If you are searching for Rebirthing Breathwork, Leonard Orr is where the lineage begins. Leonard, my dear friend and one of my favorite teachers, used to describe the practice as “merging the outer breath, which is air, with the inner breath, which is Spirit.” That single line is the doorway.
What Rebirthing Breathwork actually is
Rebirthing Breathwork, also called Conscious Connected Breathing, is a simple practice with profound effects. Each breath is connected to the last one and to the next, with no pauses or gaps. The inhale turns into the exhale. The exhale merges with the inhale. It is like a wheel turning. You pull the breath in actively. You let the breath out passively. No pushing, no blowing, no forcing of the exhale. You snap it loose and let it go.
Leonard discovered the practice through spontaneous experience between 1962 and 1975. He noticed that when the breath moved continuously in this way, deep memories and energies in the body began to release. He went on to found Theta House in San Francisco, a Victorian mansion where students gathered for One Year Seminars. He named it Theta because theta brain waves are the scientific marker of the transcendental state, what the yogis call samadhi.
How to start: the 20 Connected Breaths
Here is the entry exercise Leonard developed. It is a taste of the work, not the full practice, but it is enough to feel what the breath wants to do.
Count 20 connected breaths. Every fifth breath is a big one. Four small breaths, then a big breath. Four small, then one big. Four small, then one big. Twenty breaths in all.
The inhale is active. The exhale is passive. Pull the breath in. Let the breath out. You can breathe in and out through your mouth, or in and out through your nose. Just do not breathe in the nose and out the mouth.
Before you begin, go inside with meditative awareness and see how you feel. Then do the exercise. Then check inside again. Notice what gets activated in you.
Do the 20 Connected Breaths three times in a session, with a few minutes of meditation between each round. Once at medium speed. Once slow. Once fast. Keep the four-to-one ratio.
What happens when you breathe this way
When you breathe in this connected way, energy begins to move. Thoughts, feelings, sensations, and emotions stored in the body start to surface. This is normal. If anything uncomfortable comes up, it means it is leaving you. Keep the breath moving. Relax whatever you can. Be patient with everything else.
The breath is doing two things at once. On the inhale, the diaphragm draws blood from the extremities into the lungs. On the exhale, it sends blood back out. This is the thoracic pump, the way breathing helps the heart do its work. After a few minutes of continuous breathing, heart rate variability rises, cortisol drops, and the nervous system softens. Ten or twelve minutes in, theta brain waves begin to dominate. That is the state the yogis spend years training to reach in stillness, what Leonard called the transcendental state. The breath gets you there in minutes.
Why a teacher matters
Most beginners get distracted by the sensations and forget to keep the breath flowing. That is why Rebirthing Breathwork was designed to be learned the traditional way: through initiation, one teacher passing the work to one student. A trained Rebirther can hold the space, read what is happening, and guide you back to the breath when you wander.
I learned Rebirthing Breathwork from Leonard in 1976. His work now spans 67+ countries through the teachers he and his students trained over five decades. If you are serious about this practice, find a trained Rebirther near you. The traditional arc is ten one-on-one sessions, one to two hours each.
Stay close to the practice
A few minutes of connected breathing a day will keep the channel open between sessions. The breath is always available. The practice is simple. The transformation, when it comes, is not.
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Good luck in your practice, and many blessings on your path.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Rebirthing Breathwork?
Leonard Orr is the founder of Rebirthing Breathwork. He developed the technique through his own spontaneous experiences between 1962 and 1975 and went on to teach it through Theta House in San Francisco and the international Rebirthing-Breathwork movement.
How is Rebirthing Breathwork different from Holotropic Breathwork?
Both use continuous connected breathing. Rebirthing Breathwork, as Leonard taught it, is typically learned one-on-one in a series of ten sessions. Holotropic Breathwork, developed by Stanislav Grof, is usually practiced in groups with music and a partner sitter.
Is Rebirthing Breathwork safe?
Connected Breathing can activate strong sensations and emotions, and beginners sometimes trigger hyperventilation symptoms. That is one reason to start with a trained Rebirther. If you have a serious heart, lung, or psychiatric condition, talk to your doctor before beginning.
How long is a Rebirthing Breathwork session?
A one-on-one session is typically one to two hours. The traditional arc is ten sessions with the same Rebirther.
By Dan Brule, founder of Breath Mastery. Trained as a Rebirther by Leonard Orr in 1976. Has taught Conscious Breathing to 250,000+ students in 67 countries and certified 2,000+ Breathwork Teachers, Coaches, Practitioners, and Facilitators.
