Breathwork is such a powerful way to transform our lives.  I remember being in Bali about 7 years ago, embarking on a yoga training, in the midst of a turbulent time.  I never expected for breathwork to change my life, but it certainly did; I had no idea how important it was to be aware of your breath and be able to bring yourself back to it!  What I came to see is that breathwork (also called ‘pranayama’ in Sanskrit – which literally translates to ‘life force energy’) is actually almost an active form of meditation which reconnects us to the flow of life moving through us as we become aware of our breathing.  I can’t imagine a more perfect and settling reminder in times of stress that there’s nothing ‘to do’ in life other than remember that our bodies know how to breathe for us, and becoming more aware of our natural, inbuilt wisdom.  

You see, such techniques help us to focus our attention, distracting our minds and reminding us that everything is already perfect, whilst equally physically changing our body’s response.  Practices in which we begin to alter our breath to transform our mental, emotional, and physical state offer us such therapeutic benefits.  There are plenty of different techniques too – who knew that there were so many different ways to breathe for so many different effects?  

From calming and balancing, through to energising, and encouraging focus and inspiration - and even breathing practice to aid detoxification – we have a few techniques to share.  And imagine, when using these techniques alongside the simultaneously powerful therapeutic action that essential oils gift us, just exactly what effects can be experienced when we combine the two!  So, whether you’re a breathwork pro already or you’re just getting started, prepare yourself - we’re about to super-boost your breathwork with essential oils!  Read on and enjoy our beautiful aromatherapy blends for a variety of breathwork techniques.

Breathwork techniques and aromatherapy blends

To begin, select your mood and think about what type of breathing would be beneficial to you in this moment, grab the recommended essential oils, conjour up a blend and then get comfy and get settled.  You might like to really embrace the peace and quiet and get some cushions, lie back and make yourself cosy, or you might just like to do a little bit of breathing on the go to bring you back; it’s entirely up to you – but we offer a few options for each, so enjoy!

To relax & balance

Balancing breathing can really help to release tension, so if you are ever feeling a bit tense and in need of a reminder that everything is okay, a great technique is Alternate Nostril Breath.  Below, we explain how to embrace it, and offer a beautiful blend of relaxing and calming essential oils to enhance the effects.

Alternate Nostril Breath (Nadi Shodana Pranayama)

Nadi Shodana is a really calming and relaxing, harmonising breath as it equally balances both sides and regulates the breath.  It lowers stress, improves respiration, lowers heart rate, and generally offers us wellbeing.  

To practice this technique, we will be using our hands to close one side of the nostrils, inhaling and exhaling through each side to regulate the two and focus our breath to be slow, smooth and continuous.

1. Firstly, to get yourself set-up, sit comfortably – with legs crossed, or just grounded on the floor if this is uncomfortable or impossible.  Rest your left hand on your knee and place your right hand up towards your face, with your first and index fingers closed to your palm and your little finger crossed over your ring finger.  Close your eyes.
2. Using your thumb, close over your right nostril and inhale through your left for a slow, smooth count of 4-8 seconds (whichever length feels comfortable for you).
3. Close over the left nostril with your ring finger and open the right nostril to exhale for 4-8 seconds (matching the inhale) through this side.
4. Inhale through the right nostril for 4-8 seconds (matching the length you’ve chosen), and then close this nostril with your thumb and exhale through the left nostril.
5. Repeat this cycle (steps 2-4) for up to 5 minutes, finishing with an exhale on the left side.

Essential oil blends for Alternate Nostril Breath

1. Deep relaxation:  Diffuse 3 drops Geranium, 2 drops Bergamot and 2 drops Ylang Ylang in an aromatherapy burner or diffuser for up to 30 minutes to enjoy a super calming pranayama session.
2. On-the-go:  Fill a rollette bottle with 1 drop Rose and 1 drop Bergamot mixed in 10ml Grapeseed oil and use it on your pulse points as you do your breathing during the day!

To focus awareness

Focusing our attention on certain things can really help bring us back into this moment, right now, keeping us from overthinking about the future or the past.  This awareness really helps us to keep focused and be more present in life.

Three Part Breath (Dirga Pranayama)

Three Part Breath is a pranayama tool that really helps to focus and ground us in the moment.  It also helps us to become more aware of physical sensations in the body and identify where our mind is taking us.  It’s a great way to prepare for anything that requires a little bit of focus!  During Three Part Breath, we focus on bringing the breath to “three parts” of the body - the abdomen, diaphragm, and chest. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Find a comfortable seat, where you can sit upright with your eyes closed. 
2. Firstly, completely fill your lungs with air, and take a deep exhale.
3. With focus, now, in one inhale through the nose, begin to breathe into each of the following areas, allowing the body to expand and pausing for a moment at each point to notice the breath filling the belly, then the ribcage and finally the upper chest.
4. At the top of the inhale, allow yourself to exhale completely in one breath out through the nose.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for five minutes.

