Category Archives: Breathwork

Breathwork: A powerful self-healing and transformational process

 

Breathwork is a powerful self-healing and transformational process that opens restricted breathing patterns, integrates emotional suppressions and permanently clears the subconscious mind. It is an advanced science of converting resistance to enthusiasm.

From a physical viewpoint, our breath is our connection to life. We can go without food for 30 days without water for 3 days, but in 3 minutes without breath we die. Most people think if they breathe in and out they are healthy. The truth however, unless we are breathing deeply and fully our bodies are not getting the oxygen needed for optimal health.

Oxygen feeds the cells and most people are starving their cells, so many people feel tired all the time. This is quite a problem in our busy world. The solution can be as simple as conscious redirection of the breathing pattern. The pattern can be reprogrammed and the breathing muscles retrained.

Breathwork opens and clears restricted breathing patterns producing more energy, increased detoxification, better health, improved respiratory capacity and strengthening of the immune system.

Breathwork clears the subconscious mind, which allows us to resolve stress. It permanently clears repressed emotions such as anger, fear, anxiety, guilt and depression, which creates more peace, creativity and clarity. Breathwork connects us to higher dimensions and levels of consciousness and gives us a stronger connection to our higher self, with fuller expression of our spiritual nature.

Breathwork can help in pain control, infertility, phobias, stress, PMS, headaches, chronic fatigue,asthma, TMJ, panic attacks, depression, apnea, heart condition, respiratory ailments, digestive problems, birthing, addictions and recovery.

Excerpt from a ‘Transformational Breathwork’ newsletter

Be Aware of Your Breath

Be aware of your breathing.  Notice how this takes attention away from your thinking and creates space.  Remember from time to time to notice that you are breathing.  If you really notice that you are breathing, meaning bring your attention to your breath, just one conscious in and out breath, and a different dimension is there in your life. Be present at every step of the breath, the in-breath and the out-breath.

There is no thought when you are present with the breath.  What is extremely significant, when you are aware of your breath is that what you are really aware of is you are aware of awareness. That’s the beauty of it.  What that means is you entered the dimension of presence and space has opened up in your life.

Eckhart Tolle

Exploring the Healing Power of Circular Breathing

In the quest for improved well-being and holistic health, alternative healing modalities have gained popularity. One such modality that has captured the attention of seekers of inner balance and emotional healing is Circular Breathwork. Rooted in ancient practices and modernized for contemporary wellness, Circular Breathwork is a transformative journey that combines conscious breathing, meditation, and mindfulness to facilitate healing on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels. In this blog, we will dive deep into this intriguing practice and explore its potential benefits.

What is Circular Breathwork?

Circular Breathwork, also known as Circular Breathing, is a breathing technique that involves continuous, rhythmic breathing patterns without pauses between inhalation and exhalation. It’s akin to the cyclical nature of our breath – a process that keeps us alive and connected to the flow of life itself. Circular Breathwork encourages individuals to embrace this cyclical rhythm consciously, often accompanied by soothing music or guided meditation.

The Circular Breathwork Process

  1. Preparation: Circular Breathwork typically starts with preparation. Find a quiet, comfortable space where you won’t be disturbed. Assume a relaxed posture, either sitting or lying down. Close your eyes and focus on your breath.
  2. Conscious Breathing: Begin with slow, deep breaths. Inhale and exhale through your nose or mouth, maintaining a continuous flow. Some practitioners use circular breathing with instruments like didgeridoos or singing bowls, enhancing the experience.
  3. Emotional Release: As the circular breathing pattern continues, you may experience a range of emotions surfacing. Circular Breathwork is known for its ability to help individuals release pent-up emotions, trauma, and stress. It provides a safe space to confront and process these feelings.
  4. Mindfulness and Meditation: Throughout the practice, mindfulness plays a pivotal role. It encourages you to stay present and observe your thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment. Guided meditation is often integrated to deepen the experience.

Benefits of Circular Breathwork

  1. Emotional Healing: Circular Breathwork allows individuals to access and release stored emotional pain and trauma. Many people report feeling lighter, more peaceful, and emotionally balanced after a session.
  2. Stress Reduction: Engaging in circular breathing induces a relaxation response, reducing stress and anxiety. This practice can help improve sleep patterns and enhance overall mental well-being.
  3. Increased Awareness: By focusing on the continuous flow of breath and observing inner experiences, Circular Breathwork enhances self-awareness. This heightened awareness can lead to personal growth and a better understanding of oneself.
  4. Spiritual Connection: Circular Breathwork often leads to a heightened sense of spirituality and interconnectedness. Some practitioners report experiencing profound insights, a sense of unity with the universe, and expanded consciousness.
  5. Physical Benefits: Improved oxygenation of the body during Circular Breathwork can boost energy levels and promote physical healing. It may also aid in detoxification and immune system support.

