/ Pranayama
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Thinking of adding breathwork to your daily routine? If you’re looking to get started with pranayama, there are countless benefits that you will start to reap.
These rewards are not merely anecdotal. Scientific research shows that breathwork is powerful. Within this chapter, we will look at the many research-backed reasons to start using breathwork each and every day.
Develops Your Self Awareness
Developing your sense of self-awareness will help you transform every aspect of your lifestyle. The more you understand about your personality and what makes you react in specific ways, the better you can develop a strong identity and sense of self. One of the easiest ways to become more self aware is to practice breathwork on a daily basis.
Research published in the National Library of Medicine suggests that breathwork can be fundamental in understanding yourself and your personal development. According to the research, this simple activity could make a major difference in how you relate to yourself.
Chronic Back Pain
When you’re suffering from back pain, it can be extremely hard to manage. Luckily, engaging in breathwork can help you to manage the symptoms. Research into back pain and breathing techniques found that some are effective in relieving the ache. With that in mind, you may want to add it to your management techniques, with your doctor’s advice.
Boosts Your Immune System
Prioritizing your health has never been more important. One of the best ways to avoid illnesses and protect yourself is to boost your immune system.
While there are many ways in which you can improve your immunity — such as changing your diet and fitness — one of the most effective approaches is engaging in breathwork. You can add this to your daily routine to help you improve your physical health and become more resilient than before.
Research suggests that engaging in Evocative Breath Therapy could be a simple way to improve your immune system. Aside from allowing you to enhance your wellness, this activity may also boost your levels of self compassion and self love.
Having a robust immune system can help you fight off any illnesses, such as viruses when you encounter them. The more you work on your pranayama series, the stronger you may start to feel.
Enhances Your Creativity
Are you a creative person? Believe it or not, breathwork could be the secret to unlocking your imagination. Research suggests that practicing breathwork can increase your chances of ‘divergent thinking’. In simple terms, that means that you have a better sense of originality and creativity when answering questions and doing riddles.
Manages Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety and depression are the two most common mental health conditions in the world. Every single year, millions of people are affected by these issues, which can impact every area of your life. For example, should you struggle with social anxiety, you may find that you don’t deal well with new people or find crowds overwhelming.
Equally, when you struggle with general anxiety, it can make it difficult to get on with day-to-day tasks. Since you are consumed with worry, you may find it’s hard to get into a relaxed state of mind. Depression can have a detrimental impact on every aspect of your life. This serious mental health complaint is completely draining to those experiencing it.
Needless to say, when you are impacted by these mental health problems, it’s worth considering ways in which you can manage them. One of the first things you should do is speak to your doctor and see what advice they have to offer.
Chances are that they will be able to give you some support with these issues. However, it doesn’t end there. The latest research suggests that engaging in breathwork could be the secret to overcoming anxiety, social anxiety, and depression. Trying this mindful practice could make all the difference to how you feel mentally.
Reduces the Duration of Migraines
Migraines are severe headaches that can affect anyone at any time. You may find that you start to suffer from these regularly at any age. The signs of a migraine include a serious headache, sickness, poor concentration, feeling hot or cold, and even sweating.
When you are experiencing a migraine, you may find that it’s hard to do anything else. Often enough, the pain can be excruciating. Some people find that bed rest helps them.
While there’s no magic wand that will take your pain away, you may find that breathwork helps to ease some of the symptoms. Research into this phenomenon suggests that both diaphragmatic breathing and systematic relaxation could be effective in relieving the pain.
Of course, you should also refer to your doctor to get the advice that you need. A medical professional may be able to prescribe you some medication that will do the trick too.
Improves Respiratory Rehabilitation
Breathing techniques can also be used to speed up people’s recovery. One study of people recovering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) found that including breathwork in their program made a dramatic impact. For that reason, those who have had COPD are often advised to use breathwork as a daily practice.
Lowers Blood Pressure
High blood pressure — or hypertension — can lead to a wide selection of health problems. If you ignore this medical issue, you increase your risk of heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, kidney disease, and vascular dementia.
Should you think that you have high blood pressure, it’s worth having a medical examination. Your doctor will be able to give you resources and advice that will help you to lower your blood pressure. However, adding some breathwork to your lifestyle may also have an impact on this concern.
Conclusion
Ready to get started? As you can see here, there are plenty of ways that breathwork will improve both your health and your everyday life.
Now that you’ve got the inside scoop, why not add this mindful practice to your self-care routine? You may find that this small change makes a major difference to your physical and mental health.
See more: Quick Guide to the Three-Stroke Breath Practice for Radiance