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 Breathworkers include components that are in addition to breathing, 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?

Yes, but it seems that some ”breathwork” is “breathwork-and-something”, intending to maximize a certain effect. So, 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 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, feel 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 our 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.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

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 Breathworkers include components that are in addition to breathing, 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?

Yes, but it seems that some ”breathwork” is “breathwork-and-something”, intending to maximize a certain effect. So, 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 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, feel 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 our 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.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

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 increased energy you have, to keep you in status quo and avoid more energy, happiness, passion, creative, and success, because supposedly it is safer to remain with a mis-labeled relaxed, calm, peaceful, and numbed out life, promoted by the parasympathetic importance.

When you yawn, you open up your chest and lungs and fill your body with more air, while also tightening your jaw, numbing your experience.

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 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 to realize how deep your inhale ideally should be.

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

Choose to not tighten your jaw muscles 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 you will stop continuous yawning.

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, by focusing on not slowing down your breathing, but continuing your breathing tempo, at the very beginning of the yawn, 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 increased energy you have, to keep you in status quo and avoid more energy, happiness, passion, creative, and success, because supposedly it is safer to remain with a mis-labeled relaxed, calm, peaceful, and numbed out life, promoted by the parasympathetic importance.

When you yawn, you open up your chest and lungs and fill your body with more air, while also tightening your jaw, numbing your experience.

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 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 to realize how deep your inhale ideally should be.

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

Choose to not tighten your jaw muscles 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 you will stop continuous yawning.

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, by focusing on not slowing down your breathing, but continuing your breathing tempo, at the very beginning of the yawn, 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 out.

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 out.

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.

Nose Breathing is not Natural Breathing, because it doesn’t happen naturally when you let go of sub-ventilating.

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 trying to control 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.

Nose Breathing is not Natural Breathing, because it doesn’t happen naturally when you let go of sub-ventilating.

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 trying to control 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.

The Breathing Threshold

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Your Breathing Threshold is the point in your breathing where you have an opportunity to retain more energy than you use up.

Your Breathing Threshold is the point in your breathing, where your inhale tends to end, and your exhale starts. It is the depth you are inclined to inhale to.

When you do the 5 Breathing Basics, you breathe more than you are inclined to and thus retain more Life-force than sub-ventilating suggests. This is called “Breathing Beyond your Breathing Threshold”.

  • You ADD more Life-force and go beyond your Breathing Threshold by being Aware and Inhaling deeper than you are inclined to.
  • You USE UP Life-force and breathe below your Breathing Threshold by being Unaware, Moving and Thinking.

Locating the Breathing Threshold
Your Breathing Threshold is encountered in every breath.

The depth of your inhale, before you hit the Breathing Threshold varies, depending on how much Life-force you are using up.

For example, if you run, you can breathe deeply, without going beyond your Breathing Threshold. If you are very present and relaxed, you don’t need to breathe much to go beyond your Breathing Threshold.

How deep and fast you need to breathe to go beyond your Breathing Threshold, depends on how much energy you use up.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

Your Breathing Threshold is the point in your breathing where you have an opportunity to retain more energy than you use up.

Your Breathing Threshold is the point in your breathing, where your inhale tends to end, and your exhale starts. It is the depth you are inclined to inhale to.

When you do the 5 Breathing Basics, you breathe more than you are inclined to and thus retain more Life-force than sub-ventilating suggests. This is called “Breathing Beyond your Breathing Threshold”.

  • You ADD more Life-force and go beyond your Breathing Threshold by being Aware and Inhaling deeper than you are inclined to.
  • You USE UP Life-force and breathe below your Breathing Threshold by being Unaware, Moving and Thinking.

Locating the Breathing Threshold
Your Breathing Threshold is encountered in every breath.

The depth of your inhale, before you hit the Breathing Threshold varies, depending on how much Life-force you are using up.

For example, if you run, you can breathe deeply, without going beyond your Breathing Threshold. If you are very present and relaxed, you don’t need to breathe much to go beyond your Breathing Threshold.

How deep and fast you need to breathe to go beyond your Breathing Threshold, depends on how much energy you use up.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

What Is Hyperventilation?

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Hyperventilation means “Too Much Breathing”.

