Natural Breathing vs. the Breathing Control System

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There are 2 reasons why you sometimes automatically breathe more and sometimes less:

1. Natural Breathing spontaneously inflate you with more Life-force and Well-being and thus keep you above the Breathing Threshold when:

• You relax and let go, like when you sigh and yawn.
• You are carefree and enjoy a good laugh.
• You open up restrained emotions.
• You let go and fall sleep.
• You physically exert yourself.

2. The Breathing Control System forces you to remain in a status quo aliveness balance, making sure you don’t build up more energy than you use up and thus keep you below the Breathing Threshold when:

• You are physically active you breathe more and when you are physically inactive you breathe less.
• You are mentally agitated you breathe more and when you are mentally calm you breathe less.

The Breathing Control System resists Natural Breathing, but it can’t actually totally stop it, like you can’t choose to stop your breathing for more than a moment.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

There are 2 reasons why you sometimes automatically breathe more and sometimes less:

1. Natural Breathing spontaneously inflate you with more Life-force and Well-being and thus keep you above the Breathing Threshold when:

• You relax and let go, like when you sigh and yawn.
• You are carefree and enjoy a good laugh.
• You open up restrained emotions.
• You let go and fall sleep.
• You physically exert yourself.

2. The Breathing Control System forces you to remain in a status quo aliveness balance, making sure you don’t build up more energy than you use up and thus keep you below the Breathing Threshold when:

• You are physically active you breathe more and when you are physically inactive you breathe less.
• You are mentally agitated you breathe more and when you are mentally calm you breathe less.

The Breathing Control System resists Natural Breathing, but it can’t actually totally stop it, like you can’t choose to stop your breathing for more than a moment.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

What Is Breathwork?

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I am writing this article, because I have noticed there are more and more breathing techniques out there, and I am curious about what is happening with the Breathwork movement and where Breathwork is going from here.

I started my Breathwork journey 1984 with Rebirthing, when Leonard Orr discovered Conscious Connected Breathing. At that time, all we did was Conscious Connected Breathing and that was powerful enough to make this, my and millions of others, our Life-journey.

Then, the BREATHWORK PREMISE was that Natural Breathing is already an integral part of us, and not something we need to add or create. It is even so powerful that it can create life. Since, we can’t create life, we can assume that Natural Breathing knows something we don’t.

We also learned that, if our Natural Breathing got hampered, by mis-learned breathing and traumas, we can restore it by undoing the cause of the impaired breathing, by simulating or jump-start our Natural Breathing. When the issue got resolved, no more breathwork was needed on that issue, so we could settle back into our easy life-giving Natural Breathing.

Now, when I search for BREATHWORK, I find many breathwork techniques that are different from each other, in intention, application and effect.

Generally, “Breathwork” will give you some experience and make you feel invigorated and inspired, so it seems to be a useful process.

These are some of the Breathwork Techniques I have found:

There is chest breathing, belly breathing, nose breathing, mouth breathing, conscious connected breathing, natural breathing, intentionally changing and controlling the breathing, hot-water breathing, cold-water breathing.

Some Breathwork is “breathwork-and-something”, including components that are in addition to breathing, intending to maximize a certain effect, such as, counting your breaths, slow breathing, holding the breath breathing, yoga breathing, guided breathing, group breathing, breathing with drugs, movement, dancing, music, sound waves, mantra breathing, breathing with visualization, and breathing with a certain goal in mind…

Some use breathwork to be able to do extraordinary physical feats.
Some use it to access altered states.
Some use it for emotional release.
Some use it to calm down.
Some use it to improve the breathing mechanism.
Some use it for detoxification and cleansing.
Some use it to escape symptoms.
Some use it to prevent or heal disease.
Some use it to create or improve a specific aspect of their external world.
Some use it as a daily practice.
Some use it to connect with a “higher power”.
Some use it for meditation for spiritual awakening.

Some Breathworkers trust that our Natural Breathing already creates and maintains well-being, so they encourage a breathing that is free of “idea” interventions and physical distraction.

Does that mean that breathwork has many applications that we were unaware of, or is breathwork evolving, or are we missing the point and over-ride its true benefits and gifts?

Supposedly, breathing is breathing, and Life-force rides on the breath. So, every breathing technique should be good. Right?

With all these choices you have to ask yourself what are you looking for?

