Functional Breathing Sciences​
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Our breath is learning from the moment of our birth, and throughout every moment of our lives. Our breath directly and profoundly affects and reflects our health, performance, and consciousness. Our breathing impacts everything: our thoughts, emotions, physiology, behavior, and internal chemistry. Our breathing is directly connected to our pH balance, electrolyte balance, blood flow, oxygen distribution, and our autonomic nervous system. When our breathing changes, numerous body systems immediately change as well.
Breathing habits are ways that we have learned to breathe. These habits are often developed unconsciously to keep ourselves safe. They typically involve taking control of our breath in some way. Some habits are life-giving, while others, if sustained, can have profoundly detrimental impacts on our health and well-being.
Functional breathing sciences helps us become aware of breathing habits we have learned, and teaches us how to return to an open, healthy breath.
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BBA does not employ prescriptive breath techniques. Instead, we place self-discovery at center stage as we identify, unlearn, and replace unhelpful breathing habits. We learn to allow our breath rather than control it.
The journey back to our natural breath can bring about profound self-awareness, emotional regulation, trauma integration, reduction or elimination of a wide range of symptoms and deficits, and greatly improved overall well-being.
Signs and Symptoms of
Dysfunctional Breathing Habits
PHYSICAL
pain, tension, headaches, chest discomfort, blurred vision, brain fog, tetany, tingling, dizziness, fainting, confusion, nausea, numbness, sudden temperature changes, trembling, twitching
PSYCHOLOGICAL
shifts in personality, issues with self-esteem, dissociation, experiencing altered states
PERFORMANCE
reduced coordination time, reaction time, balance, perceptual judgment, endurance, and muscle function
RESPIRATORY
asthma symptoms, shortness of breath, feeling of not enough oxygen (air hunger), airway resistance
BEHAVIORAL
challenges with taking tests and/or public speaking
STRESS
all of the symptoms of stress, acute fatigue, chronic fatigue
EMOTIONAL
sudden mood changes, anger, anxiety, phobias, fear, panic, worry, crying
COGNITIVE
reduced attention, memory, and/or concentration
ORAL & DIGESTIVE
difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, bloating, digestive issues
Functional Breathing Sessions
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Breathing sessions are educational, experiential, trauma-sensitive, and highly personalized. During our initial breathing habit assessment session, we will discover how your breathing habits are impacting your health and wellbeing. Over a series of learning sessions, we will identify how these breathing habits impact your mind, emotions, body, and what symptoms and deficits they mediate. We will unlearn unhelpful breathing habits while learning breathing patterns consistent with good respiration and regulated physiology.
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Sessions employ a combination of behavioral analysis, behavior modification, cognitive learning, biofeedback, phenomenological exploration and awareness skills in the context of self-discovery and self-regulation.
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During our sessions, we use biofeedback technology, as relevant, including: educational capnometry (measuring CO2), EMG (measuring muscle activity), HRV (measuring heart rate variability), and oximetry (measuring O2) as relevant, in addition to body-mind integrative therapies as relevant.