That is a confusing name. Do you worry about breathing Too Much when you make love, run, dance, have emotions? I don’t think so.

Hyperventilation is a topic that often comes up in Breathwork, so here is clarification what it really is and how to deal with it.

The concept of Hyperventilation was born from watching distressed people and noticing that they were breathing a lot. Once, the “heavy” breathing was stopped, these symptoms diminished.

The symptoms included emotions and Tetany, which were very difficult for onlookers to just stand by and do nothing about. They didn’t understand that a natural healing process was taking place. So, the idea followed that it was the breathing that caused the distress and that got labelled Hyperventilation and was considered dangerous and so-called solutions were developed, which basically meant techniques, like breathing into a paper bag, and medicine to stop breathing like that.

What was really happening was that the “hyperventilation” was releasing and healing a sub-conscious trauma.

Traumatic experiences are stored as sub-conscious memories, by holding one’s breath or “getting the air knocked out of you”.

Eventually, you’ll trust more aliveness and feel safe again. Then, the shield, that conceals your sub-conscious memory, loses its need to protect you and turns transparent, letting your guarded memory to be faced again. This is what you need, to release it, and to be free to live fully, now.

If you get interrupted in the middle of a “Hyperventilation” and don’t get to complete your release of your sub-conscious trauma, you get stuck with your trauma being half uncovered, but without releasing your memory, so you will have to spend more time to build up trust to fully uncover it again.

To successfully release a sub-conscious memory, you need to feel safer than normal and have a built-up energy momentum, which you get by Natural Breathing. This may look to an inexperienced eye as Hyperventilation. But it really is a fortunate opportunity to free oneself.

Too Much Exhaling
Sometimes Hyperventilation comes from a forced exhale – a pushing the exhale out more and longer than you inhale.

This can cause a lack of CO2. The body needs a certain amount of CO2, so if there is a lack of CO2, the body will self-correct and stop your intensified exhale.

You cannot inhale too much, but you can exhale too much. 

If you encounter “Hyperventilation”, and you want to make it easy for yourself and others, make sure you switch the focus from pushing the EXHALE out, to pulling the INHALE in.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

Hyperventilation means “Too Much Breathing”.

That is a confusing name. Do you worry about breathing Too Much when you make love, run, dance, have emotions? I don’t think so.

Hyperventilation is a topic that often comes up in Breathwork, so here is clarification what it really is and how to deal with it.

The concept of Hyperventilation was born from watching distressed people and noticing that they were breathing a lot. Once, the “heavy” breathing was stopped, these symptoms diminished.

The symptoms included emotions and Tetany, which were very difficult for onlookers to just stand by and do nothing about. They didn’t understand that a natural healing process was taking place. So, the idea followed that it was the breathing that caused the distress and that got labelled Hyperventilation and was considered dangerous and so-called solutions were developed, which basically meant techniques, like breathing into a paper bag, and medicine to stop breathing like that.

What was really happening was that the “hyperventilation” was releasing and healing a sub-conscious trauma.

Traumatic experiences are stored as sub-conscious memories, by holding one’s breath or “getting the air knocked out of you”.

Eventually, you’ll trust more aliveness and feel safe again. Then, the shield, that conceals your sub-conscious memory, loses its need to protect you and turns transparent, letting your guarded memory to be faced again. This is what you need, to release it, and to be free to live fully, now.

If you get interrupted in the middle of a “Hyperventilation” and don’t get to complete your release of your sub-conscious trauma, you get stuck with your trauma being half uncovered, but without releasing your memory, so you will have to spend more time to build up trust to fully uncover it again.

To successfully release a sub-conscious memory, you need to feel safer than normal and have a built-up energy momentum, which you get by Natural Breathing. This may look to an inexperienced eye as Hyperventilation. But it really is a fortunate opportunity to free oneself.

Too Much Exhaling
Sometimes Hyperventilation comes from a forced exhale – a pushing the exhale out more and longer than you inhale.

This can cause a lack of CO2. The body needs a certain amount of CO2, so if there is a lack of CO2, the body will self-correct and stop your intensified exhale.

You cannot inhale too much, but you can exhale too much. 

