Rebirthing-Breathwork Part I

Posted on November 10, 2011by Deepti G Gujar

About 2 years back I underwent a Rebirthing-Breathwork training conducted by my teachers,
Dr.Newton Kondaveti and Dr.Lakshmi Newton of the Life University in Hyderabad. Needless to say, it
brought about profound transformations. But more than anything else, it gave me a sense of
grounded-ness more than ever before.
The technique
Rebirthing-Breathwork is a technique of continuous, conscious breathing. This breathing takes on a life
of its own once you begin it, and goes into 3 stages in the span of 1-3 hours. This technique was
discovered by Leonard Orr who has his own Rebirthing-Breathwork International school in the U.S. the
reason it is called rebirthing breathwork, is because in most cases one goes into the in-utero stage
the moment you start breathing. Hence, the very first thing one typically starts reliving and releasing is
all the blockages one went through when one was in the mothers womb. Breath is therefore the whole
and soul of this technique.
[Leonard often cites it to be the modern form of kriya yoga, with Mahavatar Babaji being his guru as
well]
The experience
Typically once you enter a breathing cycle, one experiences a lot of energy movement across various
parts of the body. This is what is known as per ancient science as the pranaenergy and its movement
defines the different vayus in the body. When this energy begins to move, it goes to those places first
where there are maximum or most intense blockages, for it is the very nature of breath to dismantle
blockages. Hence, the common experiences as a result of this energy movement are

Tetany stiffening of the limbs which a rebirther guides the client to consciously breathe into.
The rebirther makes sure that the tetany is released by the end of the session. However, tetany
can come up in the forthcoming sessions as well, and it may take several sessions in some cases
to completely be free of tetany as this is usually the result of a lot of emotional blocks clogged up

in the body which get released layer by layer through every session.
Feeling emotional distress and emotionally volatile our mind-body-emotions together form a
cohesive vehicle and each is linked with the other. Breath works on all these 3 bodies (as per
ancient Indian spiritual science, mental and emotional bodies are our subtle bodies ones we
dont see but which do exist) simultaneously. Hence, if there are any specific emotions locked up in
our psyche, they will be bound to be thrown up during the session. This is part of the cleansing

process of breath.
Feeling aches / pains / shivers / sharp twitching, tingling, etc though not all of these will
happen to everyone, depending on person to person, a variety of these are observed in a person
undergoing breathwork during the session.

Benefits
It is unfortunately a very less known fact that the experiences one has while in the mothers womb
forever shapes a persons psyche. The imprints formed during this stage are known as limbic imprints
and are often considered to be impossible to erase. Not just this stage, but also the way a person was
born, the birthing process, is also known to have a forever impact on his/her psychological makeup. It
is almost as if your brain gets hardwired with thought patterns at this stage. However, through
personal experience I can say that Rebirthing-Breathwork is successful in clearing these patterns and
you can immediately see the manifestation of these changes in all areas of your life.

Breathwork can clear the 8 biggies of the human trauma

1.

Birth trauma the trauma encountered as a part of the birthing process which creates deep
psychological imprints. Many times the root cause of why a person attracts a traumatic birth is due
to past life conditioning, i.e. experiencing difficult past lives.

2.

Death urge often due to birth trauma the baby wishes to die and go back to the soul form
which was freer and gave it the sense of oneness. Complicated deliveries, complications during the
mothers labor are the first signs of the babys death urge. Leonard Orr also says that people
experiencing sinus is the sign of their subconscious death urge. Birth is decided prior to conception
but death is chosen by a person at a subconscious level every moment of his/her life. In the
simplest explanation, death urge is every anti-life thought. This urge reveals itself in a persons life
through situations of lack, unhappiness, accidents, and in some cases, suicides.

3.

Past lives & specific past life conditioning healing past life traumas naturally happens through
Breathwork. I have personally conducted regressions through the process of Breathwork
successfully, after undergoing it myself. Through this specific past life issues like addictions,
relationship issues, etc. are known to heal.

4.

Personal lie or specific negatives due to complicated births/labor, a person can develop
specific thought patterns e.g. I am a burden to everyone, no one loves me, I am always
alone, etc. which get reflected in all areas of life. Breathwork is known to heal these layer by
layer.

