Breathe in Your Potential
By Stuart Wright
Breathwork and cold therapy are modalities used to help people regain their superpower —the ability to become comfortable in uncomfortable situations, something that many of us have lost due to our busy lives and schedules. However, through the profound and powerful experience of cold exposure and breathwork we may find this super power once more.
Breathwork and cold exposure have a rapidly growing interest and demand across the world which is widely due to its accessibility.
Breathwork is an umbrella term that refers to anyway that we can use our breath to shift our state; physically, emotionally and spiritually. Breathwork can be broken down into three pillars: functional/performance, nervous system regulation and therapeutic methods.
By incorporating breathwork and cold exposure into daily routines, you can tap into the remarkable capacity of your body and mind to optimise overall wellbeing. Whether seeking relief from anxiety, improved mental focus, or enhanced physical performance, breathwork and cold exposure offer the approach that addresses all aspects of human potential.
Although cold exposure is more commonly associated with ice baths, we can experience the benefits of cold exposure in many different forms such as cold showers, ocean swims in winter and being outside for extended periods without warm clothing and these lead to a wide range of benefits for both physical and mental health like improved sleep, increased mental resilience, improved immunity, enhanced recovery and a reduction of inflammation.
Cold therapy also offers us an opportunity to control our response to stress rather than automatically and unconsciously reacting to it. With the combination of breathwork, we can learn to deeply regulate our nervous system and reprogramme the response to stressful environments which is highly transferrable to our everyday lives. As an example, when we have a cumulative stress load, like work, traffic and illness, our physiological response is similar to that if we were being chased by a predator and too often we remain in this state of fight or flight which contributes to further stress and illness.
To breathe in your potential is to navigate life in a calm and considered manner. Many people seek the extremes in life to help move away from the chaos of it all but learning to breathe optimally, slowly, deeply, through the nose allows us to navigate the chaos and work alongside it. The breath is our life force and can profoundly impact our experience of life, it is free and accessible to all. Take a moment, take a breath, see the beauty in the storm, the calm in the chaos, the potential in every moment.
Stuart leads ‘Live Wright’, a transformative wellbeing practice held on the Tweed Coast. Live Wright’s ethos is to create a supportive and resilient community and to help people change their lives one breath at a time by breathing in their potential. For more information, you can visit the website livewright.com.au or visit the Instagram page @livewright_
