Adapting breath and body based activities

Written By Rebecca Rae-Hodgson

Breathwork and body based exercises are so often recommended to people as a self-management strategy for so many conditions and experiences. But this is often done without concrete advice on what this looks like or without thought for personal differences and how these practices might need to be adapted.

I’m using the terms breathwork and body based exercises as umbrella terms for a huge range of practices. This could be meditation, mindfulness, paced breathing or other counted breath activities, body scans, interoceptive awareness builders, yoga, somatics, tai chi, qi gong and so many more.

Some things to consider when suggesting these types of practices for others or exploring them for yourself:

  • Being very literal and needing explicit guidance - may mean that someone needs to be directed to a specific exercise in a specific app. People may need to be taken through a practice step by step with guidance.

  • Low interoception (body awareness) - Some people may not be able to go straight into breathwork and body based exercises, they may need to start with building an awareness of their internal body senses (interoception).

  • Aphantasia (not being able to visualise) - people might think they’re wrong or broken when a mindfulness exercise asks you to imaging walking down a path or sitting on the beach and they just have nothing going on inside their heads (this is my personal experience and I create a story rather than a picture).

  • Disconnection from the body due to trauma - There can be very good reasons for body disconnection and reconnection is best done very slowly. You may need to be aware of potential trauma triggers and nervous system reactions and seek additional support from a therapist. If you are a therapist, please approach these practices from a trauma-informed lens.

  • Sensory processing patterns - someone might be sensitive to some inputs and so noticing sounds could feel physically painful. Other people might avoid certain sensory inputs and so tuning into something they would usually avoid, like a certain texture, may be extremely distressing. Sensory seekers may need additional input and potentially would do better with a moving practice. People with low registration may struggle to register input and may need to use caution if doing practices involving things like ice as they may not register pain signals.

  • Prior negative experiences - people may have had negative experiences with these kinds of practices before and be (understandably) resistant or think that they don’t work for them. This may require very slow, choice and consent based exploration to find approaches that do work.

  • Physical capacity - do you need to sit, stand, move, lie down? Are different positions good for different practices? A guided meditation might give directions for sitting without back support, but personally this isn’t accessible for me and I do all of mine lying down.

  • No neurodiversity-affirming supports available - the supports available to you may not have an understanding of the diversity of different brains and experiences and not be able to adapt practices for your needs. You might need to do your own research and adapt things for yourself.

  • Neurotypical views of these practices and no adaptations - as above, the idea that there is one right way of doing something and no alternatives are offered. People can end up feeling that the issue is with them.

  • Presume competence but don’t assume knowledge - people may not even know how to pay attention to their breath or body, it may be completely unfamiliar to them, and instructions may need to be explicit and detailed.

  • Some people need the why and some don’t - does knowing the science behind a practice help or is that overwhelming? Knowing what a certain practice is aiming at supporting can be really helpful for some people.

  • Format - think about how you are presenting information or offering practices. Are you practicing in session and then expecting the person to remember to do the exercise? What executive functioning or communication supports are you offering? Could you record the practice directions in session so that the person can listen at home? Is there a handout you use?

Figuring out what works for you

  • Explore slowly and compassionately

  • Be curious and creative

  • Try out different things

  • There is no one ‘right’ way, it’s about finding what works for your body, brain and circumstances, and what feels supportive, useful and doable in your life

  • Supported spaces like therapy or a class or group can be useful for sharing experiences and getting some additional guidance

Image description: a picture of a double rainbow over a beach.

Resources

There are so many resources out there for various mindfulness, breathwork and body based exercises. It’s really about exploring and finding what works for you.

Apps I use:

  • For guided meditations I have used Insight Timer, Headspace, Calm, 10% Happier and Balance. Insight Timer is the one I keep coming back to for it’s range and ease of navigation. It has a lot of free content as well. I pay for it so I can save and download practices. I find I need to do guided meditations, as I struggle with just silence or unguided practices.

  • I also use Down Dog for yoga as I can set a time and type of practice and it auto generates a practice for me, taking away the planning and memory aspect.

  • Tao Mix has a range of sounds that you can set and listen to. It can be quite soothing.

  • Audiobooks - BorrowBox, Libby or Audible. BorrowBox and Libby you can borrow things through your library. This can be a great way to explore different books on these kinds of practices. Some great books I listened to last year with practice examples were ‘Living Well With Pain and Illness’ by Vidyamala Burch and ‘The Neuroscience of Mindfulness’ by Stan Rodski

Other resources

Practice Ideas

Remember it’s about exploring and finding what feels right for you, relearning to trust the body and listen to its signals.

  • Body scan - moving attention through your body, without judgement

  • Progressive muscle relaxation - tensing muscle groups while breathing in and releasing the muscles as you breathe out

  • Breathing - different ways of counting, humming etc.

  • Increasing body awareness - doing different activities or movements and noticing what’s happening in the body

  • Sensory awareness - exploring objects or other sensory experiences and tuning into the sensations

  • Mindfulness in daily life - daily activities can be done with mindfulness when we are paying attention, non-judgementally to what’s happening in the present moment

  • Moving mindfulness - these practices don’t always have to be stationary. Some people who have struggled doing seated or stationary practices find that moving practices are a much better fit.

  • External mindfulness - practices don’t always have to be focused on the body if that isn’t what works for you, you can focus on external objects or experiences.

  • Somatic practices - increasing felt sense of safety through resourcing, orienting and specific holds

As a mindfulness practice you could touch or hold an object. What does it feel like? Is there a sound? A smell? A weight, texture, pattern? What can you see? Are there different colours? Is there a corresponding feeling or sensations in the body? Does it make you feel calm or alert? Focused or overwhelmed?

Example in daily life: In this picture a butterfly landed on my hand when I was visiting the butterfly forest at the museum in Dunedin/Ōtepoti. The butterfly felt light and bit a bit tickly on my hand. It moved its wings and I could feel a slight movement of air. There was lots of moisture in the air. I could hear the sounds of water moving and dripping off plants. I could hear the other people who were in the enclosure. I could see the different colours of the butterfly and all the different plants around me. I could feel the firm, slightly damp wood of the bridge railing under my hand.

Image description: a black and red butterfly sits on a person’s hand. There is water and plans in the background.

Implementation

We might know that breath and body based practices are important for our wellbeing but it can still be really challenging to actually do them!

You might want to create a list of practices you know you like for easy reference. Sometimes having something a visual can be a good prompt. Having different practices for different states, time or energy levels can be another useful strategy as maybe you can’t do 10 minutes but you can do 1. You might have some practices you use to give an energy boost, and others you use to calm and regulate.

Is there something you do every day that you could pair a practice to? Do you have a friend you could practice with? Could you teach your children and do the exercises as a family?

If something doesn’t feel right, then stop. Listen to your body. If you need additional support please reach out to a therapist or other health professional.

If you are stressing about how to do these practices or beating yourself up for not doing them, you might need to step back and simplify, let go of that added stress and have compassion for where you are at right now. Again it’s finding what works for you, for your circumstances and in your life, not what has worked for someone else.

I’d love to hear what has or hasn’t worked for you. You can reach out via email or on Facebook.

Thanks for reading! I’ve also created a 4 page pdf download with some ideas for practices..


Notes:

*No affiliate links, just wanted to share some resources

*These are of course non-exhaustive lists and examples, this is just an introduction to the idea of adapting practices

*The contents of this blog are not therapy advice. Please seek additional support from your own health professional if needed.

Rebecca Rae-Hodgson
Previous

Neurodiversity-Affirming Practice in Mental Health - Lived Experience Feedback
Next

Values as a guiding force supporting engagement and meaning-making