If you encounter “Hyperventilation”, and you want to make it easy for yourself and others, make sure you switch the focus from pushing the EXHALE out, to pulling the INHALE in.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

Breathing Cycle

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A BREATHING CYCLE is the time it takes for you, through Natural Breathing, to increase your Life-force, let it saturate you, and finally integrate into to become your new you.

The Breathing Cycle is a natural and internal experience.

You engage in a Breathing Cycle in the same way as you engage in eating a meal. When you are hungry, you start off eating a lot. Once your initial hunger is stilled you might continue eating because it tastes so good, but not as fast. Eventually you can’t eat anymore even if it is delicious.

THE 3 PHASES OF THE BREATHING CYCLE: 
A Breathing Cycle includes the same phases as flying an airplane. First, you need to rev your engines and take off. Once you have reached your cruising altitude you back off a little on the throttle, even though you must keep your engines running. Eventually you will land and turn off the engine.

BUILDING Life-force
The 1st Phase of the Breathing Cycle is when you build up retained Life-force in your body. Here you focus on all the 5 BREATHING BASICS. You know when you are in the Building Phase because you are increasing your tingling sensation.

MAINTAINING Life-force
The 2nd Phase of the Breathing Cycle is where you maintain your increased retained level of Life-force. Here you fluctuate between continuing the 5 Breathing Basics and surrendering to the newly increased retained Life-force.

INTEGRATING the increased Life-force
The 3rd Phase of the Breathing Cycle is to integrate your new Life-force. This phase starts when you feel saturated and feel like completing your Breathing Cycle. In this phase, you need to get out of the way, loose control and let your body’s breathing take over and do whatever it wants. Here you keep your awareness while staying relaxed.

The “Building” phase of the Breathing Cycle takes between 5-15 minutes. The “Maintaining” phase takes between 30-45 minutes. And the “Integration” phase takes between 10-30 minutes.

How High Do You WANT To Go?
If you start your Breathing Cycle with a shallow slow breathing your take off won’t get you very high – similar to how a propeller plane taking off at a low speed can only take you to about 5000 feet altitude. At this level you get a glimpse of your potential consciousness just like the view from 5000 feet brings you a new perspective of your world.

If you start your Breathing Cycle with deep strong breathing, you take off to full body tingling like a jet plane that quickly launches you to 37,000 feet altitude. At this energy level you get the full experience of your awakening consciousness, like the panorama from 37,000 feet shows you the whole world.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

A BREATHING CYCLE is the time it takes for you, through Natural Breathing, to increase your Life-force, let it saturate you, and finally integrate into to become your new you.

The Breathing Cycle is a natural and internal experience.

You engage in a Breathing Cycle in the same way as you engage in eating a meal. When you are hungry, you start off eating a lot. Once your initial hunger is stilled you might continue eating because it tastes so good, but not as fast. Eventually you can’t eat anymore even if it is delicious.

THE 3 PHASES OF THE BREATHING CYCLE: 
A Breathing Cycle includes the same phases as flying an airplane. First, you need to rev your engines and take off. Once you have reached your cruising altitude you back off a little on the throttle, even though you must keep your engines running. Eventually you will land and turn off the engine.

BUILDING Life-force
The 1st Phase of the Breathing Cycle is when you build up retained Life-force in your body. Here you focus on all the 5 BREATHING BASICS. You know when you are in the Building Phase because you are increasing your tingling sensation.

MAINTAINING Life-force
The 2nd Phase of the Breathing Cycle is where you maintain your increased retained level of Life-force. Here you fluctuate between continuing the 5 Breathing Basics and surrendering to the newly increased retained Life-force.

INTEGRATING the increased Life-force

The “Building” phase of the Breathing Cycle takes between 5-15 minutes. The “Maintaining” phase takes between 30-45 minutes. And the “Integration” phase takes between 10-30 minutes.

How High Do You WANT To Go?
If you start your Breathing Cycle with a shallow slow breathing your take off won’t get you very high – similar to how a propeller plane taking off at a low speed can only take you to about 5000 feet altitude. At this level you get a glimpse of your potential consciousness just like the view from 5000 feet brings you a new perspective of your world.

If you start your Breathing Cycle with deep strong breathing, you take off to full body tingling like a jet plane that quickly launches you to 37,000 feet altitude. At this energy level you get the full experience of your awakening consciousness, like the panorama from 37,000 feet shows you the whole world.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

The Breathing Control System

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In your life you have most likely had some unwanted experiences, which you then resist repeating by inhibiting our breathing and being less alive. This sub-ventilating is intended as a protection.

