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In this Issue you will find:

Inspiring Articles:

Therapeutic Breathwork and Personal Growth
by Jim Morningstar, Ph.D

Intuition and the Call to Communion
by Judee Gee

Become an Accomplisher Instead of a Procrastinator
By Helaine Iris, Life and Business Coach

Ask the Experts:

Questions posed by breathworkers answered by veteran trainers of breathwork.
This month featuring Binnie Dansby.

News and Announcements:

Report from the Boston Nourishing the Flame Event

Save the Date -October 29-31, 2010 Nourishing the Flame – A Forum for Breathworkers comes to Oxford England

2012 IBTA International Symposium

Annual IBTA Board Meeting Report
We’ve added and improved our Membership Benefits

Breathwork in Action – a request from the board to the breathwork community

Poem

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Article

Therapeutic Breathwork Article #6 Therapeutic Breathwork: Integration and Personal Growth
Jim Morningstar, Ph.D.

In this article the use of conscious breathing to integrate one’s physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being and to promote personal growth will be explored.

Breathwork as defined by the International Breathwork Training alliance www.breathwork alliance.com is the art and science of teaching breath awareness and breathing techniques for enhancing the human physical, mental, emotional and spiritual condition.

True well being involves balance and harmony in all the components of one’s self. Excessive focus on one part of the self to the exclusion of others results in imbalance and dysfunction – much of which we have reviewed in previous articles. The other side of this equation is that the fine tuning and harmony of all aspects of the self lead to higher states of health, wellness and opens the door for subsequent growth. Healthy breathing is the thread which strings all the pearls of one’s self together. Let’s look at how healthy breathing is in the mainstay of an integrative approach to personal growth.

Physical Health

Peak performance and achieving one’s personal best have always involved a mastery of one’s breathing. Though most of us are not in training for the Olympics, our physical health and well being is directly related to regulated healthy breathing habits. Since there are few activities in which we engage in more than taking an inhale and an exhale, any dysfunction in the process gets multiplied exponentially over the years. Conversely, healthy breathing has a nurturing and energizing effect on every physical organ and body system.  All forms of yoga and, in particular, hatha yoga have documented results over the centuries on how coordinating steady diaphragmatic breathing with movement (asanas) or in stillness (meditation) improves physical health (e.g., McCall, 2007), Breath coaching has become increasingly effective in sports training and general conditioning as ably demonstrated by Optimal Breathing coach, Michael White www.breathing.com as just one example

Emotional Well being

Therapeutic breathwork has brought to the awareness of the healing community, the direct link between the ability to regulate one’s breathing with the experience of emotional balance. Emotional balance is that middle path between repression on the one side and lack of containment on the other.  Deep or repressed feelings that have been inaccessible to cognitive therapeutic intervention have been readily accessed in therapeutic breathwork practice. This is because this technique alters the breathing rhythm to activate the sympathetic nervous system in a controlled way. While the body is beginning to engage in flight/fight/freeze activation and the attendant emotional responses, the breather is staying conscious of his or her breath control. This is the control of a surfer riding a wave rather than a dam trying to hold back a river.  The breather learns to ride the wave of feelings rather than suppress or lose control. The full range of emotions – mad, sad, glad, scared and all their variations – can be experienced as a source of positive vitality and wisdom (emotional intelligence). All of the bad examples we have of repression or loss of control in the culture tend to give emotions a bad reputation. However the truth is that a life devoid of feeling is a passionless existence. Our breath can help us be safe with our feelings.

“Inner child” work is often associated with emotional exploration. This tool is often used with therapeutic breathwork to help give certain clients permission to let feelings flow rather than be dammed up. Many give their “child self” the benefit of feelings that they do not give their “adult self.” Our goal is to have the mid brain limbic system which generates the hormones that signal emotional experience’s work in concert with the cerebral cortex which is the center of logical rational thinking.  Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the accurate reading of one’s and other’s feeling states and the ability to use this information effectively. EI is achieved in great part by regulating ones breathing appropriately during charged emotional states. I say appropriately because in some circumstances it may be appropriate to run for higher ground and breath fast as when avoiding a flash blood verses other circumstances when slow steady breathing may be what is needed, e.g., to thread a needle with which to sew up a wounded person.

The monitoring of breathing through all feeling states allows us to tap into the non-verbal wisdom of emotions and the richness with which they color our existence.

Mental Growth

The brain uses a disproportional amount of oxygen to the rest of our body. – It is only 3% of the body’s total weight, but uses 25% of the available oxygen. The energy we expend in mental activity requires it. The clarity that comes with mental mastery opens the door to creativity. We are not trapped in thinking loops that repent endlessly, affording us limited options for novelty and discovery. We can think in a rut and thereby live in a rut.

