Two Core Techniques in Breathwork

This is the second article in a new series on the Practice of Breathwork and the Path of Breath Mastery. In the first article, we explored the Two Basic Aspects of the Practice. They are:

1. Breath Awareness
2. Conscious Breathing

Now we will focus on Two Core Exercises or Techniques:

1. The Coming Home Breath
2. Continuous Breathing

Another name for the “Coming Home Breath” is the “Cleansing Breath.” Another name for “Continuous Breathing” is “Connected Breathing.” The Coming Home Breath is basically an exaggerated sigh of relief. Continuous Breathing means to spin the breath like a wheel.

The Cleansing Breath involves a full expansive inhale with a quick and total release of the exhale. Continuous Breathing means there are

no pauses or gaps between the breaths: the inhale is connected to the exhale and the exhale is connected to the inhale.

Notice that the Cleansing Breath or the sigh of relief is not a technique at all: it is a natural automatic response to a change in our physical, emotional or psychological state. It is an expression or a reflection of a change in our energy.

We already know how to do a sigh of relief. It becomes a breathwork “exercise” or “technique” when we do it deliberately—when we exaggerate it. An important part of this technique is to release the exhale all at once rather than slowly; and to relax and release our muscles and joints at the same time that we release the exhale. Imagine a bow and arrow. We draw the bow back on th e inhale, and we let the arrow fly on the exhale. The further back we draw the bow, the further the arrow will fly. The bigger or more expansive the inhale,

the greater the release and relief on the exhale. If you don’t let go of the arrow, or if you release it slowly, it doesn’t fly at all.

We call it a “Coming Home Breath” for a reason: it helps us to return to a natural state of ease and grace. When we move from a state

of pain to no pain, or from fear to no fear, the sigh of relief naturally happens by itself. And when we consciously give ourselves a sigh of relief, we naturally move our system toward a state of comfort and pleasure.

I know this sounds simple: but that’s because it is! The simplest things are always the most powerful. The Coming Home Breath has treme


ndous cumulative benefits on all levels of health and wellbeing when we practice it regularly. Connected Breathing, the other core skill means that inhale turns into the exhale and the exhale merges with the inhale. is connected to the exhale and the exhale is connected to the inhale. In other words the breathing is continuous or circular. An important part of this practice is to make the inhale active and the exhale passive.

When we are anxious, afraid or in pain, or when we are under emotional or psychological stress, it is very difficult or even impossible to access a natural sigh of relief or to breathe in a connected way. Pain and fear disturb the smooth continuous flow of breath, and prevent a full expansive inhale and a full release of the exhale.

When we can manage to take a full expansive inhale and give ourselves a big soothing sigh of relief, when we can get our breath flowing and turning smoothly like a wheel, we dissolve and release tension and pain, fear and anxiety.

One of the principles of breathwork is to bring these breathing exercises and techniques into our daily lives. We need to breathe fully and freely when we find ourselves holding our breath; and we need to get the breath moving smoothly, gently when it gets stuck, or when it becomes disturbed.

We can use these two core breathing techniques to prevent or release stress. We can engage in them to reduce or eliminate anxiety. We can use them to awaken creative and healing energies. We can use the to calm or set tle our emotions, to quiet or focus our mind, or to relax and energize our body.

We need to practice these two core breathing skills until we master them, until we can do them anytime, anywhere—no matter what is happening in us or around us. The mastery of these two simple skills leads to something called freedom!

Stay tuned for the third article in this series…

Wishing you luck in your practice and many blessings on your path!
Dan
P.S. There are a number of details and subtleties in the advanced use and application of these and other techniques that are best learned

over a series of sessions with a good coach or facilitator. You can find information about Breathwork Practitioner Training at:

[Link to One Year Seminar Landing Page]

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For more information about Breathwork, please go to www.breathmastery.com.

Download your free copy of my book, "Shut Up And Breathe!" http://www.breathmastery.com/shutupandbreathe

PS: If you are ready to get onto the Path of Breath Mastery right now, you can enroll in the 60-Day Online Course: "21 Lessons in the Art and Science of Breathwork." Visit: http://breathmastery.com/onlinecourse

Or, join my Breath Mastery Inner Circle, and freely access almost 40 years of breath and breathing research, articles, essays, audio/video files, seminar transcripts, workshop handouts, and even complete training manuals! 

Visit: http://www.breathmastery.com/breathmastery-inner-circle-membership

Breathwork and Mindfulness

What does every world-class athlete do just before they dive, jump, shoot, or swing?
They breathe! They take a conscious breath—or they take a few of them.

Martial artists, healing artists, performing artists, and peak-performers of every kind use conscious breathing to channel and focus their attention and energy.

