Breath Work

Keep stress at bay with mindful diaphragmatic breathing

Keep stress at bay with mindful diaphragmatic breathing

Left unchecked, stress can lead to headaches, weight gain, muscle tension, high blood pressure, sleep problems, and low libido, just to name but a few consequences. When stress becomes chronic the physiological responses can become destructive. The body starts to produce too much adrenaline too frequently which can lead to adrenal fatigue, leaving us tired, anxious and irritable. High levels of stress can suppress immune function [7], accelerate cellular ageing [6], and promoting an earlier onset of age-related diseases.

Anxiety, Stress and Depression Relief in a Box

Anxiety, Stress and Depression Relief in a Box

What do Yoga teachers, meditation leaders, mindfulness practitioners, Navy SEALs, firefighters, paramedics, and elite athletes all have in common? Take a moment to think about the relaxed state many of these different categories of people can be in. Even in high-stress situation spiders, firefighters and paramedics can keep their shit together and get the job done.

Deep Breathing: De-Stressing the Mind & Body

Deep Breathing: De-Stressing the Mind & Body

For many, de-stressing means coming home, switching on the TV, putting your feet up and “zoning out” with what many believe is a mental distraction. While this may seem like a good ideal or a relaxing way to end your day is it an effective way of reducing the damaging effects of stress? The short answer is no.

4-7-8 Breathing Recovery for Athletic Performance

4-7-8 Breathing Recovery for Athletic Performance

The science of breathing stands on quite ancient foundations. Centuries of wisdom instructs us to pay closer attention to our breathing, the most basic of things we do each day. The first functional movement you perform when you come out of your mother's womb… breath. And yet, maybe because breathing is so basic, it’s also easy to ignore. A growing number of studies have revealed that diaphragmatic breathing may trigger body relaxation responses and benefit both physical and mental health. 

Breathing exercises, or the focus on slow regular and sometimes deep breathing, are helpful to manage stress and improve health.  In this blog, we are going to talk about the 4-7-8 breathing method (also known as the Relaxing Breath) and why it is a great way to end a training session.  The principles of 4-7-8 breathing come from ancient yogic breathing techniques known as Pranayama. Yoga breathing has been scientifically shown decrease stress, lower heart rate and blood pressure [5], improve immunity, and help us sleep.