What breath work actually does to your body and mental health

NSW marks Multicultural Health Week from 31 August to 6 September, with this year's theme being physical activity for mental health and wellbeing. Physical activity is usually talked about in terms of the body alone, and spiritual practice in terms of faith alone. Dr Shikha Malviya, Lecturer in Occupational Therapy at the University of Southern Queensland and a mental health occupational therapist and psychotherapist, researches the ground in between. In this podcast, she explains what happens in the body during breath work, why moving beads through the fingers while repeating a verse settles the mind, and why practices of this kind, which she notes are found across many faiths, reach people who avoid conventional therapy. She also sets out when these practices are not enough, and when it is time to see a GP.