Frequently Asked Questions
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Breathwork is conscious breathing. Your breath is the one function of your autonomic nervous system, which is the part of the nervous system responsible for controlling your heart rate, digestion, and much more, that you can play with on demand. When you do–even for just a few minutes–you can proactively foster a more resilient nervous system.
Countless cultures and religions have honored the breath through its rituals and practices. Pranayama—the yogic practice of playing with the breath—is described in Hindu texts the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras as way to concentrate. In Buddhism, the Anapanasati Sutta highlights the awareness and calm that comes from concentrating on the breath. In the 1960s and 70s, holotropic and rebirthing breathwork grew in popularity as a way to breathe into a different states of consciousness.
Slo Breathworks’ offerings center down-regulating conscious breathing techniques, which foster awareness, calm, and clarity. The beauty of the breath is that it helps you move with your emotions so that you can continue forward on your journey with radical acceptance of self and others.
In addition the breath is brilliant because it can help with the following:
Better focus
Cognitive flexibility
Relaxation
Reduced stress
Increased creativity
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It seems the more screens you are infront of, the more you hold your breath.
This makes sense since your breath is part of your autonomic nervous system. The problem is, holding your breath, leads to shallow chest breathing where more of your fight-or-flight nerves are concentrated. This creates an unfortunate feedback that promotes more cortisol in the body. Hello, anxiety and overwhelm!
Here are two articles that detail the research that has been done. NPR and NYTimes.
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A breath walk is a mindful exploration of your surrondings. Surroundings can encompass a city block, a 100-square foot countryside garden, or a laddered loft at your retreat. It is not about the number of steps taken during a breath walk but the awareness cultivated in the journey.
Slo Breathworks’ walks guide amblers to conciously breathe to discover the life in all things, from walls to plants, all with the intention to connect with your senses, the land, and those who are breathing around you.
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Slow breathing seems to activate the rest-and-digest nervous system, which is responsible for lowering blood pressure, slowing the heart rate, and increasing the rate of your digestion. This part of the nervous system communicates with your brain, reminding it to relax and release endorphins. All beautiful things. More and more studies are finding a correlation between slow breathing and increased parasympathetic nervous system activity.
When done over a period of time, even only a month, improved sleep qualities and increased vagal tone—better emotional regulation, physical health, and resiliency–were cited in a 2018 Journal of Clinical Medicine study.
Slow deep breathing was shown to be particularly helpful to young adults to reduce anxiety in a 2021 Scientific Reports study.
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Anytime, in Slo Breathworks’ humble opinion. Since slowing down your breathing can help with anxiety, focus, pain management, and confidence, bringing intention and attention to your breath is beneficial at all hours of the day—especially at 2:22 am when you feel like you just drank a shot of espresso but just want to count some sheep (or breaths).
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Most of the breathing techniques Slo Breathworks facilitates are accessible to any human who breathes.
But, check with your doctor or healthcare professional to make sure breathwork is right for your nervous system and body today, especially those humans who are pregnant, have asthma, or heart conditions.
Slo Breathworks experiences aim to bring attendees awareness, connection with their senses, and appreciation for the breath and their surroundings.
Slo Breathworks experiences are not curated to for psychedelic journeys or hallucinations.
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It is the compilation of lived and learned experiences that help shape Slo Breathworks offerings.
The learned experience is a mix of systems thinking design and breath-specific knowledge. Sarah intertwines her 100 hours of breathwork faciliatiion training, 400 hours of yoga training, and her Sustainability MBA to curate seasonal, conscious breathing experiences.
Some of her favorite teachers she has learned from are Carolyn Anne Budgell, Dr. Arielle Swartz, and Sara Baldwin.
The lived experience is unique to Sarah and her journey through chronic illness, divorce, and ongoing injuries, where she witnessed how necessary the breath is, along with other vehicles, to unstick the stuck and feel the emotions that are part of this human experience.
And the other major teacher is the land of upstate New York with its gentle, four seasons, rooted in the living and passed. It is in the unceded land of the Hodonouse where Sarah witnesses the reciprocity of our individual breaths and the collective.
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As long as you are not immersed in water or operating some sort of car, scooter, or rickshaw, you can do it almost anywhere.
Some of Slo Breathworks’ favorite places to practice concious breathing include Zoom meetings, under a Sugar Maple (or whichever tree species is in your community), and crossing the street. Conciously breathing and walking are a dynamic duo, indeed.
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Slo Breathworks hosts 45-minute one on one sessions to anchor you to your breath in this season of your life and time of year. The collective experiences, which include breath walks and workshops, start at 45 minutes.
Still have questions?