The hidden link between creativity and breath
How’s your breath?
Seriously, stop reading for a few seconds and listen to your breathing. Is it fast or slow? Deep or shallow?
We breathe an average of 26,000 times a day. But we rarely think about doing it. If you’re anything like me, shallow, rapid chest breathing is a default setting, especially hunched over my desk at work.
What is deep breathing?
Deep breathing, conscious breathing, breathwork or pranayama is a 5,000-year-old practice originating in India.
Jonny Miller, breathwork practitioner, describes it as “the conscious awareness and regulation of your breath.”
Yogic practice tells us that conscious breathing helps us tap into our internal life force, connect the mind and the body and release stuck energy. Which sounds great, but how does it help you yeet a social media troll or meet a deadline?
Breath as a tool
Just like you reach for coffee, your pet pooch or your favourite boxset, you can use deep, purposeful breathing to regulate your mental and physical state. Deep breathing is used in support of other therapies to treat mental and physical conditions including psychological trauma, high blood pressure and asthma.
How can deep breathing help freelancers?
As business owners and marketing managers, your creativity is essential to earning a living. Sometimes the stress of bringing your A-game every day can get to you. This is where a few deep breaths can help.
As a former freelance digital marketer turned breathworker, Briony Gunson is the expert on where these two worlds collide.
“We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be ‘go, go, go,’” says Briony. The risk of overdoing it is high. But, Briony tells me, the early warning signs of impending burnout are there in our breathing. If we’re taking the time to check in, we can ease off before things get worse.
“When you decided to work for yourself, chances are you wanted freedom, you wanted to do things differently,” says Briony. Inching towards burnout probably isn’t what you had in mind. Getting to know your breath is a great way to take care of your health and hold onto that freedom.
Here are some ways breath can help you regulate your emotions and expand your capabilities:
I want to feel less anxious and stressed
Think about the last time you had a tricky client call or a big pitch. How was your breathing?
In stressful situations, our bodies get ready to run or react. We start breathing fast and shallow in preparation. Great when you’re fleeing from a predator. Not that useful when it’s a crappy email or a bank statement.
We can manage moments of anxiety or stress by breathing deeply. “It activates the parasympathetic nervous system,” Tim Snell, SOMA Breath Master Instructor, says. In other words, it sends a message to your brain to chill out, your brain switches off its ‘fight or flight’ mode and you feel more at-ease.
I want to concentrate
You’re juggling two client projects, keeping an eye on your kids and talking to your mates on Discord. Feeling scattered. Conscious breathing can help you regain your focus.
As well as giving yourself a moment to pause, some studies suggest that when you count your breathing, you bring order to your brain’s natural resting state. This helps you focus and organise your thoughts.
Briony recommends nose breathing as the antidote to endless notifications, deadlines and coffee. “It shifts us out of that heightened state of overstimulation. We make better choices when we’re grounded and present,” she says.
I want to be creative
Do you have your best ideas in the shower or walking the dog? Here’s why.
Creativity is making links, seeing patterns, finding new perspectives. Our brains can’t do this when we’re in ‘doing’ mode.
When we shift into ‘downtime’ mode, we enter a more expansive and relaxed state. With space and freedom from external stimuli, our brains can process information and make connections. And this is how new ideas happen.
Briony says, “Deep breathing speeds up that transition.” So, if you’ve got blank page syndrome, work on it over a few deep breaths.
I want to sleep better
Hands up if you’ve ever experienced sleeplessness? Yep, same.
“Breathwork is a fantastic practice for bedtime,” says Briony. “You can experiment with nose breathing, making the inhale and exhale the same length and trying to expand to six seconds per breath.”
I want to avoid getting sick
We all know that having less stress and more sleep means we’re less likely to get sick. But deep breathing boosts our immunity in other ways too.
According to Briony, “Nose breathing increases nitric oxide levels in the blood.” This offers us extra immune defence, reduces inflammation and regulates our bodily functions. Tim adds that deep belly breathing “triggers the release of oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin.” These offer pain relief, make us feel happier and help us fight disease.
Take a deep breath
The great news about deep breathing is you don’t need anything special to give it a try.
Take a seat, somewhere you feel safe and comfortable. Place both feet firmly on the ground and close your eyes if you can.
Notice how your breathing is before trying to alter it. Is it fast or slow? Shallow or deep? Laboured or easy?
Breathe in through your nose for four seconds. Then exhale through your nose for the same count. Put both hands on your belly and breathe deeply enough that you can feel it move. Try to extend to six seconds per breath. This is “the optimal breathing pace to maximise oxygen uptake in the body,” says Briony.
Check in afterwards, how do you feel?
You can reach for this practice whenever you’re feeling stressed, anxious or flat. If you’d like to explore conscious breathing further, you’ll find resources at the bottom of the page.
Want helping solving your latest creative dilemma? Get in touch.
Thank you to these experts for their contributions to this article
Briony Gunson
Briony runs free breathwork sessions every Wednesday at 8 pm. They’ve become a real fixture of my week to help me process and unwind. For more information on her work, check out her website or follow her on Instagram.
Tim Snell
Tim presents on topics including team resilience and effective work techniques. He leads a three-week Awakening Journey alongside weekly breathwork meditations.
Jonny Miller
Jonny and his fellow breathwork coach Conni run 30 days of breathwork challenge. Check the link to sign up to the mailing list and be notified of the next cohort.