In our everyday state of consciousness we identify with only a small fraction of who we really are and do not experience the full extent of our being.

What is Breathwork?

Conscious Connected Breathwork is part of a long tradition of breathing techniques which regulate the nervous system and help us experience a deeper sense of connection to ourselves.

How we breath is a fingerprint of how we live our lives and what’s happened to us. How we adapted as children to the adults around us. And how we learnt to express or hold onto our emotions if it wasn’t safe to let them out. When we’re stressed or it’s not safe to express feelings: we freeze; tense, hold our breath and store the emotion away - to be released at a later time, when we are no longer in danger.

Except that time rarely comes – we’re too busy, too distracted or still not safe enough to stop and feel. We just keep going, pushing feelings or uncomfortable sensations away until a backlog of stored emotions threatens our relationships, our physical health and our connection to who we really are. Breathwork helps us to move out of ‘fight, flight, freeze’ where many of us are chronically stuck - into a more relaxed ‘rest, fix and digest’ mode, where we can let our guard down, reduce any hypervigilance and recover. It’s in this state of safety that we can finally let go. We can then sleep deeply; feel safer, healthier, more grounded, whole and at peace with ourselves.

It reduces anxiety and lowers stress levels by lowering cortisol and increasing gamma brainwaves which induce feelings of happiness and compassion for ourselves, as well as others. Conscious Connected Breathwork also has an extra dimension. Studies show it facilitates states of altered awareness and expanded consciousness which can give us profound insight into past events and help us heal emotionally, physically and spiritually. (Bahi et al – Current Psychology – Aug 23)

Conscious Connected Breathwork History

Conscious Connected Breathwork is deeply rooted in ancient yogic and meditation practices. In its current form, it was developed in the 70’s by teachers including Stanislav Grof (Holotropic Breathwork), Leonard Orr (Rebirthing), Sondra Ray (Liberation Breathing) and Dr Judith Kravitz (Transformational Breathwork). At the same time, ground-breaking psychiatrist, Bessel Van de Kolk (The Body Keeps the Score), EMDR founder, Francine Shapiro, Peter Levine ( Waking The Tiger) and Dr Gabor Mate (The Body Says No) and many others, have deepened our understanding of trauma. So much so that, body-held or somatic experiencing, as well as Capital ‘T’ trauma, versus small ‘t’ trauma, is now universally accepted; as is the concept that each of us holds the imprint of our childhoods, not only in our psyches, but also in our bodies and our breathing patterns.

My breathwork session with Hanna was a truly unique experience. I felt very safe and relaxed. I accessed emotions that I didn’t know were there or were possibly filed away. I have felt much more present in myself since the session. I’m already looking forward to the next one to see what more can be unlocked – Helen