Pranayama and Holotropic Breathwork.

Prana means life force or breath sustaining the body; Ayama translates as “to extend or draw out.” Together, the two mean breath extension or control.

“Pranayama is meant to nurture a high level of bodily health and mental clarity, both of which are crucial steps on the path to self-knowledge and wholesome, authentic life. Let your body be still; let your nerves become quiet, in this stillness and quietness, simply observe the quality of your natural breath” (“A Beginner’s Guide to Pranayama,” 2021).

An engaged breath practice can help relieve minor fatigue, anxiety, and depression. In stressful times, we typically breathe too rapidly. This leads to a buildup of oxygen in the bloodstream and a corresponding decrease in the relative amount of carbon dioxide, which in turn upsets the ideal acid-alkaline balance—the pH level—of the blood. Responsible for a condition called respiratory alkalosis, which can result in muscle twitching, nausea, irritability, lightheadedness, confusion, and anxiety.

Controlled, slowed breath raises carbon dioxide levels in the blood, pushing the pH level to a less alkaline state. “As the blood’s pH changes, the parasympathetic nervous system calms us in a variety of ways, including telling the vagus nerve to secrete acetylcholine, a substance that lowers the heart rate” (“A Beginner’s Guide to Pranayama,” 2021).

6 Pranayama traditions include:

- Integral, connects movement with meditation.

- Kripalu, cultivates sensitivity and awareness.

- Ashtanga, unifies action, breath, and attention.

- Iyengar, develops precision, power, and subtlety.

- Viniyoga, create a personalized practice.

- Kundalini, combines mudra, mantra, and breath.

Ujjayi Pranayama or “victorious breath” is one of the most common pranayama techniques.

“Ujjayi should be both energizing and relaxing and is created by gently constricting the opening of the throat to create some resistance to the passage of air” (“A Beginner’s Guide to Pranayama,” 2021).

An effective Ujjayi breath renders a soothing sound to the practitioner.“Gently pulling the breath in on inhalation and gently pushing the breath out on exhalation against this resistance creates a well-modulated and soothing sound—something like the sound of ocean waves rolling in and out” (“A Beginner’s Guide to Pranayama,” 2021).

Holotropic Breathwork

Enhanced, focused breathing and specialized music are used to enter an expanded state of awareness which can activate the natural inner healing process.

By activating the unconscious and mobilizing blocked energies, this work gives us access to all levels of human experience and activates the spontaneous healing potential of the psyche.

The physiological symptoms and psychologically evoked enhanced states of awareness established during Holotropic Breathwork are achieved in an organic way (“About Holotropic Breathwork,” 2021).

The intensity, duration, and effect of each breathwork session are guided by the breather “inner healer” or innate wisdom.

Humans all have deeper wisdom that lies beneath our thinking mind. In Holotropic Breathwork, the emphasis is on creating a safe space in which the practitioner can surrender fully to all the sensations, feelings, experiences, energy movement, and visions that can arise during the experience.

This work is of value to those interested in inner exploration, self-discovery, and spiritual awareness. It is a wonderful form of inner work, as well as a powerful method of self-care.

It is crucial to distinguish between slow breathing techniques and other techniques that simply direct attention to the act of breathing, (ie. breath awareness, box breathing) or slow down breath as a consequence of other attentional practices (ie, Nidra Yoga, Pranayama).

“The main effects of slow breathing techniques cover autonomic and central nervous systems activities as well as the psychological status. Slow breathing techniques promote autonomic changes increasing Heart Rate Variability and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia paralleled by Central Nervous System (CNS) activity modifications” (Zaccaro, 2018).
Psychological/behavioral outputs related to breathwork are increased comfort, relaxation, pleasantness, vigor, and alertness, and reduced symptoms of arousal, anxiety, depression, anger, and confusion.

References

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About the author:

Melanie began attending Harvard in 2020 to complete a Graduate Certificate in Human Behavior with a specialization in Neuropsychology. Boling’s research has examined extreme environments and how they can have a potential negative impact on humans operating in the extreme environment. During her time at Harvard, she has built a mental wellness tool called a psychological field kit. Implementing these tools will allow an individual to thrive in an extreme environment while mitigating negative variables such as abnormal human behavior which can play a role in team degradation.