Conscious Connected Breathwork
Are you struggling with pain during your favorite movement? Are you unable to get past a pain hurdle even after doing all the “right” things you have been prescribed? You’ve done the stretching, strengthening, manual muscle releases, and still feel something is holding you back from meeting your goals?
Conscious Connected Breathwork (CCB) is an active, rhythmic breathing technique used to shift our physiological state. Most of our basic life functions such as our heart rate, salivation, pupillary size and digestion are not under our conscious control…. except our breathing. By changing the rate, rhythm, frequency and depth of our breath we can consciously shift our autonomic nervous system. Research has shown that conscious connected breathwork (CCB) activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body’s rest and recovery functions. Our bodies store emotional experiences, both positive and negative, on a cellular level. Over time, unresolved stress and emotions can manifest as physical tension, pain, or mental distress.
When your muscles work harder during exercise or stress, they burn glucose and fatty acids for fuel. The byproduct of this cellular metabolism is CO2. As CO2 floods into your bloodstream, it reacts with water to form carbonic acid, which causes your blood pH to drop (making it more acidic). The moment your brain detects even a tiny drop in pH caused by rising CO2, it fires an emergency signal to your diaphragm and intercostal (rib) muscles resulting in a big breath. This is why we take deep breaths during strenuous exercise and moments of deep overwhelm and tension. Stress and anxiety, as well as physical stress contribute to this increase in CO2.
Mastering carbon dioxide tolerance through targeted breathwork acts as a physiological “cheat code,” resetting how your brain handles intense exertion and directly expanding your aerobic threshold. The rhythm and technique of conscious breathwork can trigger the body’s natural healing mechanisms by increasing oxygenation, shifting the nervous system, and quieting the thinking mind. This can lead to a deeper state of relaxation, which allows the mind and body to release tension. It also enhances our ability to process emotions and experiences, making it easier to let go of negativity and embrace new ways of thinking and feeling. Many people experience a heightened sense of awareness, emotional release, or a deep feeling of clarity and reset.
Therefore, CCB can help not only with reducing symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression, but also chronic pain and premenstrual tension. Additionally, it can promote quality sleep, deepen relaxation, increase mental clarity, improve alertness, focus and memory. It is an aid in boosting the immune system, increasing circulation, improving digestion and releasing toxins from the bloodstream.
Interestingly, athletes who integrate CCB into their training routine usually categorize its benefits into three buckets: down-regulation, up-regulation, and mental conditioning. It can help accelerate recovery after a hard workout, balance the nervous system, improve diaphragm strength, increase your ability to stay calm under physiological stress by improving your CO2 tolerance, flush cortisol (the stress hormone) out of your system and even increase heart rate variability (a metric associated with longevity, fitness, and mental health).
In conclusion, for many people, CCB is a form of self-healing that doesn’t rely on external solutions or having to share your story. It empowers you to tune into your own body and release old patterns of thought, behavior, and emotions that may be causing you pain or distress. When we learn to consciously breathe, we can shift our internal state and reprogram how we react to life’s challenges (including our own fitness challenges).
Danielle Schneider-Moran, LMHC, NCC believes in a holistic therapeutic approach that creates a welcoming space for all people and their lived experiences. She is a certified Breathwork coach and somatic therapist. She believes that the body can hold onto emotions and that it can impact how our physical body performs tasks causing pain, muscle stiffness, and soreness. With the help of Conscious Connected Breathing (CCB), Danielle supports clients to move their nervous system from a sympathetic state (fight or flight) to a parasympathetic state. You can find her at: danielle@bolderlifesolutions.com or (516) 450-5612.
