While breathing may be taken for granted because it’s something we do every minute of every day, to the uneducated, or maybe ‘to the unknowing’ is a better way to put it, there’s much more to every breath we take than meets the eye. Scientifically speaking, breathing, or ventilation, is a two-phase process that involves inhaling (inspiration) and exhaling (expiration). When you inhale, your diaphragm contracts and moves down, which increases the space in your chest cavity and allows your lungs to expand into it. When you exhale, your diaphragm relaxes, pushing the air molecules closer together and increasing the internal pressure in your lungs. Yeah sure, that’s a bunch of medical mumbo-jumbo to most of us that pretty much goes unsaid.
But to breathing specialists, people like Fletcher grad Holly Hilf, there is so much more to know about “Breathwork” that is beneficial to better health. Hilf, who lives in Nashville now, is coming home to present “Breathwork,” a breathing workshop scheduled for August 24, 2024 at St Paul’s By The Sea Episcopal Church in Jacksonville Beach. This Breathwork offering is a therapeutic breathing practice that involves rapid deep breathing through the nose and mouth. The goal is to alter the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body which can lead to an altered state of consciousness. Breathwork has been found to help with emotional healing, personal growth and accessing parts of the psyche that are normally inaccessible.
Hilf told us that her Breathwork class is designed not only to teach people the benefits of how to use breathing better, but to actually allow them to experience these benefits first hand under her instruction. “The point of Breathwork is to help people enter what we call a ‘non-ordinary state.’ The reason this is helpful is that it allows the person to move out of the ‘ego mind,’ which is where we rationalize and justify and intellectualize, so when we are working with someone in a non-ordinary state they become able to access that portion of the subconscious part of their mind.”
Joining Hilf will be Lee McCormick, who has extensive experience in treating people in a variety of areas, Breathwork being one of them. “Breathwork is one of those modalities that for a majority of people, it’s profoundly impactful because our breath is the anchor that keeps our soul embodied in our body. When we stop breathing we leave our body.” McCormick told First Coast Life. Another local proponent of Breathwork is Marriage and Family Therapist Chez Leeby, Ph.D., who pointed out, “You know, you can tell somebody’s emotions just by the way they breathe, like if you’re scared you have a specific breathing pattern, and if you’re calm, soothed, satisfied, you breathe calmly, and so on. I am excited to see Holly and Lee use their expertise to help the participants use their breathing techniques to make them healthier and more aware of their bodies.”
The upcoming Breathwork class on August 24th begins at 9:00am and is available to anyone interested in attending. Interim Rector at St Paul’s, Reid McCormick pointed out that, “St Paul’s is a community church, we have had yoga, tai-chi and other classes held here and we currently have four 12 Step programs available to anyone wishing to attend,” and he wants everyone to know that they have facilities available for community oriented projects like this and hopes to see a great turnout. To register all you have to do is click this link: Breathwork at St Paul By The Sea and follow the prompts.
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Mike is a native First Coaster and was a leading figure in surfing and skateboarding for most of his life. After promoting music for many years on the local music scene, Mike now brings a unique perspective to FirstCoast.Life as a contributing writer.
