Breathing Beauty Breathwork is said to affect our physical, emotional, and mental state. Controlling our breath allows our bodies to thrive on higher oxygen levels and better control our exhalation of carbon dioxide. There are many benefits to any type of breathwork. Here are our top five: 1. Reduce stress and anxiety by calming the nervous system and stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system via the vagus nerve. This self-soothing technique can instantly reduce the body’s natural fight-flight-freeze reaction to a stressful situation. 2. Increase physical performance. We all put most of our attention on the activity, be it running, cycling, or skiing, but recovery is key to performing better. How you recover and how fast it happens will impact your next physical exertion. 3. Improve focus. Better breathing means more oxygen can reach vital organs like the brain to decrease fatigue and improve focus. It’s as simple as that. 4. Boost positive relationships with yourself and others. Conscious breathing keeps us in the present moment and improves our patience levels by reducing fight-flight-freeze reactions. 5. Enhance sleep. The foundation of good health and wellness is good quality sleep. That does not mean sleeping for a specific amount of time; it means good sleep quality. Nasal breathing has a positive impact on sleep quality. Our Friend of Six Senses and founder of the Oxygen Advantage, Patrick McKeown, says, “the mouth has no place in breathing”. For years, Patrick has treated ‘mouth breathers’ and snorers alike with profound results.