5.

Parental Disapproval Syndrome disapproval of our parents can lead us to making choices that
may be unhealthy for us like denying our unique individuality, leading to a dual personality, not
feeling integrated with life, attracting destructive relationships that could even mirror our parents
fears out of the subconscious urge of confirming to them in any way possible.

6.

Senility fears of going old and senile, which could also be a leftover from past lives, can be
commonly experienced by people of all ages, something not many are aware of.

7.

School trauma our early childhoods are the foundation of our current life and possibly even
future lives. Having a harsh school regimen, experiencing a violation of our individuality due to
unaware teachers, a distorted sense of discipline, forcibly changing a persons biological clock to fit
school timings, curbing a childs creativity to fit the schools timetable, etc. can forever damage a
persons self-worth and reflect in all areas of life.

8.

Religion trauma most of us across the world have experienced this by being forced to
perform rituals that couldve led to suffering and pain, meaningless traditions leading to curbing
our natural instincts and the fear/guilt created by it under the pretext of blasphemy, being forced
to attend service / chanting / places of worship since childhood.

More on Rebirthing-Breathwork continued in the next article here.

PS:
Dear seeker, Leonard Orrs trainers with whom I trained last year are coming down again in February
2012 to conduct Rebirthing-Breathwork workshop in Pune, India. Since I am co-organizing this 5-day
workshop which has brought such tremendous benefits, I request you to mail me your details in case
you are interested in attending the same at spirit.of.crea@gmail.com. We close our early bird offer by
January 2012 and hence, request you to mail me at the earliest so that it is easy for us to host these
trainers from Spain/U.S. Thank you!
Love & Grace.
Rebirthing-Breathwork Part II
Posted on November 10, 2011by Deepti G Gujar

Continue from the previous article here.

Examples
Citing personal examples here, one of my core birth patterns was the denial to come out into the
world, because of which my birth had developed complications and the doctor in charge had informed
my family that I might be already dead by the time I am delivered. This attitude of denial was evident
in all areas of my life and I experienced difficulties committing to even the simplest things, such as a
study course, relationships, projects at work, etc. Moreover, due to the intense difficulties experienced
by the end of the labor term by my mother, a fear became imprinted in my mind that the end of any
project, etc. will turn bad. As a result I have suffered from nervous spells and anxiety attacks all my life
when my engineering course ended, projects ended, relationships ended, travelling assignments
ended, which inadvertently developed complications. Typically one would blame the complications for
the anxiety but that is not how reality works. The inner state creates the outer the subconscious was
programmed with this pattern that endings are disastrous. However, within a year after my first
breathwork workshop with the Newtons these patterns started healing and I felt a lot more relaxed
towards accepting the natural flow of life when things came to an end.
Weight loss
Though I would sincerely not ask anyone to get into this technique for this purpose, weight loss is a
natural fallout of the cleansing one goes through as a part of breathwork. The most common
misconception today is that food causes weight gain. This is not true unless you have moved from a
warm climate to a cooler one and your body is naturally accumulating the fat to keep itself warm. The
truth about weight gain which I have experienced, and validated through so many fellow rebirthers and
clients, is that emotions cause weight gain. As mentioned earlier, the mind-body-emotions are ONE
cohesive unit. You cannot find a dysfunction in any one of them without finding its corresponding link in
the other. The root cause is, of course, thought. Hence, weight is often the emotional buildup that has
overflowed from the emotion-body into the physical body. So also, problems of people unable to put on
weight inspite of trying hard to is because an emotional drain is happening due to which the body is
feeding the emotion, more than it is feeding itself. In most cases, people lose the emotional baggage
and hence the physical weight associated with it after a few sessions.
Other Benefits Health
Our emotional framework is the basis for developing physical addictions of all kinds. This is the reason
one experiences urges and cravings for specific foods, specific forms of mental excitement, which drive
us and wear our physical body down. It has been observed that after experiencing breathwork
sessions, suddenly certain habits fall off. Again citing my own experience, I loss the inclination towards
alcohol. Another friend I know lost her constant hunger which used to drive her to eat every so often
even when she wasnt that hungry. We naturally turned towards a more fruit-based diet. This made me
realize that more than half of our meal is fed to our emotions and very little is actually required by the
physical body. Going further, it made me turn to yoga to enjoy my body more consciously, while since
childhood I had been physically very weak and hence was averse to any kind of physical exercise.
Other Benefits Relationships
One of the most obvious healing that takes place is that you end up healing the relationship with your
mother not only your biological mother, but also earth as a mother. The former is a very powerful
transformation that needs to be experienced to be understood as to how powerful the connection with
your mother truly is, and how it affects every relationship of your life. Personally, I was driven into
spirituality to heal my connection with my mother and I could see a tremendous transformation in this

