28 Jan Breathwork (Yoga in Heston & Hounslow)
At Sefali’s Yoga’s you will be taught a wide variety of highly practical, effective and functional breathwork. This will range from traditional Yoga pranayama practices to Buteyko, rhythmic breathing, box breathing, 1:2 breathing and Wim Hof breathwork to name a few.
Breathwork is extremely powerful as it works on the physiological level which is where all our emotions, feelings and thoughts originate. Every aspect of our breath from its rhythm, volume, smoothness and depth all have powerful effects on the way we feel, our energy levels, our ability to think clearly and much more.
Balancing Breath
Smooth, even breathing in a steady constant rhythm has been shown to create a coherent Heart Rate Variance (HRV). A coherent HRV has been proven to increase energy levels, increase resilience to stress and to increase the strength of our willpower. This is one of the first things we teach new students at Sefali’s Yoga as it is so powerful.
Wim Hof Method Breathing
Wim Hof, also known as The Iceman (pictured in the left photo with Sefali), is a Dutch daredevil noted for his ability to withstand extreme conditions, which he attributes to his Wim Hof Method (WHM) breathing techniques.
In 2007 he climbed to 7200m/23600 feet altitude on Mount Everest wearing nothing but shorts and shoes. He completed a marathon above the arctic circle in Finland, in temperatures close to −20 °C (−4 °F) dressed in nothing but shorts. He also ran a full marathon in the blazing heat of the Namib Desert without water!
Hof says that the WHM can treat or help alleviate symptoms of illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, arthritis, diabetes, clinical depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and cancer. He is currently working with scientists from around the whole world to prove that his techniques work.
We love the Wim Hof Method here at Sefali’s Yoga!
1:2 Breathing
This is a highly popular breathing exercise with free-divers. Free-divers swim for minutes at a time underwater without the help of breathing apparatus. To hold their breath for so long they need to get in a highly relaxed state. One of the most popular methods to achieve this is 1:2 breathing. For every second your breathe in you must breathe out twice as long. As your out-breath is linked to the parasympathetic nervous system you can slow your heart rate down and enter into a deep state of relaxation.
The Buteyko method
Sefali is a practitioner in Buteyko. As the Buteyko UK website states “The Buteyko Method is a set of breathing exercises developed by Dr K P Buteyko to develop healthy breathing patterns, which help to maintain the correct ratio of oxygen and carbon dioxide within the bloodstream.
According to his research, some 150 diseases are linked to dysfunctional breathing: asthma, allergies and emphysema are just a few examples. More than 40 years of research have produced the Buteyko Method, which can recondition and normalise the breathing and restore the body’s most important function.
Many thousands of asthmatics and those with breathing difficulties have experienced improvement in their condition with this method, which has allowed them to reduce their dependency on medication and enjoy a quality of life they previously thought impossible.”
Sefali has successfully used this method to overcome issues with her own breathing and has done the same for many of her students.
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