Creating a hā habit: Utilising Māori innovations in breathwork
Rawiri Waretini-Karena, Julia Wikeepa
MAI Journal: A New Zealand Journal of Indigenous Scholarship September 1, 2023 DOI: 10.20507/maijournal.2023.12.2.9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Breathwork |
| Key points | Argues that the Hā breathwork tool, grounded in Māori tradition, can serve as both an intervention and preventative strategy for trauma-related disorders. |
Abstract
This article begins by identifying and defining a range of debilitating disorders— trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and generalised anxiety—and their symptoms before presenting a statistical analysis to give scope to the impact of the disorders. The article then explores the science behind breathing and breathwork as a valuable antidote to these disorders. The whakapapa of the concept of Hā, and how the Hā tool was developed, is then described. The article then describes how the creation of a Hā habit through intention, purpose, mindfulness and presence alleviates traumatic experiences and acts as both an intervention strategy and a preventative strategy to build resilience against poor mental wellbeing. Finally, the development of a new wellbeing measuring tool called Tū and Rongo is described, and positive feedback from users of the Hā tool is presented.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on breathwork, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breathwork as a Therapeutic Modality: An Overview for Counselors | 2010 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Breathwork in body psychotherapy: Clinical applications | 2013 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Enhancement of inter-hemispheric brain waves synchronisation after Pranayama practice | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Relationship and Mechanism Underlying the Effect of Conscious Breathing on the Autonomic Nervous System and Brain Waves | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Holotropic Breathwork, Second Edition | 2023 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |