Over the years I’ve observed in a lot of the approaches to breathwork and pranayama, the emphasis is often on the doing ie. the execution of a specified breathing technique. The focus tends to be on mastering the pattern, rhythm, or count. While these practices have their merits, they often overlook an equally vital aspect of breathing: sensory awareness.
When I’m teaching a Somatic Breathing session, the sensory aspect of breathing is as crucial as the musculoskeletal activity. This is what differentiates what I teach from many other forms of breathwork. The enhancement of breathing is a sensory-motor activity, not merely a motor one.
How Do You Know That You Are Breathing?
One of the questions I often pose to those I teach is, “How do you know that you are breathing?” It’s a simple question, but it invites a deeper exploration. Most people will respond by saying that they feel their chest rise or notice the flow of air in and out of their nostrils. However, these responses only scratch the surface of what is possible to sense during breathing.
In Somatic Breathing, we cultivate an awareness that goes beyond these surface sensations. This expanded awareness is what allows us to access and engage with a broader range of possibilities in our breathing. If you only ever breathe within the limits of what you are aware of, your breathing remains confined within that narrow range.
Expanding the Map of Awareness
Consider a map of a town or city. Not all the details are present on the map, and some areas might be vague or entirely uncharted. Expanding your awareness is like adding more detail to this map. As you become more aware of different areas, you start to notice things you hadn’t before—subtle shifts, movements, and sensations that were previously outside of your conscious experience.
To illustrate this, let’s take a moment to engage in a simple Somatic Breathing experience.
Right now, simply notice your breath. Focus first on the in-breath… and then on the out-breath. Pay attention to what you actually sense as you breathe in. Where do you feel movement? What sensations arise? Now shift your focus to the out-breath. What are you aware of as you breathe out? Can you sense the time it takes to breathe in? And the time it takes to breathe out? Is there a difference in duration between the in-breath and the out-breath, or are they the same length?
By doing this, you’ve already started to engage with your breath in a new way. You’ve created a different awareness of your breathing. But this is just the beginning. From here, you could expand your awareness further. What’s happening in the front of your body as you breathe? What’s happening in your back? As you continue to explore, you might notice differences in the way you breathe on one side of your body compared to the other.
Now, relax for a moment…. take a break from focusing on your breath
And then when you are ready…. return your awareness to your breathing and notice what you notice now. How are you breathing now? Has your breathing changed? Do you experience breathing in and out of yourself differently?
The Power of Expanded Awareness
When we expand our awareness in these ways, we often find that our behaviours also change as well. This can be accounted for by the receiving on new sensory signals that activate different areas in the sensorimotor networks in the brain. This change in sensorimotor activity then enable the firing of new and different motor (movement) neurons. The brain sends different signals through the neurology into the musculature to initiate different patterns of behaviour which change the engagement of the musculature – in this particular case, in relation to breathing.
The knock-on effect being that this expanded awareness not only enhances the action of breathing but also opens up new possibilities for what you can then experience through breathwork or pranayama. In terms of breathwork or pranayama, as more of you becomes accessible for the activity, your engagement in the activity becomes richer, deeper, and more connected.
For me, Somatic Breathing is about more than just performing a technique. It’s about expanding the mapping of your sensory experience, allowing you to access and engage with your breath in ways that are more expansive and empowering. By shifting the focus from merely doing the activity to deeply sensing your engagement in and with the activity, you create the conditions for more profound learning to occur and benefical changes to take place in the way you breath, move and live your life.
Interested in Learning More about Somatic Breathing
Personally I’ve experienced the blending of somatics and breathing as a profoundly powerful and rewarding synthesis that has enhanced my well-being and also opened up pathways for increased creativity, enjoyment and satisfaction in my life.
If you’d like to explore the potential of experiencing breathing with greater awareness and freedom, we a free SomaBreathe taster course which you can access by clicking on the image below
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