THE HEALING POWER OF BREATH

Breath is the basis of our life. We can use it in many ways, to be healthier, happier, and to enhance our self-knowledge.

Individual breath-work

Our body gives space to the workings of our mind, whether we mean by this our mental, emotional or spiritual lives. Each is influenced by the way we breathe.

‘Continuous breathing’, during which we leave no gap between the in-breath and the out-breath, is a very simple technique which helps us to connect the conscious ‘I’ with our subconscious.

We often cope with our psychological wounds by placing them outside our selves. By entering into a mild, peaceful, trance-like state, we re-integrate them, and in doing so, they dissolve. We step beyond the boundaries of our personalities.

As we breathe, problems come into focus which are usually below the surface of our minds. This gives us the opportunity to see them afresh, and reincorporate them into our lives. We can transform our wounds into handholds on a journey of self-discovery.

This reintegration of a problem causes a great sense of liberation, of relaxation, even of euphoria in our bodies. This feeling can last several weeks, then as it fades the opportunity arises for us to work on the next problem.

In yoga we use ‘kundalini’ energy to cleanse our chakras, to raise the energy level of our bodies, which helps us to reach a stable state. The full resolution of our traumas is only possible if we understand the roots of our problems. Breath-work helps us to understand the origins of the negative programs running inside us, and to change them for positive ones.