What is Breathwork? And Why should you exercise breathing?
Breath work is an collective term for various types of breathing practices and techniques.
Wikipedia defines this deep breathing practice as quote: a term for various breathing practices in which the conscious control of breathing is said to influence a person's mental, emotional, or physical state, with a therapeutic effect.
Many of the breathing techniques are in some way a modernized form of Pranayama, the practice of breath control from India, but also South America, China and more.
Breathing exercises has the backing of science with benefits concerning both mental health, emotional health, physical well-being as well as spiritual growth.
Breathwork comes in different forms - the purpose and intention differs
Breathwork comes in different forms and styles, not one is better than the other - the intention and purpose just differs. In general, Breath Work lowers our automatic stress response and can help us feel grounded and just stand where our feet are.
Breathwork is to be experienced! I have heard the phrase "it is like food you’ve never tasted - hard to describe before that first bite". It differs for everybody and it differs every time you do it.
It may not be for everyone as it is a breath work! But, I promise that if you are willing to do the work, you will have a truly profound experience. Worst case scenario - you get relaxed.
By learning how to work with the flow of your breath - you can create balance in body mind. And also on an emotional and spiritual level - enhancing your overall well-being and overall health
Breathing in the conscious and subconscious rooms
We take roughly 20,000 breaths per day, most of them subconsciously. Same goes for our mind - the larger portion of thoughts lives in our subconscious rooms, and all thoughts are connected to an emotion. And if we don not create an output the stuff we store it may show up in other areas of our life, possibly affect us in a negative way. It can appear as stress, anxiety, aggression, sadness, depression, grasping, aversion, numbness, guilt, self-doubt.
To breathe can create room for new bright space within. A lighter body, mind, and heart.
Our breath is amazing as it knows that to take in the new- the old has to leave. An inhale gives way for an exhale, for an inhale and so on. Our breath can also act as a bridge between the conscious and the subconscious. With the help of Breathwork we can create a release in a safe and efficient way.
Breathing in the Parasympathetic or Sympathetic Nervous System?
The Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight & Flight) is sometimes perceived as the rougher 😈. And the Parasympathetic nervous System (Rest & Digest) the easy, breezy and beautiful 😇.
Truth is - we need both nervous system to function well. It's like when shifting gears in the car - sometimes the lower gear is better, sometimes you need to put in a higher gear.
They both function at their best when safe and regulated! When the Sympathetic NS is safe we get the energy to get up in the morning, we get healthy aggression, a forward moving energy and drive. When the Parasympathetic system is safe then rest and digest occurs and we can slow down in a balancing restorative way. Accelerating and slowing down.
We are meeting and trying to adapt to new surroundings all the time. When we are under threats, that's when our sympathetic system has a fight or a flight response, and this is where the parasympathetic system can show us freeze or even collapse response.
Both can from time to time need regulation, repair or support to work at their best and create the shifts - not to stay in one specific gear.
Breathwork will regulate the nervous systems
We can breathe deep and consciously in our parasympathetic nervous system to calm and slow everything down. As the mind slows down we can allow ourselves to feel present, feel a sense of relief and get focused. Deep breathing techniques to increase your concentration, help you sleep, lower your blood pressure where we foremost use the parasympathetic nervous system to relax and restore.
We can also breathe in the sympathetic nervous system. This gives more intense style of breathing. We put the body intentionally under stress, before we switch to rest. This can be a deep and profound practice, allowing us to access our subconscious. It can enable you to feel and release bodily and energetic blockages, created by emotions or stress. Or just an undefined longing for something… mmm sometimes even something that is not yet clear.
In your conscious self that is.
The truth is that the majority of our thoughts work subconsciously and your breath can take you there. Tapping into your intuition, freeing creativity and opening your heart to self love, self acceptance, or letting your spiritual door open. And you find yourself ina state of flow.
Breathwork - emotional and trauma releasing
The style I usually facilitate in sessions is a an emotional and trauma releasing technique. Sometimes referred to as 2 part breath work, conscious connected breathing or Circular breath, Transformational Breathwork or Breathwork Healing.
I usually call it Breakthrough Breathwork and it is a powerful active meditation. When the breath leads the way, you can move through areas where you might have stuck energy, stored emotions or stress. Breath work can alter your state of consciousness, break boundaries in a healing way, create clarity, let go and let in.
Breathwork might not be for everyone, but if you have an open mind, it can be a deeply profound experience where you gain an increased awareness that can create a forward moving effect on your life. It does come with work, and possibly resistance, in the end you will most lightly feel calmer, lighter and empowered.
For me personally - Breathwork has utterly changed my life.
