By Denise Everheart I Posted on : November 16, 2020
Feeling lonely? Know someone who is lonely? Read to learn how breathwork can help with loneliness. Your breath is your best friend!
Are you feeling lonely? Or maybe you know someone who is feeling lonely right now? We have all felt loneliness at some point in our lives. There’s no shame in feeling lonely, it happens. But feeling lonely can sometimes make you feel like you are a hostage of your own emotions and leave you incredibly helpless.
It’s easy for anyone to say “Just do things differently and you will feel better!”. But that doesn’t help, does it?
Sometimes it isn’t solely your circumstances making you feel lonely. What if you could use your very own breath as a tool for overcoming your loneliness and build your resilience, come what may? And transform loneliness into inner strength?!
Unbelievable? Read on!
What is behind loneliness?
Sometimes we handle what life throws at us with an element of grace. And sometimes we struggle to manage those same exact situations. Why is that? It all depends on our internal state, and how we’re feeling inside. In this sense, it’s often your energy that influences your response and your feelings. Is it possible that subtle life force energy is responsible for how we feel and our ability to respond to any situation?
Prana, that subtle life force energy (sometimes called chi in eastern medicine), is everywhere! But we access that energy in very specific ways: through the food we eat, the air we breathe, and with deep meditation. Some people use the words prana and breath interchangeably, but prana is even subtler than the breath.
When we don’t take special care of what we eat, we feel it! And if we don’t get enough fresh air, we can start to feel funky! But we don’t always connect the dots between these energy shifts and our emotions.
Do you suffer from anxiety or panic attacks?
Did you know that unchecked loneliness can give you social anxiety? And that anxiety can keep you from engaging in the activities that can give you what we human beings desire the most- belongingness.
When we’re deep in loneliness we often crave connection with other human beings. But if social anxiety steps in, we may never take those steps to be with others. Without some sort of intervention, this can become a vicious cycle. Breathwork is an effective way to break the cycle!
You may be thinking, how can breathwork do this?! Let’s continue to understand the incredible power of your own breath.
What does breathwork feel like?
If you have never experienced breathwork before you might wonder what it feels like. I can tell you it isn’t anything like breathing in and out of a paper bag! Remember times when you felt a big relief, deep relaxation, or contentment regardless of your circumstances- that is what breathwork feels like!
And breathwork is your best tool for harvesting prana and keeping your emotions balanced!
With such a wide variety of breathing techniques available, check out the 7 Best Breathing Exercises to Help You Reduce Anxiety and Panic Now and see what works for you.
The relationship between mind and breath
When was the last time you noticed your breath? Have you ever noticed that when you were anxious, your breath became faster? And when you felt relaxed, how was your breath? It was slower, right? Different states of mind have different breathing patterns. It is obvious when you think about it!
Realizing that breath is the connecting link between your inner and outer worlds is a real eye-opener!
You can think of it like this: the mind is like a kite, and the breath is the string attached to the kite. By using breath in specific patterns, you benefit from balancing your mind and emotions. This is exactly what SKY Breath Meditation does!
Amazing to think that your very own breath can be a tool to improve how you are feeling! Even helping you to feel less lonely. And there is research to back this up! SKY has 100+ studies showing a wide range of benefits: an increase in life satisfaction, enhanced optimism, increased self-esteem, and joy!
SKY has also shown to significantly decrease both clinical and nonclinical depression and anxiety. And the list goes on: a 33% increase in immune cell count, enhanced deep sleep, healthier blood pressure! It has also helped to reduce PTSD and addictive behaviors.
Like a good friend, we are here to support you!
If you need to talk, the Art of Living Foundation is currently offering a warmline where our team of experts actively listen and offer you support during the COVID 19 crisis. They also guide and help you with information on life-enhancing practices such as breathing and meditation. Feel free to reach out to us on 855-998-3899 (7-9 pm PT). For more details click here. If you are feeling desperate, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or call 911.
You can also try this guided meditation for loneliness by Art of Living founder, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and start to feel better.
Here’s another valuable guided meditation for resilience by Emma Seppala PH.D., Science director of Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, and author of The Happiness Track, How to Apply The Science of Happiness to Accelerate Your Success.
Curious about SKY Breath Meditation? I enthusiastically invite you to attend a free online session, Beyond Breath, with a trained meditation instructor. You will get all your questions answered. And you will learn powerful breathwork, and do a guided meditation!
More to read:
12 ‘Code Words’ People Said That Actually Meant ‘I’m Lonely’
To improve students’ mental health, Yale study finds, teach them to breathe
The Importance of Using Meditation for Mental Health in Our New Normal
Anxious or Sad? Discover the Magic of Music and Yoga for Mental Health
8 Tips to Recover from Grief and Loss When You Feel Like it’s Impossible
How to Reach Out to a Friend in Need and Help Them Back to Their Feet
Feeling SAD? 5 Natural Remedies for Seasonal Affective Disorder
World Suicide Prevention: Global Panel Discusses the Need of the Times
When You Feel Blue, Try These 7 Yoga Poses for Anxiety and Depression
How Athletes and Celebrities are Battling Social Stigmas
After the Fear: 4 Ways You and Love Can Move the World Starting Today!
Whether you are suffering from loneliness or not, reach out and extend your hand! We can all be a lifeline for another and benefit from more connection. And have faith that you are loved! Sending you a warm ‘virtual’ hug and many blessings!
Denise Everheart is a freelance writer, breath meditation coach, and recipe designer. Follow her @everheartstudio4meditation and @celeplateyourlife on Instagram.
Disclaimer: This content on the Art of Living Blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, Any links to third-party websites are provided as a convenience only and the Art of Living Blog is not responsible for their content.
