BREATHE YOUR WAY TO BETTER FITNESS

Physical fitness isn't only about how many hours you put in, how many reps you do or how often you train - becoming your best self involves your mind, too. Breathwork coach lona Holloway shares three simple exercises to help you improve your physical performance

- lona Holloway

Looking to get more out of your workouts without training more? Perhaps you're the queen of consistent exercise but, if you're honest, only go through the motions. Or maybe you're new to the gym and get trapped in negative thought spirals that kill. your mood and make it hard to stay motivated. If this sounds like you, it's time to work the invisible muscle group you've forgotten to train: your breath.

Breath is your body's language, and how you're breathing has a huge impact on how you think and feel. Think of it this way: your mind thinks; your body feels. Together, they create a very strong feedback loop. How you feel impacts how you think, and vice versa. Breathwork, the practice of using different breathing patterns and holds, can shift you from 'stressed to relaxed and make you feel more in control of your life', says Andrew Huberman from Stanford University.

Energy is never created or destroyed, only redirected or transformed, and emotions are just energy in motion. Breathwork can help you change how you feel about yourself, fast, creating a cascade of different thoughts through your mind.