
Our pattern of breathing reflects and also helps determine the moment-to-moment rhythmic flow of our lives. This flow is disrupted when breathing is inhibited and distorted, as it is for many. This is particularly evident when we are feeling stressed or challenged. As a result, many day-to-day experiences are poorly processed. A residue remains of physical tension, emotional disturbance, and unconscious limiting decisions about life. When breathing is blocked during stress, full energy and clarity of mind become unavailable just when they are most needed.
Over time, shallow and non-rhythmic breathing reinforces limiting patterns of feeling, perception and behavior. These habitual patterns often include chronic feelings of anger, fear, grief, frustration and failure. During Breath Release, the increased energy created by deep breathing externalizes and releases many of these destructive patterns that have been locked in the body and mind. This gradually carries over into daily life, resulting in an increasing ability to move forward in life with greater balance, appropriateness, and freedom from past restriction. Breathers may also have experiences of serenity, insight and open-heartedness.
Breath Release is a healing and growth process that uses the powerful potential of the breath to catalyze positive change. It is a simple and effective way of increasing health and well-being, insight, acceptance and desired behavior change. Opening of the breathing pattern is at the core of any truly complete healing process. Thus Breath Release complements and supports all other healing modalities.
WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF BREATH RELEASE OVER TIME?
As the breathing pattern becomes more spontaneously rhythmic, flowing and full, deep and subtle changes often occur in one's experience:
The body becomes more relaxed and vital.
It becomes easier to make positive changes on all levels.
Creativity and problem-solving abilities are enhanced.
Emotions are experienced more freely, and then released.
The mind develops increased balance, clarity and insight.
Experiences of spiritual and intuitive awareness become more common.
Through an unblocked breath, a deeper relatedness to the universe reveals itself.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING A BREATH RELEASE SESSION?
Sessions last between one and a half and two hours, which includes time for discussion before and after the breathing process itself. The Breather usually lies on his/her back, or sits upright in a comfortable chair, while breathing deeply and rhythmically. Simple movements, awareness of bodily sensations, music and visualization may be used to aid releasing of tension, fuller breathing and deeper experiences.
Once the breathing is freed from restriction, Breath Release becomes a consistently effective tool for exploring a great range of positive states of consciousness. From the first session, most Breathers experience a very deep state of relaxation and tension release. Those with a background in meditation or related disciplines often report extended experiences of highly valued states that were previously only rare and fleeting.
During initial sessions, increased breathing may produce a tingling or vibrating sensation in the body, or sometimes a crampy sensation in areas where there has been chronic tension or a history of trauma. These sensations signal a resolving of deeply held patterns of restricted energy flow and other limitation. Emotional release during Breath Release is a dissolving and cleansing process. The Breather discovers that unresolved, painful emotions and memories can often be quickly and deeply discharged by simply continuing to breathe in the same relaxed and rhythmic way. This carries over to daily life as one begins automatically to breathe more fully and freely during experiences that would ordinarily have resulted in further breath restriction, tension, disturbance and limitation. For many persons, this is a profound and far-reaching change from previous habits. Individuals with a background in counseling, therapy, and support groups often find Breath Release a powerful key that allows them to more fully apply the intentions, insights and changes that they choose.
HOW MANY SESSIONS ARE NEEDED, AND HOW OFTEN?
Most persons require at least six to twenty-five sessions with an experienced Guide to significantly release primary breathing constriction, reduce muscular armoring and begin resolution of certain limiting mental and emotional patterns. Those individuals who experience tingling, crampiness or other unusual sensations; or who experience frequent or deep emotional release, are encouraged to continue the process until these types of experiences no longer occur regularly during a session.
The effects of Breath Release are cumulative. Working with the process between sessions, and as an on-going personal tool is encouraged. It is recommended that the initial sessions occur on a weekly or alternate weekly basis, if possible. Later sessions may occur less frequently.
When unusual or powerful mind and body releases and other experiences cease to occur during sessions, even with strong breathing methods that are appropriate at that stage, the initial, and most important part of the healing process, is complete. At this point, Breath Release becomes a tool for increasing vitality, clearing the mind, problem solving, enhancing creativity, and promoting a more relaxed and balanced flow in one's life that can be used at any time, with or without a Guide.