Maybe you are searching for a way to let go of suffering; Maybe you have health issues; Maybe you want to create health; Maybe you have survival fears; Maybe you are without work or can’t continue your business as usual; Maybe you feel lost; Maybe you don’t want to be alone; Maybe you don’t want to be controlled; Maybe you are in the rat-race and competition; Maybe you want power and status; Maybe you are just looking for something to do; Maybe you want to release sub-conscious material; Maybe you want to feel that you do spiritual work; Maybe you want to meet your Real Self; Maybe you want to restore your Source within; Maybe you feel inspired to help; Maybe you want to be more creative or productive.

Once you know what you want, you can research which of the various breathwork understandings, applications, and technique will suit you.

Natural Breathing is a breathing technique that happens naturally when there is “no mind” or ideas and concepts directing your breathing – and thus is not really a technique – but a surrender to breath’s innate ability to breathe you and give you life, health, wealth, happiness, and fulfillment.

How do you know what true Natural Breathing is?

Watching how you actually breathe, when you “stop holding your breath” and “get out of the way”, might give you a clue. This happens when you sigh, yawn, have an emotion, run, fall asleep, laugh, are excited, make love, etc.

In the above situations you can find certain similarities or common thread of how Natural Breathing happens. So, it stands to reason, that changes in the way you breathe, when you are “caught off guard”, indicates what your breathing really wants to do, when it is not controlled, but set free.

Having identified those characteristics, you can purposely jump-start this Natural Breathing and reap all the benefits of naturally being fueled and supported by Life-force.

 

I am writing this article, because I have noticed there are more and more breathing techniques out there, and I am curious about what is happening with the Breathwork movement and where Breathwork is going from here.

I started my Breathwork journey 1984 with Rebirthing, when Leonard Orr discovered Conscious Connected Breathing. At that time, all we did was Conscious Connected Breathing and that was powerful enough to make this, my and millions of others, our Life-journey.

Then, the BREATHWORK PREMISE was that Natural Breathing is already an integral part of us, and not something we need to add or create. It is even so powerful that it can create life. Since, we can’t create life, we can assume that Natural Breathing knows something we don’t.

We also learned that, if our Natural Breathing got hampered, by mis-learned breathing and traumas, we can restore it by undoing the cause of the impaired breathing, by simulating or jump-start our Natural Breathing. When the issue got resolved, no more breathwork was needed on that issue, so we could settle back into our easy life-giving Natural Breathing.

Now, when I search for BREATHWORK, I find many breathwork techniques that are different from each other, in intention, application and effect.

Generally, “Breathwork” will give you some experience and make you feel invigorated and inspired, so it seems to be a useful process.

These are some of the Breathwork Techniques I have found:

There is chest breathing, belly breathing, nose breathing, mouth breathing, conscious connected breathing, natural breathing, intentionally changing and controlling the breathing, hot-water breathing, cold-water breathing.

Some Breathwork is “breathwork-and-something”, including components that are in addition to breathing, intending to maximize a certain effect, such as, counting your breaths, slow breathing, holding the breath breathing, yoga breathing, guided breathing, group breathing, breathing with drugs, movement, dancing, music, sound waves, mantra breathing, breathing with visualization, and breathing with a certain goal in mind…

Some use breathwork to be able to do extraordinary physical feats.
Some use it to access altered states.
Some use it for emotional release.
Some use it to calm down.
Some use it to improve the breathing mechanism.
Some use it for detoxification and cleansing.
Some use it to escape symptoms.
Some use it to prevent or heal disease.
Some use it to create or improve a specific aspect of their external world.
Some use it as a daily practice.
Some use it to connect with a “higher power”.
Some use it for meditation for spiritual awakening.

Some Breathworkers trust that our Natural Breathing already creates and maintains well-being, so they encourage a breathing that is free of “idea” interventions and physical distraction.

Does that mean that breathwork has many applications that we were unaware of, or is breathwork evolving, or are we missing the point and over-ride its true benefits and gifts?

Supposedly, breathing is breathing, and Life-force rides on the breath. So, every breathing technique should be good. Right?

With all these choices you have to ask yourself what are you looking for?

