Breath Work: Why All The Hype?

Swipe through your Instagram, scroll Pinterest, dive into YouTube, or browse Twitter – everywhere you turn, breathwork is stealing the health limelight, and everyone's raving about it. But is this whole breathwork trend just a bunch of hot air?

For those of us taking our first plunge into this wellness wave, breathwork isn't just a passing fad. It's a spectrum of breathing exercises designed to uplift mental health, nurture spirituality, and enhance overall well-being. To make breathwork truly WORK (yep, I went there), you've got to switch up your breathing game and embrace the benefits. Think of it as yoga, but the spotlight? It's all on the breath.

So, I thought, why not give this a shot? I grabbed the Breathwrk app, and sure, there's a premium version, but being the savvy explorer that I am, I opted for the free trial. Two weeks in, and I'm vibing with it! It's now a part of my morning routine and my nightly wind-down.

What brought me here, you ask? The perpetual struggle of dragging myself out of bed with some semblance of energy and quieting the mental chatter for a peaceful night's sleep. I'm guessing a bunch of you nodding along know exactly what I mean!

In the AM, I kick off with a 1-minute 20-second breathing exercise. It's a simple in-and-out drill, and there's this adorable cartoon monkey from the app guiding me to breathe right. They even throw in some calming sounds to keep the whole experience zen.

As the day winds down, I turn to the app to ease into bedtime. It's the same breathing exercise, but the rhythm and speed switch up, and sometimes, you gotta hold your breath for a few seconds. The result? I'm out like a light within minutes!

Beyond the game-changing sleep and energy perks, my curiosity piqued about other potential benefits breath work might bring to the table, especially for us ladies. Here are four ways it's making life a bit breezier:

• Anxiety and Stress: If anxiety and stress got you breathing shallow all day (guilty!), breath work swoops in to deliver more oxygen to your brain, leaving you feeling chill and relaxed.

• Anger: When rage is on the horizon, breathwork techniques can help you cool down. More oxygen to the brain means better decision-making even in the heat of the moment.

• Improved Digestion: Deep breathing gets the blood flowing, tackling bloating and gas issues. Plus, less stress from deep breathing equals reduced cortisol levels, bidding farewell to that stubborn belly fat.

• Lower Blood Pressure: Activate the parasympathetic system with deep breaths, and you'll see your heart rate drop, blood pressure lower, and your entire body chill out. Need scientific proof? Yep, there are studies on it - check them out here.

So, are you ready to breathe a little easier with some breath work magic? Give it a shot and let the good vibes roll!