relationship for the first time in the one year following the workshop. The issues which made me suffer
were deep-rooted anger that went into spells of rage, hatred, co-dependency and miscommunication.
These emotions actually started healing in the workshop which I was unaware of until a year later it
struck me how much lighter our exchanges had become. They were further healed through the
workshop I underwent for a second time a year later this time under Leonard Orrs school through the
Breathwork course conducted by his highly experienced students in Pune, India. This was truly the
main reason why I was so inspired to follow Breathwork as a lifestyle (more on this later).
Other Benefits Money
Though this might come as a surprise to many, money is your emotional hologram in life. The way
money flows into and out of your life is a direct reflection of your emotional system. And what better
way than the breath to heal it! I personally experienced that healing your emotions and especially the
connection with your parents directly impacted my financial health. The time before breathwork I was
at odds with my finances, running in debt all the time in almost every place and hated the very talk of
money. However, it was acutely revealing when I saw how this was a reflection of my relationship with
my mother. It seemed like out of thin air I was attracting free courses that year, following the
breathwork program, about how to manage your finances and handle wealth in a spiritually aware way.
This made a 180 degree transformation in my personal balance sheet. I could pay off a 3-year old
credit card loan, invest, save, cut down my expenditures, get more tax-savvy, received a salary hike,
donated to charity and became more generous as a person. At the core it struck me how the
attachment to money kept me from enjoying my expenditures which caused guilt, which in turn led to
incurring debt. This reflected the pattern with my mother how attachment to her caused me to feel
excessively dependent on her, because of which I would block her from expressing her affection
towards me, which in turn caused guilt, which made me feel indebted to her and caused me to believe
that I would never be able to love her back. J
Other Benefits Creativity
During breathwork I experienced a reconnect to music I experienced myself humming in my mothers
womb. I looked up on the net and yes science has validation that a baby makes sounds in the womb
for various reasons. In my case, it was to heal myself. I would experience severe cramps in my legs
right since then and to heal this, I would hum. The past few years prior to Breathwork I had been
completely disconnected from music, inspite of having been trained as a singer since childhood.
Breathwork made the connection so instantly that a few months after the workshop I became a part of
the production of a music television show! But more profound than that, my voice texture was clearer
than I had ever experienced, the sinus problem was greatly reduced and there was a feeling of
oneness with life which had been missing all along earlier. Through another incredible creation, within
a few months of the workshop, a part of my life journey written by me was published in a book by a
Dubai-based publisher publicly for the first time in my life.
Coming back to the point, I do feel Breathwork has made this turnaround possible. Healing the
connection with the Earth-Mother means healing all associations of the material/physical world
money, wealth, health, your physical environment, the kind of work you do to support yourself on a
day to day basis, your creativity.
Rebirthing-Breathwork sessions

Initially it is highly recommended to go through 10 dry breathwork sessions with an experienced