Conclusion

Circular Breathwork is a transformative modality that offers a unique path to emotional healing, stress reduction, and personal growth. By embracing the circular rhythm of breath, individuals can tap into their inner wisdom and unlock a deeper connection to themselves and the world around them. While Circular Breathwork can be a profoundly healing practice, it’s essential to approach it with an open heart, a qualified facilitator, and the intention to explore the depths of your inner being.

‘Anatomy of Your Next Breath’ by Jim Morningstar

To truly understand the miracle of your next breath, letʼs look at the mechanics and energetics of the breathing process on multiple levels. “With each breath we take in about one million particles that have existed in our environment since the beginning of time and which certainly at some point have passed through every living being on our planet – including Buddha, Jesus, Hitler and Einstein. Every time we breathe out, we add something unique to our environment (Minett, 2004).” What are these particles? How do we take them in and what energetic influence do they have on us and us on them?

 

Breath chemistry

On the chemical level the air we breathe is about 20 percent oxygen and .03 percent carbon dioxide. The rest of the air is a combination of nitrogen, water vapor and various other gases including carbon monoxide, methane, helium and air pollutants. Our exhale consists of 14 percent oxygen, 5 percent carbon dioxide, 6 percent water vapor and 69 percent nitrogen and other gases coming from the bodyʼs metabolism. We nourish our body systems on the inhale and release waste on the exhale. Our process, in turn, helps nurture the environment around us. Trees, for example, give off the oxygen we need and take in the carbon dioxide we give off for their nurturance.

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Conscious Energy Breathing and Self-Healing

