. These practices are often used in alternative medicine and psychotherapy to promote relaxation, stress reduction, and emotional healing. Breathwork can be practiced individually or in groups, and sessions may be guided by a trained facilitator.

Types of Breathwork[edit]

There are several different types of breathwork, each with its own techniques and intended outcomes. Some of the most well-known forms include:

Holotropic Breathwork[edit]

Holotropic Breathwork is a practice developed by Stanislav Grof and Christina Grof in the 1970s. It involves accelerated breathing and is often accompanied by evocative music. The goal is to reach altered states of consciousness for the purpose of self-exploration and healing.

Rebirthing Breathwork[edit]

Rebirthing Breathwork is a technique that involves conscious connected breathing. It was developed by Leonard Orr and is based on the idea that breathing can help release suppressed emotions and traumas, often related to one's birth experience.

Transformational Breath[edit]

Transformational Breath is a technique that combines conscious breathing with movement, sound, and positive affirmations. It aims to integrate the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of the individual.

Pranayama[edit]

Pranayama is a practice from yoga that involves breath control. It is used to enhance vital energy (prana) and is often practiced as part of a yoga routine to improve concentration and meditation.

Benefits of Breathwork[edit]

Breathwork is believed to offer a variety of benefits, including:

Stress Reduction: By promoting relaxation, breathwork can help reduce stress and anxiety.
Emotional Release: Breathwork can facilitate the release of suppressed emotions and promote emotional healing.
Improved Mental Clarity: Practicing breathwork can enhance focus and mental clarity.
Enhanced Physical Health: Breathwork can improve lung capacity, circulation, and immune function.

Practice and Safety[edit]

While breathwork can be beneficial, it is important to practice it safely. Individuals with certain medical conditions, such as asthma or cardiovascular disease, should consult a healthcare professional before engaging in breathwork. It is also recommended to practice under the guidance of a trained facilitator, especially for more intense forms of breathwork.

Related Pages[edit]

