Why Companies like Nike and NASA are Using the Science of Breathwork to Motivate Employees

Top neuroscientists and psychology experts discuss what's going on in your brain when practicing the ancient art of breathwork.

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / December 20, 2022 / By Ramona Saviss

The world's leading corporate mindfulness trainer, Kurtis Lee Thomas, is bridging the gap between the corporate sector and mindfulness in the most impactful ways.

Thomas recently led a team of NASA scientists and employees headquartered at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) through his signature Breathwork Detox experience. The exclusive corporate mindfulness session guided participants through the proper technique for powerful breathwork biohacking.

As for the response from NASA team members and scientists, following the Thomas' Breathwork Detox experience, NASA JPL spokesperson says, "Breathwork biohacking with Kurtis was a game changer for our employees and a boon for our wellness program. No prior event elicited such a positive response and calls for future sessions."

Following the Breathwork Detox practice, guests were treated to a panel discussion hosted by NASA JPL in partnership with the Just Breathe Foundation with experts Dr. Jack Feldman, a distinguished professor of neurobiology at the University of California who has revolutionized our understanding of the neutral control of breathing and Dr. Helen Lavretsky, a world-renowned psychiatrist who spoke to the practical application of breathwork as a treatment for stress, anxiety and depression.

Through Thomas' expert guidance, his impactful Breathwork Detox program has taken the corporate world by storm. He has led various corporations such as NASA and Nike who have recognized the benefits and science of breathwork to offer it to their employees.

"Employee well-being is a top priority at Nike, that's why we've partnered with Kurtis," says Monica Snyder, co-chair of Nike Mindfulness. "His Breathwork Detox program is truly game-changing and has brought mindfulness to a whole new level within our organization."

The neuroscience behind breathing shows that its effects are seen in emotional and physical health. According to Dr. Feldman during the event, breathwork actually alters our emotional state and is not a placebo result. "We see from this intense focused effort, or in a single breath, that it could have effects on emotion," he says, adding that the thousands of years-old practice of meditative breathing affects emotional state and cognitive function.

The benefits of breathwork, particularly in the workplace, are widespread. According to Dr. Lavretsky, if done first thing in the morning or at the head of a meeting "it would lead to a calmer workplace and add a sense of coherence among workers, which would likely reduce conflict." Through conscious breathing practices, people could become masters of their mind and bodies, she adds. Both researchers note that breathing helps regulate emotions, and therefore, could lessen knee-jerk reactions.

"Yoga and meditation are often the first programs offered incorporate wellness programs. These modalities are great for maintenance but they lack immediate impact, which causes employees to become less interested when they don't see immediate results," Thomas says. "The challenge many corporations have when implementing effective mindfulness programs is that most modalities require consistency and produce slow and methodical results which only compound over time. However, this is not the case with breathwork. Unlike typical yoga and meditation practices, the results of Breathwork Detox are immediate and undeniable, from just one session."

The stress reduction alone is a powerful benefit and plays a factor in the health of employees. "The American Heart Association has published new guidelines identifying stress reduction, mindfulness, and positive emotions to be tools protective against heart disease," Dr. Lavretsky adds of the AHA panel she was recently a part of. "This will change healthcare for every primary care doctor to recommend stress reduction for each person at risk for heart disease." 

"In many healthcare organizations and some governments [across the world], breathing practices and meditation in the morning or first thing during a meeting sets a particular calm tone and the sense of coherence in breath and heartbeat among employees that improves the quality of interactions, harmony in the workplace where people want to work together, and improves productivity," says Dr. Lavretsky who compares a group breathwork practice to yoga, which "can decrease absenteeism from work and decrease the cost of healthcare as has been shown by Aetna and many other large employers."

How does it work and what's going on in our brain that allows this to happen? There are many types of breathing, according to Dr. Feldman, as well as many possible pathways that breathwork could affect emotional states. "Like any training, breath training leads to new learning and neuroplastic changes occurring with a new pattern of breathing," says Dr. Lavetsky. Another important mechanism of how breathwork alters emotions and cognitive function is through stress reduction and calming of the stress response, which induces relaxation that affects the entire body. "That leads to a more balanced state of mind and emotions, hormonal and immune system," she adds.

The result of working with a corporate mindfulness trainer to implement conscious breathing is to improve productivity and quality of interactions between coworkers. She adds that the research has shown that the cost of stress-reduction training can lower the cost of health care for the employees, another reason why Fortune 500 and government corporations are bringing in Breathwork Detox to their organizations. "The environment where employees breathe together is more coherent and harmonious that establishes the basis for working together to a common goal."

Thomas is the founder of the Just Breathe Foundation, a 501c3 which raises money through corporate events and donations to help children coping with anxiety and respiratory diseases. On world mental health day (October 10th 2022), Thomas and the foundation will be launching their new children's book, The Secret of Life, Book 1 - Just Breathe, centered on breathwork that will be donated to schools, shelters for the unhoused and single parents, among others who may not have access to the tools and benefits of breathwork.

The Just Breathe Foundation will also provide scholarships for Breathwork Certification Training to help provide parents with proper breathing techniques to create new career opportunities for them as the demand and popularity for Breathwork Detox skyrockets.

About Breathwork Detox:

Breathwork Detox is becoming the world's new yoga and the leading mindfulness tool for alleviating stress in the workplace. It is a powerful tool that employers can offer their staff. Unlike Meditation and Yoga, Breathwork Detox results are immediate and undeniable, from just one session. The company has been successful with tens of thousands of students in more than 27 countries, including events and sessions for the world's most influential celebrities, athletes, and various Fortune 500 companies, from NIKE to NASA.

CONTACT:

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SOURCE: Breathwork Detox