Posted by Ivan Broad
on 12 Nov 2024
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Call Us: 0330 111 2015 
Call Us: 0330 111 2015 
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This is a guest post from Ivan Broad.
You take around 20,000 breaths a day.
But how often do you think about your breathing?
Perhaps if you’re walking or running, the attention lands on the rising and falling of the chest. But in moments of stillness it gets lost.
The breath is one of the most powerful tools that we have to regulate the body with nearly immediate effect.
Whilst there are many different breathing techniques to research and implement, starting with a simple practice is the best way to build a habit.
One of my favourite techniques is 20 connected breaths because of the grounding nature of the practice, and the accessibility of it.
It can be done through the nose or mouth, depending on your needs at the time, and grounds the body while reclaiming control of any anxious breathing.
The mouth breath activates the fight or flight response which allows the 20 connected breaths to produce energy.
The nose breath activates the rest and digest state, which calms the physical symptoms of stress, such as increased heart rate.
This acts as a pattern breaker to prevent spiralling and to bring your thoughts back to the present moment.
One of the best things about this practice is that no one needs to know that you’re doing it. It’s subtle, and can be done at any time.
For example, if you’re experiencing high levels of stress in the workplace, doing 20 connected breaths at your desk can bring you back to the body and refresh the mind for problem solving.
Doing this once every morning is a great way to start the day feeling energised and grounded.
The more you practise, the more it will become second nature when placed in a position of anxiety or panic, to regain control when you feel like you’ve lost it.
Whilst breathing is the most natural process for living things, re-learning how to breathe is important to make the most of your breathwork.
Sit up straight, and breathe down into your belly, feeling it expand as your lungs inflate.
Keen yogis will know this as ‘prana’, the ‘breath of life’. This deep breathing is when we are most in touch with ourselves and can identify the emotions attached to thoughts.
Memories are stored in every single cell in the body, so somatic breathwork allows you to feel the things you have been avoiding.
Forgetting that the breath is your ally can be a pitfall.
Combining breathwork with intentional movement such as yoga strengthens the relationship between the body and the breath, working in tandem to ground the mind.
The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it’s connection.
At Delamere, guests have access to one to one therapy, group sessions and family therapy. Talking to counsellors and peers can bring understanding to guests who are starting their recovery journey.
Breathwork enhances this practice, as holistic therapies assist in revealing the feelings as well as the thoughts.
The techniques developed can be tools for guests to use over and over again whenever they need.
The Stop, Start, Grow, Bloom treatment programme at Delamere sets guests up for life beyond addiction, with tools from holistic therapies being integral to returning to everyday life after time at the clinic.
Ivan Broad is an expert in Breathwork, based in Tean, Stoke on Trent and offers therapy to help you process whatever might be going on in your life, including recent or historical trauma.
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