Breathing Towards Better Health

Our breath is a powerful tool that each of us posesses in our inate stress reducing toolkit! If you’ve ever spent a few seconds or minutes monitoring your breath, you’ll know that this simple, yet complex process is a great indication of how you are feeling.

In mindfulness meditation, we often use our breath as an anchor for our focus by observing its presence and process, feeling how it flows in through our nose, through our body, and out through our mouth. We don’t judge it or try to manipulate it, we simply observe it mindfully. Breathwork however is an active form of meditation that focuses on altering our breathing patterns to enhance mood, mindset, and overall wellbeing.

Breathing is a process that comes naturally to us, but as we go throughout our days and lives, the way we breathe changes as we become impacted by daily stressors, chronic stress, and traumatic events. When we’re in a state of stress, we may be grasping to catch our breath, and in chronic states of stress, our breathing may become more shallow on a regular basis. When we can actively focus on our breath, and begin to take deep inhalations and exhalations that support our nervous system, we can improve our mental health, mood, and overall health.

One study reviewed the research into breathwork and found that engaging in slow, purposeful breathing positively affected many bodily functions, such as heart rate and autonomic response, and actually enhanced psychological well-being and emotional control! (Zaccaro et al., 2018)

We designed our breathwork trainers on the Hoame app on Meta Quest to help you harness the power of the breath! Whether you are looking to unwind before bed, reset your nervous system, or practice Vagal Toning, there is a trainer for you! For a unique experience, tap into your Lifeforce. This breathwork visualizer reacts to your breathing and allows you to see your breath in the form of particles.

“Remember, your breath is with you at all times. Slow it down, and take things one breath at a time” – Carolyn.

Cited Sources:

Zaccaro, Piarulli, Laurino, Garbella, Menicucci, Neri, and Gemignani (2018). How Breath-Control Can Change Your Life: A Systematic Review on Psycho Physiological Correlates of Slow Breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6137615/