Maybe you are searching for a way to let go of suffering; Maybe you have health issues; Maybe you want to create health; Maybe you have survival fears; Maybe you are without work or can’t continue your business as usual; Maybe you feel lost; Maybe you don’t want to be alone; Maybe you don’t want to be controlled; Maybe you are in the rat-race and competition; Maybe you want power and status; Maybe you are just looking for something to do; Maybe you want to release sub-conscious material; Maybe you want to feel that you do spiritual work; Maybe you want to meet your Real Self; Maybe you want to restore your Source within; Maybe you feel inspired to help; Maybe you want to be more creative or productive.

Once you know what you want, you can research which of the various breathwork understandings, applications, and technique will suit you.

Natural Breathing is a breathing technique that happens naturally when there is “no mind” or ideas and concepts directing your breathing – and thus is not really a technique – but a surrender to breath’s innate ability to breathe you and give you life, health, wealth, happiness, and fulfillment.

How do you know what true Natural Breathing is?

Watching how you actually breathe, when you “stop holding your breath” and “get out of the way”, might give you a clue. This happens when you sigh, yawn, have an emotion, run, fall asleep, laugh, are excited, make love, etc.

In the above situations you can find certain similarities or common thread of how Natural Breathing happens. So, it stands to reason, that changes in the way you breathe, when you are “caught off guard”, indicates what your breathing really wants to do, when it is not controlled, but set free.

Having identified those characteristics, you can purposely jump-start this Natural Breathing and reap all the benefits of naturally being fueled and supported by Life-force.

Yawning and Natural Breathing

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Why do you yawn?
A yawn is the body’s way to take in more oxygen/energy/spirit.

A yawn is the lungs way to get satisfactorily stretched and exercised.

A yawn is also your Breathing Control System kicking in, to use up any extra energy you have, to keep you in status quo and avoid adding more energy, happiness, passion, creativity, and success, because supposedly it is safer to remain with a mis-understood and numbed out life.

When you yawn, you open up your chest and lungs and fill your body with more air, while also tightening your jaw, and avoiding having an increase of energy.

Yawning is not sleep-inducing, as is commonly believed. The increased oxygen inhaled is actually waking you up, so yawning can be helpful.

When does yawning happen?
Yawning happens when you let down your guard against feeling more. Instead of the usual sub-ventilating and stifling your air inflow, you open up to the unknown.

Yawning is a sign that you have halted your usual resistance to letting in more energy into your life. Thus, naturally, your breathing quality is increased, as evidenced by an increased air exchange, but if you don’t know the mechanics that transformation requires, you get stuck with deflating the increased energy again, through continuous yawning.

Why do you yawn in a breathing session?
The good news is that a yawn opens up your Natural Breathing and energizes and wakes you up to experiencing and feeling more.

The not so good news is that a yawn includes tightening of your jaw muscles and thus use up and consume the increased energy that you just amplified.

A yawn also slows down your breathing tempo, leaving you with less air exchange.

The benefit of yawning in a Natural Breathing session is that it flexes and unhooks a blocked chest and wakes you up to feel more.

How to work with yawning?
If you are not breathing much, starting with yawning increases your air-volume. One yawn is good, because it makes you flex your chest muscles and for you to realize how deep your inhale ideally can – should be.

But once your breathing system is open, which happens with one or a few yawns, continuing yawning, leaves you using up more energy than you take in and thus inhibits your progress.

Choose to not tighten your jaw muscles (TMJ) when you do Natural Breathing and don’t make the usual pause that happens after a yawn. Pick up your inhale immediately right after the end of the exhale, without any pause, and your continuous yawning will stop.

Be aware, at the first inkling, when your jaw muscles start to tighten.  This is where the Breathing Control System kicks in. Resisting this tightening, at the very beginning of the yawn, by focusing on not slowing down your breathing, but continuing your passionate breathing tempo, can get you beyond the urge to yawn and raise your Life-force level.

Excerpt from Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

Why do you yawn?
A yawn is the body’s way to take in more oxygen/energy/spirit.

A yawn is the lungs way to get satisfactorily stretched and exercised.

A yawn is also your Breathing Control System kicking in, to use up any extra energy you have, to keep you in status quo and avoid adding more energy, happiness, passion, creativity, and success, because supposedly it is safer to remain with a mis-understood and numbed out life.

When you yawn, you open up your chest and lungs and fill your body with more air, while also tightening your jaw, and avoiding having an increase of energy.

Yawning is not sleep-inducing, as is commonly believed. The increased oxygen inhaled is actually waking you up, so yawning can be helpful.

