Breathwork is a method of breathing that allows the body to relax the places holding fear and trauma. As the body relaxes, the mind is helped to clear self-defeating thoughts and mistaken notions (about self and the world) that were developed through past struggles and traumas. By maintaining a particular breathing pattern, a person is supported in facing fears and releasing tensions, allowing for a greater sense of aliveness and ability to feel present in one's life. As a person learns to "breath through" painful emotions and holdings in the body, a sense of release and joyfulness are more possible.
Through our difficulties in life, we all tend to restrict the breath, to hold the breath. The short-term payoff is to disconnect from pain or fear, but in the long term we are left feeling tense, restricted and less alive. It is common for people to feel more connected spiritually, and to be more aware of their sense of purpose, when breathwork is utilized.
Breathwork is a therapeutic approach developed in the United States in the 1970s, and is now practiced in many countries. The International Breathwork Training Alliance has created universal training standards.
Ron Rothschild, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., is certified in breathwork and has been working with this modality since 2001.