breathworker, one with whom you are intuitively comfortable with. A Breathwork therapist is more
commonly referred to as rebirther because one experiences a rebirth thanks to re-living the in-utero
experience.
After that, breathwork sessions can be taken in a bathtub known as water rebirthingsessions
which can be in warm water first and then cold water. The significance of the warm water is
tremendous it is easy to trigger very vivid in-utero memories through a warm water session and can
also be extremely intense. A person might feel the stillness/specific pain that he/she experienced in
the womb hours after the session. Cold water is used to trigger fears and heal them. Since both these
types can be very intense, it is very much recommended to undergo 10 dry rebirthing sessions first.
In parallel to dry sessions, one can undergo sessions in the vicinity of an open wood fire. These can
be extremely powerful in healing childhood loneliness, abandonment and self-worth issues, and also
burn away the minds toxicity the root cause of our destructive thought patterns directly. Excessive
emotional inclinations also get greatly reduced through these sessions.
Additionally, one can undergo a breathwork session in an open area, for e.g. lying in a hammock under
a tree.
Dr.Newton also conducts earth rebirthing sessions by one getting into a sand pit neck down and then
doing the breathwork cycle.
As per our trainers manual, a rebirther is essentially serving the role of a midwife in the olden days
who would deliver babies. Hence, we are trained to practice non-interference with a persons natural
breathwork cycle processing, gently motivating the person to breathe, whenever required. We dont
touch the client unless he/she is going through a very intense experience, in which case we just gently
put a hand on his/her shoulder after asking for permission to do so. Moreover, we are taught to be as
gentle as possible.
The Healing Power of Christ, the Magnetism of Mohammed, the Miraculous Power of Moses, the Charm
of Krishna, and the Inspiration of the Buddhaall these were attained by Breath.
~Sufi Master Hazrat Inayat Khan
~*~
THE BREATH IS YOUR BODYS PRIMER
Your ability to adapt is directly related to your ability to control breath in movement. The Jamieson
Mantra

IN PHYSICS, RESILIENCE IS THE ABILITY TO BEND BUT NOT BREAK. IN INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETIES ,
IT IS THE CAPACITY TO GO THROUGH DIFFICULT SITUATIONS WITHOUT BEING DESTROYED.
The average adult takes 12,000 to 25,000 breaths per day; most of which is habitually taking place
high their chest. In effect, this places great stress on the heart and nervous system.
Breath in its simplistic nature, is what keeps us alive; without the breath, all organs, tissue and senses
diminish and ultimately perish. Does it not make sense then, to include breathwork and conscious
intention to breathing patterns as a primer for re conditioning healing and restoring the bodys
precious structures.

When we learn to master and apply healthy breathing techniques, we can immediately begin to
better adapt and transform our structure (inside and out). As we begin to feel better by breathing
better, we start seeing the reflection of this optimal way of life in all other areas; our relationships, our
livelihood, our creativity, our physical and mental fortitude etc.
Breathing Patterns Are Like Fingerprints
Every physiological, biochemical, emotional, psychological, and physical state has a corresponding or
associated breathing pattern or quality to it; which works in conjunction with all the other systems. The
way we breath when sitting calming, meditating is different than the breathing patterns we use for
solving a problems or making decisions at work and our breath changes when we go for a run in a
steady state vs lifting heavy objects at the gym.
At the most primal level, our ancestors understood that they had to attune and synch their breath to
the hunt or for basic survival. If chasing after an animal, they needed to tap into a steady state of
breath to correspond with long bouts of persistence hunting and stalking their prey, while at other
times they required quick burst of energy to either flee from an area that posed a threat, or at the end
of the persistence hunt, catch their dinner. This required multiple breath patterns that need to switch
on and off and control the rest of our physiological systems.
DID YOU KNOW: The average person reaches peak respiratory function and lung capacity in their
mid 20s? As they continue to age they lose between 9% and 25% of respiratory capacity for every
decade of their life! The findings resulting from a 5,200-person clinical study group observed over a
30-year span showed that the way a person breathes is the primary measure of potential life
span. (FromFramingham study)
Eustress Vs Distress: Stress Resilience
For instance; under conditions of imminent, unanticipated, or rapidly changing threat, activity in the
thinking brain is shifted to the reactive brain, which generates the individuals emergency response
fight, flight, or freeze. In TacFit this is called freeze, flinch, force or flow. Specific patterns people adopt
when facing high levels of stress. These patterns (both breath patterns and brain patterns) can set in
motion a series of stress related cycles in our body, even well after the threat is no longer there. The
emotional trigger is; and therefore, establishing higher levels of resilience and instigating more
positive coping strategies can greatly improve your ability to cope under stress and anticipate using
breath work as a means to control your internal systems in times of stress.
Not all stress is bad, but when we do not know how to cope or adapt to the changing landscape, it can
do more harm to us, then we realize.
In most psychology journals, psychologists describe four types of stress hyopstress, eustress,
episodic acute/ hyerpsress and chornic/ distress:
1.
Hypostress: insufficiently low stress
2.
Eustress: sufficient, adaptable stress, positive stressors
3.
Episodic Acute /Hyperstress: recoverable, high stress, A type stress
4.
Distress: excessive, unadaptable stress, inability to recover or cope
Stress tolerance is the power to endure stress and much of the tension we feel during these periods
can be tolerated, diminished and re structured for positive outcomes, when we control the breath.
When we breath we begin to build, what I call Stress Resilience. This is the ability to anticipate
stress, cope and adapt to the changing landscape while remaining neutral and calm through the use of
breath work.
In a more therapeutic sense; with practice, you can ultimately accomplish the same things that great
yogis and Taoist masters can. You can control the function of your immune system, your endocrine
system, your cardiovascular, digestive, and nervous system, by mastering the art of breathwork.
Strength and inner harmony is not something you get from improving mere strength, applying load
and force to the body or popping a pill, or rolling out a mat it is through conscious intention, breath
and easing the mind of distraction. This is called Conscious Breathing.

