What is Breathwork?

Breathwork, or Pranayama as we call it in the yogic teaching lineage of our practice, is a powerful and directed path toward deep fulfillment, peace, and happiness in our experience of life. Bringing our conscious awareness to our breath and learning techniques to use the breath to guide our awareness into deep meditative states is an alchemical process that helps us transform into the creative, healthy, engaged and connected beings that we were born to be!  

Pranayama is multifaceted, powerful, and leads far beyond simple breath control. It is a set of ancient practices that is integral to a whole approach to yoga, it is an experiential way of knowing higher dimensions of consciousness, and ultimately it is a state of Being.  

Let’s start with the meaning of this Sanskrit term. Pranayama is composed of two words: prana and yama. Prana refers to a life-force, sometimes referred to as shakti, and called Qi in Chinese traditions. Prana is that infinitely intelligent, inexhaustibly creative vibratory energy that simultaneously gives rise to and makes up our manifest reality at its most fundamental level. Yama means harmony, alignment, and attunement. 

So, you could say that Pranayama means to come into harmony with the fundamental energy of the universe; to literally go with the flow!! Notice especially that there is no part of  this definition that includes control, or mastery. This is learning to be in divine partnership with flow of life. To master the universe, one must learn to align with What Is.

Pranayama could be thought of as the set of practices that leads the practitioner into harmony with themselves, their truest nature. In addition to this set of practices, this then becomes a set of experiences as one delves more and more into this alignment. These experiences begin to create a map of consciousness that is very personal and at the same time universal for all practitioners. The more time one spends in this experiential realm, the deeper knowing that takes place, the more this harmony becomes a consistent state of being.  

This is our goal as we practice: the harmonious state of being. 

Why Practice Breathwork? 

Simply put: to transform yourself on every level of your being from physical, to mental and emotional, to energetic and spiritual. This is the purpose of our breathwork practices. We want to help guide people through their deepest self-discoveries to find those treasures that will lift them into the highest expressions of themselves. What it really comes down to is the unwavering desire to unwrap this gift of life and live it to the fullest! 

Ok, that's pretty huge! There might be some simpler reasons to approach the practice. Perhaps you just want to experience more calm and balance in your life? Maybe you are tired of being owned by your fear and anxiety? It could be important to you to reduce stress for your heart health.  

The reasons for following these practices are myriad, and complexly interrelated. Practicing breathwork for one reason will invariably benefit you in many other ways.

Who is Breathwork for?

We all breathe. From our first to our last, breath is one thing that unites us with each other and with so many other living things on this planet. In this way, we can all find a reason for practicing Pranayama. That being said, there are many specific reasons why one would begin to use these techniques. 

General Mental/Emotional Health: if you are a person who could use additional tools to help self-regulate and find balance in your everyday life (honestly this applies to all of us), then Pranayama is perfect for you. Bringing awareness to your breath with a few simple practices that can be employed anytime during the day can result in big shifts over time. There are practices that can help specifically with anxiety and depression.

Sleep: If you are someone who has trouble getting all the good sleep you need, then breathing practices can help you.

Cardiovascular Health: If you are someone who has high blood pressure, hyper-tension, and experiences stress regularly then Breathwork can be a great benefit to you.

Meditation: If you are interested in establishing a meditation practice, or already have a deeply rooted practice, bringing breathwork into your meditation is a powerful way to enhance your meditation, and honestly is integral to bringing the full fruit of meditation into being. 

Awakening and Expansion of Consciousness: If you are someone who is interested in the exploration of their own higher levels of consciousness, and is dedicated to the Path of Awakening, then Pranayama is crucial for you. 

Preparation for and Integration of Psychedelic/Transpersonal Experiences: If you are someone that is working with plant medicine, entheogens, or other transpersonal techniques in a therapeutic setting or for your own exploration, then breathwork can help in all phases stages of your journey.