When does yawning happen?
Yawning happens when you let down your guard against feeling more. Instead of the usual sub-ventilating and stifling your air inflow, you open up to the unknown.

Yawning is a sign that you have halted your usual resistance to letting in more energy into your life. Thus, naturally, your breathing quality is increased, as evidenced by an increased air exchange, but if you don’t know the mechanics that transformation requires, you get stuck with deflating the increased energy again, through continuous yawning.

Why do you yawn in a breathing session?
The good news is that a yawn opens up your Natural Breathing and energizes and wakes you up to experiencing and feeling more.

The not so good news is that a yawn includes tightening of your jaw muscles and thus use up and consume the increased energy that you just amplified.

A yawn also slows down your breathing tempo, leaving you with less air exchange.

The benefit of yawning in a Natural Breathing session is that it flexes and unhooks a blocked chest and wakes you up to feel more.

How to work with yawning?
If you are not breathing much, starting with yawning increases your air-volume. One yawn is good, because it makes you flex your chest muscles and for you to realize how deep your inhale ideally can – should be.

But once your breathing system is open, which happens with one or a few yawns, continuing yawning, leaves you using up more energy than you take in and thus inhibits your progress.

Choose to not tighten your jaw muscles (TMJ) when you do Natural Breathing and don’t make the usual pause that happens after a yawn. Pick up your inhale immediately right after the end of the exhale, without any pause, and your continuous yawning will stop.

Be aware, at the first inkling, when your jaw muscles start to tighten.  This is where the Breathing Control System kicks in. Resisting this tightening, at the very beginning of the yawn, by focusing on not slowing down your breathing, but continuing your passionate breathing tempo, can get you beyond the urge to yawn and raise your Life-force level.

Excerpt from Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

Tetany

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If you use Natural Breathing as your “waking up to success” process, then, first you need to build your Life-force energy to such a high level that you are retaining more energy than you use up.

If you do that, first your basic energy demands are met, and then, your surplus energy will have to find new places to go to, which are the areas of yourself, that you have previously shut down, because of traumas and mis-learnings. When your excess energy reaches your restricted areas, it will unlock them and expand you beyond your normal restrictions.

During your expansion process you may have a knee-jerk reaction to resist your new experience. Such a resistance shows up as a holding back – a tightening of your muscles – called “Tetany”. Eventually, you’ll surrender to enjoying this heightened experience, and thus you let go of Tetany.

You should celebrate when you get Tetany, because then you know you are breathing beyond your Breathing Threshold and therefore a true transformation is taking place.

Tetany is always safe
Tetany is a temporary reaction, that will pass within minutes. You will always leave a Natural Breathing session with your body functioning normally again.

The first time you have Tetany, it can be startling, if you don’t know what Tetany is and how it works, because the first experience of Tetany is that you feel you lose control of your hands, arms, mouth, and face. Your muscles get stiff, and you can’t move.

Actually, you can move. You can take total control of your body if you get distracted out of your resistance. Like, if the fire-alarm goes off, you will instantly act normally and get away.

After you have had the experience of Tetany you know it is safe.

If you never have Tetany, you are not building a surplus of energy, through breathing and you don’t get-out-of-the-way enough, to raise above your Breathing Threshold, but stay within your no-real-change safe zone.

When you feel safe with Tetany, you’ll find it, not only interesting, but valuable to your success.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

If you use Natural Breathing as your “waking up to success” process, then, first you need to build your Life-force energy to such a high level that you are retaining more energy than you use up.

If you do that, first your basic energy demands are met, and then, your surplus energy will have to find new places to go to, which are the areas of yourself, that you have previously shut down, because of traumas and mis-learnings. When your excess energy reaches your restricted areas, it will unlock them and expand you beyond your normal restrictions.

During your expansion process you may have a knee-jerk reaction to resist your new experience. Such a resistance shows up as a holding back – a tightening of your muscles – called “Tetany”. Eventually, you’ll surrender to enjoying this heightened experience, and thus you let go of Tetany.

You should celebrate when you get Tetany, because then you know you are breathing beyond your Breathing Threshold and therefore a true transformation is taking place.

Tetany is always safe
Tetany is a temporary reaction, that will pass within minutes. You will always leave a Natural Breathing session with your body functioning normally again.

The first time you have Tetany, it can be startling, if you don’t know what Tetany is and how it works, because the first experience of Tetany is that you feel you lose control of your hands, arms, mouth, and face. Your muscles get stiff, and you can’t move.

