Written by: Colleen Faltot, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
You literally breathe your weight off. When you perform breathing exercises, the fat cell shrinks and the carbon dioxide trapped in the cell is exhaled out of the body.84 percent of the fat that is lost turns into carbon dioxide and leaves the body through the lungs, whereas the remaining 16 percent becomes water.
The key to your results through breath work is learning to feel safe in your body and regulate your nervous system out of its current state of fight or flight to a state of rest and digest where it’s able to lose weight. Of course this needs to be combined with proper nutrition and movement, but for so many breath work is the missing link to their weight loss journey.
The hormone released when we’re stressed out can become an addiction for many of us. Many of us were once children who lived in unpredictable environments, or are adults running around in a constant state of fight or flight that literally affects how our body processes food and holds onto fat!
Before I discovered breath work I was constantly getting all worked up and stressed out about things I had the ability to perceive in a different way.
I was up and down 5 pounds sometimes within days of letting the weight of the world weigh me down (literally). Then I discovered the power of my breath. My initial goal of starting my breathwork journey had nothing to do with weight loss!
I started my breathwork journey as a tool to be more present in my everyday life and help with my anxiety. I was tired of going on autopilot through my days... laying my head on the pillow at night feeling like I “made it” through another day.
Waking up tense with my mind always on what was next and being in a constant state of “go go go”. And at the perfect time as the universe gave me exactly what I needed (as it always gives us if we pay attention..) all these signs came into my life that I needed to start a breath work practice. And my life has gotten better and better through every breath I’ve taken since then.
I immediately saw a powerful connection in my ability to tune into the gift of presence, and had a huge shift in my relationship with my body and food through my practice. The mental weight was first released and in turn my relationship with food and emotional eating became healed.
If you’re ready to reach your weight release goals and achieve your dream body through taking a step back and focusing on losing the excess mental weight you’re carrying around first breath work is the place to start.
Breathwork can be practiced in a variety of ways and there’s truly no “wrong” way to breath and get results.
If you’re new to breathwork it’s imperative that we don’t judge our experience if you’re having a hard time getting “into it”. Trust you’re having the exact experience you’re meant to be having. Also, I encourage you not to be too “black and white” about your practice. If you’re starting out not consciously breathing at all 5 minutes every other day is going to give you progress! In the very beginning, it's normal to have a hard time slowing down and breathing, which is where you practice acceptance and nonjudgment of your thoughts. Let your thoughts exit through your exhale as easily as they come in and focus on the progress you’re making. You don’t have to breathe 20 minutes every day to get results – but I can assure you in time, and as your central nervous system gets downregulated through your practice, you will crave a 20-minute session!!
Also one of the biggest things to focus on is that even for the most practiced breather every session is not going to be a linear process, there are days you have a harder time dropping into your breath and there are days you could breath the entire day. Again you are always getting the exact experience you are meant to get!
Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more info on how to lose the physical, mental and emotional weight for good!
Colleen Faltot, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
I've guided countless individuals to sustainable weight loss by empowering them to master their emotions, fostering an unyielding mindset and a healthy body. As a woman in recovery from alcoholism, an eating disorder, codependency, and anxiety, I leverage a proven methodology to address root wounds, transforming pain into purpose through somatic healing and subconscious rewiring.
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