Connected Breathing: Also known as the Rebirthing Breathwork

Let’s begin to play with what is by far the most powerful Spiritual Breathing Technique on the planet today: “The Rebirthing Breath,” or “Conscious Connected Breathing.”

First a few points of information:

Rebirthing Breathwork was designed to be learned through the traditional method of “initiation.” That is, a student receives the technique from a teacher who has mastered it; the student masters the technique, and then passes it on to someone else.

Rebirthing Breathwork is usually learned over a series of ten private/individual sessions. And sessions usually require one to two hours. Very often, Rebirthing is taught in groups, however this may not be not the best way to learn it. It can also be argued that Rebirthing Breathwork cannot be taught over the internet.

However, many people these days are having spontaneous “rebirthing” experiences, where the breath wants to move into the connected breathing pattern; and out of fear, not knowing what is happening, people naturally try to resist and control the process.

And since this technique is a core technique and a central part of my work, I think it is a good idea to share this exercise with you. At the same time, I invite you to locate a good rebirther/facilitator/coach, or find me on the road somewhere, and master the full process.

Connected Breathing can activate a very powerful energy cycle, and sometimes people inadvertently trigger the symptoms of hyperventilation in the process of learning it. And so you may want to give yourself some extra time if you intend to explore this exercise more deeply.

As a way of “tasting” it, and as a way of developing the basic Rebirthing Breathwork skills, we begin by practicing the “20 Connected Breath Exercise,” developed by Leonard Orr the Father of Rebirthing.

EXERCISE

Connected breathing means that each breath is connected to the last one and also to the next one. There are no pauses or gaps between the breaths. The inhale turns into the exhale, and the exhale merges with the inhale.

It is like a wheel turning. Inhale and exhale, exhale and inhale, each connected in a seamless circle to the other.

20 Connected Breaths means exactly that: we count 20 breaths. However, every fifth breath is a big one. So that means you take four small breaths and then a big breath, four small ones then a big one, four small then a big: 20 connected breaths in all.

An important element of this technique is that the inhale is active and the exhale is passive. You PULL the breath in and LET the breath out. No pushing or blowing or forcing of the exhale. You snap the exhale loose, dump it out, set it free. You control the inhale, but don’t control the exhale.

You can breathe in and out through your mouth or you can breathe in and out through your nose. But do not breathe in the nose and out the mouth.

It is important to go inside with Meditative Awareness and see how you feel before doing the exercise, then check inside again after doing the 20 connected breaths. Notice what gets activated in you by the exercise.

Don’t be shy or quiet about this. It should be obvious to anyone watching that you are engaged in an active breathing exercise.

I suggest that you do the 20 Connected Breaths at least three times, with a few minutes of meditation between each round. Do it once, then do it two more times: once at twice the speed as the first time, and once at half the speed as the first time. In other words, do the 20 Connected breaths three times: at medium speed, slow speed, and fast speed. Keep the ratio of 4/1 (four short breaths and one big one).

Many people like to experiment with Connected Breathing while sitting, lying down, and standing up. And it’s a good idea to practice it through the nose and also through the mouth, in order to notice the energetic difference it makes.

Welcome to Conscious Energy Breathing!

For further study: “Notes from a Talk on Rebirthing”