Sunday Edition #47: Breathwork by Steph Cabrera

Breathing techniques are becoming increasingly popular for their ability to reduce stress, improve mental focus, and promote overall wellbeing.

Today, we are excited to interview Steph, a breathwork expert who has helped many people improve their physical and mental wellbeing through breathing. Steph's passion for breathwork started when she experienced the transformative effects of the practice herself, which led her to become a certified breathwork coach. In this interview, we will ask Steph about the benefits of breathwork, how it works, and how it can be used to manage stress and anxiety, increase relaxation, and improve overall health.

Can you explain what breathwork is and how it can benefit our physical and mental health?

Breathwork can benefit our physical health by balancing blood pressure, improving respiratory function, and strengthening the immune system. It can also help improve our mental health by reducing stress and anxiety, improving focus, and promoting better sleep. A meta-analysis of various studies has also shown that breathwork can positively affect stress and mental health.

How long should a typical breathwork session last, and how often should someone practice to see the most benefits?

So breathwork sessions last however long you want them to be. It doesn't matter if you have five or ten minutes as long as you start the practice. With time you will notice that your mind and body will crave that time to focus on your breath and practice mindfulness.

So you will start seeing the results if you do it every day after a week, but you have to commit to your practice. It's like exercising; you will start seeing the results if you stay consistent and committed.

What are some common challenges or obstacles people face when practising breathwork, and how can they overcome them?

Some challenges people face when they start practising breathwork are that they feel like breathing into the chest, which takes time and practice; we are all chest breathers.

Before I started teaching breathwork and doing my practice, I felt like I was always breathing to the chest; we had to practice strengthening the diaphragmatic muscle- breathing into the belly. You have to focus on pushing the stomach out, engaging your diaphragm.

What's the difference between breathwork and meditation?

The difference between breathwork and meditation is that breathwork is a type of meditation; there are different types.

There are mindfulness, transformational breathwork, and additional mortalities of breathwork. If you have a hard time meditating, the breathwork is for you. Because with breathwork, you focus only on the breath and body sensations, and that's meditating.

Meditation is not about hidden unaligned levels. It's about sitting down in silence and stillness and taking your attention inwards.