Tuning into your breathing creates immediate physical and mental focus. A few conscious breaths can strengthen your will, fuel your determination, and renew your commitment to achieving a goal. 

Breathwork is the art and science of using breath awareness and conscious breathing for health, growth and change—in body, mind, and spirit.

Mindfulness can be understood as a calm attentive awareness of one’s mind, body, and emotions; and it can include everything in one’s moment-to-moment reality. 

The subtle movements and sensations connected to the flow of breath provide the perfect means and method of developing mindfulness; and mindfulness is the key to personal development and spiritual enlightenment. 

Conscious Breathing helps you to feel grounded. A few conscious breaths can bring you clarity. A few conscious breaths can restore your emotional balance and help you to recover from an upset or a distraction. 

Conscious Breathing is a natural centering technique. It re-energizes and relaxes you. In fact, conscious breathing is the quickest and most effective way to clear your head, settle your stomach, and calm your nerves. 

The more conscious we are of our breathing, the more conscious we become of everything. The more aware we are of the subtle details of our breathing, the more aware we become of many other things in ourselves and others, in life and the world.

Breathing is literally a source of inspiration. And breathwork is a perfect way to open our hearts to love. The simple act of conscious breathing, in fact, can form the basis of a profound spiritual practice. 

Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist saints throughout history incorporated breathwork into their prayers, rituals, and ceremonies. 

The Spirit of Breath has always been at the heart of personal and planetary awakening. And today we find that Breathworkers are at that the cutting edge of the human potential and world peace movements.

The simple act of observing your breath—of turning to it and focusing on it—has so many proven benefits on so many levels that frankly, I think you’d have to be crazy not to practice it!

Breathwork is my passion (pass-I-on). It is also my profession (profess-I-on).

I am committed to helping anyone with a belly button to discover, explore and develop the power and potential of Breathwork. I encourage you to deepen your experience of Conscious Breathing, and to enjoy the benefits for yourself! 

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For more information about Breathwork, please go to www.breathmastery.com.

Download your free copy of my book, "Shut Up And Breathe!" http://www.breathmastery.com/shutupandbreathe

PS: If you are ready to get onto the Path of Breath Mastery right now, you can enroll in the 60-Day Online Course: "21 Lessons in the Art and Science of Breathwork." Visit: http://breathmastery.com/onlinecourse

Or, join my Breath Mastery Inner Circle, and freely access almost 40 years of breath and breathing research, articles, essays, audio/video files, seminar transcripts, workshop handouts, and even complete training manuals! 

Visit: http://www.breathmastery.com/breathmastery-inner-circle-membership

Transcendental Rebirthing & the Power of Breathwork

This month, I offer you this beautiful article by one of my all time favorite Breathworkers, Ivonne Alexander. It is an honor and a pleasure—a blessing—to call her my student, teacher, and friend.

YOU ARE BEING BREATHED BY GOD!
Transcendental Rebirthing & the Power of Breathwork

And when I breathed, my breath was lightning. ~Black Elk

In the beginning there was the word, yet before this word there was the first breath that carried the Prana for creation.Prana is the breath of life, the vitality of spirit. Without it, there is no experience of what we call reality, others or self. Breath in its essence includes this energy, which in Transcendental Rebirthing is seen as the elixir that keeps us all connected to the divine in all, through the divine within.

Through the awareness of the breath, and the interconnectedness that occurs with others, we consistently create a surrounding field where all energy is transferred, shared and exchanged. Thoughts, emotions, actions and intents, are transported through the field of breath in to others psyches and life field forces.

I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray of my heart: I am, I am, I am. ~Sylvia Plath

It doesn’t surprise me that for eons now all ancient & current spiritual teachers, all ancient schools of self mastery have focused on breath work, on the very one thing: that upon inhaling there is life, and upon exhaling there is release.

We too should make ourselves empty, that the great soul of the universe may fill us with its breath. ~Laurence Binyon

Prana (प्राण, prāṇa) is the Sanskrit word for “vital life”. It is one of the five organs of vitality or sensation. The practice of Pranayama is a MUST for any practitioner of yoga, meditation, or spiritual practice. Through it the control of prana is achieved (initially) from the control of one’s breathing.

According to Yogic philosophy the breath, or air, is merely a gateway to the world of prana and its manifestation in the body. In yoga, pranayama techniques are used to control the movement of these vital energies within the body, which is said to lead to an increase in vitality in the practitioner.

All the principles of heaven and earth are living inside you. Life itself is truth, and this will never change. Everything in heaven and earth breathes. Breath is the thread that ties creation together. ~Morihei Ueshiba

In Vedanta philosophy, prana is the notion of a vital, life-sustaining force of living beings and vital energy comparable to the Chinese notion of Qi that flows through a network of fine subtle channels called nadis or meridians.

