Resonate Part 1 : The 7 Basics of Breath

Breathwork is a simple but profound tool that can change your life. The breath and how we breathe determines how we live. Are you breathing in a state of restriction or in a state of freedom? The beauty is always in the balance. The breath is a response to our surroundings. To come to a neutral breath, a relaxed and present breath that is open and puts us in a powerful position in the world around, we have to face our inner self with love. In this lecture we cover : 
- observation
- restriction and freedom
- belly breathing
- control and release
- presence in space

Your respiratory system is hugely affected by your posture, and coming into neutral alignment can feel weird because after many years of being in a certain position, our body doesn't know what "normal" feels like. We all have slightly wonky ways about us. In this class we cover a simple checklist for finding a neutral body position. On top of this we discover that all of the body is one, and all our organs, bones and joints are wrapped in a fabric called fascia, which if we work to keep healthy, gives us a perfect state of balance between active and passive gaits. To summarise, in this class we cover: 

- how to find your neutral stance, by aligning the spine

- what is fascia, and how and why to look after it

Think of your core as something emotional and mental as well as physical. Having a strong core is very important, and can often deal to some extent with an internal sense of weakness. When we activate our full body breathing, you're going to feel a fire in your belly. This is the power we're looking to cultivate, a life force within you. In this class we cover

- diaphragm & TVA muscle

- lower abdominal muscles

- how to turn on your deep core

- how your core strength is reflected in your mind

This is the clincher. In this class we talk about the vegas nerve and diaphragm, and how our nervous system can alternate between sympathetic (danger) and parasympathetic (safety) states. The key is understanding that the diaphragm allows you to control which state, because the diaphragm tells the brain how you are breathing. The vagus nerve connects from the brains stem to your major organs  controls their functions. Using the breath, we can improve our organ function and the overall performance of our organism, by generating a calm environment.

- the diaphragm

- the vagus nerve

- the sympathetic nervous system

- the parasympathetic nervous system

- the autonomic nervous system

- asserting conscious control over the nervous system by using the breath

Working to the needs of your own temperament and the way your body, mind and breath are currently rigged as a consequence of the way you have been moving and breathing all your life, we can find more balance by either up-regulating or down-regulating your nervous system. For those who are lethargic, we up-regulate. For those who are highly strung we down-regular. For those in the middle we extend the extremes of fired up and cooled down states, so that our tolerance for high impact situations in life expands. The more reactive we are to the circumstances, the better we navigate our way through life. Sometimes we need to fire up, and sometimes we need to cool down. By practicing breath work we train ourselves to come back to neutral faster. The rate at which we come back to neutral is also a direct reflection on our cardiovascular health. Like when you go to the gym, your recovery rate is a key metric of how well your heart is working.

- up regulating the nervous system (generating fire) 

- down regulating the nervous system (cooling down) 

- extending the tolerance for high and low

- improving your recovery rate

- improving your heart condition

Tummo breathing technique comes from the ancient Tibetan traditions, and has been made a worldwide sensation by The Hoff, aka Wim Hof. In this technique, you gradually extend your breath hold in order to increase the amount of C02 in your blood. Training your tolerance to carbon dioxide is beneficial in that it flushes oxygen to the organs, it trips the vagus nerve and puts you in the parasympathetic state of rest and repair, taking you out of the state of stressful fight and flight. This leads to benefits such as gaining focus, energy and mental clarity. In this lesson we'll explore

- how to extend your breath hold

- how to create a personalised Tummo breath practice

- how to relax into a greater state of presence

- how to manage the body's urges to breathe

- how to empower your conscious self to be in control over your impulsive self

Combine everything we have learnt in a practice that you can take with you wherever you go.