It’s a common misconception that breathwork and meditation are similar practices, but while both are rooted in the notion of slowing down and being more mindful, there are a lot of differences.
“Oftentimes, someone like myself will hear, ‘Oh, it’s like meditation and I don’t meditate well,’ but since breathing is something we do everyday automatically, building a Breathwork practice can be an easy, accessible alternative for optimal wellbeing,” says Jenn Warwick, certified breathwork coach and founder of Breathe for Life, based in Fairfield County, CT, who teaches clients how to harness the power of an act they are performing 24/7 without even thinking about it.
An Active Approach to Mindfulness
While breathing is something that comes naturally to all of us, learning how to breathe in a way that empowers us rather than “setting us back” is something that can be taught and practiced. Short breaths through the mouth activate a stress response from our bodies, making us reactive instead of proactive. A deep breath from the belly creates a calmer body and a different neurological response, allowing our bodies to be more present and receive information, teaches Warwick.
Part of Our Routine
Because breathing is something we don’t set aside time to do, breathwork differs greatly from meditation in that it becomes an integrated part of our daily routine rather than something we set aside time to do apart from our day. Meditation works best to separate us from our daily routine in order to calm our minds and bodies and erase thoughts that stress us all day long. Breathwork, on the other hand, works to help us process the world around us and prepare us for each task we take on.
Task Oriented
Unlike meditation, which can be done the same way every time you do it, when you breathe optimally, says Warwick, you change your breathing pattern for each need as the moment arises. “There’s so much value in honing that skill and using it all day long to adapt to whatever you need,” says Warwick. “When you can harness it in the moment, for example if you need to face something stressful, you can quickly circulate energy into your body through breathing.” Though one-on-one coaching sessions and group sessions, Warwick teaches her clients how to change their breath when they are readying their body for sleep, giving themselves focus or clarity as they prepare for a test or presentation, calming their body for a stressful situation or energizing their body for a very physical task. “It’s not complicated, but it takes a few weeks of practice of consciousness to build the skill,” says Warwick. An example would be a box breath for focus or clarity before a presentation or speech: Inhale in your nose at a count of four, hold for a count of four, breath out of your mouth for a count of four and hold again for four counts. “By using your nose, the body automatically sends the breath lower toward your belly, engaging your diaphragm, which stimulates the calming response of the nervous system,” explains Warwick. Another example would be a breath to reduce high anxiety: Take a slow breath through your nose (a number you are comfortable with) and then slowly breathe out of your mouth for longer than your inhale. As long as your exhale is longer than your inhale, you’re doing it right, adds Warwick.
Engaging the nervous system
“It’s becoming more known that there is a direct correlation between breathwork and regulating the nervous system,” says Warwick. “That’s not the purpose of meditation, whereas breathwork is directly connected. You can regulate your state of mind because your emotional state is directly connected to breathing patterns in the body.”
In this way, breathwork is more physical and scientific than meditation. “It’s a really practical way to regulate the nervous system,” adds Warwick. “In that way, someone who isn’t that great at meditation, might actually be really good at breathwork….You don’t have to be in a quiet space where there is no distraction to apply and use breathwork.”
Tool Versus Goal
This February 20, Breathe for Life will host a special master class at 365 Collective by Abigail Fox + Serendipity at the new store on Greenwich Avenue in downtown Greenwich, CT. The event is good timing, says Warwick, as many people begin to waver in sticking to their new year’s resolution. In many ways, Warwick says, breathwork doesn’t have to be a goal or a resolution but rather a tool to achieve whatever resolution you’ve already set. Many of her clients use breathwork to help them achieve a goal for their business or their relationships at home or at work. “They’re using breathwork as a tool to be able to regulate how they can optimize their performance in their lives,” says Warwick. “If they can regulate it and harness that power, they can use it to align with what they’re trying to achieve.”