This sub-ventilating is your automatic controlled attempt to homeostasis – it is the way to make sure you don’t touch those memories and remain unchanged. This is the BREATHING CONTROL SYSTEM, and it reasons that staying in status quo is keeping you alive, and any change “could” be dangerous.

But, in fact, this Breathing Control System is slowly killing you, because it leaves you with a less than optimum amount of Life-force and oxygen, which is a growing ground for many dis-eases and it also leaves you tired, lazy and a lack of passion.

The way the Breathing Control System works is to make sure that the amount of Source Energy – Life-force you add through inhaling and awareness will never exceed the amount of energy you use up, through physical and mental tension.

The Breathing Control System monitors:

  • How much energy you “take in” (through breathing and awareness) and then ‘FORCES’ you to “use up” an equal amount.
  • How much energy you “use up” and then “MAKES” you take in an equal amount of energy.

When you increase your energy by Breathing more and being more Aware, the Breathing Control System makes you get rid of this energy by making you tense up or get mentally active and unaware. Like, when you feel more, you nervously move, including deflating self-talk and zooning out.

When you decrease your energy, by Tensing, Moving, Thinking and Zooning out, the Breathing Control System makes you fill up on energy by making you Breath more or Think less. Like, when you run and have to take a breather, you focus and breathe deeply, void of thinking.

Sometimes the Breathing Control System gets OFF GUARD. Then, Natural Breathing kicks in and you sigh, yawn, laugh, be emotional, exert yourself and sleep.

Once you realize the benefits of breaking the Breathing Control System, you will intend to RETAIN more energy than you use up. That is what happens when you do Natural Breathing.

If you break the Breathing Control System, you will retain more energy than you use up, and end up with an EXCESS of energy and that energy must go somewhere.

This retained excess energy will go to blocked places in your body and your mind and recover the aliveness of those areas. It will go to and remove blocks in your “energy body” and uproot any sub-conscious blocks – leaving you healthier and more alive.

If you intend to use “Breathwork” to permanently heal an issue, improve your Well-being and for Self-discovery, you will need to Build Up and RETAIN more energy than you usually keep. This means you have to interrupt your Breathing Control System, by CHOOSING to build up energy, through breathing and awareness, and REFRAINING from using up the increased energy, which you do by leaving your body and mind – Conscious, Still and Relaxed.

Breaking the Breathing Control System will complete incomplete traumatic energy blockages and open up space for your Life-force to enliven your Well-being and conscious success and happiness.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

In your life you have most likely had some unwanted experiences, which you then resist repeating by inhibiting our breathing and being less alive. This sub-ventilating is intended as a protection.

This sub-ventilating is your automatic controlled attempt to homeostasis – it is the way to make sure you don’t touch those memories and remain unchanged. This is the BREATHING CONTROL SYSTEM, and it reasons that staying in status quo is keeping you alive, and any change “could” be dangerous.

But, in fact, this Breathing Control System is slowly killing you, because it leaves you with a less than optimum amount of Life-force and oxygen, which is a growing ground for many dis-eases and it also leaves you tired, lazy and a lack of passion.

The way the Breathing Control System works is to make sure that the amount of Source Energy – Life-force you add through inhaling and awareness will never exceed the amount of energy you use up, through physical and mental tension.

The Breathing Control System monitors:

  • How much energy you “take in” (through breathing and awareness) and then ‘FORCES’ you to “use up” an equal amount.
  • How much energy you “use up” and then “MAKES” you take in an equal amount of energy.

When you increase your energy by Breathing more and being more Aware, the Breathing Control System makes you get rid of this energy by making you tense up or get mentally active and unaware. Like, when you feel more, you nervously move, including deflating self-talk and zooning out.

When you decrease your energy, by Tensing, Moving, Thinking and Zooning out, the Breathing Control System makes you fill up on energy by making you Breath more or Think less. Like, when you run and have to take a breather, you focus and breathe deeply, void of thinking.

Sometimes the Breathing Control System gets OFF GUARD. Then, Natural Breathing kicks in and you sigh, yawn, laugh, be emotional, exert yourself and sleep.

