Breathwork Safety
With each breathwork technique there are different benefits and risks, in this blog we will address the most commonly used modalities, a short description, what effects it will cause, and what the best position you should be in for that style of breathwork.
For all sympathic ( fight/flight) activating practices the contraindications will be pregnancy, heart-related diseases, and being on anti-psychotic drugs. The latter are pharmacueticals which are mainly used to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and bi-polar disorder.
The purpose of staying away from some breathworks while on this medication is because breathwork can cause altered states and you want to make sure this wouldn't cause a psychotic break for yourself.
In terms of pregnancy, it's just to make sure you aren't doing any breath-hold or sympathetic inducing breathwork since we don't know the effects this will have on the baby ( although this is something that could be debated, as we utilise heavy, fast rhythmic breathing during labour) I allow participants to choose what feels right for their bodies, if they are open and educated on the risks. For people with heart disease: some breath work can be vigorous and cause cardiac changes.
Breathwork Body Changes - The crab claws
The uncomfortable response some experience during a breathwork session is the cramping and temporary paralyses of the hands. This is called tetany, an involuntary contraction of muscles that occurs when CO2 decreases significantly in the body. This can happen during breathwork when we hyperventilate and breathe really fast or exhale too forcefully or too much – so the rate or volume of breathing eliminates more CO2 then the body can produce.(1)
Tetany is more likely in people with underlying mineral imbalances, including:
Low magnesium – more likely during pregnancy or lactation, use of diuretics, or high alcohol consumption
Low potassium
Parathyroid hormone (PTH) deficiency
Excess phosphate
Low calcium
Electrolyte deficiencies due to long-term inhaler use (i.e., for asthma or COPD)
How can you avoid this?
During breathwork: slow down the breathing, reduce the forcefulness or duration of exhales (just lightly “let go” of breath), move/massage hands or other body parts experiencing tetany
Outside of breathwork:
Consider whether any of above mineral imbalances may be applicable.
Get checked for these imbalances if high-risk (e.g., pregnant or lactating, on diuretics, high alcohol intake, long-term inhaler use).
For those who need a little more detail:
Low CO2 causes tetany because it reduces cellular calcium and increases blood PH.
Sodium leaks into nerve cells and makes them hyper-excitable, resulting in tingling and – when more
extreme – muscle spasms in the extremities and around the mouth.
Altered States
Sometimes during breathwork we can reach an altered state of conciousness. It's not studied as to how this works but we can postulate that the CO2 and oxygen changes and autonomic nervous system changes can alter our brain function. This might work similarly to a drug in that it may light up certain areas of the brain and dim others. People who reach an altered state in breathwork usually feel a sense of calm, emotional release, freedom, and love.
