Answers to Breathwork FAQs Is this nor mal? BY MICHELLE D’AVELLA My hands were so tight that it felt painful. What should I do? If you experience physical pain in your hands you can try to place them over your heart and begin to breathe through your nose. Breathing through your nose will decrease the intensity of the energy. You can also open your eyes to reactivate the mind. This occurs because fear is being released from the heart so it’s important to recognize this is normal and it’s safe to let go of it. Say to yourself, “I am worthy of love.” © 2018 Michelle D’Avella | Pushing Beauty | All rights reserved. I kept falling asleep or drifting off. Big emotions like anger and sadness can be uncomfortable to feel and will often leave us feeling sleepy so we don’t have to feel it. Breathe more deeply and really allow your breath to pierce your lungs on your inhales to move through this resistance. You can also let out a big yell and give your body a good shake. If this is a habit for you, set an intention to stay awake and present to the breath. You can say out loud, “It’s safe for me to feel my feelings.” © 2018 Michelle D’Avella | Pushing Beauty | All rights reserved. I felt like my mind was still holding on. It can be difficult for us to trust that it’s safe to let go of a mechanism that has been designed to protect us. Most of us are also born into cultures where the intellect is the focus of our identities. Before your next Breathwork session set the intention to let your mind go. You can’t force this to happen, but the more you relax into the breath and feel that you’re safe it will begin to surrender. You can also say, “It’s safe for me to trust my heart” as you breathe. © 2018 Michelle D’Avella | Pushing Beauty | All rights reserved. I got dizzy and was afraid I would pass out. If you’re mimicking my breathing pattern in the audio you will not pass out. The dizziness happens when the mind is resisting letting go. Feel into your body as you breathe and keep your awareness on your breath instead of up in your head. © 2018 Michelle D’Avella | Pushing Beauty | All rights reserved. My body was getting really hot or really cold. Energy that is being released can change in temperature. Cold energy usually indicated you’re releasing fear. © 2018 Michelle D’Avella | Pushing Beauty | All rights reserved. HEALING IS YOUR BIRTHRIGHT My body was getting really tingly. Yep, that’s your energy. Let it move. © 2018 Michelle D’Avella | Pushing Beauty | All rights reserved. Is it OK to cry or should I keep breathing? Let yourself cry. This is the point. Releasing these stuck emotions is what we’re doing here. Let it all out and when you feel like you’re ready you can get back to the breath. If you’re someone who feels stuck in victim energy and tends to cry a lot in your daily life you can work with the following sayings when you feel stuck in sadness during Breathwork: “It’s safe for me to let go of my sadness.” “I’m not crazy.” “I don’t want to be sad forever.” “I’m ready to let joy into my life.” © 2018 Michelle D’Avella | Pushing Beauty | All rights reserved. My mouth was so tight it felt like I couldn’t move my lips. This is one of the most common occurrences because many of us have things to say that we’re not saying. As you feel your mouth begin to tighten say to yourself, “It’s safe for me to use my voice.” You can ask your intuition to show you where in your life you are in need of speaking up. © 2018 Michelle D’Avella | Pushing Beauty | All rights reserved. EVERYTHING YOU’RE EXPERIENCING IS NORMAL My mouth gets really dry. Can I get up and drink water? The best way to handle a dry mouth during Breathwork is to lick your lips and keep breathing. If you are very focused on how your mouth feels it’s very likely that you are stuck in your mind. Thank your mind for caring for you and acknowledge that it’s safe to breathe and let go. © 2018 Michelle D’Avella | Pushing Beauty | All rights reserved. It feels like my body want to move. Is that OK? As you begin your Breathwork practice I suggest leaning on the breath more than movement to make sure you are not connecting to the body as a form of resistance. As you gain a deeper connection to your energy you may notice that energy is opening up around your tail bone, hips, or other areas of your spine. You can allow your body to move which will help the energy open. As you move your body keep on breathing. © 2018 Michelle D’Avella | Pushing Beauty | All rights reserved. I feel physical pain or tightness in my muscles. Stuck energy can show up in the body as pain, tightness, or tension. Without distracting yourself from the breath, you can put pressure on the area of your body where energy is being blocked. This can help open up the flow of energy. You can ask your intuition to tell you what is being held in that place and tell yourself that it’s safe to let go of it. © 2018 Michelle D’Avella | Pushing Beauty | All rights reserved. I felt really tired and couldn’t stop yawning. Tiredness and yawning are signs of resistance. The body is getting more oxygen than normal so yawning is not physiologically necessary. Next time you feel a yawn coming on breathe deeper into your belly and imagine the breath moving into your feet (far away from the mind). You are yawning to avoid feeling something uncomfortable. Tell yourself, “It’s safe for me to feel my feelings.” © 2018 Michelle D’Avella | Pushing Beauty | All rights reserved. Do I have to breathe as fast as your audio? I highly suggest matching my pace in the audio. If you are tempted to slow the breath down significantly it’s likely a sign that you are resisting letting go of the mind. Trust the pace of the breath. Eventually it will feel as if the breath is moving on its own and will require less effort than in the beginning. © 2018 Michelle D’Avella | Pushing Beauty | All rights reserved. YOU ARE WORTHY OF LOVE I feel like I can’t breathe very deeply. Do the best you can. Sometimes people feel as if they can’t breathe into their hearts because the heart is an area that tends to be blocked for many of us. This will open over time. However, if you are choosing to breathe more shallow and have room to open this is another sign of resistance. The more fully you breathe the more you will release the mind and pull up stuck emotion. © 2018 Michelle D’Avella | Pushing Beauty | All rights reserved. A traumatic memory that was repressed surfaced. It’s not necessary to relive any traumatic experiences in order to heal and release them from the body, but it is possible to pull up repressed memories that you didn’t know were there. If this happens it’s important to be incredibly gentle with yourself and to seek professional support if you feel you need it. This is something you can reach out to me about via email at [email protected]. © 2018 Michelle D’Avella | Pushing Beauty | All rights reserved. Examples of Things That Are Normal Tight hands Spontaneous movement Tight mouth Tingly sensations Seeing dead people Numbness Physical discomfort Falling asleep (resistance) Crying (a lot) Visions Feeling rage Hearing messages Yawning (resistance) Realizations Change in temperature Fear/Anxiety © 2018 Michelle D’Avella | Pushing Beauty | All rights reserved..