A man must be strong in that profession; he must have vigor of body and mind. Yet I am all out of breath if I walk up a hill; I have not the heart to crush even a fly. ~Gregorio M. Sierra

In Transcendental Rebirthing we use and invoke the breath OF THE DIVINE MOTHER ENERGY, the pranic energy that supports rebirth and intention into actualized brilliancy and cycle-completion manifestations. It also supports the breath as the sacred language that keeps us connected to a higher purpose for the benefit of the whole.

Smile, breathe and go slowly. ~Thich Nhat Hanh

We believe that if one is aware of the breath, this creates a mirror neuron effect in others, who effortlessly, and without being directed to DO THE BREATH WORK, naturally begin to experience this conscious awareness. Forcing others to breathe creates its opposite effect.

A healthy mind has an easy breath. ~Author Unknown

Breathing is an unconscious competent act for most of humanity. The breath of spirit and of love is something that requires reawakening, rebirth and restoration into human consciousness.

With our very breath we connect to the whole. Which each, inhale we create new possibilities for the oneness of it all. And every exhale sends a message to the whole of humanity in an instant.

Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure. ~Oprah Winfrey

It is not possible not to be connected with others through the breath. Breath knows no concept of time, space or separation, thus our breath is connected to the lineage of our ancestors and our future generations in this very moment.

The non linearity of breath makes time disappear, and our connection to the Source of it all—that in TR we experience as the presence of God—undeniable.

Learn how to exhale, and the inhale will take care of itself. ~Carla Melucci Ardito

Within the sacred womb of life embraced by the Divine mother energy, our breath is a tool that transcends the doing, and embraces the being.

Breathing with awareness ceases struggles, righteousness and unnecessary competition with each other. Breath, right now in humanity, is the most powerful sacred language & prayer of unification we all have.

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again. ~L. Frank Baum

Imagine if for one minute, and only one, the whole of humanity agreed upon a day, a time where for 60 seconds we will speak nothing but the sacred language of breath. That we all, wars, television networks, schools, government organizations pause for one single minute just to breathe… imagine:

What could possibly happen then?
Will we all feel the oneness then?
Wouldn’t we all drop our separation and pettiness, and embrace the human essence of soul connection?
Would we finally manifest Peace on Earth?

Yet since this sixty-second experiment is not happening, or at least, not yet… we can begin right now with ourselves. In the sacred realm of Transcendental Rebirthing we can remember that every single being is sacred.

Starting with ourselves we have the capacity to become the butterfly effect… That with our breath can heal and transform, we can transmute, relax, and share the gift of living—the breath of life.

Breathwork then, with this awareness is no work at all, but a sacred offering to the divine within each of us, and to the divine in all. Thus it will be appropriate then to rename it as Breath-joy.

Inhale, and God approaches you. Hold the inhalation, and God remains with you. Exhale, and you approach God. Hold the exhalation, and surrender to God. ~Krishnamacharya

We pray and wish for you all to Breathe with awareness; we pray for us all to
breathe with ease, to recognize the collective effect this has far beyond words and thoughts.
Prana is transferred through breath, and through it we hold hands with our human family just by the simple sound of the inhale and the exhale… with the sound of AH.

All things share the same breath – the beast, the tree, the man… the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports. ~Chief Seattle

We invite you with awareness to inhale peace, exhale possibilities; inhale awareness, exhale transmutation; inhale presence, exhale the present; inhale love, exhale joy.

There is one way of breathing that is shameful and constricted. Then, there’s another way: a breath of love that takes you all the way to infinity. ~Rumi

May you inhale and exhale the love that you are, have been, and will always be! And may we all be aware that in this very moment we are being breathed and created by God.

Breathfuly yours,
Ivonne Delaflor
Founder & Creator of the Transcendental Rebirthing System

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For more information about Breathwork, please go to www.breathmastery.com.

Download your free copy of my book, "Shut Up And Breathe!" http://www.breathmastery.com/shutupandbreathe

PS: If you are ready to get onto the Path of Breath Mastery right now, you can enroll in the 60-Day Online Course: "21 Lessons in the Art and Science of Breathwork." Visit: http://breathmastery.com/onlinecourse

Or, join my Breath Mastery Inner Circle, and freely access almost 40 years of breath and breathing research, articles, essays, audio/video files, seminar transcripts, workshop handouts, and even complete training manuals! Visit:
http://www.breathmastery.com/breathmastery-inner-circle-membership

Pain, Tension, Relaxation, And Breathwork

Relaxation is a basic life skill. It is the key to ending much of our suffering. In Breathwork—as well as in life—the ability and the willingness to let go is vital

Success in Breathwork, as well as happiness in life, depends on our ability to let go and relax—especially in those moments when it is the last thing that we would think to do!

