3 things I’d tell you if you were wanting to start a breathwork practice
Nervous system regulation and breathwork are trending big time on social media. It is more accessible than ever to find a practice or tool that might suit your needs for getting rid of overwhelm, stress, anxiety, etc. However, actually finding that tool can take hours of scrolling, overwhelming decision fatigue, and the uncertainty of whether the practice will actually make you feel better or not. You don’t have hours in the day to find something that works, learn it, do it, and not have to start all over again if it doesn’t. You’re a busy woman with a full life that needs to priorities her precious time for actually doing the thing instead of thinking about doing it or looking for it.
I’m here to help you reduce your mental load in starting that breathwork practice you’ve been secretly putting off for weeks, months, (years?). Not sure where to start, or feeling a little hesitant? Read more…
Zero expectation of you.
You don’t need to have any prior experience or knowledge in breathwork, meditation or any nervous system related stuff. Breathwork is literally just conscious and intentional breathing. Directing and manipulating your breath in different ways to get different and desired results. If your teacher is good, you won’t have to do too much guesswork and you’ll feel guided but empowered the whole way. So - now you can stop worrying about whether you’re ready or ‘good enough’ to begin.
You need to experiment.
Not all practices are good for everyone all the time. Everyones nervous systems are different, everyones lifestyle and time schedules are different, and what you need now might be different to what you need later on. Experimentation is important for finding what works and what doesn’t, but if you don’t have the time or capacity for the fuss of figuring it out yourself, guidance is necessary.
Consistency brings sustainable and embodied change.
Doing a practice once, feeling good, and then never doing that practice again…won’t leave you feeling good forever. Just like anything, consistency is key to lasting effects and change. You can’t do just one set of bicep curls one day and then expect your muscles to grow indefinitely into the future. Same with your nervous system regulation practices and breathwork. Practicing once and expecting to be regulated forever, doesn’t work. But practicing the same effective tool daily, across time, will lead to consistent and impactful change.
BONUS POINT: Don’t wait until you’re feeling overwhelmed before you pick up a new nervous system regulation practice.
It’s harder (and kind of impossible) to start new and unfamiliar things when your nervous system is not primed for new information. As a general rule, I try to encourage folks to practice as much as they can ‘in a safe/comfy’ space initially (that is to say, at home in your safe space, or during times when you’re feeling pretty steady to begin with, etc) so that when you really need the tools (when you’re actually feeling overwhelmed), you can tap into them easily because they’ve been embodied during times when your nervous system is actually receptive.
PSA: All Breathe Her breathwork practices have been built to downregulate (calm/steady) your nervous system first before the practice continues, so if you’re coming into our practices feeling a little overwhelmed to begin with, no sweat we’ve got you covered!