The Power of Breathwork Simple Practices to Promote Wellbeing

by Patterson, Jennifer

• ISBN13: 9780760383292
• ISBN10: 0760383294
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2022-11-22
• Publisher: Fair Winds Press

Summary

Drawing on a multitude of breathing practices from different healing and spiritual traditions, The Power of Breathwork includes 25 simple exercises that you can practice alone or with a partner.

Knowing how to breathe and how to use your breath purposefully has been proven to reduce negative mental and physical issues and actually heal the body and mind. A regular home breathwork practice is an affordable and easy way for you to engage in self-healing practices that can have a profound impact on your overall health. Harness the power of breathwork to:
 

• Facilitate proper immune function
• Enhance connection, creativity, joy, and intuition
• Reduce physical pain as well as tension, depression, anxiety, and trauma

Author, practitioner, and grief worker Jennifer Patterson begins by explaining what breathwork is, why you should try it, and how it can be used to heal the bodymind. Then, you’ll learn what happens in your physical body, energetic body, and emotional body as you practice it. Before you start the exercises, find useful tips on building an altar, using scent, visualizations and grounding, and somatic writing prompts to help support your practice.

After achieving collaboration and deeper trust with your body through practices such as a nurturing body scan and learning to catch and shift out of breath-holding patterns, return to yourself with these solo breath patterns: 4-7-8 Breath, Energizing Breath, Box Breath, Pursed Lip Breath, Lion’s Breath, Diaphragm Breath, Alternate Nostril Breath, Skull Shining Breath, Ocean Breath, and Multi-Part Fast-Paced Breath.

With a partner, use breath to work with witnessing and being witnessed, giving and receiving touch, and navigating conflict. Through these practices, you can breathe into a deeper relationship with another.

For more focused breathwork practice, you will also find exercises that work with themes such as creativity, easing perfection narratives, inviting laughter and joy, cutting energetic ties to harmful dynamics, plus dedicated practices for welcoming the new day and then, when it is done, releasing the day and inviting sleep.

The Power of Breathwork provides you with simple and approachable ways to intentionally and effectively breathe to bring healing and joy.

Author Biography

Jennifer Patterson is a grief worker who uses breath, herbs, and somatic writing to explore the body, survivorhood, and healing. Jennifer offers care as a practitioner through her own  practice, Corpus Ritual, and is a member of The Breathe Network and Breathwork for Recovery. She has facilitated workshops at healing centers, LGBTQ centers, a needle exchange and harm reduction clinic, veterans’ hospitals, and colleges and universities. Connect with her at corpusritual.com. Jennifer is based in Brooklyn, New York.

Table of Contents

Meet Jennifer 
About This Book 

Chapter 1: The Importane of Breath 
Unconscious and Conscious Breath 
History of Breathwork 
The Benefits of Breathwork 
How Can Breathwork Help Me? 
Trauma and Chronic Stress 

Chapter 2: What's Happening in the Body 
The Physical Body 
The Emotional Body 
The Energetic Body 

Chapter 3: Building a Breathwork Practice 
Getting Comfortable 
Scent
Visualizations 
Aftercare Writing 

Chapter 4: Building a Relationship With Your Body 
Connecting to Your Breath and Body 
Nurturing Body Scan 
Counting Breath 
Noticing Tension and Inviting Release 
Catching and Shifting Out of Breath-Holding Patterns 

Chapter 5: Solo Breath Patterns 
4-7-8 Breath 
Energizing Breath 
Box Breath 
Pursed Lip Breath 
Lion's Breath 
Diaphragm Breath 
Alternate Nostril Breath 
Skull Shining Breath 
Ocean Breath 
Multi-Part Fast-Paced Breath 

Chapter 6: Breath Patterns With a Partner 
Witnessing Another and Being Witnessed 
Asking For and Receiving Touch 
Long Multi-Part Fast-Paced Breath 
Breathing Through Conflict 

Chapter 7: Focused Breathwork Meditations 
Good Morning! Welcoming the New Day 
Good Night! Closing Out the Day 
Easing Perfection Narratives 
Inviting in Laughter and Joy 
Inviting in Creativity and Aliveness 
Cutting Ties 

Further Resources 
Index 
Acknowledgements