We think roughly 40 – 50,000 thoughts a day and most of them are variations of time honored themes which we took on at an early age and just elaborated with more sophistication (e.g. “I have to hide when daddy is angry” gets transmitted to “secretive nuclear stockpiling is imperative to defend against the hostile totalitarian regimes in the world.”). Therapeutic breathwork helps ferret out there “tap root” thoughts or “personal laws” – major negative beliefs upon which most of our attitudes and behaviors are based. One of the dictums of mental mastery is that thoughts do not change unless we change them. No one can make us think what we refuse to think. Thus we must consciously choose how we want to think or we will just run our previously programmed tape loops. The fear based tape loops often get reinforced by cultural messages which play upon our fears, e.g., “Hostile countries are planning our demise.” This is not to say we should put on rose colored glasses in the face of evidence of aggression coming towards us. But if we are breathing easily in the face of challenge, as any good martial artist would be, we are much more resourceful in directing the energies of ourselves and others. In fact, as we populate our thinking with resourceful thoughts, we actually transform many formerly perceived “attacks” into opportunities for mutual benefit. When I hold my breath, I take a fixed position and am much less flexible in my mental emotional or physical responses.

Affirmations are specifically designed thoughts to help lead us out of static thinking patterns often reinforced by fear. A good affirmation is a well honored tool to help me stretch just the right amount to best facilitate more resourceful thinking and promote clear and creative thinking. I use the four P’s of affirmation writing to maximize the affirmation’s power. Make the affirmation Positive, Personal, Present and Practical, and breath life into the new thoughts. The breath helps take the energy of the thought and spread it throughout the body (literally creating a new stance) and the environment (attracting  new possibilities). Full easy breathing is both the facilitator of and the result of clear creative thinking – a positive feedback loop that becomes a new lease in life.

Spiritual Growth

The diaphragm has been called the “spiritual muscle” in certain ancient practices. Breath control has been a central practice of most spiritual/mystical traditions for thousands of years (Minnet, 2004). The breath is known as the “rainbow bridge” from the physical to the spiritual realms. Simple attention to a steady flow of breath can put one in an altered state making one more sensitive to who one is beyond the physical. A prominent researcher in the area of spiritual traditions, Ken Wilber (Wilber, 2006) claims that meditation (facilitated by slow regulated breathing) is the only practice which has scientifically documented results on its positive influence on spiritual growth. The Russian mystic G. I. Gurdjieff said, “Without mastering breathing, nothing can be mastered.”

As simplistic as this may sound, how long can you go just paying attention to your inhale and exhale? Most people cannot go for more than a few seconds without thoughts or sensations distracting them. If followed to its origins, the breath leads to our creative source, the spirit which initiates the “breath of life” in one’s body. In many languages spirit and breath are linked by the same words. e.g. nephesh in Hebrew, atman in Sanskrit, psyche in Greek. Now our minds can interpret our experience according to prescribed forms or deny our experiences readily, but it does not invalidate centuries of experience by our greatest spiritual teachers and traditions from Christian mystics to native shaman. More importantly, if you have some awareness of the workings of your mind, you will not allow fear based thoughts to deny the eminence of your breath awareness and its ability to initiate connection to your own spirit.

A very common phenomenon in therapeutic breathwork, after physical, emotional and mental holdings have been released, is to have openings to ones spiritual realm or higher self that transport the breather to transcendent states (Grof, 2000).

That breath is a powerful agent of healing and growth well established. That each of us has the ability to access this power “right under our nose” is being discovered and documented in many volumes, e.g. Morningstar,, 1964. That you have the ability to find the methods and techniques which work for you in tapping into this power is left for you to explore. Here is a simple experiment en route:

Therapeutic Breathwork Exercise #6

“The Voice of Spiritual Guidance”

Find a quite place to be alone for 10 – 20 minutes.

Sit comfortably with your spine relatively straight. Put your attention on the base of your spine and suggest that as you inhale, you bring energy up your back to the top of your head. Then as you exhale follow your energy down the front of your body to the base of your spine. Continue following your breath energy up our back on the inhale, down your front on the exhale. Suggest that as you breath passes over each part of your body, it radiates healing and nurturing energy to every organ and body part, especially those that need it most. Envision this happening. Next Breathe into your heart area inside the sacred circle you created with your breath. Ask for guidance from whatever source is meaningful to you. This could be about a specific question or just guidance in general and listen to whatever answer speaks to you in your heart. Thank your source of guidance, take a couple deep and clearing breaths and come back to waking awareness.

Of course you will interpret or use this guidance in whatever way you choose. Most people who have used such a breath practice for spiritual guidance find that it gets easier with repetition and the clarity and usefulness of the messages they receive increases. If you have a religious tradition that allows for this, the exercise can be used to experience your prayer more fully.

