How does Somatic Breathwork differ from other breathwork styles?
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Breathwork is one of the fastest. growing trends in wellness, but how does Somatic Breathwork compare? Let’s dive in.
Where did Somatic Breathwork come from?
Somatic Breathwork was inspired by Holotropic breathwork (developed by Stan Grof in the 1970s) and adapted to be a more accessible practice. Holoptropic stems from the Greek words holo + tropic, meaning “moving towards wholeness”. Stan Grof’s method was typically practiced for 3 hour durations, whereas the Somatic Breathwork framework is flexible to be practiced in shorter durations from 5-10 upwards of 90 minute sessions.
What makes Somatic Breathwork so special?
Soma means of the body. Somatic Breathwork is an inwards journey that gives us the opportunity to free our thinking mind and come home to our feeling body. Much of our thoughts, words and actions are guided by our logical brain. Rarely do we get the opportunity to listen to what the sensations in our body are trying to tell us. Or, we feel them but don’t have the tools to process or understand them.
Mindfulness is also an important part of the practice. Through guided prompts and using the breath as a tool for presence, we bring consciousness and healing to the repressed emotion, patterned behavior and trauma that is held (unconsciously) in the body. We can’t heal something we didn’t know was there, or aware it was in need of healing. Neuroscientist, Jeffrey Schwartz discovered that purposeful, and focused attention can lead to long-lasting personal evolution. In The Myth of Normal, Gabor Maté also acknowledges that attention is the key ingredient to helping us rewire our brains and reprogram any negative thought patterns. When our nervous systems are stuck in survival mode (fight/flight), we’re unable to learn new information, access dream states or emotions such as joy, clarity and sense of purpose. Only when the nervous system perceives the presence of safety, can these desired states can be accessed and experienced.
How is Somatic Breathwork different from other breathwork styles?
With any breathwork style or method, it’s helpful to think about 4 fundamental variables that in combination, affect a desired outcome:
Speed (or time) vs. depth
Inhalation through mouth vs. nose
Emphasis on the inhale or exhale
Breath retention (or holds)
Common styles such as Wim Hof, Tummo, types of Yogic Pranayama like Ujjayi, and Breath of Fire, the Physiological Sigh, Coherent Breath, Box Breathing, are all methods that just use a different combination of the above. Some are meant to up-regulate, create more energy and heat in the body; others to soothe, and calm the nervous system. Each style has its own place and purpose. One practice or style is not better than the other, it’s just a matter of context.
Stay tuned for our 4-part series of posts that dive deeper into the science behind the breathwork fundamentals.