Once you realize the benefits of breaking the Breathing Control System, you will intend to RETAIN more energy than you use up. That is what happens when you do Natural Breathing.

If you break the Breathing Control System, you will retain more energy than you use up, and end up with an EXCESS of energy and that energy must go somewhere.

This retained excess energy will go to blocked places in your body and your mind and recover the aliveness of those areas. It will go to and remove blocks in your “energy body” and uproot any sub-conscious blocks – leaving you healthier and more alive.

If you intend to use “Breathwork” to permanently heal an issue, improve your Well-being and for Self-discovery, you will need to Build Up and RETAIN more energy than you usually keep. This means you have to interrupt your Breathing Control System, by CHOOSING to build up energy, through breathing and awareness, and REFRAINING from using up the increased energy, which you do by leaving your body and mind – Conscious, Still and Relaxed.

Breaking the Breathing Control System will complete incomplete traumatic energy blockages and open up space for your Life-force to enliven your Well-being and conscious success and happiness.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

The 5 Breathing Basics

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There are some occasions where your breathing pattern changes by itself and you are made to breathe in a different way than you would normally do. Some of these occasions are when you sigh or yawn; you fall asleep; you exert yourself, like running; you are emotional; you laugh; you are excited; etc.

When you investigate what happens to the breathing on these occasions you will find that they all include some of the 5 Breathing Basics, but none of them include all 5 at the same time.

Natural Breathing INCLUDES ALL of these 5 Characteristics at the same time. When you do all these Characteristics together, you’ll RETAIN more Life-force in your body, than you usually have. This uproots any disabling holding and raise your Success Tolerance and well-being.

A Natural Breathing Session starts off using the 5 Breathing Basics as a ‘jump-start’ to engage Natural Breathing, like using a starter to get your engine going.

———————————————–

The 1st BREATHING BASIC
– CHOOSING AWARENESS

  • Awareness means to have a sensation or experience of BEING, here and now. 
  • Awareness is not an idea, thought, try or observation.
  • You are aware when you have an experience.

———————————————–

The 2nd BREATHING BASIC
– BREATHE WITH YOUR CHEST

  • Your lungs are what you breathe with, and they are located in your chest.
  • Your rib-cage is built to change size as evidenced by the chest being constructed with ribs and space between the ribs. There are also muscles between your ribs, that can make your rib-cage change size and thus inflate and deflate your lungs.
  • Starting your inhale with your diaphragm doesn’t happen naturally, when you sigh, exert yourself or have an emotion. Breathing starting with your diaphragm can only be activated through your thinking, manipulating your breathing.
  • When you yawn or sigh, fall asleep, laugh, are emotional or exert yourself your chest is expanding and collapsing with the breathing.

———————————————–

The 3rd BREATHING BASIC
– BREATHE FULLY

  • Filling your lungs fully, provides all the benefits of oxygenating the body and moving in life with passion, excitement, and charisma.
  • Because of the low breathing set-point, to practice Natural Breathing you need to INHALE MORE THAN YOU ARE INCLINED TO.

———————————————–

The 4th BREATHING BASIC
– BREATHE CONTINUOUSLY

  • Breathing Continuously means that you connect your inhale and exhale in a continuous manner, like when you fall asleep and when you run.
  • A PASSIONATE CONTINUOUS RHYTHM and A GOOD TEMPO happens when you are excited or when you exert yourself, like when you run and are eager and excited.

———————————————–

The 5th BREATHING BASIC
– BE RELAXED

Being Relaxed means that you RETAIN the Life-force that Natural Breathing builds up.

Make sure you don’t waste your increased Source Energy and refrain from:

  • Holding or pushing your Exhale.
  • Physically tensing or moving your body.
  • Mentally being distracted with thinking or worrying, or “trying to breathe”.

———————————————–

* Caution – Do not do these 5 Breathing Basics on your own without first having been trained by a Natural Breathing Coach.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

There are some occasions where your breathing pattern changes by itself and you are made to breathe in a different way than you would normally do. Some of these occasions are when you sigh or yawn; you fall asleep; you exert yourself, like running; you are emotional; you laugh; you are excited; etc.