Our next Therapeutic Breathwork article will present options for practical application and experimentation on the road to breath mastery.

References

McCall, Timothy Yoga as Medicine: the Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing.  NY. Bantom, 2007

Grof, Stanislav. Psychology of the Future. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2000.

Minett, Gunnel. Exhale. Edinburgh, UK: Floris Books, 2004.

Morningstar, Jim. Breathing in Light and Love. Milwaukee, WI: Transformations Incorporated,1964.

Wilber, Ken. Integral Spirituality. Boston: Integral Books, 2006

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Jim Morningstar, Ph.D.Director,
Transformations Incorporated
4200 W. Good Hope Rd.
Milwaukee, WI 53209
Ph: 414 351 5770
jim@transformationsusa.com
www.transformationsusa.com

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Article

Intuition and the Call to Communion
by Judee Gee

“Intuition opens the door to the truth, to the vast mysteries of existence, and to the equally vast mysteries of the human being.” from: Intuition: Awakening Your Inner Guide, by Judee Gee

Intuition, our capacity for perceiving truth and receiving immediate insight, is an innate ability serving us well as we navigate our way through the myriad challenges of everyday life. It helps us to discern what is really going on, what is really being meant and what is really essential in the moment-to-moment unfolding of events and interactions as we experience them.

Because intuition is quick and operates on an almost subliminal level of consciousness, we must pay attention in order to register the impressions we are receiving. Too often, the insistent chatter of the rational mind – combined with the compelling pull of personal desires – contaminates our field of conscious perception and results in a misguided interpretation of events. The conclusions we draw and our resultant actions may help us to get what we think we want. But without the discerning capacity for clear perception, understanding and insight that our intuition gives us, we will rarely create outcomes that truly serve us.

As the guiding voice of our soul, intuition has one primary goal; that we connect with our essence and live our lives in accordance with the wisdom of that essence. To that end, intuition will not only point to the true nature of things and their significance in our lives. It will also show us the intrinsic connection between our selves and the complex, multi-dimensional world we are constantly interacting with.

{Member Access Needed To Read More}

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Article

Become an Accomplisher Instead of a Procrastinator
Helaine Iris

“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” Douglas Adams

Let’s talk about the P word. Procrastination. If this is you, this pervasive, habit effects every aspect of your life. As a procrastinator you typically under perform, limiting success and the life you want to live. It dampens your ability to take action, creates missed opportunities, and is the single pattern of behavior I see in most entrepreneurs that if corrected would free up log jams of energy and potential.   If you’re a procrastinator you know in your bones that this is true, yet, it seems like an impossible habit to break.

It’s easy to see in others how much unnecessary pain and stress procrastination causes: my daughter for example, endlessly putting off school work and pushing herself at the last minute to meet a deadline, my client, putting off completing his taxes and suffering the consequence of costly penalties. I’m sure you could add your own examples of miserable outcomes you’ve experienced as a result of putting things off. So why do you continue to do it?

{Member Access Needed To Read More}

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ASK THE EXPERT
Breathworker Questions and Answers

Questions & Answers from breathwork clients or breathworkers responded to by one of the IBTA board members. This issue’s respondent board member is:

Binnie A. Dansby

Binnie began her career in breathwork in 1975 in New York City. She subsequently incorporated a focus on pre- and peri-natal psychology as a foundation for the theory, principles and practice she has developed. Binnie created, and has been teaching, SOURCE Process and Breathwork since 1988 in England, Germany, Denmark and Estonia. Her 3 to 5 year diploma trainings focus on self-discovery and supervised practitioner training. She has also designed and teaches an approach to birth and birth preparation that continues to produce beneficial results for everyone in the family. She is the author of a DVD, Ecstatic Birth, and numerous papers, articles and CD’s for inner and outer development.

1. When I was introduced to Rebirthing Breathwork, I was told that in order to have my breath really free up, I needed to have an experience of remembering my birth – a ‘rebirth’. After 10 sessions I still haven’t had any early childhood recall or any memory before the age of five. Am I doing something wrong, or do I just need to be patient and wait until I have my ‘rebirth’?

After more that 30 years experience with conscious connected breathing, both personal and professional, I can safely say that I do not agree with the notion of 10 sessions being a key to remembering birth and becoming clear enough to continue on your own. We are manifesting patterns from birth and early infancy each and every day. Remembering is not necessarily the purpose. The release of long held stress and belief systems is a more realistic goal. Having access to more and more life energy that we have withheld because of fear engendered by our birth is far more valuable. This fundamental process begins to take place as soon as you give full attention to the breath and relax and open and accept that you are safe, that your body is safe and that you are supported.

