Breath(work)
Betsy Ranum MA, RN, NBC-HWC
Community Holistic Nurse, Integrative Health & Wellbeing Coach
Breath. It is, quite literally, our life force. Although some of us require mechanical assistance with our breath, most of us, most of the time, don’t have to think much about how it happens. We just…breathe. There it is, our breath: accompanying us always, sustaining us, and nourishing us down to the cellular level.
And here is where it gets interesting. Breath is not only essential to life, it also carries powerful healing potentials. How we engage with our breath, it turns out, matters quite a bit.
Breathing is unique among the functions of the human system in that it is both an unconscious process, and a conscious process. We breathe all the time, including in our sleep, without any awareness required. And our breath can be manipulated to achieve certain desired outcomes. In fact, bringing conscious attention to our breath is a way to shift our unconscious breathing patterns to be more supportive, restorative, and even transformative. Breath is a doorway to healing, and can be practiced intentionally.
This is breathwork.
Breathwork
"Breathwork is an umbrella term for anytime we're using the breath with intention”
This month at Minnesota Integrative Health Studio, we have the sweet privilege of collaborating with Amy Kuretsky, co-owner of Constellation Acupuncture, for a unique Breathwork + Writing event on Sun 2/11 at 430pm. I’ve done several breathwork events with Amy, and I loved each one. The breathwork itself is powerful, deep, and healing, and Amy holds the space with an extraordinary level of skill and gentleness that is welcoming for experienced practitioners and hesitant newcomers alike. Her practice embodies authenticity, respect, and social justice—and is lighthearted and joyful, too.
Combining writing practice with breathwork is potent, Amy says, because “breathwork opens up creative channels and pathways in deeply powerful ways.” This Breathwork + Writing class will offer opportunities for connection to intuition and inner creativity, as well as dedicated time for your own personal writing practice as a way to process what came up during the practice. For more about the event, see the info here or call our front desk.
Breathwork Across Healing Modalities
In healing work, breath is unifying, a common thread connecting a vast range of modalities. Hosting Amy’s breathwork event has given us at MIHS an opportunity to reflect on the role of breath in our practices, too. I asked our talented group of practitioners how they relate to breath in their practices, and they had such interesting things to say!
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture
Larissa Vados PhD, LAc, in addition to being co-owner of Minnesota Integrative Health Studio, is an acupuncturist , Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and our resident Pilates expert and instructor. Larissa shares that “in Chinese medicine it is said the kidneys play a vital role in helping the lungs to grasp the air (qi) and draw it down into the body. Oftentimes when we are stressed, physically and/or emotionally, we breathe very shallow or even hold our breath. The concept in TCM of the kidneys, deep inside the body, drawing down and in the breath, can help us to visualize deep, diaphragmatic breathing. This type of breathing can trigger our parasympathetic nervous system, helping to calm the body, slow the heartbeat, and lower blood pressure. It encourages full oxygen exchange in the body.”
Lauren Windingstad LAc, who offers community acupuncture as well as private Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture treatments, says that in her practice, “I will sometimes encourage patients to inhale through the nose while imagining qi in the form of raindrops which drips down and nourishes the kidneys.”
How beautiful is that?
Pilates
Larissa shares that Pilates is
“very focused on the breath and relating it to the body’s movement. We focus on engaging the very deep core muscles of the body from the pelvic floor to the abdomen to engage to draw breath in and expel it. This can help us learn to engage these muscles more throughout our days, and tie our movement to our breath, even when we are not in a Pilates class. Oftentimes clients feel both mentally and physically relaxed, yet energized after a Pilates session, which can be attributed to the full oxygen exchange, release of tension, and increased circulation happening in the body.”
Massage Therapy and Bodywork
Myofascial Release practitioner Derrick Lundberg CMT says his Myofascial Release teacher John Barnes “encourages us to tighten everything we got on our inhale and then completely soften on the exhale.” Derrick says, “I am recognizing it is that complete softening on the exhale that teaches us to recognize what it would be like to live fully present without fighting against the moment.”
One of our newest practitioners, Rebekah LaVone RN, PHN, HNB-BC, offers a powerful modality called Reflex Integration for Stress Resilience. Rebekah says, “one beautiful way I work with breathing is through the Moro Reflex. This reflex is foundational to breathing. It activates when a baby is being born and even just waits for that first cry to show they can help clear their airway system, that expansion/opening that happens in the core and even the extension through the arms enhances that first breath. This beautiful movement helps to train the respiratory system. Breath is essential for function and a tool we all have access to.”
Eli Pederson BCTMB has over 15 years of experience as a bodyworker. Eli offers Integrative Massage and Therapeutic Massage and bodywork, incorporating their training in neuromuscular modalities such as trigger point therapy, myofascial release and deep tissue adaptations. Eli says, “I have learned to use some great breathing techniques with clients that usually involves expanding to all corners of the torso…exploring the multiple dimensions of our body, mind, and spirit.” They also mention the importance of “acknowledging that breath is our number one support inside our structure…helps us feel lighter and lengthened and free.” Eli adds, “I could talk about breath for the whole session, combining breathing exercising to access different areas of the body to help with soft tissue release expansion and manual manipulations in turn making our jobs as massage therapists less work and more of an exploration of possibilities.”
Rest & Relaxation Coaching and Reiki
I (Betsy Ranum MA, RN, NBC-HWC) am an integrative health and wellbeing coach and holistic nurse, and I offer Rest & Relaxation Coaching and something I call the Reiki/Coaching Mashup. I start Rest & Relaxation Coaching sessions with an invitation to do a gentle breath and body awareness practice. This is because breath provides direct access to the body’s innate capacity to unwind the stress response, and to the physiological states that support relaxation, restoration, and (re)imagination. As I collaborate with clients to create their own unique rest and relaxation practice, we intentionally harness the power of breath through guided meditation and imagery, biofeedback, and other mind-body-spirit modalities. In Reiki/Coaching Mashup sessions, I follow the Reiki teaching to slow my own breath down to a pace that supports optimal flow of energy in my body. Clients often notice that throughout the Reiki practice, their breathing also slows and deepens with no conscious effort on their part, allowing an easeful transition into a more relaxed and regenerative breathing pattern.
Our breath is ours.
Breath is a free and accessible resource that’s always within, and available to support us. Breath is also what we share; through our breath we find our interconnectedness with one another, with the trees, with the Earth itself–with all of life.
However we can, we at MIHS would love to support you in deepening your relationship to your breath. As Eli said when I asked them about breath, “we should all breathe together!”
We hope to see you soon.
Ceasefire now. Free Palestine.
