The Power of Breath: Enhancing Physical and Mental Health
Given that we recently talked about cold plunging and sauna bathing, it seemed natural to talk about the BREATH - important in all of life to improve our physical and mental health, and a necessary component in hot + cold environments.
Understanding the Importance of Proper Breathing
Breath is the first thing we take upon entering this wild world, and also the last. I've spent vast amounts of time figuring out how to breathe properly to best serve the activities I was engaged in as a competitive athlete (gymnastics, swimming + skiing) in my early years, and professional dancer, yogi, Pilates instructor later on.
When I started teaching Pilates I became very aware of how shallowly my clients were breathing. I would describe how our intercostal muscles between each rib are expressly and beautifully designed for respiration - like the bellows of an accordion - allowing us to fully inhale and exhale. Sometimes I would have them wrap a heavy resistance band around their ribcage for an hour so they could knoew that sensation.
Breath and Digestion: A Crucial Connection
Proper breathing continued to be an important discussion I was having when I began seeing clients as functional nutritionist, especially when it came to digestion. Digestion issues affect the majority of the clients I see in my practice, and understanding that we need to be in para-sympathetic nervous system - aka REST+DIGEST- for healthy digestion to occur is critical.
Stress shuts down digestion - if we are in fight/flight/freeze it simply will not occur. A simple tool I often share to encourage better digestion is this simple exercise before meals: eyes closed, feet firmly planted on the earth, spine lengthened, take 5 SLOW DEEP BREATHS.
The Benefits of Breathwork
BREATHWORK + BREATHING PROPERLY provides positive benefits including:
IMPROVED MOOD
RELIEF OF STRESS + ANXIETY
REDUCED PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS
IMPROVED IMMUNE FUNCTION
IMPROVED LEARNING + MEMORY
DIFFERENT BREATHING TECHNIQUES
BOX BREATHING
PHSYIOGICAL SIGHS
YOGIC BREATHING or PRĀNĀYĀMA
WIM HOF METHOD
Breathwork practices cost nothing, and offer us a powerful way to improve quality of our lives with a minimal investment of time.
Do you have a breathwork practice?
What do you notice about how you feel after a breathwork session?
I'd like to help you learn more about
lifestyle interventions that could improve your life + health span.
Just reach out to set up a free discovery call with me!
I'm Lisa Thompson, a Functional Nutritionist (FNTP) and I'd like to guide you on a journey to optimal health by providing education, support, accountability, motivation and inspiration. Using a holistic approach, I look deeply at how all of our inter-dependent systems work uniquely, and specifically in each of us- keeping in mind the bigger picture and LIFESTYLE choices that impact our well-being. For instance: how and when we eat, whether we get good sleep, what role exercise plays in our life, and how community, friends, family and belief systems impact our health and vitality.
I am currently taking new clients at this time and would love to work with you.
Email me: lisa@lisamarlenethompson.com