Breathwork meditation - how breathing can help with anxiety and stress

Peter Winch practises and teaches breathwork, much like meditation it helps people to really connect to themselves on an even deeper level.

He said: “It can greatly reduce the stress, worries and anxiety that we suffer from in our lives as well as giving us a heightened sense of clarity and focus therefore helping our mind to think more clearly and make better decisions.

“It takes you on a beautiful path, aligning the body, mind and soul and creating more balance, calmness and peace.”

Peter, who comes from Birdham, originally discovered breathwork two years ago when he first travelled to Bali and became fascinated by ‘the power of this healing tool’ and its many benefits. He decided to base himself in Bali to further his knowledge.

The first session he did was a style known as ‘rebirthing breathwork’.

He said: “After about 20 minutes of breathing with this form I noticed my breath pattern changing on its own and slowly becoming deeper and faster without my intention.

“This was followed by an intense and almost overwhelming feeling of emotion and what was intriguing to me was that I wasn’t aware of where it came from as my head was very clear of any thoughts.”

Peter explains how he carried on with the breath under the careful guidance of the facilitator despite being a little fearful.

“Suddenly I had what is known in the breathwork world as a ‘release’ which is when you breathe through any resistance you are feeling until the emotion rises and then allow that feeling to come out which for me was tears however in some cases yelling or screaming can also greatly help the individual,” he said.

“After the session, I felt a huge wave of positive emotion, I guess like a big weight had been lifted and this in turn made everything seem so much clearer. I decided then that I needed to train in this and help others.”

The sessions are currently being held online and are donation based, these can be small groups or private one to one sessions.

Each session lasts between an hour to an hour 15 depending on how many people are attending.

It starts with a ten minute introduction followed by a short grounding meditation and then 40 minutes of breathing practice.

At the end is a further five to ten minutes of discussion giving those involved the opportunity to share any thoughts or feelings that came up during or at the end of the process.

Peter explained: “The sessions are held in a loving and supportive environment allowing for whatever trapped emotions or blockages the body needs to release or let go of to come freely.

“This will all in turn help us to form an even stronger connection to ourselves, the earth, the universe and the beautiful people that surround us in our everyday lives!

“During these present times where stress and anxiety levels sometimes run high breathwork can have a huge amount of benefits.”

For more information, you can email Peters on [email protected]