Breathwork; The Art of conscious Breathing
Inhale, exhale…
It is the first thing we do when we are birthed in to this world, the last thing we do before we leave and it connects us to everything.
Whilst we remain here in this life on planet Earth we breathe.
Throughout my own health journey which began many moons ago, I started to step in to the wonderful world of wellness and I was consumed by the vast and almost seemingly endless (and overwhelming) array of modalities, potions, lotions, remedies, supplements, “food”, tools, products you name it, which are said to assist us in achieving optimal health.
After endless hours of researching all the questions I had and all the things I was presented with in the “health” industry, I realized that life/well-being and living a healthy-filled life is very simple in truth and that we must start at the start, where life began - with the breath.
A few weeks without food we are gone, a few days without water we are gone, but a few minutes without the breath and we leave this physical form… so why do we start at the end with “food” when our first form of nutrition is in fact the breath?
This question and concept started to literally flip my world upside down as I realized that we have it backwards! It all starts with the breath. But really, this simple act we take for granted can be one of the most profound discoveries when we learn how to harness its true power, use it as fuel and best of all - it’s free. If you are alive on this planet you have access to it’s magic!
Breathing is usually an unconscious and often overseen human process as it occurs naturally for the majority of us by using our autonomic operating system, meaning we don’t have to ‘think’ about breathing, it just happens.
For this reason when I was first introduced to the concept of “re-birthing” or “Breathwork” years prior I wasn’t 100% able to fully grasp what would occur or the depth of transformation that may take place just by learning the art of using your breath to facilitate altered states of reality or to alleviate pressure or stress from our physical, energetic and emotional body and releasing stored trauma or responses to perceived trauma from within the central nervous system.
I soon realized that everything I loved doing required a deeper level of connection to breath and a more focused, intentional application in order to stay present and connect in the moment - Yoga, walking/running, hiit, boxing, dancing, swimming, any form of movement. As the activity becomes more intense, the depth of breath the way we breathe and the quality also has to stretch beyond to a new capacity.
I wondered then, if all these things that make us “feel” so amazing require that level of breath, what if we could incite the same power and depth of breathing, but in total stillness - then boom… I entered the world of breath “work” via my beautiful friend and Yogi — Summer Day, as well as the wonderful teachings and wisdom of Wim Hof.
Life became so clear and I found myself receiving answers and insights through accessing my own truth through working with my breath.
Experience is the greatest teacher and it’s one thing to cognitively know something, however it’s a totally different thing to apply the knowledge to your own life and feel it with every cell of your being. This is true wisdom - the embodiment of the teaching.
With that said - the second time I lay down and went through a guided online Wim Hof breath session on my own, I had a DMT release. Yep… I went on a little trip through the fractal world and needless to say it blew my mind! It reminded me of just how little we “know” and it further humbled me to the simple yet remarkable art and practice of breath and our ability to transform our lives with this technology we are equipped with since we’ve journeyed here in spirit to planet earth - our body and the breath which is the fuel driving our earthly vehicle.
The breath is the one thing we can harness, adjust and rely on in any moment to provide us with the safety we need to bring us back in to the present moment. If we learn just a few basic techniques to help regulate ourselves in times of stress we have a very powerful tool to draw upon and to utilize in life’s tough moments and support our nervous system.
Fast forward to 2024 and we have an incredible global encyclopedia at our fingertips of Breathwork instructors, facilitators and workshops available in almost every corner of the globe.
One piece of advice is to definitely be discerning with who you choose to learn from, practice with and be guided by, especially in one on one deep sessions. I would recommend that if you’re delving in to the depths of this modality that you do so with a strong, grounded teacher who is able to assist you supportively through this process as oftentimes big emotional releases and reactions may occur.
I’ve been on “Breathwork journeys” with facilitators who are not actually equipped to hold the space in that moment and cannot support or transmute the possible energetic exchanges which may arise within the session, as well as feeling like there has been a negative and/or misaligned energy transference of where I’ve taken on some dark shit the facilitator was carrying.
Make sure your chosen facilitator is energetically clean and hygienic and shows up in integrity and in the right-feeling space in that moment - remember you always have the power to refuse any treatment or session if it feels off with no explanation necessary other than ‘I don’t want to' or ‘It doesn’t feel right’.
You are the only authority needed in your life to assess whether or not what you’re embarking on is aligned.
We are all human after all and we are subject to having days or times in life where we cannot hold space for others. If the facilitator is working with your highest and their highest intention then this should not be an issue. As a conduit for the light they should refuse or reschedule the session if they don’t have capacity to hold space if they are truly acting from a place of genuine integrity. This applies with any modalities being offered so just use your guidance system to judge this in the moment.
Some of my most favorite leaders in the industry who have really bridged the gap between worlds and brought this incredible modality to the mainstream are none other than a couple of epic fellow Kiwi’s currently living in LA - Lukis Mac and Helle Weston who are sharing and elevating people to empowerment through their Breathwork teachings with their business Owaken.
Whether you are new to breathwork, or even if you are a seasoned “breather”, you will no doubt benefit from the wealth and depth of knowledge that this epic couple continue to bring forth to the world. They share many techniques and offer online trainings and workshops as well as their free daily guided breathwork experience called ‘Owaken daily’. Tune in to their podcast to get a feel for their vibe and what they are all about as well as their live and online offerings and services.
If you are in the Byron Bay region and would like some one on one breathwork sessions in person I have a beautiful friend who truly walks her talk called Joey Hurl and offers a wonderful experience called Mana Kai - check her out here.
If you are visiting the Hawkesbury River just north of Sydney my incredible friend and fellow kiwi sister Summer Day who is the catalyst for this journal post teaches powerful breath work and Yoga sets on Dangar Island. Amongst many other offerings on her vast and incredible resume she also holds small group retreats which empower, uplift and transform you in a beautiful space set amongst the trees. You can find her here.
I’ll leave you with this; ending with the mention of my most treasured place in the whole wide world aka Hawai’i - this is the full circle moment I had when I learned the following:
The meaning of the word “HAWAI’I” itself once broken down -
HA - breath of life
WAI - water
I - all that is.
Life is simple, wellness is our natural state of BE-ing and we all have the ability to allow our bodies’ own natural healing mechanism, if we just support it with what it truly needs to thrive.
With love and aloha,
Victoria x