The power of breathwork on your mind, body and soul

Read full article on VOGUE Singapore July 2021

The breath and our emotions

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), each organ is connected to an emotion. Curiously, “the lung is linked with grief and letting go”, says TCM physician, Jun Negoro of Mino Chinese Medical Clinic. She shares that shortness of breath and shallow breathing are all too common in patients under high stress or sufferers of chronic fatigue.

Negoro explains that long-term lung imbalances such as breathing issues may lead to “sadness and detachment” and vice-versa. A Yale study on the relationship between emotions and respiration found that significant emotional states are associated with different forms of breathing. Changing our breath therefore, can alter how we feel. In a content or relaxed state, our breath tends to be regular, slow and deep.

“Studies have shown that deep steady breathing stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (‘rest and digest’ mode) and tells our brain to calm down. This slows down the heart rate and signals to the body that we’re safe,” says Negoro.