Building a Responsible Context for Conscious Connected Breathwork
Article Published for The Vital Creative Collection—Written by Our Editorial Director, Casey J. Balon
Photo by Taisiia Stupak
Written by Casey Balon
(click here to read more about the writer)
Ancient in Nature
While ancient in nature, the art of Conscious Connected Breathwork (CCB) harnesses one of our most basic biological functions — breathing — in a way that positions it as an effective and innovative intervention for self-regulation, restoration, improved sleep quality, and overall stress reduction. This is primarily true for breathwork methods that activate the parasympathetic branch of our autonomic nervous system.
The approaches known to drive parasympathetic function are those that utilize a nose inhalation technique.
On the other hand, mouth inhalation breathing methods need to be utilized with care (intentionally and only in specific circumstances), as they stimulate the sympathetic branch — the 'fight or flight' components — of our autonomic nervous system.
To gain a clearer visual understanding of the parasympathetic and sympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system (which is the division of our peripheral nervous system that is responsible for our involuntary physiological functions such as breathing, digestion, heart rate, blood pressure, immune function, and sexual arousal), you may desire to access the diagram and article linked here: ANS Balance.
Photo by Gaman Alice
Breath Backstory
James Nestor's book Breath spent 19 weeks on the New York Times Best-Seller list in 2021. While the global wellness industry took a hit the year prior, the pandemic deepened the conversation about whole-body health more than ever before. (According to the Global Wellness Institute, our wellness economy is expected to rebound to nearly $7 trillion by 2025... and breathwork has become a mainstream player in the industry.)
In this day and age, the conversation around nervous system regulation and grounding techniques has become somewhat commonplace.
Openly utilized by companies such as Nike and NASA — and most recently promoted on Oprah Daily — CCB (Conscious Connected Breathwork, often referred to as “circular breathing”) methods are being utilized by top performers and everyday women alike. What’s not being emphasized is that not all approaches affect the body in the same way, and some can even be harmful.
Photo by Daiga Ellaby
Building Responsible Context for Mouth Inhalation Techniques
While somewhat attractive because of the immediate sensations of stimulation, sympathetically-driven CCB approaches (those that use a mouth inhalation method) mobilize our bodies. Typically, this mobilization instinctively occurs in response to perceived threats in order to move us out of dangerous or stressful circumstances.
In an effort to prepare the body to react to emergency situations, these sympathetic responses can include muscle contraction, increase in blood pressure, dilation of blood vessels/pupils/bronchi in lungs, sweat secretion, as well as a reduction in the functions associated with rest and digestion.
Most people do not require more stimulation of their sympathetic (‘fight or flight’ responses). Many people are already functioning in a sympathetically-dominant state. Remaining in this heightened state of stress can, overtime, contribute to a myriad of health concerns — suppression of the immune system, increased blood pressure, generalized anxiety, insomnia, and chronic inflammation, to name a few.
The issue at hand is that many breathwork teachers are still utilizing mouth inhalation techniques without providing the full context to their students, and the evidence is clear: prolonged mouth inhalation breathing can create an environment for re-traumatization, as well as increased psychological and physiological stress.
Photo by Micheile Henderson
It is important to note that some folks have developed nervous system patterns that lead them into hypo-aroused “dorsal vagal” responses (withdrawn, shut down, or disconnected while in a collapsed state of freeze, fawn, or feign). From this state, mobilization or movement (of the senses or physically) is required to carefully shepherd their bodies into a more engaged and regulated experience — but fueling more activation of the sympathetic branch into their system through mouth breathing is not the answer; an intentional approach to creating an energized or calm state of safety is.
For those who have the flexibility and capacity to proficiently move between parasympathetic activation (optimal levels of safety and regulation, often referred to as ‘ventral vagal’ or optimal ‘social engagement’) and sympathetic activation (our body’s way of reacting to or preparing for danger): Mouth inhalation CCB techniques may provide them with an opportunity to re-access and re-wire events they experienced while previously in that activated or traumatized state.
Even with the capacity and fluency required to do this safely, mouth-inhalation should be framed in the context of ‘risk taking’ — it would be (it is) a stimulating breakthrough technique. In my opinion, this means that its use should be reserved for the most experienced facilitators and spaces, utilized only by participants who are very well-seasoned in transformational and integrative processes.
Photo by Farol
Tune in at www.caseyjacque.com for Part 2 of this series on The Breath. Here is a snippet of what’s to come:
Building the Foundation of a Sustainable Breathwork Practice
Conscious Connected Breathwork is a fascinating (often free and accessible) tool for creating an internal sense of safety on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels.
More often than not, implementing a nose-inhalation technique is the most supportive choice for an individual looking to begin breathwork.
Here are 4 Questions to ask Yourself Before Choosing Your Approach to This Practice…
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Article Written by Casey Balon, Editorial Director of Casey Jacque
Casey is a writer & creative director based outside of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. With a heart for literary journalism, an appetite for adventure, and a spark for creating dynamic — and deeply collaborative — environments, her aim is to bring Genuine Voices back to the Creative Table. When she’s not carrying out an interview, or writing about Creative Vitality through the lens of the body, you can find her hiking with her dogs, regenerating with her fiancé, diving deep with dear friends, or exploring a new country.
Let’s Connect: Instagram @iamcaseybalon, e-mail casey@caseyjacque.com
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