When you investigate what happens to the breathing on these occasions you will find that they all include some of the 5 Breathing Basics, but none of them include all 5 at the same time.

Natural Breathing INCLUDES ALL of these 5 Characteristics at the same time. When you do all these Characteristics together, you’ll RETAIN more Life-force in your body, than you usually have. This uproots any disabling holding and raise your Success Tolerance and well-being.

A Natural Breathing Session starts off using the 5 Breathing Basics as a ‘jump-start’ to engage Natural Breathing, like using a starter to get your engine going.

———————————————–

The 1st BREATHING BASIC
– CHOOSING AWARENESS

  • Awareness means to have a sensation or experience of BEING, here and now. 
  • Awareness is not an idea, thought, try or observation.
  • You are aware when you have an experience.

———————————————–

The 2nd BREATHING BASIC
– BREATHE WITH YOUR CHEST

  • Your lungs are what you breathe with, and they are located in your chest.
  • Your rib-cage is built to change size as evidenced by the chest being constructed with ribs and space between the ribs. There are also muscles between your ribs, that can make your rib-cage change size and thus inflate and deflate your lungs.
  • Starting your inhale with your diaphragm doesn’t happen naturally, when you sigh, exert yourself or have an emotion. Breathing starting with your diaphragm can only be activated through your thinking, manipulating your breathing.
  • When you yawn or sigh, fall asleep, laugh, are emotional or exert yourself your chest is expanding and collapsing with the breathing.

———————————————–

The 3rd BREATHING BASIC
– BREATHE FULLY

  • Filling your lungs fully, provides all the benefits of oxygenating the body and moving in life with passion, excitement, and charisma.
  • Because of the low breathing set-point, to practice Natural Breathing you need to INHALE MORE THAN YOU ARE INCLINED TO.

———————————————–

The 4th BREATHING BASIC
– BREATHE CONTINUOUSLY

  • Breathing Continuously means that you connect your inhale and exhale in a continuous manner, like when you fall asleep and when you run.
  • A PASSIONATE CONTINUOUS RHYTHM and A GOOD TEMPO happens when you are excited or when you exert yourself, like when you run and are eager and excited.

———————————————–

The 5th BREATHING BASIC
– BE RELAXED

Being Relaxed means that you RETAIN the Life-force that Natural Breathing builds up.

Make sure you don’t waste your increased Source Energy and refrain from:

  • Holding or pushing your Exhale.
  • Physically tensing or moving your body.
  • Mentally being distracted with thinking or worrying, or “trying to breathe”.

———————————————–

* Caution – Do not do these 5 Breathing Basics on your own without first having been trained by a Natural Breathing Coach.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

A Natural Breathing Snack

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Take Natural Breathing for a Test-Drive with
the One-Minute “BREATHING SNACK”…

You can do this when you want to feel present, energized and awake.

  • Become AWARE of your body and notice your breathing.
  • Become aware of the air coming in and out of your MOUTH.
  • Breathe with your CHEST MUSCLES and fill up your lungs.

  • Connect your inhale with your exhale, so there is a circular breathing.

  • Breathe DEEPER and FASTER. (Add a little passion into your breathing.)

When you start to feel light-headed or tingling (which happens within a minute if you breathe more than you are inclined to) go back to letting your body choose how it wants to breathe. (= Do not continue to make yourself breathe in any particular way.)

Enjoy your heightened sensations. It might surprise you that breathing more can bring about such a strong experience.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.

Take Natural Breathing for a Test-Drive with
the One-Minute “BREATHING SNACK”…

You can do this when you want to feel present, energized and awake.

  • Become AWARE of your body and notice your breathing.
  • Become aware of the air coming in and out of your MOUTH.
  • Breathe with your CHEST MUSCLES and fill up your lungs.
  • Connect your inhale with your exhale, so there is a circular breathing.
  • Breathe DEEPER and FASTER. (Add a little passion into your breathing.)

When you start to feel light-headed or tingling (which happens within a minute if you breathe more than you are inclined to) go back to letting your body choose how it wants to breathe. (= Do not continue to make yourself breathe in any particular way.)

Enjoy your heightened sensations. It might surprise you that breathing more can bring about such a strong experience.

Excerpt from the Natural Breathing Own Your Self Manual.