Breathwork is the practice of intentionally altering your breathing pattern through conscious controlled exercises to improve mental, physical and spiritual well-being.
A Brief History of Breathwork
For centuries, breathwork has been a sacred tool for self-discovery and healing.
The Breathwave style of breathwork has its roots in a type of practice that started to appear around the mid 1960s and has grown into numerous modern styles that all have one common thread – conscious, connected breathing.
The early innovators in this field are Leonard Orr, Sondra Ray, Stanislov Grof, Jim Leonard and Judith Kravitz – each approach ultimately evolving into it’s own style of breathwork. The uniqueness of each based on theory, philosophy and practitioner and facilitator methodology but all with in an interest of slowing down the mind, residing in the present moment, nervous system regulation, a strengthening of the immune system and a return to homeostatis. In other words, the body establishing proper balance and naturally healing itself.
In 2007 Robin Clements was a senior trainer with the Transformational Breath Foundation (Judith Krantz) and soon branched out to found Breathwave. This powerfully gentle approach to Conscious Connected Breathing utilizes an open, fluid and relaxed breath which is easy to learn and more gentle than most breathwork teachings today. There is not a focus on peak experiences, but rather on an even and balanced breath style. Facilitators are trained to recognize and coach unconscious breath patterns towards a balanced breathing pattern, which will lead to and maintain safety and comfort in the body. This results in an established foundation of safety in the body that then allows us to open up and softly and gradually begin the process of integrating the emotional elements that can now arise.
Watch Robin Clements below to hear more about the history of breathwork and Breathwave.