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Natural Therapies Home | Cognitive | Breathwork

Breathwork

 
  • Browse the local directory for Breathwork



What is Breathwork?

The breath is one of the most powerful transformative tools we have to access our essence and potential. Breathwork uses the breath (full, conscious, connected breathing) to clear unresolved issues, limiting beliefs and past events in our lives that are standing in the way of us reaching our potential, allowing our dreams to be fulfilled and feeling alive, happy and inspired. It is a client focused, self generated process.

There are many ways of describing Breathwork. Over time, through personal experience, each practitioner develops their own distinctive point of view and way of approaching working with the breath.

Frequently Asked Questions about Breathwork

What is it?

Breathwork is a breathing technique.

Breathwork is:

  • a tool for inner work using full, conscious, connected breathing
  • a technique that can provide resolution and clearing of issues, patterns and beliefs on a cellular level
  • spontaneous and organic
  • beyond the mundane
  • a sacred, soulful experience

How do I do it?

Breathwork can be done as one-to-one sessions with a practitioner or in a group setting.

The breathing part of the session is usually done lying down.

The practitioner sits beside the client and supports him/her to let go of their mind chatter, focus on their breathing and bring awareness to any body sensations, words, memories or images that are present.

A typical session will run for two to three hours and consists of:

  • a time of sharing for the client
  • the breathing process – this may take from 30-90 minutes
  • a debrief – this is the most important part of the session as it allows the client to reflect on experiences, ask questions and relate their session to their present day lives.

What can happen in a session?

Every session is different as Breathwork is an organic, self generated process. Clients can have a physical, emotional, mental and/or spiritual experience during their session (usually a combination of a few of these).

Experiences can include:

Physical

  • changes of temperature (feeling hot or cold)
  • tightness, tingling, cramping, numbness

Emotional

  • release/awareness of sadness, anger, fear and/or joy

Mental

  • memories of past events, relationships, early childhood and even birth and conception
  • awareness of patterns, conditioning, limiting decisions and beliefs, and the ability to clear these thoughts over time

Spiritual

  • memories of past lifetimes
  • deep relaxation and a sense of bliss
  • connection to self/spirit/universe
  • experiences of meditation.

Is it for everyone?

Everyone can benefit from Breathwork.

There are many different styles and it is a matter of finding the one that is most suited to where each person is at in their lives.

The process is most successful when clients are ready to take steps to change themselves and/or their life and accept personal responsibility for their life experiences and situations.

Children, the elderly and the infirm can also benefit from a more meditative, connected breathing style of Breathwork.

Does it always work?

Thousands of clients’ testimonials confirm this powerful process does work for them.

Breathwork is a powerful process for easing or alleviating emotional pain and gaining insight into why we behave and react in certain ways.

Some sessions can be quite subtle and inner while others can be cathartic and releasing. As the process works on a number of levels results will be seen and felt on different levels. Some sessions are very clear in their outcome while in others the client may feel and experience the results over a period of time in their lives.

At times it may feel like nothing is happening – nothing is never happening and the session is always a reflection of what is happening in the client’s life. Fear, resistance and holding may arise for some clients – by working with these feelings and sensations it is addressing these issues in life.

Will Breathwork change my life?

By entering into the Breathwork process it has the ability to change your life.

When clients are safe enough and ready enough to face their past, present and future, and enter into this process, the changes can be transformational.

The process can bring about changes in a number of areas including:

  • The physical body – aches, pains, contraction, illness can be released and/or awareness bought to their existence
  • The emotional body – deep feelings which drain the body of energy when suppressed/repressed can come to the surface to be cleared and their cause resolved
  • The mental body – beliefs, decisions and conditioning (conscious and unconscious) can be reprogrammed to allow the client to live more fully in the present
  • The spiritual body – deep connection/reconnection can be made with the Self, soul and universal energy.

Throughout these experiences can come the dis-identification with ego and personality.

Breathwork allows for clients to change their outlook on life, values, choices, decisions as well as behaviours.

How many sessions should I do?

Practitioners offer different cycles of sessions.

It is recommended that new clients have a sequence of sessions to begin with. This helps the client to learn how to use the breath effectively. It cannot be learned in one session.

Another reason for session cycles of 3, 5 or 10 sessions is to have the continuity to work on deeper issues. Some issues are not dealt with in one session. For example the effects of very traumatic events like rape or violence or severe accidents, war trauma etc, require time.

Each Breathwork session is a step in the unfolding of the body memory and each person will find their own pace at which to work.

A commitment to a session cycle also helps to overcome resistance when uncomfortable feelings and experiences emerge from the subconscious.

How much does it cost?

The fee for an individual two to three hour consultation varies depending on area and practitioner. Group Breathwork fees also vary depending on the facilitator.

 


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