Shift state

Your body’s internal clock is pivotal to your overall health, swipe to learn more!

Given our oftentimes high-stress lives, it’s not surprising that many of us don’t get the recommended 7+ hours of sleep per night. However, giving our bodies time to recover is important for our health and well-being. Swipe to learn how breathwork can aid in giving you a better night’s rest 🌙 →

Let's go 2022! Just like us, you’ve probably set some resolutions for a happier and healthier life this year, whether it’s working out more or doing more of the things you enjoy. These are great goals, don’t get us wrong - but what if you start the new year with focusing on something very fundamental that would help you achieve huge wellness-boosting rewards? We're talking about breathing better.

Right now, we're dealing with global stressors that are acutely affecting our physical, emotional, psychological well-being. Practicing mindful breathing offers us a powerful way to overcome these stressors by providing us the tools to quieten our minds and build resilience. So take a deep (conscious) breath and prepare yourself for a great 2022!

#2022

There is a certain magic about starting your morning with breathwork. Why? Because this particular time is special to the body. When we wake up in the morning, we have toxins accumulated in our system from the detoxification process that took place during the night - and we also wake up with higher cortisol (the body’s primary stress hormone) levels.

Breathwork in the morning stimulates the body by raising oxygen levels throughout our circulation and can help combat the feelings of tiredness and stress and give us a natural source of energy, preparing us to tackle the day ahead!

Everyone can benefit from better breathing – and it all starts with breathing through your nose. Controlled breathing will help bring your body back into balance, which results in better sleep, enhanced athletic performance, and can help treat respiratory problems such as allergies and asthma - the list of benefits are endless 🌱

We received a great question from one of our followers the other day, who asked what the difference is between breathwork and meditation:

Breathwork is the practice of being more mindful and intentional about breathing: it differs to meditation in the sense that rather than simply observing our natural breathing patterns, as we would during most forms of meditation, we are intentionally manipulating our breathing patterns for an extended period of time.

Also, while mediation is a great tool for mindfulness and self-reflection, it’s benefits are often seen after a period of time - while with breathwork, the effects are oftentimes immediate and therefore requires less effort to achieve results 🌊

Grateful 💫

In a world that has shifted toward a more remote work environment, our office desks have become  practically anywhere quiet at home - sofas, beds, kitchens, you name it. These work environments can however put us in positions that aren’t always suitable for breathing properly, because we start to use unusual methods to try to maintain a comfortable breathing pattern. Eventually, our muscles learn to continue to do that, resulting in that our muscles get fatigued - and we get a sense of  breathlessness because we’ve been over-relying on the wrong muscles to help us.
If you recognize yourself in this, try to refocus on breathing with your diaphragm or breathing more slowly - you’ll notice the difference 🧠

Most of us have likely experienced “being in the zone” - a state of full concentration, clarity and productivity. This state has long been considered as one that is found, as opposed to created. We can however achieve a natural form of “productivity” or “peak performance” state if we have the right tools. This is where breathwork comes in:

Breathwork allows us to tap into a focused and productive state because it oxygenates the brain and creates a mental and physical change that feels focused, motivating and calm. Try it before your next meeting or brainstorming session! 💻

Without rest, our bodies don’t get the chance to recover from the high stress state caused in our bodies during workouts. When our muscles are physically challenged through exercise, they're breaking down tissue as well as using glycogen (energy) stores. 

After a workout, that micro-damage to the cells in our muscles need to repair and rebuild so they can be even stronger during our next workout - and that’s best done during a time when our bodies can recover. Recovery is also crucial for preventing injuries by avoiding overtraining.

So remember to rest up and come back stronger to your next workout! 👊🏽

A good night’s sleep is essential to our health and wellness. There are many of factors that can get in the way of a good night’s sleep, from daily responsibilities to stress.

While you can’t always control the things that interfere with your sleep, you can adopt habits to make better sleep a priority. Here are some of our tips:

1. Stick to a sleep schedule where you try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, Being consistent reinforces your body’s sleep-wake cycle. 🌙

2. Create a restful environment: this often means cool, dark and quiet. Avoid use of devices  that emit blue light exposure and instead engage in an activity that calms your mind. Breathwork has proven to be helpful here! 🧘🏽‍♀️

3. Exercise regularly - but not before sleep. This is one of the most science backed ways to improve both sleep quality and the time it takes to fall asleep. 🏃🏽‍♂️

What are some of your best tips?

A good night’s sleep is essential to our health and wellness. There are many of factors that can get in the way of healthy sleep, from daily responsibilities to stress. And
while you can’t always control the things that interfere with your sleep, you can adopt habits to make better sleep a priority. Here are some of our tips:

1. Stick to a sleep schedule where you try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Being consistent reinforces your body’s sleep-wake cycle 🌙

2. Create a restful environment: this often means cool, dark and quiet. Avoid use of devices that emit blue light exposure and instead engage in an activity that calms your mind. Breathwork has proven to be helpful here! 🧘🏽‍♀️

3. Exercise regularly - but not before sleep. This is one of the most science backed ways to improve both sleep quality and the time it takes to fall asleep 🏃🏽‍♂️

Let us know your best tips!

Tension in our body often comes from unconscious muscle contractions, which can cause soreness and pain and a lack of blood flow in our bodies. A lack of blood flow means that our cells’ need for nourishment, such as oxygen, isn’t being met and the buildup of waste, such as carbon dioxide, isn’t being flushed out of the muscle tissues, which causes our muscles to ache. 

Deep breathing decreases physical stress in our bodies: when we breathe using our diaphragm, more oxygen can get into our bloodstream and supply our muscles with the energy they need and help relive muscle tension!

