Revolutionize Your Well-Being – The Mind-Blowing Secrets Behind Somatic Breathing Revealed!

In 2024, Somatic Breathing seems to one of the buzz words I’ve been hearing around and decided to find out what all the fuss was about.

We know from our previous discussions on yoga, just how beneficial breathing techniques can be for connecting our mind and body.

Well Somatic Breathing is no different, in fact it’s often used when doing yoga or meditation.

It focuses on using the breathing to release negative emotions and tension – let’s be honest we all need help there!

It’s really popular and uses breathing, movement and meditation to become more relaxed and to boost our overall well being.

Understanding Somatic Breathing

In a normal day we breathe on autopilot, Somatic Breathing is done on purpose and focuses on bringing more aware of our body and emotions.

It’s a mindful and deliberate approach to breathing that uses the breath to bring awareness to any sensations held in our body.

The great thing about this approach is that it’s simple and you can do it pretty much anywhere, anytime.

What’s Somatic Breathing Used For?

Lorelei Tucker, PhD’s study for Neurology Advsior says “Another study found that heart rate, blood pressure, and body mass, as well as perceived stress, were reduced after 12 weeks of slow breathing training.⁵ Pranayama yoga has also been demonstrated to reduce resting heart rate after only 1 week of breathing training”.

Lower stress levels

Reducing stress is one of the primary reasons people take up Somatic Breathing.

Deliberately slowing down your breathing can activate our relaxations responses, this lowers the levels of stress hormones in our body such as cortisol.

Clear mind

Using mindfulness in our Somatic Breathing helps us to think more clearly and make better decisions.

When we push away any thoughts and continue to focus on our breath it gives us better mental clarity in general.

More emotional regulation

With intentional breathing we can create space between emotional events in our day and our reaction.

This helps us to respond with a more thoughtful and measured response when a challenging situation comes up.

When doing the breathing techniques you become more aware of your breath and body sensations, you can become more attuned to your emotions.

This is excellent for detecting when you feel stress or anxiety before they become overwhelming.

Better quality of sleep

If you’re someone who wakes up a few times throughout the night, Somatic Breathing could really help you improve that.

Doing your breathing techniques at night as part of your sleep routine has a calming affect and improves the quality of your sleep.

This can be especially helpful ifyou suffer from insomnia or you’re a restless sleeper.

Physical health

Somatic Breathing is often used as a complementary in physical rehabilitation – who knew!

By reducing muscle tension and improving relaxation, this often leads to more healing of any physical conditions.

Top 9 Somatic Breathing Techniques

Here are nine specific Somatic Breathing exercises that you can try:

1. Breath awareness exercise

• Sit or lay down in a comfortable position
• Close your eyes and just pay attention to your breath
• Notice how the air moves in and out of your body
• If your thoughts wander, just gently bring them back to your breath.

2. Alternate Nostril Breathing

• Sit or stand in a comfortable position
• Close your right nostril with your thumb and take a deep breath in through your left nostril
• Hold your breath for a few seconds
• Slowly exhale through your right nostril
• Repeat this process, alternating between left and right nostril.

3. Diaphragmatic Breathing

• Sit or lay down in a comfortable position
• Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen
• Inhale slowly through your nose, allowing your abdomen to expand
• Exhale gently through your mouth, letting your abdomen empty
• Repeat for a few cycles, then gradually increase the length of your inhales and exhales.

4. 4-7-8 Technique

• Wherever you are, inhale through your nose and count to 4
• Hold your breath and count to 7
• Exhale completely through your mouth, while counting to 8
• Repeat this breathing cycle for four breaths and then gradually increase when you become more comfortable.

5. Stop Holding Your Breath Exercise

This exercise is designed to make you more aware of when you’re holding your breath.

• At anytime throughout the day, take a moment to notice your breath
• If you notice that you are holding your breath, take a deep breath in and exhale slowly

6. Box Breathing

• Wherever you are, inhale for a count of 4
• Hold your breath for a count of 4
• Exhale for a count of 4
• Hold your empty breath for a count of 4
• Repeat this technique, gradually increasing the duration.

7. Body Scan Breathing

• Sit or lay down in a comfortable position
• Close your eyes and one by one focus on each part of your body, starting at your toes and going up
• Inhale deeply, direct your breath to the body part you are focusing on
• Exhale and release tension in that body part
• Continue the body scan, pay attention to areas that feel tense and consciously realease it with each breath.

8. Sound Stimulation Breath Exercise

• Sit or stand in a comfortable position
• Take a deep breath in through your nose
• Exhale slowly, while making a humming sound
• Repeat this process several times

9. Rib Movement Somatic Breathing Exercise

• Lie down on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor
• Place your hands on your ribs
• Breathe in deeply through your nose, feeling your ribs expand as you inhale
• Exhale slowly through your mouth and feel your ribs contract as you exhale

Below is a fantastic video to walk you through Somatic Breathing:

https:////youtu.be/6Js2c2Rs5j8?si=JKNOLld_fxXWvmF4

FAQ’s

How often should I practice somatic breathing?

Start with a couple of minutes each day to become good at the techniques. Use them when and as you need them from then on.

How do I practice somatic breathing?

Try out some of the techniques listed above to get you started.

Is somatic breathing safe?

Yes, it’s very safe and should be fine for anyone to do. My suggestion is always to check with your doctor if you have any underlying health conditions- particularly respiratory or heart issues – before trying it yourself.

When is the best time to practice somatic breathing?

Anytime is a good time to use these breathing exercises, however if you want to do them regularly it’s a good idea to build them into your daily routine. I like to do them as part of my bedtime routine or if I’m feeling a bit anxious.

Can somatic breathing help with anxiety?

Somatic breathing is well recognized as an effective method to help relieve anxiety. The breath helps to calm down the nervous system and also reduce the physiological signs of stress.

Can somatic breathing be combined with other relaxation techniques?

Definitely! You can combine these breathing techniques with meditation, mindfulness, progressive muscle relaxation for a more overall approach to your own health. I use some of these regularly in yoga and during meditation.

Conclusion

In our search for the ultimate health we have a powerful tool with Somatic Breathing.

By working regularly on building the connection between our mind and body we unlock many benefits, from lowering our stress levels to improving our sleep quality.

For a more balance and centred life, try including some of these Somatic Breathing exercises into your day.