
In its purest form, holotropic breathing is a practice and set of techniques in which we consciously control our breathing to achieve a higher emotional and mental state. It is commonly practiced in relation to relaxing ourselves and lifting up our state daily. The good news is, you can easily learn how to do holotropic breathing alone in your daily life.
Usually breathing is just something “we do”, without thinking too much about it. There are many routines and ways to go about it, but essentially the goal is to take deep, fast breaths and to manually take control of your breathing patterns to achieve higher states of consciousness.
Basic Technique – How to do Holotropic Breathing Alone
Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Start out small, maybe 30 to 60 minutes, and relax your entire body, close your eyes. Your surroundings should be free of noise and distractions. Start taking very deep, quick breaths in through the mouth, and exhaling methodically through the nose. Try to make it both fast and deep, to your comfort.
Start out with whatever you are capable of doing and work your way up to as deep breathing as possible.
If you prefer, you can try the alternate way of breathing in through your nose. In a controlled manner, breath in slowly through your nose and slowly increase the intensity of the breaths, deeper and faster as you progress, this can take up to 30 minutes. Working your way up, you should now be at a constant rhythm of breathing in and out deeply and rapidly.
Try to clear your mind of thoughts, emotions, and distractions.
Holotropic breathwork helps you sharpen your consciousness and is said to help deal with anxious states, depression, and addiction, and is a great daily routine used as either a supplement to or alternative to meditation sessions.