WHAT IS BREATHWORK AND TRAUMA RELEASE

Breathwork and trauma release are techniques that can be combined to allow blockages that are stuck in the body to flow again. The body fixes events that could not be (fully) felt at the time itself, in order to feel and release them at a more favorable moment. With breathwork and trauma release we move towards those fixed events. Through trauma release we open the door to be able to feel the traumas. With breath we go into the depths, so that we can trace the origin of the trauma. This creates the opportunity to breathe in connectedness from the body, so that the balance between feeling and heart can be restored. By clearing the blockage in this way, the body’s natural response can take over to let go of the trauma, which often happens in the form of tremors.

Most problems arise in a body that is dissociated from the feeling and where the head has excessive control. Trauma in the body occurs when our primed instincts, fight and flight, become paralyzed and we can do nothing (freeze). The nervous system is then disrupted and the reptilian brain becomes overstimulated, preventing them from completing their integration processes. Breathwork and trauma release gives us the opportunity to restore this response.

An important system in your body is the autonomic nervous system. It manages your body’s internal functions, such as regulating your heart rate and digestion, and was thought to be out of conscious control (hence the name “autonomous”). More recently, scientists have discovered that breathing directly affects this system, allowing you to influence the responses of your autonomic nervous system.

How you breathe communicates with the rest of your body through the autonomic nervous system. For example, a long, smooth breath tells your body to relax, while a quick breath tells your body that there is danger, for example that it is being chased by a lion, activating the fight-or-flight system (sympathetic nervous system). By breathing well, you learn to enjoy using both systems.

The importance of breathing is often overlooked because it seems so easy and automatic. At first glance it is a basic activity without much special. But when you understand how breathing affects your physiology, it will become clear why both Navy SEALs and yogis train breathing intensively. Changing your breathing changes the response of your autonomic nervous system, which is linked to your hormones and neurotransmitters.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BREATHING

“To control our breathing is to be in control of our body and mind.”

In addition to the physiological impact of breathing, there is another important reason to focus on breathing during meditation: the breath serves as the gateway to conscious self-control.

While the primordial parts of your brain let you breathe automatically throughout the day, your rational prefrontal cortex is also able to control breathing. In other words, breathing is both automatic and autonomous, depending on whether you’re paying attention. Conscious breathing thus becomes a platform to gain control over your body and mind through meditation.

There are a few additional reasons why much meditation practice revolves around the breath:

The breath can help you experience things on a more subtle level, as observing it requires a certain level of awareness.

By focusing on the sensations of the breath, you leave your ‘telling mind’ and into your physical body. In this way, creating a relationship with the breath aligns you with your inner world. The breath is a great focus object during meditation because it appears in fixed locations in the body but is also constantly in motion.

• It can anchor you in the present moment.
• Breathing can prevent you from falling asleep.
• In the later stages of meditation, close observation of the breath can lead to insights about the nature of reality because of its transient and at the same time automatic/autonomous quality.

Here are the advantages of BRTT at a glance:

It gives you a greater sense of resilience

It reduces worrying

It helps you overcome your fears

It ensures a better night’s sleep.

It reduces back, neck and shoulder complaints.

It relaxes the pelvic floor area. Where a lot of trauma is stored.

Migraine relief.

It increases flexibility in body and mind.

Reducing symptoms of PTSD.

It increases your libido