Conscious breathing techniques have been utilized in ancient Buddhist/ Taoist traditions to master the
capabilities of the mind and physical body to find inner and outer harmony. As we become more aware
of each breath, we are reminded that we can indeed, control the outcome and our responses to
uncontrolled forces. Can you imagine that in any challenging situation, in any stressful moment, at any
given time you had the tools and power to shift your life, adapt and transform?
This can be quite profound.
DID YOU KNOW: According to the ADAA, and the CMHA anxiety disorders are the most common
illness in North America; affecting 40 million adults in the US ages 18 and older (18% of the US
population), and 1 in 10 Canadians. When we breathe with shallow, constricted breaths, we are
adopting one aspect of the emotional posture of anxiety.
The Inner Breath and the Outer Breath
Breathing has two levels: the outer breath and the inner breath. The outer breath is air: oxygen and
carbon dioxide. The inner breath refers to energy. This subtle element in the air is often called spirit,
or the breath within the breath.
For example, the physical level has three levels of its own: getting breath into and out of the lungs;
getting breath into and out of the blood; getting breath into and out of the cells. Our blood needs to be
nearly saturated with oxygen if it is to supply life to all the tissues and organs and systems of the
body, and the trillions of cells that require movement and contraction/response.
DID YOU KNOW: The body goes to extreme measure to maintain an optimal level of pH (7.35 7.45
in the blood). The most powerful system for removing acidic stress & keeping the body pH optimal are
the lungs.
Breathwork can mean strengthening, toning and coordinating the breathing muscles to improve
ventilation; which in turn improves systems integration. We use 3 diaphragms when we breath; vocal,
respiratory, and pelvic. This second step in respiration depends on the partial pressures of gases,, the
infusion of blood vessels in and around the lungs, and of course, cardio-vascular health and the ability
to understanding that regulation and balance of intra-abdominal pressure through breathing stimulates
our ability to engage and facilitate our core!
Over-Breathing is just as stressful as Under Breathing:
You have heard me talk a lot about deep breathing and the hyper around breathing to stimulate the
nervous system. For example; many people are told that you can super-oxygenate your cells
through deep rapid breathing. This is incorrect and can do more harm than good. Your blood is already
90% saturated with oxygen, so the likelihood of getting more O2 into your blood is slim. In fact,
hyperventilation can actually reduce the supply of oxygen to your cells, because in the process of
over-breathing, you blow off too much carbon dioxide. In turn, this can cause constriction of the
micro-vessels, which prevents blood flow to the tissues and cells itself. The goal is to synch breath with
movement and to learn how to put all of these puzzle pieces together to improve all systems, not just
those involved with breathwork.
DID YOU KNOW: Studies show you can reduce the supply of blood, and therefore oxygen, to the
brain by 40% in just one minute, by hyperventilating. Deep rapid breathing is good up to a point, but
beyond that point, you can actually starve your body of oxygen.
This is a great seg-way into how to breath with strength and conditioning.

