Notes on the Practice of Spiritual Breathing
Leonard Orr, the father of the Rebirthing-Breathwork movement, my dear friend and one of my favorite teachers, once said that the greatest skill or art in life is:
“Learning to merge the outer breath which is air, with the inner breath which is Spirit.”
There is a knack to mastering this art, and it involves combining peace and power. It means breathing in a powerful way while being completely relaxed, and being completely relaxed while breathing in a powerful way.
This is the sacred dance of doing and being: doing the breathing and being breathed… breathing the breath and letting the breath breathe you.
You must be able to open and expand and relax and let go. That’s our breathing mantra. And you must be able to ‘take’ a breath, as well as ‘receive’ the breath.
You must be able to breathe into your heart and infuse every cell of your body with Breath-Energy. You must practice and develop mindfulness, and meditative awareness.
You must be able to channel emotional energy through the breath, to take the stress off the body and mind. You must be ready, willing, and able to wake up, let go, and take charge!
You must be able to merge the inhale with the exhale and the exhale with the inhale, in a continuous connected circular rhythm for as long as you like, without pausing, stopping, pushing, forcing, holding, or forgetting.
You must be able to breathe comfortably through the mouth as well as through the nose. You must practice breathing fast and slow, high in the chest and low in the belly.
You must be able to relax so much that the spaces between your cells open up, so that the Breath can get into all the cracks and crevices of your being.
You must be willing to raise your consciousness and be able to relax into intensity. You must be sensitive to subtle energy, and relatively free of security, sensation and power addictions.
You must be heart centered, and willing to transcend the ego. You must overcome the illusion of separateness. You must practice non-judgment, non-resistance and non-attachment.
You must practice alone, in pairs with a partner, in small groups and in large groups. You must be comfortable breathing in warm water as well as cold water.
You must combine breathing and movement, breathing and sound, breathing and visualization. You must become less reactive. And you must do your inner work
You must master Kum Nye Relaxation and De-Reflexive Breathing. And you must learn to breathe light and love. And you must learn to breathe into the four dimensions of awareness
There are other practices that may be required, and there are some that are not required but can be very helpful, even necessary for some of us.
All these skills and practices are covered in my live seminars and in my online courses. And so, I hope you dive into the work!
Good luck in your practice, and many blessings on your path.