Actually, you can move. You can take total control of your body if you get distracted out of your resistance. Like, if the fire-alarm goes off, you will instantly act normally and get away.

After you have had the experience of Tetany you know it is safe.

If you never have Tetany, you are not building a surplus of energy, through breathing and you don’t get-out-of-the-way enough, to raise above your Breathing Threshold, but stay within your no-real-change safe zone.

When you feel safe with Tetany, you’ll find it, not only interesting, but valuable to your success.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

Mouth vs. Nose Breathing

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Breathing can be done through your mouth or your nose
Mouth vs. nose breathing shows you whether you tend to engage and relate more with your external world or your internal world.

Mouth breathing
Breathing through your mouth shows that you are physically and emotionally engaged with your life.

Whenever you laugh or cry or run or exercise or sigh or yawn, you breathe through your mouth, so Natural Breathing is naturally done through the mouth.

Mouth breathing is also preferred in Natural Breathing because it is easier and gives you faster access to a full breath and more air than through the nose.

Nose breathing
Breathing through your nose connects you with your internal world.

Nose breathing pacifies you. This may be good to do if you want to meditate or calm down.

Sometimes nose breathing can take place at the end of a session, but is not ideal, since it dis-engages physical and emotional awareness.

Alternating Mouth and Nose breathing
Breathing in through the nose and exhaling through the mouth or any combination thereof can only be done by mentally controlling your Life-force. It takes effort and a certain level of muscle engagement to constantly change the flow of the air, and thus uses up Life-force, keeping you below the Breathing Threshold.

Unobstructed Natural Breathing is always done through the mouth. 

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

Breathing can be done through your mouth or your nose
Mouth vs. nose breathing shows you whether you tend to engage and relate more with your external world or your internal world.

Mouth breathing
Breathing through your mouth shows that you are physically and emotionally engaged with your life.

Whenever you laugh or cry or run or exercise or sigh or yawn, you breathe through your mouth, so Natural Breathing is naturally done through the mouth.

Mouth breathing is also preferred in Natural Breathing because it is easier and gives you faster access to a full breath and more air than through the nose.

Nose breathing
Breathing through your nose connects you with your internal world.

Nose breathing pacifies you. This may be good to do if you want to meditate or calm down.

Sometimes nose breathing can take place at the end of a session, but is not ideal, since it dis-engages physical and emotional awareness.

Alternating Mouth and Nose breathing
Breathing in through the nose and exhaling through the mouth or any combination thereof can only be done by mentally controlling your Life-force. It takes effort and a certain level of muscle engagement to constantly change the flow of the air, and thus uses up Life-force, keeping you below the Breathing Threshold.

Unobstructed Natural Breathing is always done through the mouth. 

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

Chest vs. Belly Breathing

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Chest vs. Belly breathing shows you whether you engage personally or are a disengaged observer.

Chest breathing shows that you are interested in your life, engage in it, take charge, and take your life personally.

Belly breathing shows that you stuff your feelings, is a spectator and don’t face your circumstances. You engage mentally and physically, but no awareness of your actual personal Life-Journey.

Natural Breathing starts with your chest
Your inhale should be filled up from the top of your chest and then expand, down through your solar plexus, into your abdomen, and then to the rest of your body. If your breath jumps over and avoids your solar plexus area, you are missing your personal power to create the life that you want.

If a person intends to do Natural Breathing, but is educated in diaphragmatic breathing, which has a different purpose than Natural Breathing, the person needs to be re-educated on how to breathe into their chest.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

Chest vs. Belly breathing shows you whether you engage personally or are a disengaged observer.

Chest breathing shows that you are interested in your life, engage in it, take charge, and take your life personally.

Belly breathing shows that you stuff your feelings, is a spectator and don’t face your circumstances. You engage mentally and physically, but no awareness of your actual personal Life-Journey.

Natural Breathing starts with your chest
Your inhale should be filled up from the top of your chest and then expand, down through your solar plexus, into your abdomen, and then to the rest of your body. If your breath jumps over and avoids your solar plexus area, you are missing your personal power to create the life that you want.

If a person intends to do Natural Breathing, but is educated in diaphragmatic breathing, which has a different purpose than Natural Breathing, the person needs to be re-educated on how to breathe into their chest.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.