Breathwork
13th July, 2011 - Posted by Frank Hagan - No Comments
Hamsa – Integral Breathwork
The Art and Science of Breathing Consciously and Correctly
Dr. Andrew Weil:
If I had to limit my advice on healthier living to just one tip, it would be simply to learn how to breathe correctly. From my own experience and from working with patients, I have come to believe that proper breathing is the master key to good health.
– Andrew Weil, M.D., author of Natural Health, Natural Medicine
Dr. Weil has also said:
The simplest and most important technique for protecting your health is breathing. I have seen breath control alone achieve remarkable results: lowering blood pressure, ending heart arrhythmias, improving long-standing patterns of poor digestion, increasing blood circulation throughout the body, decreasing anxiety and allowing people to get off addictive anti-anxiety drugs and improving sleep and energy cycles.
— Andrew Weil, M.D. Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine University of Arizona, Tucson
Deepak Chopra:
The Breath is the meeting ground between the conscious and unconscious minds. It is the access point that bridges the connection to body, mind, emotions and spirit.
– Deepak Chopra
What is Breathwork?
Breathwork is a (Breath Therapy) way to release dysfunctional patterns like fear, anxiety, and worry and live a creative and harmonious life by breathing correctly and consciously.
Breathwork is a way to create vitality, focus, peace and unity in your life
Everybody has to breathe to survive in the physical plane. But by breathing consciously and correctly we use the hidden potential in the breath to create physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. To breathe consciously and correctly is an art and also there is science behind it. It needs continuous practice and some effort. But effort is more like effortless effort, not controlled and forced and hence it is not quick fix.
If Conscious and Correct breathing is the foundation of every Breath Therapy, we can ask two questions:
- What is the potential of conscious breathing?
- What possibilities exist if our breath is open, free and corrected?
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Benefits of Breathwork
In Summary the benefits of breathwork are as follows:
- Brings more oxygen and life force into the body,
- Increases blood circulation and releases toxins and blockages
- Reduces stress and creates more relaxed and peaceful state of mind
- Increases capacity to be present, open, loving and empowered
- Helps us feel more connected with self and others
- Helps us stay focused and mentally clear, remaining balanced in the midst of our busy life
- Grows our capacity to feel the emotions and the body
- Balances the right and left hemispheres of the brain and creates deeper communication between them
- Enhances our healing capacity and complements other healing therapies
- Creates a powerful bridge between body, mind and spirit and brings us towards unity consciousness.
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Healing and nourishing our lives
Integral Breathwork is a powerful process that uses the breath to open, heal and integrate the multidimensional aspects of the human psyche. Breath is a bridge between the inner and outer aspects of life, and therefore is unique in its ability to bring these into harmony with the Whole. This simple method of whole-life nurturing is a powerful healing on its own and acts as a catalyst for other healing practices.
The main goal of Hamsa Integral Breathwork is to help people integrate their being and therefore live a more and more creative and harmonious life.
With the inhalation inwardly one is unified with the eternal and with the exhalation outwardly one dedicates oneself to the cosmic purpose of evolution.
The ultimate goal of Hamsa Integral Breathwork would be to give birth to a Hamsa=Swan-an Integral Cosmic Man.
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Hamsa Integral Breathwork brings a variety of breathing techniques together, grounding in the central practice of deep, conscious, connected breathing. We take an integral approach as developed by Sri Aurobindo, Integral Philosopher Ken Wilber, Dr. Hariprasad Chaudhari, and other pioneers. This is a philosophy of balanced, harmonious and creative living with the goal of dynamic union with timeless reality in the field of action (time -reality).
The Breathing technique we use in this method comes from sources including Rebirthing breathwork as developed by Leonard Orr, Breath mastery as created By Dan Brule, and from the teaching of classical Hatha Yoga.
What’s the meaning of Hamsa?
| Hamsa is a Sanskrit word usually translated to mean a swan (or sometimes goose or other mythic bird). The Hamsa is a symbol of purity, power of spiritual discernment, perfect unity, and balance. It also represents breath of life and Sprit. The word has two-parts, Ham and Sa. Ham means I: the self and Sa means That (He or She): the Supreme Being. Ham is the sound of inhalation, of going inside and resting in I-AM and Sa is the sound of exhalation, of going out and giving oneself to creation. With this rhythmic and conscious act of breathing, of inhalation and exhalation in the physical plane, one is dynamically in union with the Universal force. One peacefully gives and takes, living in balance and harmony.The Hamsa therefore symbolizes a thoroughly integrated person, perfectly at home in the World, peaceful with himself, with social environment, and with the outside world. A swan (Hamsa) can walk on land, swim in water and also fly in the air. So the Hamsa represents a perfectly integrated individual because he has the capacity to adjust intelligently in all the domains of life and spheres of existence. Uniting with the ultimate ground of existence, he attains and joyfully radiates peace, love and light. He establishes a dynamic and meaningful interrelationship with self, society and nature. ) |
Session and Price
Session
Individual session
Typically one session lasts for two hrs to two and half hrs. With intake questions and observation of client’s breathing/movements and other physical-mental behavior, the Guide tries to sense who a client is in her/his inner and outer world. After 1/2hrs-I hrs of conversation and some breathing exercises, somatic movements practices clients is asked to lie down to breathe for 45 minutes to I hrs and 15minutes. Client is guided to do circular connected breathing .
Multiple Sessions
Generally to achieve deep result 10 sessions are recommended.
Some Simple Breathing techniques
For a clarity and focus
Grounding breathing
As you inhale squeeze your fist and expand your chest opening your heart with smile and as you exhale imagine a chord is dropped down towards the center of earth with opening fist and relaxing jaw, face, shoulder and perineum. Create a feeling in the body that everything is opening up. Create a sense of belonging, presence dropping down the body weight towards the earth. Know that earth is holding and supporting you.
20 connected breath when one is anxious, not in the present
Take 4 short, followed by one long continuous breath. Do not pause between inhalation and exhalation. Repeat this process 5 times.
As you breathe, merge the incoming breath with the out going breath in an unbroken circle.
For energy and alertness.
Fire breathing:
Breath from nose 20 times keep exhaling forcefully squeezing belly in. let inhalation happen. Don’t focus on inhalation , only keep exhaling. Pause after 20 cycle and repeat 3 -5 times.
Deep breathing
Inhale slowly and rhythmically letting your stomach expands. As your stomach expands let your pelvis roll forward and head up.
As you exhale, let your head drop down, belly in and pelvis drop back.
Keep breathing until you stomach is full but don’t force. Inhale and exhale fully in one continuous flow.
For peace and contentment
Rhythmic breathing
In 4 count inhale, slowly and deeply In 4 count exhale.
This is good to create calm and peaceful state. If done before meditation helps to stay in presence, and also supports containment of energy for a client who may be dumping their energy out.