Breathe to Heal

By: Lisa Blomgren, Alumni Coordinator

In Max Strom’s video, “Breathe to Heal,” he discusses the importance of breathwork and the extensive scientific research that backs its powerful impact. Breathwork has been proven to have intense physiological effects. It can help reduce stress, anxiety, PTSD symptoms, and sleep disturbances. It can improve one’s immune functioning and blood pressure and regulate hormone function. Breathwork also increases self-awareness and can even help one grieve. But why are we so afraid to sit with ourselves? There was a time when sitting still without the distraction of a screen, another person, or even a substance seemed impossible. I can also remember viewing the concept of breathwork as silly or something only hippies did. Still, some of the most successful people incorporate this practice into their daily routines.

How often do we see the newcomer in recovery get their lives back? They get the job, the relationship, the car, and the apartment, but then they crumble. Strom states in his video, “how are we going to cope with our success?” I know I have been there before, and I was left bewildered. What was missing? For me, it was peace. I had yet to grieve my past traumas and losses and lacked a connection with myself. I started to experience some relief when I began to work the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, but I remember feeling intimidated by the suggestion of prayer and meditation. Each time I sat down to pray, I found my mind wandering. Had I forgotten to shut off my hair straightener, call my mom or make my lunch for the week? A long laundry list of worries would creep into my head, and I would find myself sitting cross-legged but more stressed than when I had begun.

Breathwork is different from prayer and meditation. They go hand in hand, but as Strom states, meditation is more advanced. We cannot expect ourselves to go 30+ years of our lives on autopilot, stressed and distracted, to being able to sit for extended periods, feeling Zen and relaxed. We need to learn how to sit first.

I hope you take time today to watch this insightful video and learn some basic breathwork techniques. Our breath gives us life from the moment we are born until the very end. Getting reconnected to it is a beautiful thing that truly any of us can tap into.

If you or a loved one are struggling, please reach out to Transformations!