TWH – Breathwork is an important part of Pagan traditions. Controlled breathing is used to focus attention and separate people during rituals and it is common to see breathing exercises and exercises in any ceremony. Faery Seership as taught by Orion Foxwood is one such tradition that uses breath as an important part of its practice. Two recent scientific studies have documented the benefits of breathing as an activity.
The neurobiology of breathing has been studied extensively, after all, everyone learns to breathe immediately at birth. But there is little comparative research or analysis of the effectiveness and efficiency of breathing techniques.
Outside of Pagan ceremonies and places of worship, many people are introduced to the breath through yoga and yogic breathing techniques. Yogic breathing, or pranayama, is a breathing technique used in yoga to control the breath and promote relaxation.
There are many types of yogic breathing exercises, but they all involve deep, controlled breaths that are meant to slow the heart and calm the mind. Deep breathing is the most common way to do this. It is only careful to breathe deeply and slowly through the nose. Nose breathing is similar but the breath is drawn in through the nose one nostril at a time.
Deep breathing
But not all technology is going to retire soon. The breathing form of fire is stronger. This yogic breathing exercise stimulates the nervous system. The technique involves sitting in a comfortable position with hands on knees, palms down followed by short quick breaths through the nose.
In a study published in February in Scientific Reports, research published by a group of researchers in the UK and Spain collected data from respiratory studies published over the past decade by summarizes the benefits of breathing in stress and mental health. They only looked at randomized scientific trials.
Their research found that controlled breathing techniques have been shown to help reduce anxiety, stress, and depression. Breathing is known to improve the overall feeling of well-being. The researchers wrote “People with depression and anxiety disorders breathe faster and worse, but with increased meditation practice, the rate of breathing can be lengthened, which can be translated in good health and behavior, with less autonomic function.”
Researchers believe that breathing can not only reduce the stimulation of the nervous system, but also lead to the release of endorphins, neurotransmitters released by the brain that act as natural pain relievers and can produce feelings of euphoria.
However, all breathing techniques, whether from yoga or other traditions, are often included in meditation techniques, which confuses the senses.
In another study, published in Cell Medicine Reports published last month, researchers in the Department of Neurobiology and Psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University began to answer the question of whether breathing or meditation has a positive effect on weight reduction and mood. In this study, the researchers sought to compare the psychological and physiological effects of breathing exercises.
Researchers found that “Yogic breathing exercises have been shown to increase feelings of peace, improve timing and problem solving, reduce anxiety, and reduce mind wandering and with intrusive thoughts.” Therefore, the researchers compared three different breathing techniques to meditation with 108 participants who were assigned to different methods.
Senior Monk in Meditation, Myanmar [Photo Credit: Bks07 CC BY-SA 4.0]
These three techniques are “Sighing,” characterized by deep breaths followed by long exhales, which are associated with mental relaxation, changes in autonomic states, and recovery of the breath. breath; The “box” is characterized by the same inhale to hold to exhale ratio and is used by members of the military for stress management and performance improvement; and “Hyperventilation with retention,” characterized by an emphasis on inhalations of longer duration and more force than exhales.
The researchers found that “the meditation and breathing groups significantly reduced state anxiety and negative affect and increased positive affect.”
But cyclic sighing is more effective in promoting a positive attitude than meditation. Research shows that breathing exercises are more effective than meditation in fighting anxiety and overcoming depression.
Researchers do not understand all the ways in which cyclic breathing produces its effects. They wrote that “Slowing of breathing with crying may signal higher brain systems involved in arousal and activation of a sense of calmness….[but] More research on how breathing affects the brain networks involved in emotional regulation and behavior improvement is beneficial to humans.
The studies are important not only because they show that breathing exercises that are supposed to reduce anxiety and stress can be effective but also because the practice of these techniques can be easily learned and controlled. , as the Pagans know.