Being Ok With Not Being Liked &
The Physical Health Benefits of Breathwork
I recently got a letter from Rhianne at the Shakti Shiva Academy in South Africa about their “Embodied Facilitation” course. The title was “How to be ok with not being liked.”
This is a very important idea for everyone, and especially for Breathworkers, and so, she inspired me to include (steal) some parts of her message in this article about the profound benefits of Breathwork on our body and our physical well-being.
As breathworkers, we need to know how to navigate big feeling states such as anger, dislike, disgust, betrayal, and more, so that we can have our experience without attaching to or identifying with a subjective “story” about what’s going on.
For those of us who live and love to please, it’s important to remember that not being liked by some, or even many, is inevitable. We all project, transfer, and counter-transfer stuff onto each other all the time.
And so, we need to understand that when someone doesn’t like something about us or doesn’t like something we do, especially when we’re facilitating, that 100% of the time, it’s not about us. It’s never personal!
We have triggered something from their past. They’re fighting, resisting, rejecting, whether they realize it or not, something they haven’t owned, healed, or integrated. The past is showing up and is being overlaid onto the present moment. We become a character or a pattern from that person’s past that they project onto us.
This isn’t to say that we, as practitioners and as humans, don’t make mistakes. We do. We will. All the time! It’s how we learn and grow. And this isn’t to say that we won’t do things - mostly unintentionally - that cause hurt feelings or have a negative impact. We absolutely will.
And this is why we need to take 100% responsibility for our part in the crazy, messy dance of life. We need to exercise control over our experience, our process, and our responses. We apologize and we make amends when necessary.
Some things to contemplate!
And now onto the physical health benefits of Breathwork…
A number of statistics set me back on my heels this month (thanks Bogdan!) as we feature a new course called Breath & Body.
For example, did you know that 3 billion people in the world are overweight or obese?
A half a billion people are diabetic. And 1.3 billion struggle with high blood pressure.
More than 235 million people have asthma & 1 in 3 adults suffer from allergies or eczema.
Infertility rates are up & energy levels are down... We're also getting heart attacks at younger ages...
The leading causes of death in our world are not wars or murders... They are 'lifestyle diseases' like cancer and cardiovascular disease, which take more than 28 million lives each & every year.
The fact is, we are fatter, sicker & more disease-ridden than at any other point in human history! And for the first time in history, more people are dying from too much food (obesity) than not enough food (starvation).
People spend tons of money and time trying to solve these problems, with extreme diets, crazy workouts, pharmaceutical drugs and supplements of all kinds…
Yet, most people continue to ignore the simplest and most effective intervention, and that is Breathwork!
Stress is related to 95% of illnesses and diseases today. And breathwork is the number one free and natural antidote to stress. So, it’s our job as Breathworkers to enlighten the world about this.
Without our health, we don't have the energy, stamina, or strength to exercise, be sociable, to play with our kids or our grandkids (or to please our partner).
When we are in poor health, pain in the body can consume our attention and stop us from being present and living in the moment...
It is incredibly hard to be happy & to enjoy our life if we're in poor health, when we're diagnosed with life-threatening disease or if we are already lying in a hospital bed.
But when we gain or regain amazing physical health, fitness & wellbeing, everything becomes possible again! We’re happier & able to enjoy life to the fullest.
We're naturally more focused, productive & able to create the work, career, business & income we want...
We can form stronger friendships, have better interactions & can connect with our loved ones more deeply.
Breathwork is being used to heal asthma, allergies, and a variety of other health issues. It helps us to flush out toxins, to detoxify our cells & supercharge our immune system, protecting our body against sickness & disease.
Breathwork helps us achieve more permanent & sustainable weight loss. It can raise our energy levels, and fix chronic fatigue, enhancing performance across the board. It can even reverse the aging process, rewind the clock, and extend our lifespan by many years!
And so, we need to help as many people as possible discover, explore and develop the power and potential of breathwork to maximize physical health and well-being. And we need to practice what we preach!
Here are 6 Breath Mastery tips and hacks, exercises and techniques, that you can practice and share with others to support and improve physical health and wellbeing:
- 20 Connected Breaths is a go-to practice to vent toxins and energize the body
- Practice Breath Holding while walking and exercising to add some intensity
- Paradoxical Breathing/Reverse Respiration to strengthen & tone the diaphragm
- Stretching, twisting, turning, arching, curling, while holding full and empty lungs
- Exaggerate the Active Inhale and Active Exhale practice
- Resistance Training, naturally or with a device, to strengthen breathing muscles
Anastasia just handed me a glass of wine to celebrate the end of a very productive day… So I am toasting to your physical health!
And wishing you much luck in your practice, and many blessings on your path.
Love and blessings to all,