And this “letting go” applies to hard feelings and separating emotions, negative thoughts and rigid opinions, the “need to be right,” as well as physical tension and muscular contractions.

The best Breathworkers in the world have mastered the art of letting go. We practice letting go of the exhale, and this triggers or supports relaxation on all the other levels of our being.

“If you cannot let go of your exhale, don’t be
surprised if you cannot let go of physical
pain. If you cannot let got of your exhale, don’t
be surprised if you cannot let go of fear or
anxiety. If you cannot let go of your
exhale, don’t be surprised if you cannot let go
of painful thoughts. If you cannot let go of your
breath, don’t be surprised if you cannot let go
of habits and patterns from the past.”

When you master the art of letting go of the breath quickly and completely, you find that you are also able to let go of pain and tension, fear and anxiety, disturbing thoughts, and negative feelings—even the past—quickly and easily.

Pain is a sign of conscious or unconscious tension. Practically speaking, pain is tension: it is a contraction. And most people don’t feel this tension, or notice their energetic contractions, until it becomes pain.

When you carry tension all the time, you simply stop feeling it. Because it’s there all the time, you stop noticing it. And as tension accumulates, it becomes pain. Chronic unconscious tension causes or worsens every kind of illness, injury and disease.

Light loving thoughts are not automatically generated in a tight tense body. (It takes practice to do that!) Dark heavy thoughts are automatically generated in a tight tense body. (That is, until we train our system to do something else!)

In Breathwork, we can heal physical tension and pain by working on our thoughts and emotions. And we can dissolve painful thoughts and emotions by working on our physical tension!

Physical tension produces unconscious fear and it triggers ancient survival mechanisms. It is very hard to give and receive love when you are experiencing fear, tension and pain.

It’s also very hard to breathe fully and freely in those moments. That’s why the ability to breathe fully and freely is so important. It gives us a way to dissolve or burn away physical tension as well as psychological and emotional pain.

It’s normal to contract your energy and withdraw your awareness from things that are frightening or painful. But healing and growth often means looking at things that are scary and doing things that are uncomfortable.

Breathwork allows us an opportunity to observe our urge to resist, deny, or contract away from “what is.” It gives us a way to expand and relax and allow instead.

In breathwork, we learn to relax into intensity; we learn to relax in the presence of intensity. We use the breath to activate and eliminate intensely negative thoughts, feelings and sensations, and emotions.

It’s important to realize that when you are very relaxed, the body naturally has little to no need to breathe. The chemical triggers or breathing receptors do not fire off because there is no muscular activity, no metabolic demand for breath-energy.

The relaxed body, left to itself, will breathe very little, if at all. There is simply no biological need, no physiological demand. And so in breathwork, we often override these normal physiological controls: we consciously, deliberately choose to breathe.

When you are involved in strenuous physical activity, your body automatically breathes more. You don’t have to think about it. You don’t have to make it happen: your system takes care of itself.

But when you are relaxed and at rest, and doing breathwork—and if your purpose is clearing, healing, or growth—then you must focus on breathing; you must make it happen.

Imagine if you were to spend a few minutes breathing fast full breaths, as if you were running up a hill, and yet you were to remain completely still and perfectly relaxed.

What do you think would happen with all the energy being generated? The body doesn’t need it; the muscles aren’t using it. It has to go somewhere. It has to do something.

Simply put, it triggers physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual healing. And in the process, it naturally produces unusually beautiful and powerful feelings and sensations, thoughts and images.

There are many forms of Breathwork, and many ways to apply it. Breathwork is a method of spiritual purification, of soul healing. It is a way to increase our energy and enhance our aliveness, to reduce or eliminate stress and anxiety.

Thru breathwork, we can improve brain and nervous system activity; we can lower (or raise) blood pressure; we can regulate cortisone and oxytocin, and various hormone levels. We can strengthen and support our immune system.

The benefits of Breathwork in cases of PTSD, ADHD, depression, chronic fatigue, physical pain, and psychological distress are unarguable.

Breathwork can immunize us against caregiver stress and burnout. It can enhance our creative abilities. It can help us to access our intuition and our natural wisdom. It can deepen our connection to each other, and produce harmony in relationships.

Breathwork opens us to higher states of consciousness. It allows us to access the deepest parts of our psyche and ourselves. And it supports us in developing and expressing our greatest gifts.

