Have you already practised rebirthing or holotropic breathwork ? ?
 

Or any similar breathing technique by the name of vivation, transformational breath ?

Oh boy did I ever do the Stanislov Grof Breath Workshop.
I don't need to talk about it - just that it was wonderful and I
highly recommend it.

Oh nive ! I had a rebirth session, and it was a wonderful experience. When the breath start to go on automatic pilot, I would say the innate intelligence, or inner healer of the body guide the breath, it's something I never experience before and it's great. It's quite impressive that just the breath can do to heal tensions, old stuck emotions...

You know I probably did it for a yr alone with headphones for 45 min or so a day. I was in love with the time out ---diff than meditating. :)

Pretty cool. Did you first had sessions with a practionner and then practise on your own ?
I know there are some music tracks about 1 hour on youtube to practise holotropic breath, i tried them and it was nice and beneficial.

https://www.youtube.com/c/IntoTheDeepBreathwork/videos

But only when i had a session with a rebirthing practionner the "automatic pilot, body intelligence" breathing happened on its own and that's a beautiful and healing experience. Quite amazing.

Yes, and it wasn't a cheap weekend...in a group.
For others: Imagine 3 hours, with a sleep mask, comfortable - really not moving, with super
music almost vibrating the floors, breathing a certain way...having a 'watcher', just looking at you comfortably
in case you were to have some traumatic or wild event...
3 uninterrupted hours, ha. (I meditate that long so no biggy for me.)

Then, You, sitting for 3 hours looking at your partner - with amazing music filling, vibrating every space, pleasantly,
in a darkened big room. So, 6 hours of this. :) It's not for everyone.

Professionals are at the ready in case of someone needing help.
People have had big cathartic events 'happen' to them doing this...
some have altered states occur...the stories are interesting.
Dr. Grof believed this could bring on altered states in the mind with no psychedelics...which were a big thing for
Drs. Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert. Younger people are prob saying, "Who're they?!" :tongue:

Oh that sounds very intense and interesting ! I did know a little about holotropic, I watched a documentary with Stanislav Grof. I remember Dan Brule a famous breathworker comparing the 3 very similar techniques, he said if used a funny metaphor as if you want to cook a chicken then vivation is like you use a pot on the stove, with rebirthing you set on fire your house and with holotropic you set on fire a forest.


My experience with rebirthing was softer than what you describe, even for many minutes the body breathed very rapidly, the feeling was very soft and pleasant. And it's very healing.
The facilitator said to me, at the beginning of rebirth movement, Leonard Orr made people to breath very strongly and fast but with more experience he found it was as efficient to be a little softer with breathing.

I would like to try to practise this alone like you did, for 45 - 60 min a day.
Do you have some advice, or some music that could suit well for holotropic breathing ?
I've had a few rebirthing session with a coach and it was wonderful, i was able to practice alone for 1h some rebirthing session, and i would like to discover more about holotropic breathwork.
I think these rebirthing and holotropic breathing techniques are awesome.

No advice on the type ---just beautiful, pleasing music, with no words...and continual, no breaks or pauses. :)

I have to agree with you. Once I had a few session with a coach I was able to do it by myself (although with the coach I go deeper and the experience is stronger). Just connected breathing during one hour, being aware and relaxed, try to not be stuck in the mind, mental shatter and let the magic happen.

I've the feeling rebirthing and holotropic are quite similar in fact. In rebirth my coach used a kind of background, relaxation music with no rhythm, no real melody, always the same vs it seems in holotropic they often use strong rhythmic music with drums to begin and then more emotional music.

There is just one thing I think is important is when doing it alone we can have the tendency to breathe in a shallow way, or to not take enough air so that we don't feel some repressed emotions or body sensations and it can be necessary to breathe a little more air, a little more fast in order for the real thing to happen.

Through the years I've done several similar breathing sessions.
Reichian breathing and transformational breathing mostly. I guess 7 sessions in total. The first 3 in group sessions the last 4 in 1 on 1 sessions. They all ended in my body cramping up, My hands turn into claws, my face tightened so much the last few sessions they put a tube in my mouth so I could still breathe. All in all very unpleasant. Decided after the last one that this kind of breathwork is just not for me. No release or katharsis what so ever.

I never had such cramping up although I had some strong tingling sensations in my hands which could be felt as mild cramping but it was pleasant, strong sensation that are pleasant like when you are on a rollercoaster.

I read in some rebirthing book, cramping up can appear quite often when people have their firsts sessions but they see this as not something bad to be avoided but as a sign of trauma needing to be healed, as a gateway given by the body go go deeper into it and to be accepted and healed. But it seems it didn't went very well with you, don't know why, maybe the coach wasn't good enough or with enough experience and knowledge, but I don't know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luf069ocKak