Breath Controls Heart Rate:

Once of the benefits to working with a coach, is the opportunity to put breathwork into real time
action. In order to adapt through our workout from warm up, to peak to cooldown, the first step is
getting air in and out of the lungs; so that it can signal the rest of our systems to react; which involves
muscular, anatomical, structural conditions and dynamic response. It is here where work can be done
to increase lung volume and respiratory capacity. Many studies prove that the greater your lung
capacity is, the longer you will live, the longer you can tolerate stress (both positive and negative) and
the healthier you will be.
The most important factor in a clients success; whether they are training for a marathon, a fight in the
ring, preparing for active duty or merely overcoming the obstacle of substantial weight loss is HRV.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is the physiological phenomenon where the time interval between
heartbeats varies. It is measured by the variation in the beat-to-beat interval. We can use this as a bio
marker in training, but we must first distinguish between the Autonomic and Voluntary (or Somatic)
nervous systems first.
In the TacFit Certification Course Manual 2013, page 36, Scott Sonnon describes this perfectly.

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) controls the bodily functions necessary for survival
(includes breathing, digestion, heart, blood pressure, organ function etc)

Voluntary Nervous System (VNS) involves the consciously controlled daily functions like
exercise, work, sport, yapping etc.
He then offers the sub divisions or sub-branches: of the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic systems
which exist to better respond, control, adapt to our fight or flight, primitive patterning, genetically
coded in our DNA.

Sympathetic System (SNS) controls the fight or flight reflexes. When we encounter stress,
it increases physiological performance, from slow release drip when we perceive skills equal to the
task, which gives you access to what sport psychologists call The Zone or Flow-State. Or it
triggers a fast-release dump when it perceives your skills re ineffective or insufficient, what combat
psychologists call The Vortex or The Suck.

Parasympathetic System (PNS) balances the SNS alarm systems of fight or flight. This
system dictates how much we recover from training and stress. This is the yin/yang in constant flux,
which is a primary factor in regulating our health.
Heart rate changes with every breath .When we exhale our PSNS sends signals to slow the heart rate,
and when we inhale, that PNS signal dissipates and the SNS tone returns, causing the HR to increase
yet again. It is a constant cycle. This ebb and flow offers us a look a the state of our autonomic
nervous system.
FACT: When the rest and digest PSNS response triggers, we find a higher HR variability; but when
fight or flight reflexes usurp our ANS, then HRV is lower. That variability accurately reflects your

current degree of adaptive recovery from the sum total stress you are facing and the threshold youre
currently able to accept. TacFit Certification Course Manual, Page 36
Strength, combined with focused breath = evolution
For instance, in Movement Coaching and Corrective Program Design, I find higher degrees of flowstate and improved movement patterns when the client understands this methodology. In my S&C
hours, I find better results and performance when the client understands that the transition from
exercise to exercise and recovery breath is just as important as the lift of drill itself.
For example in Movement Coaching: breath enables stabilizers to be more efficient in facilitation.
When your stabilizers efficiently align your joints, there is crisper coordination and crisper contraction.
Sometimes its not that you become stronger in your prime movers, you became more efficient in your
integrity of movement and breath. And efficiency is another way to get stronger.
In S&C (Strength and Conditioning): When load or stress is applied to the officer or athlete;
immediately, the elicitation of SAPS, fine and complex motor skills deteriorate, . The mind starts to get
distracted and lose focus. When a client rapidly approaches HRmax, they become winded and out of
gas, breathing rate increases. This is an evolutionary survivable reflex, but only useful for gross motor
control, not fine or complex motor control. Therefore, training the client from survival breath to
recovery breath technique is vital. This enables the client to anticipate HRmax and to apply this
technique; which trains the client to recover the inhale (which switches off the reflex
of hyperventilation) and then reclaim the exhale. (refer to Scott Sonnons Breathing Gift for
techniques). This allows the client to start mentally focused, adapt to the work load, start responsive to
technique and coaching cues and have better recovery leading into their desired set.
Breathing Techniques
During your workout, there will be various techniques you should use to ensure you receive optimal
results, recover more effectively and use as little energy as possible in good form with higher levels of
effective training. We can recover and become stronger if we are able to increase this understanding.
The five sequence technique of Resilience Breathing cannot be described as a singular technique, as
it involves a series of techniques strung together to produce a synergistic effect. They address the
challenge of reclaiming breath from involuntary reflex back to voluntary control while counter-acting
the reflextive breathing elicited by distressing situations.
For more information on Resilience Breathing and techniques please download this free gift from Scott
Sonnon and Rmax International:http://www.breathinggift.com/
DID YOU KNOW? When given an optimal diet and exercise program, the respiratory system is
responsible for eliminating approximately 70% of our metabolic waster materials! The remainder is
eliminated through perspiration (19%), urination (8%) and by going number 2 (3%).
Now, thats a great note to end on isnt it! Moral of the story: master your breath
Sources:

