Breathing with intention, leaves you feeling calmer and even more energised than before. But what is the science behind the effects of breath work?

Diaphragmatic breathing, or deep-abdominal breathing is the kind of breathing that naturally slows your heart rate, stabilises blood pressure, and stimulates the vagus nerve – which runs from the brain through to the heart, lungs and digestive tract.

Deep abdominal breathing allows your sympathetic nervous system to calm (which is responsible for your body’s natural “fight-or-flight”response) and your parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and digest” system) to relax.

These effects are all important because they have been associated with decreases in anxiety and depression symptoms and improved psychological wellbeing in those with chronic pain.

During breath work, we become much more attuned to what’s happening in our body, in our mind and in our heart.

The goal of breath work, especially postnatally is to allow your body to slow down, heal and reconnect – allowing yourself some “me-time” so that you can deal with the hours of no sleep and also allow our bodies to begin to heal.

Using your breath to increase awareness and acceptance of stress and at the same time stimulating the relaxation response of our nervous system.

Being mindful of how we breath and learning to take our breath out of the chest and moving it deeper into the lower lying abdominal muscles. The more you practise and learn how to breath from the belly the more you will naturally take it into your everyday life.

In the postnatal series you have a guided breath work class that will help you connect your breath, bringing your body into balance.