May this week be a great one! 🌱

Happy Monday! 🌱

Have you ever been told you to “just take a deep breath”? Breathing is a central component of the nervous system & an important source of the body’s response to stress. When we are stressed, we normally take small, shallow breaths, using our shoulders to move air in and out of our lungs.

When we’re feeling stressed, we should be deep breathing: this stimulates the vagus nerve, which is part of the parasympathetic nervous system in charge of our body’s relaxation response. Triggering the ‘rest and digest response’ helps bring our heart rate down, lower our stress level and improve our mood. 🧘🏽‍♀️🌱

When we shift our breathing technique during workouts from mouth breathing to nasal breathing, we may find that nasal breathing is more difficult at start. This is due to that our bodies need to adapt to a different approach to the respiratory process, and if it is used to hyperventilation during exercise, nasal breathing may initially feel slow. However, try to stick with it and be patient - things will change 💪🏾

Many people tend to breathe through their mouth as their workout intensifies, which can cause hyperventilation through the mouth through quick and hard breaths, causing the body to offload more CO2, making it harder to oxygenate our cells.

Nasal breathing, however, allows for more oxygen to get to active tissues. This is because nasal breathing releases nitric oxide, which is necessary to increase carbon dioxide in the blood, which, in turn, is what releases oxygen and can help maximize our workouts.

Try nasal breathing during your next workout and see how you feel! 💪🏾🏃🏃🏻‍♀️

Of the 13 vitamins needed to keep our bodies healthy, Vitamin B makes up more than half of them. There are 8 types of Vitamin B in total, ranging from Vitamin B1 to B12. Every single B-vitamin is crucial to keep different parts of the body healthy.

Vitamin B is essential to keep the brain healthy. It also helps the body unlock the energy it needs to function well, from nutrients such as carbohydrates and protein. Some B Vitamins, in particular Vitamin B12, also play a crucial role in red blood cell formation. Healthy red blood cells are needed to transport oxygen to every part of the body.

The good news is that Vitamin B is found in a variety of food, including citrus fruits, leafy green vegetables, fish and nuts. Make sure you get your daily dose! 🍋 🌱

If your breathing is mostly chest oriented and shallow, your ribcage will get pulled into a state that compromises the diaphragm function, requiring your chest, neck and upper back muscles to act as “accessory” breathing muscles. This causes chronic tension that locks us into a poor posture with shoulders slumped forward, shoulder blades hu**ed and our mid-backs flattened.

Deep and proper diaphragmatic breathing helps restore our posture and provides more long-term relief.

Did you know that our planets’ longest living animals, such as the tortoise and elephant, have slower heart rates and slower breaths - around four breaths per minute? Rather than trap yourself in a frenetic, high-energy breathing pattern, try to emulate the slower, deeper habits of the giant tortoise and notice the benefits of a slower breathing pattern 🐢

 

🙌🏽

Anxiety is our bodies natural response to stress, it's a feeling of fear or apprehension about what's to come. It might cause us to feel restless and tense, and increase our heart beat. There are however a variety of ways to ease anxiety, see below for some of our tips 👇🏽

1. Anxiety is a future-oriented state of mind. Instead of worrying about what is going to happen, it is important to try to reel yourself back to the present. Breathwork can be a helpful tool here, helping to slow down and re-center your mind 🌱

2. Engage in an activity that fully occupies your mind. Although you might not feel calm right away, you’re giving your body a chance to settle while you focus your attention on something engaging 💭

3. One of the most important things you can do is exercise! Working out lowers your body’s stress hormones and releases endorphins 🏋🏽‍♀️

We’d love to hear some of your tips too 🙏🏽

Sleep procrastination 🌙- the decision to sacrifice our sleep in order to get more free time for e.g. entertainment and relaxation in the evenings.

Sleep procrastination can be tied to daytime stress, for example working many hours of the day, resulting in that we may feel as though we get little “me-time” in the hours we’re awake. This in turn can cause sleep deprivation, as we are delaying our bedtime.

Without enough hours of sleep, the mind and body can’t properly recharge. Incorporating an evening routine which allows you to destress in the evenings can help tackle the need to stay up too late in the evenings 😴 💤

Sleep procrastination 🌙 - the decision to sacrifice our sleep in order to get more free time for e.g. entertainment and relaxation.

Sleep procrastination can be tied to daytime stress, for example working many hours of the day, resulting in that we get little “me-time” in the evenings. This in turn can cause sleep deprivation, as we are delaying our bedtime.

Without enough hours of sleep, the mind and body can’t properly recharge. Incorporating an evening routine which allows you to destress in the evenings can help tackle the need to stay up too late 💤 😴

Respiration & breathing: two different but interrelated body processes.

Respiration is typically seen as automatic/involuntary. The metabolic process of respiration supplies oxygen to all tissues of the body and removes carbon dioxide

But the act of breathing, the movement pattern that powers respiration, is something you can control. And because of respiration’s vital role in keeping us alive, the quality of our breathing can impact all other systems of the body 🔘

Most people breathe without thinking, and yet the way we breathe is very important to our physical and mental health. Every system and living cell in our body relies on oxygen being delivered and excess carbon dioxide being taken away. So when we consciously control our breath, we control our body’s reactions with it 🔘

Ever thought about why you feel so good walking on a beach, near a river, or a waterfall, breathing in the fresh air?

Our bodies magnetic field is made up of positive and negative ions. Over-exposure to positive ions, caused by e.g. our phones, can drain our energy. However, water in motion produces negative ions, which increases our serotonin levels, helping decrease depression, relieve stress and boost energy 🌊