Conscious Breathwork Journeys Explained

Conscious Breathwork is a lie down meditation exercise which safely maximizes oxygen intake using a circular breathing pattern. As energy flows through the subtle, physical, and spiritual bodies, this type of pranayama can have a very wide range of effects.  

This accessible and easy breathing technique reminds us we are living extensions of our environment, all linked together in a divine chain. 

Breathwork opens a connection with mother earth, your higher self, and the limitless consciousness bliss that is the unified field. It is especially potent to couple this exercise with talk therapy or group sharing so that we may practice listening and verbalizing our process in community. 

“When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace.” -Wim Hoff 

Using the breath as the guru, the one that knows what we need to experience most, seekers may indulge in laughter, crying, physical release, joy, psychedelic journey, deep healing and more.  Folks of all ages and walks of life report they found forgiveness, acceptance, motivation, insight, and a dramatic increase of self-love (just to name a few) after only one course.  This is very similar to the Johns Hopkins study of psilocybin and the dramatic trend towards peacefulness that one experiences after such an altered state of consciousness.  Divine spiritual intervention from Gaia lights the path in love.

What most agree upon when they complete a session is that they gave themselves an opportunity to feel, a chance to come back home to heart, and time to listen to their inner guidance.  Profound results are the common denominator, and you decide your journey from start to finish with your breath. 

In vulnerability there is great truth.

In Western society, successful people are eager to demonstrate power, strength and victory; welcoming in the shadows and achilles heels may not be as familiar in the media as boasting.  Yet breathwork teaches us that beauty also lies in our wounds. That’s where I can connect with a true part of you. If you are not afraid of your scars, you are ready to discover more about yourself than ever before. 

“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Breathing with your partner or friend in a private session is a wonderful way to build relationships and release emotional blockages.  Breathing in a group setting is a powerful way to connect with communities of all shapes and sizes.  Once you have completed eight to ten sessions, you will be ready to try this in the water with a snorkel. Circular breathing in a tub or fresh water spring is the practice of "rebirthing"--a very simple technique with dramatic results. We have clients breathe in and out through the mouth with a concentration on a strong inhale into the chest with a very relaxed, passive exhale. In this way, participants cannot hyperventilate; they are super charging their internal energetic current.

“As you breathe in, cherish yourself. As you breathe out, cherish all Beings.” – Dalai Lama

Sharing this practice is a spiritual experience.  Some use this tool for detoxing, others for grieving, and in the same room, one might find it profoundly visual.  As a yoga teacher and breathwork facilitator, we are choosing to practice not taking things personally, as each person is having a very unique internal process and external reaction.  

In a world where we are constantly taught to compare ourselves to others, or judge our past actions, the feeling of separation can be unbearable. Breathwork takes us into a more compassionate route to living spiritually, and tapping into the oneness of all beings. 

It is the healing that comes from within the individual that is the most potent, and that’s why we serve as life-guards of sorts in this sacred space.  

And Now…Introductory Breathing Practices

Two-Parts Inhale, One Continuous Exhale

Try this first style either seated or lying down.  Place your right hand below the navel and the left hand on the sternum.  Steady your focus by feeling the weight, texture and temperature of your hands and other points of contact around the body.  Begin by breathing into your right hand, pressing the navel towards the palm, and then take a second inhale into your left hand, lifting the heart towards the sky.  As you exhale, feel both sections of your torso deflate.  Take notice if your left or right hand travels at a different speed than the other.  Practice this until your body finds a normal rate for the inhale and exhale.  I usually take 4 seconds to inhale (2 seconds for each hand) and 4 seconds to exhale until I can extend the speed to 6:6, and then 8:8.  After several rounds, you can switch your hands, and identify any shifts in energetic exchange.

When you get the hang of this, try setting a timer so that you breathe in this pattern for 4 minutes, then take 1 minute off to pause, practice a breath hold, or just breathe without a formula.  Eventually, you may make it to 7 minutes on, 2 minutes off, or find another ratio that works best in your body.  If you have the time, take three rounds with ample pauses and allow yourself to integrate, journal, or take a nice walk afterwards.  