If you do Breathwork, then you already know all this! If you don’t do Breathwork, then it’s time you start! Come to one of seminars, workshops, or trainings scheduled around the world.

In the meantime, check out this outrageous offer to learn everything there is to know about breathwork!

Go to:http://www.breathmastery.com/breathmastery-inner-circle-membership

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For more information about Breathwork, please go to www.breathmastery.com.

Download your free copy of my book, "Shut Up And Breathe!" http://www.breathmastery.com/shutupandbreathe

PS: If you are ready to get onto the Path of Breath Mastery right now, you can enroll in the 60-Day Online Course: "21 Lessons in the Art and Science of Breathwork." Visit: http://breathmastery.com/onlinecourse

Or, join my Breath Mastery Inner Circle, and freely access almost 40 years of breath and breathing research, articles, essays, audio/video files, seminar transcripts, workshop handouts, and even complete training manuals! Visit:
http://www.breathmastery.com/breathmastery-inner-circle-membership

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(*) NOTE:None of this is meant as a substitute for medical advice. If you have a medical condition or any health concerns, consult your physician or a qualified medical professional before starting any exercise program.

Why Breathe? Why Learn Breathwork?

Many people who have never done breathwork wonder what all the fuss is about. They ask what is the point of it; they want to know what the value or the benefits of it are.

For those of us who are immersed in the practice—our direct experience makes it all obvious and self-evident. But still, it is important to remind ourselves and to inform others of the astonishing power and potential of Breathwork: so that’s what I’ll do here this month.

We use breathwork for self-improvement and personal growth; we use it to increase our physical, emotional and cognitive wellbeing; we us it to enhance our creative abilities and to boost our self-healing capacities. We apply it for achieving peak performance, for attaining optimum health, and for realizing our ultimate potential.

Breathwork gives us more energy on a day-to-day basis, and it helps us to sleep better. Breathworkers are not as tense, stressed, anxious or afraid—as often or as much—as others. Breathwork helps us to maintain a peaceful loving heart, a relaxed energized body, and a clear quiet mind—even in the most difficult moments of life.

Breathwork gives us greater physical, emotional and psychological endurance and resilience. With it, we can improve our brain and nervous system activity, and we can strengthen our immune system. Breathwork strengthens and vitalizes our muscles, tendons, nerves, bones, and vital organs.

We use breathwork to eliminate headaches, back aches and other types of pain—and without drugs. And we use it to prevent many illnesses and to avoid injuries. Breathwork is to psychosomatic illness what penicillin was to bacterial infections!

Breathwork produces more success and harmony in relationships. It gives us more patience, empathy and compassion. We have a natural tendency to forgive and forget. It immunizes us against caregiver stress and burnout, while supporting us in expressing our greatest gifts.

We use it to overcome inherited limitations and genetic shortcomings, and to free ourselves from negative habits and tendencies. It helps us to recover from birth and infancy traumas; and it helps us to get free of negative or limiting family, cultural, and religious programming.

It helps us access greater intelligence, intuition, and wisdom. Breathwork opens us to non-ordinary and transcendent states of consciousness, and to a felt sense of our own natural divinity.

It allows us to get more pleasure from sex—taking it to a whole other level! And it takes our yoga and meditation and martial art practices to new and extraordinarily high levels.

And the best part of all is that with practice, anyone can reap these benefits! With good coaching and a minimum amount of knowledge and skills, you can begin to experience life-changing results starting from your very first session!

That’s why we have created the Breath Mastery Inner Circle Membership Program: so that you can educate yourself, learn from others, and receive free coaching, consulting and training directly from me.

I invite you to take advantage of our One time—Life Time Enrollment Offer.

All the information is here:
http://www.breathmastery.com/breathmastery-inner-circle-membership

PS: For a limited time only, you can receive an outrageous discount off the regular membership price! Look for the special discount code!

http://www.breathmastery.com/breathmastery-inner-circle-membership

Good luck in your Practice!
Dan

And please go to www.breathmastery.com.

Download your free copy of my book, “Shut Up And Breathe!” http://www.breathmastery.com/shutupandbreathe

PS: If you are ready to get onto the Path of Breath Mastery right now, you can enroll in the 60-Day Online Course: “21 Lessons in the Art and Science of Breathwork.” Visit: http://breathmastery.com/onlinecourse

Or, join my Breath Mastery Inner Circle, and freely access almost 40 years of breath and breathing research, articles, essays, audio/video files, seminar transcripts, workshop handouts, and even complete training manuals! Visit:
http://www.breathmastery.com/breathmastery-inner-circle-membership

(*) NOTE:None of this is meant as a substitute for medical advice. If you have a medical condition or any health concerns, consult your physician or a qualified medical professional before starting any exercise program.

