LETS TALK BREATHWORK WITH EDDIE NELSON
Meet Eddie, a breathwork coach based in Sydney Australia.
“Before breathwork I was lost, depressed, anxious, angry, always on the go and absolutely no self love for myself. It was a constant battle internally. Drugs, alcohol to numb the pain, over eating, over exercising - there was no peace inside my body it was a really challenging 8 years of my life, I discovered breathwork (my lovely father introduced me to it) and I couldn't believe the difference, The state of my mind but most importantly the state of my body. I was so connected, so grounded and so content with myself. This was the first time in 8 years. I don't remember the last time I felt extremely anxious, not to mention I never have panic attacks anymore. The thoughts and love I started to cultivate for myself were huge, I started to like myself and my body.”
The definition of breathwork is being conscious of our breath; it's mindfully breathing! We must breathe to stay alive but how many of us are conscious of our breath? We have different types of breathing modalities to provide a certain outcome! Do you need one for anxiety? one for energy? one for sleep? There are breathing techniques for all of this.
What is ‘breathwork’ and how do we practice it?
How much can our breathing affect our state of mind, our physical and mental health and how we approach our lives?
I love this question! Firstly it affects everything. Something I love is "our state defines our story" meaning if I change my state I change the narrative - I change the story. For me personally when I wake up - I have lots of thoughts, lots of worries, lots of doubts and lots of (mostly untrue) stories. How do I change this? Change my state. How do I change my state? through breathwork. Simply breathe in for 5 and out for 5 or try 'box breath' in for 4 hold for 4 and out for 4, this immediately changes my state, I am now operating from my parasympathetic (my rest and digest) notice how the thoughts and the mental state is different! it works, trust me! The mind is everything and it has control over a lot of us, take back your control by changing your state FIRST then notice what happens with the mind.
Why do you think it's important to raise awareness about the power of breathwork, especially in our modern lives?
The biggest thing that comes to mind is anxiety. It's almost normal now to have anxiety or depression. How did it get so bad? Breathwork isn't an expensive talk therapist ( I love this modality too ) but not all of us have the time or funds for this. We all have access to our breath, we all have the power inside of us and it starts with the breath. Imagine if this was taught in schools? How do you breathe properly? How can we use the breath to navigate our emotions and stress? I think anxiety in my opinion would be a lot less if we learnt these tools early on. It's so important that we learn how to use what is already inside of us.
My favourite breathing technique for any time of the day but morning is a non negotiable for me is called "coherence breath" in for 5 out of 5 for 5 minutes. This specific breathing technique lowers our cortisol, releases oxytocin, puts us in our rest & digest and our heart rate variability becomes in sync with our breath, I notice for the rest of my day I am calm, regulated and whatever life throws at me I can respond instead of react. I think we all agree that we all operate better from a calm relaxed state!
How can a morning breathing exercise, for example, affect the rest of our day?
What do you find to be the most impactful/transformational breathing exercises?
There is a modality called 'breakthrough breathwork' In a nutshell it's where we go deep - really deep. We get out of our heads. We actually switch off our prefrontal cortex (the thinking/ doing mind) and we drop into our bodies. For those that don't know, our bodies hold everything, our emotions, our memories, our traumas.... literally everything. When we come into our bodies, emotional or physical releases may happen. I've had clients that haven't cried for years and then come to a bred session and cry - they release stored emotions that they may have had for years because we break through the mind and into what's holding it - our bodies.
Has teaching breathwork changed how you perceive it?
Yes! I thought it was something very "woo woo" & spiritual, which don't get me wrong it can be, but at the end of the day it's being mindful of your breath. it's lying down and breathing - to me that seems very "un woo woo" haha.
What do you do to unwind/relax (other than breathwork)?
I love journaling. Recently it has been a big one for me, getting all my thoughts and ideas out on paper helps me relax and unwind. Other times it's watching Harry Potter and eating icecream! We all have our things!
Can breathwork be a form of self-care?
ABSOLUTELY. When we practice breathwork, we become connected to our body, when we are connected to our body we make better choices for ourselves, when we are making better choices for ourselves we start to level up, we start to glow, we start to feel better. In my opinion it all starts with the breath. This is truly what helped me actually love myself and who I am.
Nourishing your body & your mind. Showing up for yourself no matter what. Accepting yourself fully - The light and the dark, all beautiful and messy parts of you.
Finally, what does Self-Love mean to you?
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Camille is a writer and curator based in London. She specialises in wellness, art and creativity as a means of self-love and expression.
She has worked with a number of wellness brands and art galleries, creating written and social content and helping develop and run events, exhibitions and educational outreach schemes. She is passionate about the power of incorporating self love rituals into your routine to support wellbeing, balance your daily rhythm and find time to let your artistic spirit bloom.
Article written by Camille Leadbeater
Communications Lead @ The Self Love Lab
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