Breathwork meditation practitioner training colorado

Conscious Energy Breathing and Self Healing
by Leonard Orr
Conscious energy breathing is an art and a science. It has been called spiritual breathing, intuitive breathing, and rebirthing breathwork.
It also has been called a biological experience of God. It is very simple and easy to do, especially in the presence of a well-trained breathing guide. When we connect the inhale with the exhale, we are experiencing the duality of the inhale and the exhale in unity. When we experience merging of the inner breath with the outer breath, we are experiencing another duality in unity. It is this unity that is the biological experience of God, infinite being, or sometimes-called divine energy. This is the essence of life itself. This essence is also the space between our thoughts. It is nearer to us than our very breath, and it is the source of the breath of life.                                                                                         …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Many atheists and agnostics have learned that conscious energy breathing. The surprising thing is some of them said,” I still donʼt believe in God, but I experienced God and the oneness of the universe”. Others have said, “I am no longer an atheist”.
The breath is the bridge between the invisible and the visible. If we stop breathing we will become invisible. Breathing is the basic source of human life and health. The simple act of connected breathing is mystical and magical. It can be very powerful and healing. Breathing is relaxing. Relaxation is the absence of disease – of not being relaxed. Conscious connected energy breathing is the basic cure for the most popular disease, which is the stress and tension of everyday living.
Conscious connected energy breathing is an ability anyone can learn. Most people can learn it in at least ten two-hour sessions with a good, loving, and intuitive guide. It is so simple that many people have tried to teach themselves. This is a free world and everyone is welcome to try. Most if not all people get stuck, fall asleep, or space out. Some people experience the symptoms of the hyperventilation syndrome and become afraid. Completed energy cycles are important.
Those of us who have learned conscious energy breathing notice that having an objective external breathing guide is the best and most responsible way to learn this valuable skill. A breathing guide is a person who has had at least ten sessions and has received enough training to feel confident in guiding sessions for others. Most likely the breathing guide has taken many people safely through ten sessions already.
Learning conscious breathing is the safest thing we can do. And most people who learn it say it is the most valuable thing they ever learned, comparable with learning to think for themselves. Everyone can learn it. Thinking and breathing are basic.
Since most people have inhibited breathing, a certain percentage of people learning conscious energy breathing experience some of the symptoms of the hyperventilation
syndrome. Even the best breathing teachers cannot prevent this. It seems to be a natural process of learning to breath energy as well as air. Everyone who has not learned conscious energy breathing already does have inhibited breathing, even expert athletes. Learning conscious energy breathing is a wonderful surprise.
The symptoms of hyperventilation are: dizziness, tingling and vibrating sensations, high spiritual states, religious visions, tetany, over breathing, coldness or sweating, fear, energy streaming, difficulty breathing, memories – including body memories of pain, relaxation, bliss, extreme pleasurable feelings, unity with God and the universe, breathing fully and freely, and a very interesting experience. No matter what happens in the early sessions, they end usually in one to two hours in relaxation and peace. When we learn this breathing rhythm, all sessions produce peace and good feelings. When people have inhibited breathing when they start conscious energy breathing sessions and do have some of the above sensations, the sensations usually cease by ten sessions and are easily managed after one to three sessions.
No one knows what you will experience during your first session. What we do know is that over ten million people all over the globe have experienced ten sessions and are very glad they did. Breathing is totally harmless, but the mind is not. The human mind is the most dangerous thing on earth. Breathing and relaxation makes it easier to master our minds.
Breathing induces relaxation and health and helps with all mental and physical illnesses. However, some people are controlled by their minds, instead of relaxed breathing, at least until we have mastered this wonderful conscious energy breathing ability. Obviously, breathing guides cannot control their clientsʼ behavior between sessions. When we have mastered this simple ability, we can find comfort, inspiration, peace, relaxation, and creative worthwhile solutions for all kinds of situations as a result of daily practicing the breathing. Conscious energy breathing has been found to raise I.Q. And improve our relationships with everyone. It generates creativity.
It is beneficial to realize that no one can control what you might experience during our sessions, not the breather nor the breathing guide. But if we continue breathing, all the above symptoms come and go usually within a few minutes during a normal session of one and a half hours. An indescribable peace and beautiful relaxation occurs at the end of the session. There may be some discomfort in some early sessions until we trust our breathing. However, the peace and good feelings at the end of the session make the discomfort seem insignificant. This is true for everyone. Some people feel exhausted or amazed after a session. Some people like some time to rest and integrate the amazing and powerful session they just experienced. For most people, a conscious energy breathing session is a pleasant and wonderful surprise. The more we do, the
more pleasurable it becomes and the more we love it. Soon we become a master breather of energy as well as air. This is the worthwhile goal of the first ten sessions.
The breathing guide can make the session easier, but cannot prevent or control what you might experience. And we know that when you continue breathing until the end of the breathing energy cycle, you will feel calm and relaxed. The work of the breathing guide is to guide your breathing rhythm in a gentle connected rhythm until you have a completed energy cycle. Energy cycles usually take one to two hours.
If God is the source of the breath, it is normal that when we are doing the proper connected breathing rhythm, that God or Spirit will move in our body and clean and nourish our bodies with fresh life energy. This is amazing.
One of the main goals of the first ten sessions is to get past the physical sensations and emotional drama into the rich feelings of divine energy and bliss. Some of the early sessions may have some difficulty, but the rewards are well worth the effort. Even difficult sessions are easier than going to a dentist.
The thing that most amazes me and everyone who does ten sessions with a well- trained and experienced breathing guide, is how much we can accomplish in just ten sessions in regards to relaxation, wellbeing, and self-healing. Although people heal all kinds of things during ten sessions, breathing guides donʼt promise anything, because the mind – body relationship is often a mystery. Most diseases are created by our minds and lifestyles. Breathing gives our body more oxygen and relaxation, but we usually cannot predict what relaxation will do for the mind and what might heal. Healing may not be because of the breathing, but the way relaxation changes our mind – body relationship.
Everyone would like one ability or technique or medicine or herb or food to heal everything, but we all require many things for our healing process. We donʼt usually know which one will work until we experiment. The spiritual purification system with mind – changing our thoughts, air – breathing, water – daily bathing, earth – good diet and exercise, fire – using the healing and spiritual power of fire, and loving relationships is perhaps the best healing system ever designed. It seems to be one designed by our creator. Conscious energy breathing is one essential aspect of this healing system. When we master this ability, we can receive the benefit.
Conscious breathing and birth
We learn to breath air at birth, before we were a water animal in the womb for nine months. Many people had a difficult birth or even in a normal birth, our breathing can experience some stress or trauma, while we are getting the amniotic fluids out of our breathing passages and the air in. One of the ways we can know that we had birth trauma is if we have colds. People who learn conscious breathing and practice it for a
year or two, usually report that the common cold has become a thing of the past. This indicates that birth trauma is the basic cause of the common cold and that learning conscious breathing has consciously or unconsciously healed this birth trauma cause. ” Breathing guides see so much birth trauma in their clients, as they are learning to breathe, that we encourage childbirth education and gentle birthing practices. It is possible to eliminate many kinds of birth trauma with intelligent childbirth education.
Breathing and psychotherapy
Most breathing guides are not psychotherapists. However, thousands of doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists and healers of all kinds have become breathing teachers and use it in their healing work. Breathing guides do teach basic self-improvement principles which we can use to process our thoughts. We have over 50,000 thoughts per day. No therapist can keep up with our thoughts. Therefore, we all have to learn how to manage our own thoughts. One of the most basic techniques is called working with affirmations with the emotional response technique. Everyone can improve the quality of their thoughts and feelings. Reading good books, listening to audio recordings, and attending lectures or workshops, is a good way to learn new things and bring beneficial changes into our lives. Journaling our thoughts and feelings is also a very powerful self- improvement technique.
” The mind and the breath are the king and queen of human consciousness. We always have to improve the content of our thoughts. We all can learn to think and breathe from the source of the mind and the breath. Even though we have a breathing guide teaching us how to breathe, we still have to learn how to breathe from the breath itself. This is one of the most wonderful and amazing gifts that life has to offer.
” People who have learned conscious energy breathing often report that it was the most valuable thing they ever learned. And people who use the breathing in their bathtub, sometimes with a snorkel often report that this practice is the most valuable self-healing skill they ever learned.

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Therapeutic Breathwork by Jeremy Youst

Find inner peace with Breathwork Therapy

 

Everything breathes: breathing is the inspiration of Life within all living forms of reality. All matter is in a continual state of particle exchange. In humans, breathing is the biological basis and spiritual expression that renews life, propels awareness and focuses body-mind functioning in time and space.

Therapeutic Breathwork is the intentional application of conscious, connected breathing one-on-one or in a group setting, guided by a skilled practitioner and the Spirit of Breath, and held within the sacred container of a therapeutic relationship and community.

” The Spirit of Breath in this case refers to the multi-dimensional collective intelligence that naturally seeks harmony, balance and fulfillment, and seems to surround and guide the act of conscious breathing. Working purposefully with the Spirit of Breath for the upliftment of others inspires the arena of human relationship to a heightened level of spiritual connection and empowerment. Consciously activating the human respiratory system in concert with this intelligence seems to also support the rapid establishment of safety within the client-therapist relationship, as well as promote a heightened potential for improved self-awareness, personal transformation and the integration of trauma.

” Therapeutic Breathwork engages all aspects of body, mind and spirit in its approach to empowerment and healing. The three primary areas of benefit are:

1. Body-mind therapy
2. Personal Development 3. Spiritual Empowerment

” Each one of these areas of focus may be engaged within the full scope of a Therapeutic Breathwork session, and therefore requires a unique combination of skills on the part of the therapist. Therapeutic attention may involve cognitive agility, intention and coaching skills, understanding of trauma, body-mind awareness and even energetic and transcendent sensitivity. Regardless of this diversity, however, what makes Therapeutic Breathwork uniquely powerful and confirming is its utilization of a self- regulating, biological mechanism that is uniquely fashioned for balancing stressed nerves: the human respiratory system.
” On its own, the act of respiration naturally energizes, cleanses, purifies, uplifts and reconnects the human organism to a state of maximum balance as well as higher states of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. A few full, relaxed exhales naturally engages the bodyʼs parasympathetic nervous system. Combining these inherent capabilities with conscious choice accelerates the healing effect by activating awareness and supporting the desire to grow and improve oneself. Therapeutic Breathwork not only enhances these qualities with conscious intent, but also seeks to engage the intelligence within the breath itself in order to escort or guide the process of self-discovery, emotional freedom and spiritual transformation.

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What does a Breathwork Therapy Session Involve?

A therapeutic breathwork session typically involves approximately an hour of concentrated connected breathing coached by a breathworker that works on the levels of body, mind and spirit.

Body:
Learning how to sustain a relaxed yet full breathing rhythm through whatever tension that arises in the body is a precious gift. Chronic holding patterns in muscle as well as connective tissue can be released without exterior manipulation. Once this is learned, a life-long method of tension relief is attained. This is an art form and not a mechanical process. One must sense the right breathing pattern for the appropriate circumstances. Like any skill, it develops with practice.

Mind:
More than an aerobic exercise, breathwork helps us discover the deep-seated negative beliefs behind holding patterns. This allows us to change the thought patterns that tend to recreate the chronic tensions. Sooner or later by giving the old messages and instructions to the body, we produce the same defensive reactivity. Permanent change takes more than just experiencing one time relief. It takes insight into a new way of seeing myself and my life and developing the self-talk to sustain it. The affirmations that come from working with a breathworker are not generic aphorisms for a good life. They are individually developed tools for the reconstruction of a new consciousness. Along with the continued practice of the breathing technique, the affirmations provide a daily reinforcement of a new level of enjoyment in life.

Spirit:
Breathwork’s underlying philosophy is that the key to new life is accepting total responsibility for union with your Self or oneness with the Divine Spirit. This means a willingness to go beyond our small self and letting our breath be our guide and friend en route. This is not a process of speculation and philosophizing but rather of direct experience. No one tells you your truth. You know it directly by virtue of your courage to go past fears and self doubts. Others celebrate with you on your path but do not control or interpret it for you.

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Breathwork for Healing, Integration, and Personal Growth

Here is an article by Jim Morningstar:

Breathwork as defined by the International Breathwork Training alliance <www.breathworkalliance.com> is the art and science of teaching breath awareness and breathing techniques for enhancing the human physical, mental, emotional and spiritual condition. True wellbeing involves balance and harmony in all the components of oneʼs self. Excessive focus on one part of the self to the exclusion of others results in imbalance and dysfunction. The other side of this equation is that the fine-tuning and harmony of all aspects of the self lead to higher states of health, wellness and opens the door for subsequent growth. Healthy breathing is the thread which strings all the pearls of oneʼs self together. Letʼs look at how healthy breathing is in the mainstay of an integrative approach to personal growth.

Physical Health      

Peak performance and achieving oneʼs personal best have always involved a mastery of oneʼs breathing. Though most of us are not in training for the Olympics, our physical health and wellbeing is directly related to regulated healthy breathing habits. Since there are few activities in which we engage in more than taking an inhale and and an exhale, any dysfunction in the process gets multiplied exponentially over the years. Conversely, healthy breathing has a nurturing and energizing effect on every physical organ and body system. All forms of yoga and, in particular, hatha yoga have documented results over the centuries on how coordinating steady diaphragmatic breathing with movement (asanas) or in stillness (meditation) improves physical health (e.g., McCall, 2007), Breath coaching has become increasingly effective in sports training and general.

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The Origins of Breathwork

The light of Breakthrough Breathwork Meditation for peace, stress relief, breath therapy

In ancient and pre-industrial societies, breath and breathing have played a very important role in cosmology, mythology, and philosophy, as well as an important tool in ritual and spiritual practice. Various breathing techniques have been used since time immemorial for religious and healing purposes. Since earliest times, virtually every major psychospiritual system seeking to comprehend human nature has viewed breath as a crucial link between nature, the human body, the psyche, and the spirit. This is clearly reflected in the words many languages use for breath.

In the ancient Indian literature, the term prana meant not only physical breath and air, but also the sacred essence of life. Similarly, in traditional Chinese medicine, the word chi refers to the cosmic essence and the energy of life, as well as the natural air we breathe by our lungs. In Japan, the corresponding word is ki. Ki plays an extremely important role in Japanese spiritual practices and martial arts. In ancient Greece, the word pneuma meant both air or breath and spirit or the essence of life. The Greeks also saw breath as being closely related to the psyche. The term phren was used both for the diaphragm, the largest muscle involved in breathing, and mind (as we see in the term schizophrenia = literally split mind).

In the old Hebrew tradition, the same word, ruach, denoted both breath and creative spirit, which were seen as identical. The following quote from Genesis shows the close relationship between God, breath, and life: “Then the Lord God formed man {Hebrew adam} from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.” In Latin the same name was used for breath and spirit – spiritus. Similarly, in Slavic languages, spirit and breath have the same linguistic root.

In the native Hawaiian tradition and medicine (kanaka maoli lapaʼau), the word ha means the divine spirit, wind, air, and breath. It is contained in the popular Hawaiian aloha, expression that is used in many different contexts. It is usually translated as presence (alo) of the Divine Breath (ha). Its opposite, haʼole, meaning literally without breath or without life, is a term that native Hawaiians have applied to white-skinned foreigners since the arrival of the infamous British sea captain James Cook in 1778. The kahunas, “Keepers of Secret Knowledge,” have used breathing exercises to generate spiritual energy (mana).

It has been known for centuries that it is possible to influence consciousness by techniques that involve breathing. The procedures that have been used for this purpose by various ancient and non-Western cultures cover a very wide range from drastic interference with breathing to subtle and sophisticated exercises of various spiritual traditions. Thus the original form of baptism practiced by the Essenes involved forced submersion of the initiate under water for an extended period of time. This resulted in a powerful experience of death and rebirth. In some other groups, the neophytes were half-choked by smoke, by strangulation, or by compression of the carotid arteries.

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