Breathing is something that seems so second nature. We do it naturally without even thinking about it. But what happens when you DO intentionally think about each breath? Breathwork can improve your physical, mental, emotional, and overall well-being and is used as a grounding technique.
This is the work that Geeta Agujitas is doing to help bring people back to their true selves. You can learn more about Geeta and breathwork by following her on Instagram here:
Tell me about your background in holistic health.
I bring more than 20 years of experience in holistic health, as I´ve grown up in an environment with people who highly appreciate holistic health and alternative medicine. I started to study psychology and Ayurveda in my twenties. Today it’s a big part of my work and I continue studying as I consider it as a lifelong journey.
What made you want to get into this field?
I´ve grown up with it – so for me, it feels normal to live in alignment with nature.
What has been your favorite aspect of this work?
Helping other people and seeing how they are coming home to who they really are!
Can you explain what breathwork is and what a typical session is like from start to finish?
Breathwork is the intentional use of breath awareness and conscious breathing to improve our physical and mental health, performance, and emotional well-being. There are different ways to categorize the various Breathwork styles. Most people know breathing techniques that help us to manage our nervous system by manipulating CO2 levels to shift into a sympathetic (fight/flight) or parasympathetic (rest+digest) state (Most of them are ancient yogic techniques like Kaphalabhati, 4-7-8 Breathing, Nadi Shodana). These techniques help to reduce anxiety + stress, improve sleep + digestion, increase mental focus and physical performance. Moreover, there is transformational breathwork. This is when you use the breath along with music to help the mind release and connect to the body. It is the practice of changing your breathing pattern to change your mental, emotional, and physical state.
As you take deep circular connected breaths through the mouth continuously and without break, we change our blood chemistry as we gas off more CO2 and slow down parts of our brain (default mode network) that is primarily responsible for our ego or sense of self.
This helps you enter a non-ordinary state of consciousness, where memories, pictures, emotions, or body sensations can surface to be released and integrated. By doing this, we can process old trauma, have spiritual experiences, and downloads. Breath journeys usually last 45-90 minutes (also longer) and are best done guided by a facilitator.
What sort of health challenges can breathwork be effective for and why?
There are so many as described above.
How can breathwork be supportive in overall healing and well-being?
Our health starts in our nervous system! A dysregulated nervous system causes many diseases. Breathwork has an immediate effect on the nervous system. AS the nervous system changes, all processes in our body change as well.
Is there a technique in your practice that you have found to be the most beneficial to the people you work with?
Yes, a very simple one: Extend your exhale to calm down.
What is breathwork like from the patient’s point of view?
It’s a form of therapy.
What would you say to someone skeptical about breathwork and its effectiveness? How do you approach that?
I would never try to convince someone to try a healing tool. There are so many healing tools, and people are different in what they need.
Besides breathwork do you have any universal health and well-being tips that you’d like to share?
Spending time in nature.
If there was one piece of advice you could give to someone who is struggling, what would it be?
The day you stop racing is the day you win the race.
What resources would you recommend? (books, podcasts, websites that you’ve found helpful)
My podcast The Breath Journal on Spotify (it’s in german). Atomic habits (book written by James Clear). Light on Pranayama (BKS Iyengar). Breath (Book written by James Nestor).
Breathwork is an extremely useful tool when it comes to connecting to your own body and working through any mental, emotional, or physical issues you may be having. The best part is anyone can do it just about anywhere! Geeta is doing important work to bring this tool to people all over the world.
Follow along on Geeta’s breathwork journey here:
To learn more about holistic healing, including expert perspectives and personal stories from those who have experienced such treatments, follow us on Instagram and Facebook to be a part of our community. We share personal stories and expert advice on all different modalities of holistic healing and overall health and well-being.
If you have a story you’d like to share or an area of expertise in holistic health, email us at hello@hopeandway.com for a chance to be featured on our blog and social media!
