We’re talking about compulsive eating and how breathwork can help manage it. With the holiday season here, it’s easy to get caught up with the joy of indulging. It is the season where almost everyone overeats, even me! But for some, excessive overeating can be overwhelming and out of control.
If you find yourself in this situation, I’m sharing a simple and effective breathwork technique that can help you regain balance and manage compulsive eating episodes.
Shoen Clinic defines compulsive eating as a type of behavior with food, “when a person eats in a way that feels out of control, that has an emotional component and involves eating an uncomfortably large amount.”
Pranayama or breathwork is rooted in the art of managing energy. It is said that the breath is a tool the mind obeys. Through intentional breathing techniques, we can influence our health, mental states, and emotional well-being. By cultivating a slow, deep, and controlled breath, we can promote a focused and steady state of mind.
Here’s how to use breathwork, breathing through the left nostril, when compulsive eating affects you:
Find a comfortable seated position, with a straight spine. Use your right hand, gently close your right nostril with your thumb. Take a deep breath in through your left nostril, allowing the breath to fill your lungs. Hold the breath in your capacity. Then, exhale slowly and fully through the left nostril and hold the breath out for the same amount of time as you held it in. So its, inhale-hold-exhale-hold. Repeat this cycle for 31 minutes.
Doing this for 31 minutes may seem daunting, remember that it is the commitment required to overcome the compulsion.
For more chronic cases, consider practicing this breathwork technique regularly over a 90-day period.
Sustained effort and patience will bring positive results. Be sure to prioritize long, deep breaths through the left nostril, without exerting excessive pressure on the diaphragm.
Indulge, yes, that is what makes life worth living. But be careful not to let excess and indulgence overrule you.
If you feel that it is beyond control, consider seeking help. And if you want to work on your breath work, let me know.
In loving service,
Rosan
