What is Conscious Connected Breathing?

Breathwork can be beneficial for anyone seeking deeper self-exploration and access to new dimensions of healing and self-awareness.

Breathwork can:

• Alleviate anxiety and depression, and reduce stress, worry, and mental rumination

• Support emotional release

• Support nervous system regulation and the resilience to meet the experiences of life

• Support the resolution and integration of traumatic energy and fear

• Balance energy and enhance vitality

• Promote mental clarity and focus

• Expand awareness and open new pathways of seeing and understanding

• Connect you to the deepest dimensions of yourself

Breathwork sessions are typically 2 hours long, with time to check in and relax, 40-45 minutes of active breathing, and plenty of time for integration and rest.

Each breathwork session is different and offers unique gifts, however, there are some foundational elements you can expect in every session:

Conscious Connected Breathing. The core technique is generally an active inhale through the mouth into the lower abdomen and chest followed by a passive exhale, via the mouth. The breath is continuous like a rolling wave, with full movement of the diaphragm, and no pauses in between. The breathing technique will be demonstrated in each session.

Curated music journey. A dynamic soundtrack helps guide your session and creates an immersive experience to transcend the everyday mind.

Verbal cues and space. Verbal cues will be offered throughout the session to help guide you in the experience, and there is also space to just breathe with the music and observe what arises. My approach is to give just enough guidance to help support practice, and to leave space for you to explore new pathways of insight and embodied intelligence.

Therapeutic Touch. Optional therapeutic techniques can be incorporated into sessions such as EFT tapping, somatic movement, and supportive touch with compression while intense feelings arise.

A safe and comfortable space. Whether you choose a private breathwork session or a group session, you will be held in safety and comfort to allow for your authentic experience and expression. Depending on the setting, a yoga mat, cozy blankets, pillows and an eye cover may be provided, or you may be asked to bring your own.

Rest and integration. Time to rest and to simply be after your breathwork journey is an essential part of the healing process. The active breathwork practice is experienced lying down, typically with eyes closed and covered. When this portion of the session is complete, you will have ample time to rest, reflect, and share.

Each breathwork journey will be unique, and your experience can range vastly from session-to-session. However, there are some common experiences that can arise in this modality:

Physical experiences. In consciously increasing the depth and rate of respiration, there is a temporary up-regulation of the nervous system to support the release of accumulated stress in the body which are energies of the fight/flight/freeze response. Oxygen and carbon dioxide levels also temporarily shift, and the circulation of prana, or life force, in the body is increased. It’s common to experience a feeling of “buzzing” as a result, as well as energy that can be released in the forms of yawning, changes in body temperature, or some shifting sensations in the body.

Emotional experiences. Most people experience chronic suppression of emotions. Additionally, at an early age most people developed coping strategies to manage overwhelming experiences. Emotional energy is often exiled or “stuffed” in the body and psyche, and conscious deep breathing can often bring it to the surface for healing and integration — think of it like a release valve. It’s common to tap into grief, joy, love, sadness, anger, and even fear. Within a safe container and consciously engaged practice for healing and harmony, we can allow these energies to move through the system. In doing so, we can feel more at peace, with less internal discord and tension.

Visionary and transpersonal experiences. Breathwork is believed to dampen the “default mode network” of the brain, which can lead to a reduction in mental noise and rumination. Often people experience this as a timelessness and transcendence of the ego-mind. In this state, insight, memory, or visions may arise. This can also be a time to have inspirations about new projects and creative endeavors. There is often an experience of drifting into a state of lucidity, like the space between wakefulness and sleep, or an experience of deep stillness and peace.

While Breathwork can be of value to most anyone who is interested in deeper self-awareness and connecting to new dimensions of healing and insight, there are some physical and psychological conditions that are not recommended for this work due to the physiological shifts that can occur, and the potential for non-ordinary states of consciousness.

Breathwork is NOT RECOMMENDED for persons with any of the following conditions:

• Pregnancy

• Epilepsy

• Detached retina

• Glaucoma

• Uncontrolled high blood pressure

• Cardiovascular Diseases (including prior heart attack)

• Mental disorders (manic disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), paranoia, psychotic episodes, depersonalization, etc.)

• Strokes, TIA´s, seizures or other brain/neurological conditions

• A history of aneurysms in your immediate family

• Use of prescription blood thinners

• Hospitalized for any psychiatric condition or emotional crisis within the past 10 years

• Osteoporosis or physical injuries that are not fully healed

• Acute somatic and viral diseases

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD-II and COPD-III)

• Chronic diseases with symptoms of decompensation or terminal illness

• Individual intolerance of oxygen insufficiency

• Cancer, unless IHT is prescribed by a doctor

• Low Impulse Control

Persons with Asthma should bring their inhaler and consult with their primary care physician and your Breathwork Facilitator.

If you have any question as to whether Breathwork is appropriate for you, we recommend that you consult your healthcare provider.

Please consider the following recommendations to prepare for your experience:

Your Space. You will need your own yoga mat and a flat pillow, and may want a bolster or a blanket and an eye cover. Depending on the location for your session, props may be provided, or you may need to bring your own. Please check with the Facilitator for specifics for your session.

Timing. Schedule your session for a time when you have space in your schedule, and don’t have to switch gears immediately to work or social commitments.

Clothing. Wear loose, comfortable clothing.

Dietary. Refrain from eating a large meal prior, as breathwork is not ideal on a full stomach.

Pen & Paper. Bring a journal to capture insights that arise.

Snack. Bring a protein-rich snack for after your session, as breathwork can build an appetite, and eating a snack can help you feel grounded before moving on with your day.

Please consider the following post-session recommendations to best integrate your experience:

Hydrate. To support the energetic and detox aspects of breathwork — and the dehydration that can occur when breathing through the mouth — please hydrate well with water and electrolytes.

Ground. Eat a nourishing meal, take an Epsom salt bath, go for a slow walk outside, or take a yin or restorative yoga session.

Journal, draw, or find a symbol. To help bring the insights and experiences of what you touched into your daily life and consciousness, it can help to write about your journey, or even draw an image or symbol. If any imagery or themes came to you, you can also find a picture to put on your nightstand or desk — a visual reminder to recall the experience.

Be mindful of your environment. It’s common to feel energetically sensitive (for a couple days) following a deep breathwork session, so please take care and avoid places or people that might feel overwhelming.

Connect. It can be helpful to discuss and process your experience with a licensed mental health care provider or therapist, or experienced breathwork facilitator.