with @matthew_wolfman

There are so many things me and Matthew could discuss - building up and keeping Yoga routines, using Yoga as therapy for anxiety and depression, our cats.. But for our first topic we chose BREATHWORK, because that’s one of Matthew’s main areas of focus and because we share the belief that breathwork is such a powerful and overlooked tool on our Yoga journeys.

Me: Not many people practice breathwork. I have a feeling this is because when we are new to it, we think BREATHWORK is something of a mystery and maybe we’re even afraid to do it so we won’t get it ‘wrong’.

Matthew: Whomever I talk to about breathwork, especially when they have something difficult coming up or dealing with anxiety, a common thing I get back from people is that the main issue is commitment to the length of the practice.

And I understand - when I first started out, I struggled with anything longer than 10 minutes. I had no idea how to just sit there and I was also doubting the benefits. It was only through repetition that I was able to let go of that.

So, dedication was really the key in overcoming that.

Do you have any tips for someone who’s thinking about starting breathwork?  How to overcome some of these mind blocks and to just get started? 

Matthew: It really is simple to do breathwork and it doesn’t have to take long. When I do my lives online and we just take 5 breaths together, everyone can feel the benefits right away.

So, to overcome those mind-blocks, it really is a leap of faith - you will discover the benefits soon enough!

And you will see how immensely beneficial those 10 minutes can be.

Right, I believe that even a one-minute routine can make a massive difference. What role does your morning routine play in your day?

Matthew: My morning routine makes a huge difference to my levels of anxiety and self-confidence for the day.

You see, when you wake up, there are just so many things that hit you, all at once, if there is no organization - no morning routine, all of them sort of become a problem and maybe I even get thoughts about running away from those tasks. 

So, morning breathing exercises give me space to process what’s going on in my head. Not mindful meditation, but rather just sitting there, eyes closed, going through the breathing exercise and letting thoughts come and go.

This also allows space for what’s going to happen that day to come to my mind and I can process each one in turn. My day falls into place from there. 

Do you think it matters what time of day we do our breathwork? 

Matthew: About the time of day, for me personally, breathwork in the morning is mandatory. If I could add more breath work in the evening for example and could compare it with my morning practice, that would be great too. 

I think it can serve everyone differently, depending on how they are hoping to use it. 

Thank you Matthew for joining me, sharing your experience and giving us some tips. We circled back to using the tools of Yoga to create good, healthy, and even transformative routines. There are so many Yoga techniques out there and I am very grateful to you for showing us how breathwork can be one of them.

Follow Matthew here for more breathing tips, down to earth approach to mindfulness and his unwavering morning routine.

5 Minute Yoga Habits

Would you like to do breathing exercises but not sure where to start? 

This free video series includes 12 five-minute videos to:

✓ prepare the body for breathing & meditation

✓ build a regular breath practice