Hands up who actually pays attention to their breathing, despite the fact we do it an average of 22,000 times a day? I’ll admit mine pretty much goes unnoticed – I’m mostly too busy to think, never mind indulge a deep dive into this automatic life-giving process.
Even as I recently lay on my yoga mat preparing to experience my first breathwork class – the latest wellness phenomenon with very ancient roots – my thought pattern could at best be described as resistant.
I was approaching my first 90-minute session of conscious connected breathing with more than a healthy dose of scepticism – not helped by a stiff neck and tight shoulders, probably because they had been up around my ears for the previous two weeks.
However, as the light dimmed and the trance-type music started, I gave in to the process. I had heard people rave about their transformative experiences with breathwork, and it’s got some pretty high-profile fans.
Billie Eilish continually raves about its miraculous effects – even encouraging thousands of Glastonbury revellers during her 2023 set to breathe with her – while Taylor Swift indulged in three-hour rounds while preparing for her Eras Tour. Even Olympians in Paris last year were using breathwork – of which there are many techniques – to gain a competitive edge.
Nestled in Mountainview Studios in Wicklow’s Kilmacanogue, myself and 20 other people were lying on mats, wrapped in blankets and complete with eye masks – under the guidance of Matthieu Duffy, a breathwork facilitator who has written a book on the subject and organises breathwork retreats around the world, while Raj was another practitioner or ‘sitter’ on hand to provide any support for those who needed it.
‘Just keep breathing – in through the belly and chest, and let it out through the mouth naturally, with no pause in between,’ says Matt, demonstrating this wave-like continuous breath – adding that the first ten to 15 minutes might prove a little challenging.
‘You might internally battle with yourself. Take a break if you need, but keep pushing through – this is what happens just before you switch from your sympathetic nervous system to a parasympathetic state,’ added Matt of this optimal result, when you simply let go of trying to control anything, to access the recesses of your subconscious mind.
‘You might feel hot or feel extreme cold and need more blankets. You might cry, or shake. This is the process of energy releasing. You might feel dizzy or lightheaded, or get cramps in your arms and legs. Keep going. Remember you are safe and that everyone will have a different experience,’ he says, of the physiological symptoms that can occur with the flooding of oxygen through the blood, removing excess carbon dioxide and leaving the system in an alkaline state.
Gulp. All of a sudden, I have a desire to run away. ‘I want to leg it,’ I hiss at my friend lying beside me, also a breathwork virgin. ‘I’m going to have a panic attack.’
However, we stay and what happens over the next hour is nothing short of extraordinary, like a journey to the soul or somewhere similar that I never knew I needed.
Initially however – as Matt had warned – it wasn’t particularly fun.
I discovered quickly that they don’t call it breathwork for nothing and breathing in a completely new way felt alien and tiring. I struggled to sync my breath to the rhythm of the music, which was quickening as the minutes ticked by.
I’ll admit, I was also scared. This was completely new territory that I was unsure I wanted to truly explore. But then, just as I felt like I was about to give up, the switch happened. I started to observe my mind quieten down and it felt like I was no longer breathing at all (I’m aware of how sinister that sounds).
I felt weightless, suspended in a deep quiet that I’d never experienced before.
My hands and arms felt deliciously heavy, I couldn’t have lifted them if I tried. Anyway, moving was the last thing I wanted, I needed to stay cocooned in this blanket of nothingness.
‘Where am I? Am I still alive?’ Ah, there was my old thinking self again and my heart starting to race, like I was on the verge of that panic attack.
Any other time, such a feeling would have inspired a full-blown anxiety episode.
But as the music dipped and softened, my fear melted away as I returned to breathwaves and my heart rate slowed again.
Now I’ve had some serious panic attacks in the past, so to come through into such calm was beyond empowering.
Then my body went cold and a little shaky plus I could feel my hips start to undulate in a worm-like fashion – pretty – just before I felt my physical self disappear.
I was on the crest of a wave again, and I felt deeply connected with I’m not sure what, perhaps the universe, and life just made sense. It was pure, unadulterated peace, an encounter so unique, so pure and utterly blissful, it was, quite simply, euphoric.
As the drum beats of the music slowed and the breathing cues from Matt lessened, it was time to return to the real world again. Curled in the foetal position, suspended in awe, I did not want to leave this place of perfect peace.
For someone who hasn’t even touched booze in years, being high on my own supply was nothing short of mind-blowing.
I wasn’t on my own. When the class finished, I heard a couple of people speak of visions and seeing colours – and for good reason. Such out-of-body experiences through breathwork occur due to changing brainwave activities and accessing DMT, a type of hallucinogenic trypatime drug, in our bodies.
‘It’s actually the main psychoactive molecule that’s in ayahuasca, and all plants and humans actually have it,’ explains Matt. ‘We produce a lot of it in our gut and in our lungs, we just don’t have the inhibitors or the enzymes to break it down and absorb it.
‘But we did thousands of years ago. Before agriculture, we were able to sit with nature and breathe and connect with consciousness intuitively.’
Deep, rhythmic breathing triggers the release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine and endorphins, creating an innate sense of well-being – hence my reluctance to leave my mat and mess with my new-found calm.
Aside from the emotional and mental health benefits, there’s a raft of physical wonders that emerge too. ‘Breathwork makes our blood alkaline, which can reduce inflammation, so it’s very good for balancing the hemispheres of our brain, which get out of whack due to our diets, hormones, pollution and our environment,’ affirms Matt. ‘It’s about realigning the ancient wisdom of your own body.’
Matt adds that deep breathing stimulates the movement of lymph in our bodies – so all those nasty toxins be gone.
Previously, I’d have seriously questioned the veracity of such statements, had I not experienced something of a miracle myself. Remember that niggling pain in my neck and shoulders? As I moved my neck from side to side following the session, I realised my aches had completely disappeared.
But it’s not always easy breathy for everyone. My pal who attended the session with me didn’t quite have the same experience – her arm cramped and she couldn’t get into it. Later she admitted that she simply wasn’t ready to let go but she was up for trying it again.
As for me, I’m a fully-fledged breathaholic, having devoured Matt’s book, What The Heck Is Breathwork? I’m trying to incorporate intentional breathing into my days to protect against stress and bodily tension, and I’ve signed up for regular conscious controlled breathing classes.
Who knew you could get your buzz from breathing? Life-affirming indeed...
What the Heck is Breathwork? by Matthieu Duffy is available on Amazon. For information on Matt’s upcoming holistic breathwork retreat, see manabreath.com