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-{{Alternative medicine sidebar |fringe}}
+{{Short description|A set of breathing practices used for therapeutic purposes}}
-'''Breathwork''' is a [[New Age]], [[umbrella term]], for various breathing practices in which the [[conscious]] control of breathing is said to influence a person's mental, emotional and/or physical state, with a claimed therapeutic effect.<ref name=young>{{cite journal |title=Breathwork as a therapeutic modality: an overview for counselors |doi=10.1002/j.2161-007X.2010.tb00025.x |vauthors=Young JS, Cashwell CS, Giordano AL |journal=Counseling and Values |year=2010 |volume=55 |issue=1 |page=113}}</ref>  While medical research on Breathwork is still in its infancy due to the newness of the technique, many recent studies have shown benefits ranging from improvements in social anxiety and depression<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://performancescience.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/isps-2017-program.pdf|title=Abstracts of the International Symposium on Performance Science 2017|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}}</ref> to lowering blood pressure.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mori|first=Hisao|last2=Yamamoto|first2=Hareaki|last3=Kuwashima|first3=Masaomi|last4=Saito|first4=Saburo|last5=Ukai|first5=Hiroshi|last6=Hirao|first6=Kouichi|last7=Yamauchi|first7=Mikio|last8=Umemura|first8=Satoshi|date=June 2005|title=How does deep breathing affect office blood pressure and pulse rate?|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16231755|journal=Hypertension Research|volume=28|issue=6|pages=499–504|doi=10.1291/hypres.28.499|issn=0916-9636|pmid=16231755}}</ref>
-Breathwork is very different than [[Yoga]] [[Pranayama]].
-==Description and sub-types==
+'''Breathwork''' refers to a variety of breathing exercises or techniques used to improve mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. Practitioners of breathwork employ conscious control of breathing to influence a person's mental, emotional, or physical state, with the aim of achieving a state of relaxation or heightened awareness.
-Breathwork is a method of breath control that is meant  to give rise to altered states of consciousness and to have an effect on physical and mental well-being.<ref name=young/> Derived from various spiritual and pre-scientific traditions from around the world, it was pioneered in the West by [[Wilhelm Reich]].<ref name=young/>
-There are several sub-types of breathwork:
+==Overview==
+Breathwork encompasses a range of practices that involve the conscious alteration of breathing patterns. These practices are often used in [[alternative medicine]] and [[psychotherapy]] to promote [[relaxation]], [[stress reduction]], and [[emotional healing]]. Breathwork can be practiced individually or in groups, and sessions may be guided by a trained facilitator.
-* '''[[Rebirthing-Breathwork]]'''&nbsp;&ndash; was devised by Leonard Orr in the 1970s. It is claimed to be capable of releasing suppressed traumatic childhood memories.<ref name=radford>{{cite journal |author=Radford B |authorlink=Benjamin Radford |title=New Age 'Rebirthing' Treatment Kills Girl |journal=Skeptical Inquirer |volume=24 |issue=5 |year=2000 |page=6}}</ref>
+==Types of Breathwork==
-* '''Vivation'''&nbsp;&ndash; was created by Jim Leonard and Phil Laut.<ref>{{cite news |title=Breathe Easy Holistic program airs out stress-filled habitat |newspaper=Denver Post |date=7 February 1996 |page=G-01}}</ref> It claims to improve wellbeing through the use of [[circular breathing]].<ref name="MantleTiran2009">{{cite book |vauthors=Mantle F, Tiran D |work=A-Z of Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A guide for health professionals |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DYvQAQAAQBAJ&pg=PT108 |year=2009|publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-0-7020-4999-6 |pages=108 |title=Vivation}}</ref>
+There are several different types of breathwork, each with its own techniques and intended outcomes. Some of the most well-known forms include:
-* '''Holotropic Breathwork''' (a trademark) is a practice that uses breathing and other elements to putatively allow access to non-ordinary states of consciousness. It was developed by [[Stanislav Grof]] as a successor to his [[LSD]]-based [[psychedelic therapy]], following the suppression of legal LSD use in the late 1960s.<ref name="Cortright">{{cite book|last=Cortright|first=Brant |title=Psychotherapy and Spirit: Theory and Practice in Transpersonal Psychotherapy|url=https://books.google.com/?id=7XrDvWKyFAUC&pg=PA97&dq=Stanislav+Grof#v=onepage&q=Stanislav%20Grof&f=false|year=1997|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0791434666|page=100}}</ref> Following a 1993 report commissioned by the [[Scottish Charities Office]], concerns about the risk that the hyperventilation technique could cause seizure or lead to psychosis in vulnerable people caused the [[Findhorn Foundation]] to suspend its breathwork programme.<ref>Stephen Castro, ''Hypocrisy and Dissent within the Findhorn Foundation: Towards a Sociology of a New Age Community'' (New Media Books, 1996)</ref>
-* '''Other types'''&nbsp;&ndash; There are many other types of Breathwork which have emerged over the last few decades, including Integrative Breathwork, Transformational Breathwork, Shamanic Breathwork, Conscious Connected Breathing, Radiance Breathwork, [[Zen Yoga]] Breathwork and many others.
-==Effectiveness==
+===Holotropic Breathwork===
-Breathwork has no verified beneficial effect on health, although there is some evidence it may help relaxation. However, some people find its effects distressing.<ref name=acs>{{cite book |publisher=[[American Cancer Society]] |title=American Cancer Society Complete Guide to Complementary and Alternative Cancer Therapies |edition=2nd |year=2009 |isbn=9780944235713 |editor=Ades TB |pages=72–74 |chapter=Breathwork}}</ref> A Cochrane review reported that "There was a significant improvement in six‐minute walk distance after three months of yoga involving pranayama timed breathing techniques" for [[COPD]] patients.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1002/14651858.CD008250.pub2 | issn = 1469-493X | volume = 10 | pages = CD008250 | last = Holland | first = Anne E. |author2=Hill, Catherine J. |author3=Jones, Alice Y. |author4=McDonald, Christine F. | title = Breathing exercises for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | journal = The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews | date = 2012 | pmid = 23076942}}</ref>
+[[Holotropic Breathwork]] is a practice developed by [[Stanislav Grof]] and [[Christina Grof]] in the 1970s. It involves accelerated breathing and is often accompanied by evocative music. The goal is to reach altered states of consciousness for the purpose of self-exploration and healing.
-==See also==
+===Rebirthing Breathwork===
-* [[Faith healing]]
+[[Rebirthing Breathwork]] is a technique that involves conscious connected breathing. It was developed by [[Leonard Orr]] and is based on the idea that breathing can help release suppressed emotions and traumas, often related to one's birth experience.
-* [[Gay Hendricks]], developer of radiance breathwork
-* [[Hyperventilation]]
-* [[Hypoventilation]]
-* [[Pranayama]], the use of the breath in yoga
-== References ==
+===Transformational Breath===
-{{Reflist}}
+[[Transformational Breath]] is a technique that combines conscious breathing with movement, sound, and positive affirmations. It aims to integrate the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of the individual.
-{{New Age Movement}}
+===Pranayama===
-{{Alternative medicine}}
+[[Pranayama]] is a practice from [[yoga]] that involves breath control. It is used to enhance [[vital energy]] (prana) and is often practiced as part of a [[yoga]] routine to improve [[concentration]] and [[meditation]].
+==Benefits of Breathwork==
+Breathwork is believed to offer a variety of benefits, including:
+* '''Stress Reduction''': By promoting relaxation, breathwork can help reduce [[stress]] and [[anxiety]].
+* '''Emotional Release''': Breathwork can facilitate the release of suppressed emotions and promote emotional healing.
+* '''Improved Mental Clarity''': Practicing breathwork can enhance [[focus]] and [[mental clarity]].
+* '''Enhanced Physical Health''': Breathwork can improve [[lung capacity]], [[circulation]], and [[immune function]].
+==Practice and Safety==
+While breathwork can be beneficial, it is important to practice it safely. Individuals with certain medical conditions, such as [[asthma]] or [[cardiovascular disease]], should consult a healthcare professional before engaging in breathwork. It is also recommended to practice under the guidance of a trained facilitator, especially for more intense forms of breathwork.
+==Related Pages==
+* [[Meditation]]
+* [[Yoga]]
+* [[Mindfulness]]
+* [[Alternative medicine]]
+[[Category:Breathing techniques]]
 [[Category:Alternative medicine]]
-[[Category:Energy therapies]]
-[[Category:Manual therapy]]
-[[Category:Meditation]]
-[[Category:New Age practices]]
-[[Category:Pseudoscience]]
-[[Category:Psychotherapy]]
-{{No image}}