Breathing Gift: Resilience Breathing, by Scott Sonnon: http://www.breathinggift.com/

International Journal of Psychological Studies: Applied Journal of Psychology: PDF

Brock University Studey: http://www.brocku.ca/health-services/healtheducation/stress/eustress-distress

TacFit Certification Course Manual 2013 (Spring)

Dan Brule: Breath Mastery: Breath Energy Training: http://danbrule.com/

Leslie Kaminoff: The Breathing Project: http://www.breathingproject.org/leslie.shtml

What is rebirthing ( conscious connected birthing)

REBIRTHING (Conscious Connected Breathing)

"He who knows others is learned. He who knows himself is wise." Lao Tse

"Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain" Old Chinese Saying

Rebirthing (CCB) is a modality wherein the client learns to breathe in a manner that stimulates the
release of emotional, mental and physical patterns; creates joy and aliveness in the body; and gives
the client a feeling of empowerment and self-control, and creates energetic relaxation. (10 sessions
suggested)

"Someday you'll remember who you are--the seed within a bright and shining star." John Denver
"Wandering Soul"

WHAT IS REBIRTHING? (AN ESSAY)

Take a breath, and another, and another; connect the inhale with the exhale; feel your body, feel your
feelings; let all the tension and negativity in your body go; then, experience the flow of peace and
relaxation within your body. If you have experienced all this and more, you have just completed a
Rebirthing session.

Sounds too good to be true? Not so, Rebirthing is a simple breathing technique that can transform your
body, mind, spirit, as well as your perception of who you were, who you are, and who you will be. How
does it do this? First, let's look at the word "spirit," or "prana," or "ki," or "chi," or "geist,"or "genie," or
whatever you call the force that enlivens the body. In every one of these languages, the traditions in
which you find these terms, the meaning of the root word is either "breath" or "wind." In fact, in
Genesis, God breathes into the dust he has just molded to spiritualize it, making it in his own image. So
breath, religiously and mythologically, is a very significant concept. The root word for Spirit or
breath, spiritus, exists everywhere in our daily lives. Besides your having spirit itself, you perspire,
respire, inspire, conspire, aspire, suspire, and transpire. You point at the spire of a church, you receive
inspiration from the preacher, you observe spiracle objects, and finally, when death approaches, you
expire-you know that one last, long breath, when spirit leaves the body. On the more mundane level,
try holding your breath and see how significant it is. A lot of people play around with how much they
eat and drink. Do you notice that no one is doing a breath fast. Breath is the force that moves every
single system of the body.

Yet, although you do not "breath fast" you certainly do hold your breath-when you are frightened,
angry, resentful, or any time you don't want to feel your feelings or people to see them. By not
breathing you suppress feelings. Many times your body tries to get around you by yawning or sighing.
Watch someone on the verge of tears who does not want to cry publicly and see how much he or she
sighs. Your body is always trying to look out for you, but your ego thinks it knows better, so you repress
the desire to express, creating an ever more dense and diseased body. After all if you don't "ex"
"press," which simply means "to push out," you "sup" "press," which means "to push down." Where do
you think you push all of that emotional material? When you can't digest food properly because of
some bodily dysfunction, you get heartburn, indigestion, colitis, diverticulitus, etc.; yet, you fail to
understand that all of your half-digested emotions help create the physical havoc in your body.

