Beginning the Journey
An important consideration about Breathwork is that you are in charge of a process that has no agenda, and needs none! We can enter into a ceremony like Breathwork with lots of expectations- perhaps we’ve heard a friends experience or watched something online and expect nothing less than a life changing experience. This can cause us to try too hard and come up disappointed. Please remember that a powerful therapeutic shift may not be a huge dramatic release. It may come with insight, time, and compounding Breathwork sessions and corresponding integration sessions with me or your therapist/counselor/life coach… And all that being said, you very well may have a powerful experience that leaves you feeling a bit unsettled, activated, tired, excited, or in remembrance of past events, thoughts, or emotions. Make sure you leave time after our Breathwork session for reflection and returning to your body. Going for a walk, doing art, journaling, eating a wholesome meal, could all be good activities for self-care and further exploration of what came up in the Breathwork session.
Additionally, if at any time the Breathwork session becomes too intense, trust your intuition! You can change your breath and do what feels comfortable to you! Part of the journey is learning to be authentic and honoring yourself and what you need in the Breathwork process is a huge step! Furthermore, if you are utilizing Breathwork to explore unresolved trauma, remember to go slow and discuss with me and your your support team ways to support yourself after a Breathwork session.
The Breathwork ceremony will be 45-90 minutes long, depending on the agreed upon time and the therapeutic focus, and it will be done with music that will change throughout. During this process, I will rarely speak, and I will discuss with you beforehand to potential use of touch, consent, and it is completely up to you if you would like to invite that or not. There’s no pressure! Some physical experiences you might have include drying of throat/mouth, feeling light headed/ dizziness, changes in temperature, twitching or jolting the body and you may experience Tetany- which is a locking or cramping of the muscles.
Contraindication to consider that might change how one engages with Breathwork is pregnancy or anyone with acute physical conditions such as history of stroke, heart attack, physical or psychiatric dis-ease; including but not limited to: schizophrenia, bi-polar, specifically if experiencing a hypomanic episode, glaucoma, or auto-immune disease.
The breath
1. Lay or sit in a comfortable position. Leave space for movement as needed. Have a blanket handy as some people get colder in breath work and some people get warm. Be prepared for either.
2. If you choose a support to go under the head, it should be thin, and allowing the airway of the mouth to not be constricted in anyway.
3. Eye pillows or masks are always good at enhancing the experience, especially if there is natural light that cannot be blocked out from the space.
4. This is an open mouth breath; allowing your tongue to fall to the bottom of your mouth, softly and your jaw to be loose and falling wide open is the easiest way.
5. There is no pause in between breaths. It is circular. Breathe with your full body in, breathing from your pelvis, into your belly, and finally filling your chest, and then at the top of the inhalation, letting go.
6. The exhale should be a passive release, and not a forced blowing out of air (That is more the wimhof style, which if that is your preference, trust your own experience.)
7. Allow the exhale to drain out of you, and at the bottom of the breath, returning to the full body inhale. Do this in a circular pattern without stopping at a rate, that is quick, yet still allows you to get full and deep inhales, and to not have to force the air out aggressively. This will be modeled for you/you should model it for your clients every time.
8. If there are any contraindications, do circular breathing, just through the nose. This does not mean you cannot have a powerful experience!
9. If at any point, you start to feel cramping in your hands that is painful, your mouth becomes too dry, or the experience becomes too uncomfortable, breathe through your nose for a bit, but remember that the breath is the guide and breath work is not meant to be comfortable all the time, just like therapy and life is not comfortable all the time. Returning to the breath should be the goal. Do not be afraid to reach your hand up and ask for support from the facilitators.
10. Do not worry if your pace/other peoples pace or breath sounds different than yours. Your breath is your own style. It takes practice. It is about finding something that works for you!
Things to bring:
-An open heart
-A blanket
-An eye mask or something to put over your eyes
-A pillow
-A yoga mat or pad
-Think about and pick out a song that you’ve been especially connecting with lately!
By signing this form you acknowledge that you understand that participation in this breathwork event is totally voluntary. This is not mental health counseling nor a substitute for mental health counseling. Additionally, by signing this form you acknowledge that Brennon Moore will not be held liable for any accidental injury or harm that occurs this breathwork event.
MY SIGNATURE BELOW INDICATES THAT I HAVE READ OR HAVE HAD EXPLAINED TO ME THE PROVISIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT.