Breath Awareness
Conscious Breathing
Conscious breathing is the practice of breathing with awareness of your internal experience and breathing with intention.
Conscious Connected Breathing
Many modern practices of “Breathwork”, use Conscious Connected Breathing as a foundation for sessions. Conscious connected breath is a breathing pattern in which the person intentionally connects the inhalation with the exhalation, in a cyclical pattern, removing any pause between the in-breath and out-breath.
Breathwork
“Breathwork” is the practice of consciously using the breath or breathing techniques for a specific period of time and for an outcome. Generally, this can be engaged through a group, 1-on-1 or in personal practice to cultivate self-awareness, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being.
Conscious Connected Breathwork
Conscious Connected Breathwork (CCB) is an experiential field of study and practice that uses conscious connected breathing and body-mind techniques to support the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels of being.
Modern Breathwork
The Origins Of Breathwork
Beyond Breathwork
Beyond Breathwork is a series of classes and workshops using conscious connected breath, pranayama, movement and meditation practices to enter deep states of consciousness; to access and work with our innate intelligence and genius in everyday life.
Types Of Modern Breathwork
There are numerous types of breathwork, with the above definition you could include pranayama as a type of breathwork; then also breathing techniques for physical performance and endurance, focus in sports etc. For the purposes of “modern breathwork” we are including types of CCB styles below. This list is by no means exhaustive and there are numerous other slight variations and brands which use their own spin on the foundational work.
Rebirthing Breathwork
Holotropic Breathwork
Wim Hof Method
Bio-dynamic Breathwork
Beyond Breathwork
Clarity Breathwork
Shamanic Breathwork
What happens during a breathwork session?
It depends on the intention of the breathwork practice. If it is for performance or meditation, it will be between 10 – 30 minutes, with sequencing and breath suspension to enter deeper states of meditation.
If it is a transcendental or healing breathwork practice, it is normally for a duration of 1 hour in a group or 1 on 1 private session. The facilitator may use music to help the participant(s) move through the journey and access different layers of their subconscious.
As we breath through the mouth in connected cycles, the fight or flight system (sympathetic nervous system is activated), which can bring up latent stress in the nervous system, body, mind, past memories, emotions and stuck energy which can potentially be re-experienced and transmuted or let go of. Breathwork can trigger past traumas or latent stress in the body/mind, memories, induce a trance-like state and touch a much more primal aspect of who you are.
What can you experience during breathwork?
The experiences during and after a breathwork session vary widely and often depend on the technique, the constitution of the person, what they need to experience. In short, breathwork sessions vary from session to session and from person to person. In longer breathwork sessions, the first few times can be quite physical including tingliness, tightness, heat, sweatiness, cramping etc and include emotional release as what is experienced may be uncomfortable or unusual. There are of course some major benefits despite some discomforts of breathing in an unnatural way.
What Are the Benefits Of Breathwork?
Everybody has a different experience with breathwork and it does depend on the type and intention of the breathwork you practice. Some of the benefits include:
uncovering and releasing limiting beliefs
trance-like states of consciousness
meditative states
increased self-awareness
emotional release
feeling empowered
increased sense of self worth
deep connection to self and others
states of elation, compassion, empathy, love, understanding, acceptance, joy, etc.
What is the purpose of breathwork?
There are many reasons to practice breathwork. For shorter breathwork practices and daily routines, there are performance reasons, clarity of mind, focus, meditation, calming and getting clear, more intuitive. For longer sessions, the purpose of breathwork may be just to have an experience of deeper layers of the self; more often than not, it is to remember who you truly are and shed that which is in-authentic. This might look like releasing emotional tension and embracing a new way of living and feeling. It can be impactful in re-wiring your subconscious mind, stepping into something scary, relating to yourself in a more healthy way or for a transcendental or meditative experience.