Rebirthing-Breathwork: A Proven Method for Healing and Transformation

Birth and infancy traumas can affect people well into adulthood, and even for their entire lives. Many emotional and psychological issues, and dysfunctional patterns and tendencies can be traced back to birth, infancy, and early childhood.

For the first few years of our lives we are basically in a hypnotic trance. We have no discriminating consciousness. Everything that happens, to us and around us, is downloaded directly into our subconscious mind.

 

We form conclusions about life and ourselves, and we make unconscious decisions about others and the world while we are in this very open, vulnerable and impressionable state. And then we are often driven and controlled by these factors for the rest of our lives.

We “inherit” the unconscious fears, limitations, aspirations, and the hidden or suppressed desires of our parents and grandparents. We take on the core beliefs of those around us. We form and define ourselves in relation to others.

In essence, we receive programs that limit who and how we are. And what’s more, these impressions and this programming actually begin not at birth when we take our first breath, but while we are still in the womb.

All this is now well proven and widely accepted in most medical/scientific circles. But when I first began to teach Rebirthing-Breathwork in the mid 1970’s, this was not the case. And the notion that a few “conscious connected breathing sessions” could result in profound healing and growth was considered “new age nonsense.” Breathwork was looked upon with great skepticism, if not outright hostility.

At the time, most mainstream medical professionals believed that the only way to treat deep-seated psychological or emotional issues and problems was thru long-term counseling or psychoanalysis, and/or with psychotropic drugs. And the same held true for anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorders.

Today, leading psychiatrists, psychotherapists and medical professionals from all over the world, practice or prescribe breathwork for these conditions. Of course I am very happy to see this because I have been shouting about it from roof tops for many years, and I often felt like a voice crying out in the wilderness.

But thanks to pioneers like Bernie Siegel, Herbert Benson, Deepak Chopra, Andrew Weil, Richard Brown, Stan Grof, Bruce Lipton, and many others, “transpersonal psychology” and “mind-body medicine” has come of age, and Breathwork has finally made its way into the layers of the mainstream.

The fact is we have always had the ability to lift ourselves up by our own bootstraps. There are ways to clear and resolve the long-standing effects of trauma, negative impressions and limiting subconscious beliefs. We can replace them with positive and empowering states and attitudes. And you don’t need years of specialized training, permission or a license to do this, or to support others in doing the same.

Through Rebirthing-Breathwork, anyone with a belly button, and a normal attention span, together with the willingness to learn and practice, can drop ancient deep-seated habits and patterns, conditioning and programming. We can all reclaim our original essence and purity, our natural power, perfection, and boundless joy!

If we relax in a safe environment with someone we trust; if we breathe in a conscious continuous way, while remaining alert and aware, open and relaxed, we can process our own thoughts and feelings, our own emotions. We can unravel, dissolve, or release all of our early traumas and any limiting programs.

After witnessing thousands of “breathing miracles,” I have utter certainty of the therapeutic power and potential of Rebirthing-Breathwork. And yet, I am itching to move on, and to take breathwork to new levels: because in many ways, I have come to realize that restoring and renewing ourselves is just the beginning.

While most medical professionals, healing arts practitioners, and even many breathworkers are still focused on problems and pathology, on the illness and disease model, I am devoted to using breathwork for a higher purpose: and that is “transcendence.”

We are coming to the point where we can simply drop the game of illness and suffering all together, like a snake sheds its skin. We can shift our awareness and energy away from dis-ease, and focus on a completely different level. By doing so, all our psychological and emotional issues—even serious physical medical conditions—resolve themselves, or simply fall away on their own!

I no longer see birth and infancy traumas, painful early life experiences, and negative and limiting programs as problems. They are in fact gifts. Breathwork transforms them into natural springboards to higher consciousness, to spiritual enlightenment, self-realization, and ultimate liberation.

We have many extraordinary powers and untapped abilities latent within us; and we have a simple and easy way to unlock, awaken and embody these higher capacities.

I like to say that Rebirthing-Breathwork is easy but not simple, or simple but not easy. However, it can be described simply and easily. It is “conscious connected energy breathing.”

The breathing is continuous: which means that there are no pauses or gaps between the breaths. The inhales are active and the exhales are passive. And furthermore, we are consciously breathing energy and not just air.

Moment to moment “open relaxation” is also a key factor in the process; as well as a willingness to feel deeply and to be totally present to what is, as it is.

A good breathing coach, guide, or facilitator is a priceless ally when we embark on this transformational journey. And a well-trained “Rebirther” can teach the average person to rebirth themselves in as little as five to ten training sessions.

