The Benefits of Breathing & Breathwork
By Alan Waugh
We became autonomous beings the moment we were disconnected from our Mother’s umbilical cord and took our FIRST breath. Our last action as that same autonomous being is when we breathe our LAST breath. Breath is the most vital element of simply BE-ing, not just autonomous but alive, as we are virtually breathed into and out of existence.
When we take that first in breath, the oxygen passes down the bronchial tubes to the lungs for the first time. The body at this point knows exactly what is required to live and sustain itself.
After the lungs absorb the Oxygen, it enters the blood stream, where it is carried to the heart and is pumped throughout the body to provide its cleansing life force energy, to the trillions of cells contained in the tissues and organs. The blood then carries the carbon dioxide from the cleansed cells back to the lungs, for the poisonous waste products to be ejected from the body on the out breath. This process amazingly takes place between 12 and 20 times per minute. Without this, the cells would quickly become toxic and the organs would shut down, causing nearly immediate death. The deeper one breathes, the more powerfully the cleansing oxygen can filter through the blood to enhance the vitality of the whole body.
Not only does the breathing process oxygenate the blood and provide the vital life force or Prana as its known in Yogic philosophy, it also activates a high frequency of electromagnetic vibration throughout the body and mind. This can clear blockages within the energy systems, that hold stuck emotions or memories and can open awareness to the originating causes of our conditioned responses.
The way you breathe is a mirror of the way you live your life
There was a study done in Stanford University several years ago to determine if emotions and feelings had a particular breathing pattern associated with them. The first test group was tested to see if there were unique breathing patterns related to fear, doubt, hatred, stress and other feelings/ emotions etc. It was found that each person had a similar breathing pattern, dependent on which emotion/ feeling they were associating with. The second test group was told to breath in a particular series of patterns that replicated the first groups. This second group did not know which emotion their breathing pattern was associated with and the amazing result was that the participants experienced the same emotional reactions as the first group had highlighted in their breathing patterns.
One can assume therefore that if negative feelings have a particular pattern of breathing response, then positive feelings have breathing patterns unique to them. We can therefore learn to breathe in a manner that encourages relaxation, expansiveness and happiness.
Yogis have been practicing breathing techniques for millennia to access ascended states of consciousness and attain vibrant health. There are many teachings in the focused use of breathing that are taught both in Yoga schools and stand alone practices, to augment conscious awareness and transpersonal healing.
Why Freedom Breathwork?
The Freedom breathwork practices that we facilitate and teach, incorporate 2 types of breathing patterns. Firstly as a warm up, we use a combination of diaphragmatic and chest cavity breathing. After a period of time we move into the secondary breathing pattern of heart -centered breathing. We have identified that the Soul is centered in the heart chakra, which also contains the wisdom of the adult self. We have learnt through experience, that when we breathe into this powerful center, many life lessons can be revealed about how best to live from a place of wisdom and awareness. Often, before these wisdom teachings can be revealed, we will first uncover stuck emotions and causes of conditioned responses that have kept us limited and blocked. Breath opens the energy channels in the body and allows what we have been holding onto, to surface and be released.
We gently guide your breath session with light touch, somatic release, Reiki, sound healing and verbal encouragement
You may experience happiness or sadness, anger or forgiveness, Love of self or another. Often long forgotten memories will pop into your awareness allowing for an expression of clarity for some deeply held belief. At times it can feel like a Hypnotherapeutic Regression session or a plant spirit journey.
With the relaxed breathing style that we teach you, you will always end the session feeling a surge in energy, or a transpersonal shift.
Benefits Freedom breathwork techniques can offer:
- Increases in oxygenation (a virus cannot live in an oxygen rich atmosphere)
- Increased energy levels (with this increased energy we have the capacity to release stuck emotions and blocked feelings)
- Stimulate blood and energy circulation
- Uncover the root cause of addictive patterns.
- Enhance – Stress Reduction, Respiratory efficacy, Migraine Healing
Join our “Freedom Breathwork Training Program“
Alan and Nicole
You will learn many time proven techniques that we have learnt and gained Mastery in, from offering healings, teaching and from our own deep dives into our own healing, with help from Masters from many different lineages.
In our own personal healing journeys, we have both studied the benefits of various Plant Teachers / entheogens, primarily Ayahuasca and San Pedro, and are very familiar with the processes and intelligence of these powerful plant teachers. We both have been led to explore gentler and more accessible ways to offer deep healings to our clients and were shown how breath work accompanied by other processes that we use, one can access the same neural pathways as plant medicine, to receive deep and gentle transformations.
The skill level we provide, in both practice and teaching, comes not only from 30 plus years collectively studying ancient indigenous wisdoms in the jungles and highlands of Peru and E-RYT 500 hours Yoga teacher training, Breath work facilitator certifications, Hypnotherapy and Reiki Master certifications, Depth Hypnosis and numerous other alternative therapy trainings. Both separately and together we have lead thousands of people in healing circles in the US and internationally.
You can be assured that you will be learning from the best!
Our Level 1 Training Series of 5 weekend Modules, helps you to build a deeper understanding of why the body will heal itself and techniques to enhance this potential. You will also be introduced to Freedom Breathwork.
Level 1 is a pre-requisite to take our Level 2 Module; a 7-day intensive Certification Freedom Breathwork Training, which will give you tools and experience to offer your own Breath work client sessions.
Our trainings currently take place in Ashland, Oregon and Mt Shasta, California.