Breathwork is one of the most powerful tools to regulate your nervous system and release emotional blockages. Discover what breathing work can mean for you.
You do it about 20,000 times a day, usually without thinking about it: breathing. But what if your breath is the key to profound transformation? Breathwork – conscious breathing practice – is a powerful practice gaining popularity worldwide. At Zenn in the City in Rotterdam, we offer breathwork sessions that help you release stress, process emotions, and regulate your nervous system.
What is Breathwork?
Breathwork encompasses various breathing techniques consciously employed to bring about physical, mental, and emotional changes. Unlike the unconscious breathing that keeps us alive, breathwork is an active practice where you direct your breathing to achieve specific effects.
The history of breathwork goes back thousands of years. From pranayama in yoga to holotropic breathwork in modern psychology – cultures worldwide have recognized the transformative power of breath. At Zenn in the City, we combine this ancient wisdom with modern neuroscientific insights.
There are different forms of breathwork:
- Coherent breathing: Calm, balanced breathing for relaxation
- Box breathing: Square breathing for focus and stress reduction
- Connected breathing: Continuous breathing for emotional release
- Activating breathing: Energetic techniques for vitality
The Science of Breath
Your breathing is the only function of your autonomic nervous system that you can consciously influence. This makes it a unique gateway to your nervous system. When you inhale, it slightly activates your sympathetic (active) nervous system. Exhaling stimulates your parasympathetic (rest) system.
By changing your breathing pattern, you can directly influence:
- Your heart rate variability (HRV)
- Your cortisol levels
- Your vagal tone
- Your emotional state
- Your mental clarity
Research shows that regular breathwork practice can lead to improvements in stress management, anxiety reduction, sleep quality, and emotional regulation. It's one of the fastest ways to bring your nervous system from fight-or-flight to rest-and-digest.
Breathwork at Zenn in the City
Our breathwork sessions are designed to be safe and effective, regardless of your experience. We always start with a conversation about your intentions and any physical or mental considerations. Breathwork can evoke intense experiences, and we ensure you are well prepared and guided.
A typical session proceeds as follows:
Preparation (15 minutes)
We begin with grounding and relaxation. You get to know your body and breathing at rest. This creates a safe foundation for the more intensive exercises.
Active breathwork (20-30 minutes)
Depending on your goals, we guide you through various breathing patterns. This can range from calming coherent breathing to more activating techniques for emotional release.
Integration (15 minutes)
After the active phase, there is space for rest and integration. Your body processes the experience while you return to normal breathing.
What Can You Experience During Breathwork?
Breathwork can evoke diverse experiences, and each session is different. Common experiences include:
- Physical: Tingling, temperature changes, lightness or heaviness
- Emotional: Emotional release, tears, laughter, relief
- Mental: Clarity, insights, reduced worry
- Energetic: Flow of energy, openness, expansion
It's important to know that all experiences are welcome. There is no "good" or "bad" breathwork session. Your body knows what it needs, and breath facilitates this process.
Who is Breathwork Suitable For?
Breathwork can be valuable for virtually anyone, but is particularly effective for people who:
- Experience chronic stress or tension
- Find it difficult to express or process emotions
- Struggle with anxiety or worry
- Are seeking personal growth
- Want to regulate their nervous system
- Want to sleep better
There are some contraindications we consider, such as certain heart or lung conditions, epilepsy, or pregnancy. During the intake conversation, we discuss whether breathwork is suitable for your situation.
Integrating Breathwork into Your Life
The power of breathwork lies not only in the sessions but in daily application. We teach you techniques you can use at home:
- Morning breathing to start energetically
- Stress reset for acute tension
- Sleep breathing for better night's rest
- Emotion regulation for challenging moments
With regular practice, conscious breathing becomes second nature – a tool that's always available, wherever you are.
Zenn in the City | Breathwork Rotterdam
Waterloostraat 176A & 190A, 3062 TX Rotterdam-Kralingen
Tel: 010 413 1038