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Breathing in a circular fashion for a length of time in the presence of another first relaxes the body,
then the mind and spirit, and before you know it, the emotions of a lifetime begin to surface. Not all at
once, of course, or you would explode. The body again has its own wisdom. What comes up first is
usually what needs to be addressed in the present. If a traumatic past unresolved emotion comes up, it
probably is the cause of something in the present that needs addressing. So little by little you get clear
of all the excess baggage your subconscious mind, your spirit, and your body have been carrying
around for a long time. Finally, having fully digested or integrated these emotions, you can use them
consciously to respond to the world instead of reacting to it. The word, "de" "pression" also means "to
press down," and what is pressed down is your life force that is burdened with so much subconscious
debris you cannot consciously understand. Then you wonder why you are unhappy, unfulfilled,
spiritually barren, and lonely. You have no idea what you are hauling around. So you think the fifty
pounds of extra flesh is your only uncomfortable baggage? The multitudinous sorrows, fears, and other
unexpressed, unfelt emotions you have held on to for years weigh you down interminably.

Looks easy! Why do I need a Rebirther? Believe me, when thirty years of anger begin bubbling to the
surface, your first reaction may be fear. It is nice to know someone who has gone through this process
is by your side to let you know that there is nothing to fear and to support you in getting rid of that
which you may dread. Maybe nothing comes up for you except a deep relaxing feeling. You may want
to doze off. Your Rebirther won't let you, nor will he/she let you leave your body because you really
don't want to experience those old feelings even if it means experiencing them for the last time. Your
Rebirther is a breath coach and a support team, someone who has been trained not to let his ego
interfere with your process, someone who helps you through whatever emotion, thought, pain,
numbness, or bliss you are experiencing.

Ahh, bliss. Yes, that is the goal of Rebirthing. For example, not knowing how to relax your body, you go
for a massage. If the therapist is good and you respond, you may feel totally relaxed for the first time.
You now know what it means when someone says, "relax," and you can begin to return to that state at
will. The same holds true if you meditate. You don't know what a meditative state feels like until you've
been there. How many of you have truthfully felt blissful in your life? If someone told you to feel bliss,
would you know what to feel? Probably not. Society does not promote blissful feelings. You should feel
duty, obligation, responsibility, guilt, commitment, love, friendship, etc., and those terms are not
defined too well for you either, but Bliss? What is it? Until you feel it, it cannot be described. A
successful series of Rebirths, usually at least ten, can help you shed enough suppressed material to
feel true aliveness, your bliss, for the first time in your life. You may begin to connect the inhales and
the exhales so effortlessly that what at first seemed like hard work becomes easy and joyful as though
someone else were breathing for you.

That experience, that feeling, is amazing, and although Rebirthing is not an immediate panacea for
your or the world's ills, it reminds you of the way the Universe intended you to feel from the beginning
before you felt separate from it and other people, getting bogged down in the muck and mire of
society and daily living. That feeling reminds you, when you think you are drowning, that there is a
rescue team-inside yourself-for renewal and compassion so that you can face whatever the world puts
before you with true unconditional love and a desire to act in a unified and purposeful manner to solve
all those important dilemmas. They are no longer dilemmas when you can face them with bliss; they
simply "are," and you can laugh at the foolishness of thinking they were something so big. You can
laugh and act, making you a true child of God, peacefully tending your life and your earthly garden.

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"Lost and alone on some forgotten highway, traveled by many remembered by few. Looking for
something that I can believe in, looking for something that I'd like to do with my life. There's nothing
behind me and nothing that ties me to something that might have been true yesterday; tomorrow is
open, right now it seems to be more than enough to just be here today; I don't know what the future is
holding in store. I don't know where I'm going; I'm not sure where I've been. There's a spirit that guides
me, a light that shines for me. My life is worth the living; I don't need to see the end. Sweet, sweet
surrender--live, live without care, like the fish in the water, like the bird in the air."

"Sweet Surrender" (Words and music by John Denver, Walt Disney Music Company and Cherry Lane
Music Company, Inc., 1974)

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