Your birth reveals itself in every reaction. One goal is to be able to respond to life as it is in present time. Whether you remember the colour of the walls of the delivery room or ‘see’ figures in white coats does not really matter. Notice the thoughts that come to the surface in your session. Notice how you handle everyday situations with more ease, or not. Be aware that you were profoundly influenced by what you learned about life on planet Earth in your experience in the womb, in your birth and in your infancy. This is so much a part of ‘who you are’ that it cannot be separated out as just another ‘movie’. This source experience has influenced every other experience, thus I think that it is important to focus on unfolding today in the richness and abundance that is here now.

MEMBERS ONLY QUESTION

2. I am a trained Yoga instructor, and most of my years of training emphasized the fact that in doing Pranayama (breath practices) it was undesirable to breath in and out of the mouth. We were taught that you should only breathe in and out of the nose. Should I be concerned about the mouth breathing aspect of this breathwork, or is it OK to do my sessions breathing in and out of my nose?

3. In my early adulthood, I suffered a car accident which put me in a wheelchair for good; and in fact, even at night I am forced to sleep in an elevated position. Am I going to get the same benefit from doing connected breathing in a seated position or do I need to figure out some way to get closer to a horizontal position?

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NEWS and ANNOUNCEMENTS

We are excited to report that the premier Nourishing the Flame event in Boston was a wonderful success.
To read our glowing testimonials click here!

Register NOW! Nourishing the Flame – A Forum for Breathworkers in Oxford England October 29-31 2010

Nourishing The Flame, a 3 days continuing education forum for the professional breathwork community and related complimentary practitioners. This lively, informative and inspirational event will answer directly to the globally growing demand by breathworkers for counsel, supervision and on-going training from experienced veterans in the field.

Learn powerful and effective tools to integrate into your breathwork practice

Renew your sense of passion and inspiration
Deepen your relationship with like-minded colleagues
Nourish your soul at the deepest level
Connect with an international network dedicated to the accreditation of breathwork
Optimize your capacity to thrive professionally

The forum will be facilitated by Binnie A. Dansby, Judee Gee and Jeremy Youst, expert breathworkers and trainers, who have been at the cutting edge of the profession for over 25 years.

Anyone interested in collaborating with the IBTA to organize a forum in their region, please contact us.

Click here for more details or to register

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IBTA International Symposium
The first IBTA international symposium is scheduled be held in 2012. Exact dates and venue to be announced.

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Annual IBTA Board Meeting

On the 24th of May, members of the IBTA board gathered in Baltimore on the campus of the Inspiration School for what promised and proved to be a four day marathon covering multiple subjects of vital import, interest and significance in the field of breathwork. With co-directors Jim Morningstar and Jessica Dibb leading the meetings that included Judee Gee, Jeremy Youst, Binnie Dansby, Helaine Iris and Alice Wells, great strides were taken in the process of visioning the possibilities for opening doors, building credibility and providing support for professional breathwork in the world.

Three new board members were joyously welcomed onto the board: Helaine Iris is a Life and Business coach, and co-founder of The Power of Breath Institute in New Hampshire.  Ann Harrison joins us from Australia, where she has created and worked with colleagues to establish a government accredited breathwork training and training organization, Breathwork Trainings International, of which she is the director and CEO.  Tilke Platteel-Deur, teaching in Holland, Germany, France and Spain, author, and co founder and co-leader of the Institute for Integrative Breath Therapy, brings to the board her vast experience and dynamic leadership in the field of breathwork.

From upgraded IBTA Membership benefits to planning for a 2012 Breathwork Symposium in Baltimore, there is much to celebrate in the evolution of the IBTA board, as well as the evolution of professional breathwork as a potent and recognized healing modality.

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Breathwork in Action

We are inviting the readership of the IBTA eNews to join us in spreading inspirational news items about breathwork in the world, e.g. research findings, community programs, national accreditation, etc. Please send edited material of 200 words maximum to Jim Morningstar, IBTA eNews Editor, at jim@transformationsusa.com

Your assistance in spreading good and important news about the effects of breathwork on our planet will be of great value to all those who are using breath for wellness and personal growth. Thank you.

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Poem

I Will Set You On My Breath

To place You in my heart
may turn You into thought.
I will not do that!

To holy You with my eyes
may turn You into thorn.
I will not do that!

I will set You on my breath
so You will become my life.

Rumi

Jalaludin Rumi (1207-1273) is considered one of the greatest poets known to history. His influence throughout the Islamic world for over seven hundred years and more recently in Western countries is virtually unmatched. He is currently one of the most widely read poets in the English language.

Rumi was profoundly influenced by Shams, a wandering dervish from Tabriz, who is reputed to be the triggering force behind Rumi’s profound and all absorbing mystical journey towards divine union. The intensity of the ecstatic love he was intitiated into by his relationship with Shams caused him to blissfully dance. Thus began the dervish tradition of whirling and Rumi is acknowledged as the founding father of the Whirling Dervishes.