Essential oil blends for Three Part Breath

1. Deep focus: Diffuse 3 drops Lemon, 3 drops Spearmint and 1 drop Rosemary in a candle burner or aromatherapy diffuser for up to 30 minutes to help you focus.
2. On-the-go: To bring a bit of focus whilst at work, add 2 drops Lemon and 1 drop Rosemary to a cotton pad or aromatherapy inhaler and sniff it as required whilst breathing at your desk!

To calm and de-stress

Pranayama can really help to calm and de-stress us if we use it in the right way.  

Box Breathing (Sama Vritti Pranayama)

Box breathing is a technique to help people to breathe deeper and more efficiently, which can counter anxiety and calm the impact of worry.  Here’s how:

1. Find a comfortable sitting position which allows your spine to be upright, and place your hands on your knees, with your eyes closed.
2. For a few minutes, tune in and notice your natural breath, without changing it; just noticing how your breath supports you without you trying.
3. Inhale through the nose for a count of four until your lungs are full.
4. At the top of the inhale, pause for a count of four.
5. Exhale through the nose for a count of four until your lungs are emptied.
6. At the bottom of your exhale, pause and hold for a count of four.
7. Repeat steps 3-6 for at least 5 minutes and then observe how you felt before and after.

Essential oil blends for Box Breathing

1. Deep de-stress: Diffuse 3 drops Sweet Orange, 3 drops Benzoin and 1 drop Patchouli in a candle burner or aromatherapy diffuser for up to 30 minutes to promote relaxation and calm.
2. On-the-go: Add 2 drops Lavender and 1 drop Patchouli to a cotton pad or aromatherapy inhaler and sniff for a few minutes before and after a breathing session.

To inspire

By its very nature, breathing is ‘inspiring’ - as this is the word for inhaling!  But we can also use breathwork to create a feeling of being inspired.

Bumblebee Breath (Bhramari Pranayama)

Breathing can be fun – and Bumblebee breath is one of my favourite breathing techniques!  Here’s how we do it:

1. Create yourself space to sit in a quiet area with your eyes closed.
2. Place your index fingers on the cartilage between your cheek and ear, which you can use to close over your ears.
3. Take a nice deep inhale and as you exhale, gently press the cartilage to close your ears.
4. Make a humming sound like a bee, as you exhale, whilst keeping your fingers closing your ears.
5. At the end of your breath, inhale again and repeat.
6. Continue the same pattern for 5 minutes.

Essential oil blends for Bumblebee Breath

1. Deep inspiration: Diffuse 3 drops Peppermint, 3 drops Benzoin and 1 drop Lemon in a burner or diffuser for up to 30 minutes to support your practice.
2. On-the-go: Pop 1 drop Peppermint and 2 drops Lemon on a cotton pad or in an inhaler and use to support your bee breath wherever you are!

To energise & detox

Another way we can use breath is to energise and detoxify.  This breathwork practice is quite strong and intense but can really awaken us and is great for our bodies.

Skull Shining Breath (Kapalabhati Pranayama)

Kapalabhati pranayama is the alternation of short, sharp exhales with longer, passive in breaths, that occur as a result of the contractions of the lower belly following the sharp exhale, which sucks the air back into the lungs.  It is a traditional cleansing breath.  Here’s how it’s done:

1. Sit comfortably with your legs crossed and focus on your lower belly. If it helps to identify the motion, place your hands gently on your lower belly.
2. Test the breathing – firstly quickly contract your lower belly in as you exhale, noticing how forcefully the air is breathed out.
3. Next, allow yourself to release the belly contraction so it passively allows an inhale to suck air back into your lungs.
4. Starting off slowly, repeat this 10 times, working at around one exhale-inhale cycle every second or two
5. Start off with 2 minutes of this at a time. As this contraction and release of your lower belly becomes easier, you can increase the speed and length of each practice to 5 minutes.

Essential oil blends for Skull Shining Breath

1. Energise and detoxify:  Diffuse an energising blend of 3 drops Juniperberry, 2 drops Rosemary, and 1 drop Fennel for up to 30 minutes to boost the detoxifying and energising effects.
2. On-the-do: Mix 1 drop of Juniperberry and 1 drop of Fennel with 10ml Grapeseed in a rollette bottle and roll onto your temples to enliven your breathing session.

Overall, whatever you are feeling in your body is often supported by the breath.  We so often experience sensations in the body or worries in the mind, and breathing is one way of connecting with and dissolving them – by raising awareness.  Adding essential oils into the mix can be super-powering, and I love combining the two in my own practice.  The good news is, you can get creative and select the oils that appeal to you best – why not?  Our bodies are so clever at knowing what we need; after all, we don’t need to tell them how to breathe – they do it for us, but we can choose how to support them.

Enjoy!

Nicole Barton
Consultant Aromatherapist

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