If you are serious about peak performance, optimum health, or ultimate potential, then you owe it to yourself to take on Rebirthing-Breathwork as a life skill. You would be wise to add it to your spiritual arsenal or toolbox!

There are thousands of good breathworkers in the world. And if you would like me to refer you to one, I’ll be happy to do that. But what I really would like is to invite you to become one!

I suggest that you to take the first step by scheduling a private session or by attending a public seminar, workshop, or training.

My best advice is to join the Breath Mastery Inner Circle, so that you can access over 30 years of breath and breathing materials and resources: articles, essays, audio-video files, seminar transcripts, session notes, workshop hand-outs, and even complete and detailed practitioner training manuals.

Visit: http://www.breathmastery.com/breathmastery-inner-circle-membership/

I also encourage you to enroll in the Online Course: 21 Lessons in the Art and Science of Breathwork.

All the information on that is here: http://breathmastery.com/onlinecourse

If money is an issue, I will be happy to give you a special discount coupon code. Just send your personal request to me (danbrule1008@gmail.com)

And if you are really serious and ready to take a quantum leap in your personal growth and professional development, then I suggest that you make plans to come to Baja Bio Sana in beautiful Los Cabos, Mexico. (www.bajabiosana.org).

We will be offering basic and advance Breathwork Immersion Programs between November 2014 and April 2015.

You are also invited to participate in any of the upcoming seminars and sessions in Russia, Lithuania, Romania, and France. Check the summer schedule for details.

All for now.
Love and blessings,
Dan

PS: I just completed a new book, called “Shut Up and Breathe!” You are welcome to download it free, with my compliments!

Just go to: www.breathmastery.com/shutupandbreathe

PPS: I would be very grateful if you would share your impressions of the book. I thank you in advance!

For more info: http://www.breathmastery.com/

Ten Ways to Improve Your Breathing

Dan Brulé is a pioneer in the field of Breathwork. He is an expert in Prana Yoga (The Hindu Science of Breath) and Chi Kung/Qigong (Chinese Medical Breathing Exercises). He is one of the originators of Breath Therapy, and the Founder of the Spiritual Breathing Movement. Over 100,000 people in more 40 countries practice Dan’s Breathing Exercises and Techniques. 
 

Ignorance is not bliss! When it comes to your breathing, what you don’t know could be hurting you, both in the short and long term.

 Your breathing habits can have a surprisingly negative effect on your health, and wellbeing, on your athletic and creative abilities, on your performance at work, and in your everyday life.

Here are just a few signs of “bad” breathing—problems and conditions caused or made worse by poor breathing habits:

anxiety, tension, asthma, headaches, chronic fatigue, panic attacks, sleep disorders, high blood pressure, irritability, poor concentration, shortness of breath, phobias, lack of mental clarity, dizziness, cold hands and feet, immune disorders, poor digestion, constipation…

You owe it to yourself to improve your breathing! And as it turns out, there are many simple and easy things you can do to dramatically improve your breathing—and with it—your health and happiness. (*)

To start, there is one thing—an all-important thing you need to do—and that is: Become more conscious of your breathing. You need to practice “Breath Awareness.” You need to pay more attention to how you breathe.

Establish the habit of consciously observing your breath at different times, in different situations, and during different activities. Do it now. Tune into your breath. Notice how you are breathing.

Are you a mouth breather or a nose breather? Are you a chest breather or a belly breather? Are you a shallow breather or a deep breather? Is your breathing fast or is it slow? Is your breathing rhythmic or irregular? What muscles do you use when you breathe? Do you hold your breath at times without realizing it?

The fact is you cannot improve your breathing if you are not aware of how you breathe now. And here is the ruthless truth: if you are serious about improving your breathing and your life, then you need to practice something for at least five to ten minutes, two or three times a day.

Frankly, it seems that most people are either too lazy or too busy to learn and practice healthy breathing. I guess they prefer to wait for a crisis, until they need a doctor, a therapist, drugs or surgery. I hope you are different!

And if you are, if you are willing to make a commitment to yourself, then I’m willing to make a commitment to you: to forever serve and support you in your Breathwork practice.

Visit: www.breathmastery.com. Download a copy of my new book: “Shut Up And Breathe!” Subscribe to my Monthly Newsletter. And browse thru the archives of breathing articles. All this is free!

In the meantime, here are ten commonsensible ways to improve your breathing:

1. At the top of the list are good old-fashioned aerobic exercises. Get someone to kick your butt and get you moving and breathing! Choose your activities and adjust the intensity of them to match your abilities and your level of health.

2. Take a hike! And breathe to the rhythm of your footsteps. Start with a 2-2 pattern: breathe in for two steps and breathe out for two steps. Then gradually increase your pace and the count to 3-3 and 4-4.

