How Breathwork Serves as an Alternative Treatment for Anxiety

Anxiety is one of the most frequent issues that people face in the modern world of high pace, and millions of people struggle with it all over the world. A lot of people are resorting to breathwork in the quest to come up with natural and alternative strategies for treating anxiety.

What makes breathwork an effective alternative treatment for anxiety

What is breathwork?

Breathwork is the discipline of conscious breathing exercises which improve mental as well as physical well being. By use of commendable breathing the body is able to relax and the mind can be emptied. According to numerous studies and researches, breathwork is helpful to decrease the stress and anxiety level to a considerable extent.

Learning how breathwork helps in dealing with anxiety

Breathwork calms the anxious state because it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, the body relaxation system. Slow, deep and controlled breathing helps reduce the fight or flight response and helps bring down the heart rate and promotes relaxation. Some of the most important advantages of breathwork asĀ  an Alternative Treatment for Anxiety are listed below:

  • Stress level reduction: Deep breathing reduces the level of cortisol which is the stress hormone in the body.
  • Controlling the emotions: Breathing techniques are helpful in managing the mood, lows and highs in emotions.
  • Improves sleep: Breathwork can relax the mind and as such fall asleep and sleep through the night with ease.
  • Makes one more focused: Breathwork results in clarity of mind, hence one can focus more during the day.
  • Increases general health: Consistent breathwork exercises lead to physical and emotional health.

Popular breathwork techniques for anxiety

Effective breathwork techniques are available to help one deal with anxiety. The following are some ways you can attempt in BreathBox Studio or at the comfort of your home:

  • 4-7-8 breathing: Taking a 4 second inhale, 7 second hold and an 8 second exhale Stress relief is what this method is perfect for.
  • Diaphragmatic breathing: Concentrate on breathing deeply, and then make your diaphragm swell and not the chest.
  • Alternate nostril breathing: Put the right nostril closed, take a complete breath and put the left nostril closed and release the air. Do the same reversing pattern to relax the mind.

Tips for maximizing breathwork’s effects on anxiety

In order to make the most of your breathwork practice, you could take into consideration the following tips:

  • Be patient: You might need time in order to see an overall impact of the breathwork on your anxiety.
  • Focus on your breath: Whenever you have gut worries, concentrate on breathing and follow the technique.
  • Practice with a guide: in case of no experience with breathwork, a guided practice with the help of applications is a good idea.
  • Stay hydrated: On rare occasions, breathwork may trigger a mild case of dizziness, hence, it is advisable to drink a lot of water before and after it.
  • Combine with physical activity: It is said that breathwork coupled with some exercise will help relax the entire body.

Conclusion

Anxiety is one of the easily treatable conditions that can be dealt with through breathwork. Begin slowly, and follow through, then you will start to see good things in your mental and physical health.