Cressida Bonas

The art of learning to breathe properly

  • From Spectator Life
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I thought I knew how to breathe properly. My years of studying dance at various institutions have all involved tuition on breathing and its relationship with movement and posture. So I was sceptical when I joined my step-sister Octavia’s online breathwork classes – what more was there to learn?

My first class was in lockdown, at a time when many of us felt in a continual state of anxiety. We were guided through various techniques that manipulated the rate and depth of our breathing. It was dynamic and intense, much harder than I imagined. But nothing much happened at first. I started to think that maybe this wasn’t for me.

One of the reasons tortoises live longer than other species is because they breathe at a slower rate

Then, 20 minutes in, a rush of emotion travelled up through my body. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I felt as if something had been unblocked inside me. And once the plug was pulled, the tears kept on coming. Afterwards, I immediately felt clearer and lighter. I was amazed that an hour of conscious and controlled breathing could trigger such a powerful release.

The classes taught me how fast I breathe in my day-to-day life, how shallow my inhalations are and how, in moments of panic, I hold my breath. Since then, I have learnt that many of us breathe ineffectively. An unconscious process that seems so instinctive can, in fact, be done better. As babies we naturally breathe fully and deeply. As we get older, life gets in the way: we tense up and we start breathing from our neck upwards.

Breathwork is growing in popularity as more and more people discover its health benefits. Some assume that it’s a new and modern practice, but most of the techniques are ancient.

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