Breathing exercises in yoga usually access the parasympathetic nervous system allowing our body to restore and recover. In this style of deep breathing we breathe both in the parasympathetic nervous system. But we also access our sympathetic nervous system to create a release and a possibility for an emotional detox.
Us humans store memories, traumas, stress in our body. This can oven time, if not released, create an unhealthy state within. It may show up as anxiety, depression, aggression, fatigue, overwhelm, addiction and sometimes even physical pain.
Breathwork can help with just that and aims for all our bodies: out physical, emotional, spiritual and mental body.
How does a Breathwork session practically work?
You will lay on your back in a comfortable position, maybe with a pillow under your knees and something soft over your eyes. You will first be grounded down, then we start the active breathing and you will be guided throughout the whole session. We end in an integration phase where it is just beautiful and deeply relaxing.
Never tried? No worries! The breathing technique will first be explained and tried out before we start breathing. It can be a bit challenging in the beginning, but you will be held and the music will help you to find a good rhythm, where the inhale turns into an exhale, and the exhale merges with the inhale.
Breathwork is a powerful, effective active meditation
This active meditation can be a deep and powerful taking you on a deep experience, and the session is created with that in mind. The purpose is to get the best possible experience - regardless if that is relaxation and calm, a big awakening and inner journey, an outer or inner body experience. The experience it differs from session to session. It does not matter if you are a full time yogi, a long time mindfulness practitioner or if you have never tried mindfulness, meditation or breath work before. It works every time.
"Breathwork comes in many different styles and techniques. All good! It´s the intention and purpose that might differ”
-Kia
The intention is to facilitate the release of emotions in a safe way, release stress, relieve anxiety or limiting beliefs and replace them with healthy, loving thoughts. Tapping into your intuition, releasing your creativity and opening your heart to self love and self acceptance.
To love others, it starts with you. Taking good care of you will enable you to take good care of others. Change your energy - change your life.
What you might experience during Breathwork:
One of the reasons I love Breathwork and preferably in combination with reiki for example, is that it can help regulate our nervous systems, and also find clarity. You can read more about my top 17 benefits here , but in short:
Breathwork can clear out stuck energy
Breathwork can create a relief from anxiety, grief and stress
Breathwork can strengthen your intuition
Breathwork can calms and ground the nervous system
Breathwork can inspire creativity
Breathwork can create a deep relaxation and improvement of natural sleep patterns
Breathwork gently invites healing for trauma
Breathwork can affect a greater sense of self-love and self-acceptance
Breathwork can open for more loving relationships
Breathwork can enhance an emotional Balance
Breathwork can give relief from physical pain or tension
Breathwork can provide overwhelming feelings of joy
Breathwork can create a sense of wholeness, courage and a wanting to arise
Breathwork can start healing Subconscious Programming
Breathwork can gain Clarity
Breathwork can restore or boost Your Immune System
Breathwork can feel Heart Opening
Breathwork can Supports addiction recovery
Breathwork is an effective tool to enhance Mental, Emotional, Physical and Spiritual Health
Read more blog posts about Breathwork
Group Breathwork Stockholm, Group Breathwork Online
If you are curious and would like to try Breathwork out, join in for a full session of Breathwork & Reiki in Stockholm or Online.
Kia Agerhem, beside being a Breathwork guide, is also a Reiki Master and she integrated energy medicine in her Breathwork sessions creating a very held and often transformative experience.
The Studio in Stockholm is hidden away right in the busy hoods of Östermalm, and the sessions are integrated with Reiki energy and are held by Breath Guide and Reiki Master Kia Agerhem.
If you do not live in Stockholm, or would like to try Breathing in your own safe space from home, join for an Online Breathwork session. The experience can be so powerful, and you will feel very held and safe, so don't reject because it is not in person. For some, online is even more powerful due to the fact that you can be at home. You find all upcoming sessions for booking here.
Work with Kia 1:1. Breathwork offerings includes:
Private Breathwork , Duo Breathwork, private groups in-person Stockholm or Online. In combination with Reiki and a terapeuthic conversation.
Corporate Breathwork with Kia
Kia holds lectures about Energy, Brain, Nervous System and Breath combined with breathing excercises, or full Breathwork Sessions- in person or online. Corporate Breathwork is a beneficial practice for the team, employees and your company KPIs.
Breathwork Retreat
Kia holds Breathwork and Yoga Retreats in silence combining Breathwork, Yoga, Reiki, Tarot, quantum physic and ancient mystics in the beautiful surroundings of Vadstena.
Kia does not hold Breathwork Trainings at the moment. Reiki Trainings you find here.
Breathwork an active meditation to release stress, anxiety or open for an inner journey and shift of energies. Breathwork can enhance your creativity, create clarity and get you in the flow.