 “There is one way of breathing that is shameful and constricted. Then, there’s another way: a breath of love that takes you all the way to infinity.” – Rumi

Conscious Breathwork Journey: Circular Breathing

This meditation is typically done lying down with a small bolster under the knees if the lower back needs support.  Be careful not to prop the head up too much; if you must use a pillow, drop your chin so that your trachea has an easy pathway for breathing.  Optional additions might be to have a blanket, socks, eye mask, chapstick, tissues or cloth, and any crystals or sacred objects.  I encourage participants to set an altar that can also host a candle, photos of ancestors or gurus, smudging tools, flowers, offerings, statues of the divine, and any other items that are calling to hold space and bring benevolent blessings.  Take a moment to honor the seven directions, your angels, guides, and any other beings that you feel protection from or want to invite into the field.  Dedicate the practice to Gaia, the land spirits that surround you, your higher self, and/or a loved one you want to embrace.  

I like to start each session with a short guided meditation or a body scan.  The monkeys in the mind might be jumping about when I first settle in, so this is a potent place for conscious brainwashing via lyrics or recordings.  

Nostril breathing is a great way to guide the body into stillness and slow the meter of the inhale and exhale until they are equal.  Tune your awareness to the space between breathing and non-breathing until it dissolves entirely.  Watch with curiosity how your body responds to no pause at the top of the inhale, and no pause at the bottom of the exhale.  

When you are ready, about 5-10 minutes in, lick the lips, swallow, try on a yawn, and then continue your circular breathing pattern in and out through the mouth.  This is when we really turn on the muscles of discipline!  Switching our thinking mind into our feeling body is pressing reset on the body device.  The ego might say, “I don’t like this, it’s weird, my tongue is dry, I should take a drink of water,” anything to keep the system from rebooting (losing control), and I remind participants that this is the hardest part.  Once you get through the initial discomfort, the breath starts breathing you, and the energy currents harmonize.  Some experience theta brainwaves, others deep rest, others physical phenomena, and more in the next 20 minutes or so.  

As the energy climbs, you’ll reach a cruising altitude or a plateau, where time melts a bit into fractured realities.  This might be 10-90 minutes.  The subconscious will take the wheel and the body will know exactly what it needs to do.  Resist the temptation to change the flight pattern by allowing the body to express in any way without judgment.  Let yourself be guided by the easy, gentle infinity symbol of your breath.  Call in images of waves lapping on a shoreline, of pendulums moving, and any other symbols or patterns that resonate with your experience.  

“Every breath is a resurrection.” – Gregory Orr

Move through this process until you reach a very organic savasana state.  I like to include several breath holds and opportunities to stretch, emote, tone, and re-position throughout my journeys.  This is not a competition about who can be still the longest, who can breathe the fastest, or who can go harder.  Quieting the competitive mind from reaching for any kind of goal, and welcoming the process that the present moment delivers, gets easier with each session.  Our intention setting can help cue our awareness, and the body can often respond in unique ways, too.  I’ve let go of many assumptions of “what this should look like,” when I guide students, and I trust massively in the individual’s ability to heal from within.  

Close your meditation in a way that feels best for you.  Receive the gifts, release the tensions, and open up into a deeper state of here and now.  After a breathwork journey, participants may enjoy taking a bath, dancing, reflecting solo, eating a grounding meal, or sharing in a group.  

Some of my favorite breathwork teachers include Aja and Danny of Inner Light Revival, Dana and Ashanna of Clarity Breathwork, Kia Miller, Niraj Naik, Lukis Mac, Dan Brule, Jon Paul Crimi, Patrick McKeown, Michael Brian Baker, Daniel McQueen, Wim Hoff, and Sage Rader.  There is a very large “buffet” of breathwork practices out there, and sampling from the variety is a wonderful way to see how your body responds to different prompts.  As you learn more about different techniques, see if you can separate the teachings from the teacher, and piece together what resonates with you into your own personal practice.  That is to say, you are your own guru!  Some might make suggestions that do not feel good in your body, and it is important to maintain responsibility for the self beyond anything else.