Fred is a retired restaurant owner. He said this to me recently: “I walk every day. If it rains I walk. If it snows I walk. I do yoga and I meditate. Every day.” Fred is seventy-two years old, and he barely looks fifty. He started his breathing practice when he was sixty-five.

3. Another obvious way to improve breathing are exercises that stretch and increase chest flexibility and those that strengthen the abdomen and condition the diaphragm. If your chest and spine are stiff and rigid, if your diaphragm is weak or frozen, then you are robbing yourself of breath and life.

4. Do Tai chi, Yoga, Chi Kung, or any other practice that involves slow graceful movements coordinated with breathing. Pilates is an excellent way to improve breathing by developing more flexibility and core strength.

5. Stop wasting energy. Don’t use “accessory muscles” to breathe. Your neck muscles, shoulder muscles and back muscles are not breathing muscles. Putting too much effort into breathing is an exhausting exercise in futility!

The habit of rapid and shallow “chest breathing” is a good example of wasted breath energy. Imagine running a business where it costs you two dollars to make every one! 

6. Learn and practice “diaphragmatic breathing.” Most of your blood flow and air exchange takes place in the lower portion of your lungs. And so, practice “belly breathing” until it is an unconscious habit—until you literally do it in your sleep!

Slow diaphragmatic breathing results not only in in deeper and more restful sleep, but it also makes for sweeter dreams! Many people report blissful “flying” dreams when they make the switch from chest breathing to belly breathing. 

7. Practice lengthening your exhales. Make your exhales longer. Take time to stretch them out. When you focus on exhaling slowly and completely, your inhales automatically become fuller, deeper, and without any extra effort.

8. Breathe more slowly. Breathing less than 12 breaths per minute correlates with good overall health. The rate of 6 to 8 breaths per minute is considered a “therapeutic zone.” It improves everything from high blood pressure to asthma.

Breathing more slowly actually increases cellular oxygenation! And it activates the vagus nerve, which controls heart rate, digestion, and it is associated with a relaxed restorative state. Slow breathing also increases alpha waves in the brain. That’s a very good thing!

9. Learn “Bellows Breathing” to energize yourself. This ancient yogic technique stimulates the natural production of epinephrine. It involves breathing quickly and actively: 2 to 3 breaths per second (120 to 180 breaths per minute). You should sound like a busy bicycle pump! Do it for a minute or two, then rest for an equal amount of time. Several cycles of this will give you a healthy burst of energy.

10. Master the Full Yogic Breath. Fill up all three breathing spaces: lower, middle, and upper. When you breathe in, think of how you fill a glass with water: from the bottom up. Fill up your lungs in the same way. Then relax and release the breath, letting it pour out fully by itself.

A breathing coach can shorten your learning curve and accelerate your progress. To master some of these exercises you may require some hands on training. For help in locating a good Breathworker, email me at:danbrule@breathmastery.com

Some Additional Tips for Improving Your Breathing

Apply the “Two to One” Pattern: Make your exhales twice as long as your inhales. Experiment with different counts, but keep the same ratio. For example: Exhale 4, inhale 2. Exhale 6: inhale 3. Exhale 8, inhale 4. Mix it up and vary your rhythms. (You can count using seconds, heartbeats, or your footsteps.)

Blowing up balloons is good exercise to increase your lung capacity. And so is simply exhaling against pursed-lips. This creates natural resistance and pressure in the airways, which helps to maximize oxygen absorption.

You can also practice blowing out a candle. Start by holding it at arms length. And then try to blow it out from further and further distances. And singing, humming, and playing wind instruments are also easy and fun ways to improve your breathing.

You can also simply practice counting on the exhale. Take in a deep breath and then count out loud until you run out of air. “One, two, three, four, five, six… (Squeeze the last few counts out in a whisper) fifty-six, fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine…” Practice every day. Increase your count till you get to one hundred!

Good luck in your practice!

Dan

PS: If you are ready to get onto the Path of Breath Mastery right now, you can enroll in the 60-Day Online Course: “21 Lessons in the Art and Science of Breathwork.”Visit: http://breathmastery.com/onlinecourse

Or, join my Breath Mastery Inner Circle, and freely access almost 40 years of breath and breathing research, articles, essays, audio/video files, seminar transcripts, workshop handouts, and even complete training manuals! Visit:

http://www.breathmastery.com/breathmastery-inner-circle-membership/

(*) NOTE:None of this is meant as a substitute for medical advice. If you have a medical condition or any health concerns, consult your physician or a qualified medical professional before starting any exercise program.

For more info: http://www.breathmastery.com/