Breathing Towards Balance, Beauty, and Brilliance
Inhale to 6… hold ... exhale fully.
Consider the possibility that your breath holds the potential to upgrade your life. You might be thinking, “who needs to read about how to breathe?” In today’s wellness industry, breathwork classes are becoming as popular as yoga! So what if you brought awareness to your breath and tapped into the possibility that this simple practice can be the key to living a balanced, beautiful, and brilliant life? Now more than ever, we need the practice of deep-conscious breathing in the community at Havergal, and with the abundance of benefits that comes with breathing, carving out even just a few minutes everyday will give you the stress-busting, confidence-boosting, and performance-enhancing natural high that people pay zillions of dollars to achieve.
Experiencing stress is super normal, and it can be a good thing in some instances. As teenagers, keeping up with the rigor of academia and the desire to succeed, while balancing friendships on top of those are only a fraction of the challenges we face. If you’re feeling the pressures of life, have lost your creative spark, or are too exhausted to even finish your homework, join the club, my friend, AND a daily ritual of breathwork can catapult you into your best life. For real.
According to Wim Hof, a Dutch extreme athlete, breathing consciously can boost your immune system, improve concentration, increase energy, and improve sleep. When considering the effects of the pandemic like wearing masks and social distancing while adding in the new semester system that pushed even the most rugged of us to our limits, this subtle and do-anytime-anywhere practice can show us how tolerant and resistant we really are. We were designed to thrive.
If you’re still not sold on the countless benefits of deep-breathing your way through uncertainty, consider the effects it has on the body - inside and out. Deep-breathing helps kickstart the flow and circulation of blood, which will make you more energized and give a bit of glow to your skin. “Consistent practice reduces inflammation in the body and the skin after three months,” says health guru Ashley Neese. The studies and research behind deep-breathing are endless - from Harvard Medical School to Vogue Magazine to ancient spiritual technologies, consciously using your breath is where it's at.
Using simple breathing techniques in the spirit of self care and wellness have proven to be the cornerstone of living a healthy life. So the next time you’re feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders or simply needing to take it down a notch before that presentation, remind yourself that you have an incredible operating system that is designed (and waiting) to bring you back to balance, beauty and brilliance.
Here are a few of my favorite people and resources for making breathing an effortless part of your busy days:
Ashley Neese is a breathwork instructor from Los Angeles who has tons of resources on breathing, and techniques to learn. (ashleyneese.com , Instagram: @ashley_neese)
Wim Hof a.k.a the Iceman is a pro when it comes to breathwork. His methods have been known to reduce stress, improve sleep, improve sports performance, boost creativity, and increase mental clarity. (wimhofmethod.com , Instagram: @iceman_hof)
Check out this Vogue Beauty article on breathing for better skin (Meet the Los Angeles Healer Who Teaches Clients to Breathe Their Way to Better Skin https://www.vogue.com/article/how-to-get-better-skin-naturally-ashley-neese-breath-work-practitioner-oakland-california)
If you like to listen to podcasts, try listening to The Joe Rogan Experience, episode #1506: “James Nestor”, or AMP, episode #278: “Take Your F’ing Power Back with Wim Hof”.