Your breath is the most therapeutic tool you carry with you every moment of every day — yet most of us can spend the majority of our days paying absolutely zero attention to it. We all breathe completely unconsciously.

Human beings can survive several weeks without food, and several days without water — but only several minutes without breath. Why is it that something so important to our existence and the main source of our ‘energy’ is overlooked and ignored?

Just stop and ponder this for a moment. How you breathe sets the tone for how you feel — physically, mentally & emotionally.

When you breathe with a sense of awareness, simply and consciously, you experience these effects:

• It helps you relax, lowering the harmful effects of the stress hormone cortisol on your body.
• It lowers your heart rate and blood pressure.
• It helps you cope with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• It improves your core muscle stability and your body’s ability to tolerate intense exercise.
• It lowers your chances of injuring or wearing out your muscles.
• It slows down your breathing, so you expend less energy.

I had the privilege of studying dynamic forms of breathing around the world, experiencing first hand and witnessing some incredible powerful shifts in the way we think, perform, feel and respond. Imagine what could happen if we breathed conscious, circular continuous breaths, deeply in a safe environment. I’ll tell you what happens.

• Your body starts to vibrate - liken this to surges of electricity
• You experience physical sensations like pins and needles, goosebumps, weightlessness etc
• You let go of restrictions around your conditioning and limited way of thinking
• You unlock chambers in your lungs and your other vital organs
• You release stagnant air and energy
• You tap into the parts of our minds, bodies and energy body that aren’t accessible to the norm
• You access alternate neural pathways which change the way you see and feel the world
• You unblock your body’s energetic channels which improves and elevates your energy levels
• You promote physical aspects of healing in your body by kick starting our bodies own natural ability to restore and repair

These benefits may sound too good to be true, but they’re factual!

I watched a movie recently called LIMITLESS. In it, the main protagonist (Bradley Cooper) takes a drug which accelerates his learning capacity, clears his cluttered mind, and shifts him from the struggling mentality that a lot of us have. This drug focuses him, allowing a clear and focused perspective on what he needs to do, how he needs to do it and what he needs to do to get there.

The good news? You don’t need mind-clearing drugs. You can reap the same benefits by simply activating your breathing in the right way.

Most of us live in a HUSTLE state - of existing, living, breathing, striving, planning, working and being.

All of these activities are necessary for a healthy, productive life — but what if we could eliminate the struggle aspect and replace it with a feeling of ALIGNMENT? What if we could capture and highlight the feeling of being on the right track and truly believe that whatever is meant for us will find its way to us?

All you need to do is dedicate more of your time redirecting the energy you normally spend HUSTLING back to enhancing the quality of your own health and wellbeing — and your breath is the key to unlocking this door.

I come from a holistic background, but also include in my work the support of studies by medical professionals. This has been the icing on the cake for me being able to reach and relate to a wider audience, from “yogis” to “corporates” and everyone in-between.

Need medically-backed proof?

This informative and relative US study done in California by a Doctor William Collange PhD is incredible.

He encompasses all facets of the body, the mind, and the soul connection in relation to transformational breathing techniques. He discusses the effect breathing has on stress reduction and improving productivity, and provides evidential support to the belief that breathwork is a potent and powerful tool for the body and mind

Is breathwork for you? And if so, how do you get started?

You will know immediately if this is something you need, by either getting really excited or by being scared s$%&less of what you’re reading. It’s that simple.

The best way to get started is to find a community. When you start something new — especially when it’s something pretty soul shaking, mind blowing and earth moving — you need to be supported by like-minded people.

Luckily, Sydney’s breathwork community is growing by the minute — not just by the ‘hippie style’ stereo types that you see in movies, but by real, everyday people like you. Most breathwork enthusiasts I know have their feet planted firmly on the ground, but are also willing to dedicate some of their precious time tapping into something as simple as the breath. What they eventually find is that their breath can empower them on their path to success, health and happiness

If you’re keen to explore the full capacity and potency of your breath, please reach out at www.yogawithmarja.com. I’m a senior yoga teacher, breathwork facilitator, Reiki Master and will happily be your confidant along your breathwork journey.

If you’re inspired to take a deep dive into breathwork, Marja is running a movement + breathwork workshop this Sunday the 10th of February. Tickets are selling out quickly, so get yours today here on Eventbrite.