Hello Everyone,

Welcome to the July 2010 Breath and Breathing Report.

At the moment, I am sitting in a lovely apartment looking out over the city of Warsaw, Poland. Taking a few days to re-group, re-orient, and review the past three months of non-stop sessions and seminars. This has been a busy chapter in my life. So much has happened on so many levels… and for many of us, both personally and professionally. 

We just finished the program in Paris. Much love and thanks to Catherine and Stephane, Jean Marc, Jean Luc, Julie, Laura, Victoria, Irina, Alla, Donna, Bertrand, to all those who breathed with us over the weekend, and to everyone that I met during my visit.
 
I’m headed back to the USA in a couple of days, and will spend about three weeks there. I’ll be in the Boston/Providence area. And I am thinking of spending a couple of days in New York. I’ll also fly down to West Palm Beach. I’m looking forward to spending time with family and friends, and will also be available for private sessions. 

My truck is parked in Lompoc, CA, so I’ll be in the LA area for a few days loading it up before driving back down to the Baja. I expect to be on the farm by August 12, just in time to feast on the mangos! I’m also looking forward to experiencing the peak of the Baja heat, and to being there during the rainy season.

I am looking for a serious satellite system to provide internet access on the farm, and a solar energy system. I’m also hunting for a propane/electric refrigerator/freezer. And so if anyone has any ideas or advice, or knows of a good source for any of these things, let me know. And if you’d like to help in the purchasing of them, I’ll be happy to hear from you!

We’ll be getting doing more earthworks related to our water harvesting plans: digging two more swales and building the gabions. And this year we hope to see construction begin on the main multi-use facility: kitchen/dining/reception/meeting/living space. Designers, architects, landscapers, builders, workers and volunteers welcome! 

SPECIAL PROGRAM: September 19-25: Andrew Jones and I will be leading an event called “Air and Water.” These two elements are essential for enjoying an abundant life. For six days, we will explore rainwater harvesting and conscious breathing. We’ll be focusing on agricultural as well as spiritual permaculture and self-sufficiency.

In October, I’ll be flying to South Africa. I’ll be spending a week in both Cape Town and Johannesburg. If you are interested in great adventure, let me know. It will be a perfect opportunity to do a Breathwork Practitioner/Coach Certification Intensive.

So, that’s the news, and now on to breath and breathing… 

Lately, people have been sending me a lot of questions. So I may as well share some of them with you. (By the way, questions awaken my inner teacher, so keep them coming!

Q: How did you get started in Breathwork?

A: The short answer is that I had a transformational awakening through conscious breathing. I got up from a conscious breathing session one day with so much love and peace and joy in me, and I wanted everyone on earth to have that experience. So, teaching it, sharing it, seemed to be a natural reaction... not really a choice. 

In some ways breathing has always been my passion. And throughout my life, things kept happening that caused breathwork to become my favorite way to be with people, to love and serve and to heal others. I had a couple of near drowning experiences in my life, which made me acutely aware of breathing. I taught CPR and resuscitated a number of people, which deepened my passion for breathwork. My work in emergency rescue, and as a deep sea diver in the navy contributed to my process. 

Q: How is Breathwork like yoga?

A:  In some ways breathwork is yoga: it’s a modern form of prana yoga, kriya yoga, or kundalini yoga. Yoga is a very general term, and there are hundreds of types and styles and schools of yoga—each with their own particular focus and approach. Perhaps Spiritual Breathing is my own form or style of yoga. I have a yogi name by the way: Guchu Ram Singh. It was given to me by Babaji in 1980. And I published the “Patanjali Report” some years ago. It addresses this question in detail. You can find it in the newsletter archives on my website. 

Q: Who comes to you for breathwork? What kind of people are attracted to this work?

The kind of people that I see most often are people who love themselves and love life. They are open to new experiences, and they are interested in health, growth, and change, in peak performance, and human potential. Change seems to be a recurring theme. People who come to breathwork are interested in positive change. Often they are recovering from a life change, they are planning a change, or they are in the midst of change.

Q: What can people expect from the practice over time?

People can expect to become more and more aware, more and more conscious of their inner and outer world. They will experience a growing sense of freedom and safety, of wholeness and oneness. They can expect to get really good at relaxing, de-stressing, and re-energizing. They can expect to find more potential for comfort and pleasure, for enjoyment, even in the most difficult of circumstances and situations. As they develop more control and mastery of the breath, they will naturally gain more control and mastery of their mind and body.

Q: I notice that you seem to create a certain atmosphere at your seminars. I noticed that at first people don’t know what to make of it, but the longer they sit in that space, the more they seem to soften and open. What is that about? What are you doing to them?

A: I believe that the best environment in which to awaken, to heal, and to grow is one of complete freedom and total safety. I practice a heart-centered approach to life and to breathwork, and I trust that it is working during my sessions and seminars. I practice what I preach: conscious, active, all-inclusive, non-judgmental, unconditional love and acceptance. Every group is different, and I happen to have  a lot of help at the training you participated in. I try to meet people where they are at, without betraying my own soul. I focus on strengthening, soothing, and uplifting people. I’m glad you noticed it!

Q: What is a one-to-one session with you like? What happens during breathwork?

A: This is an intuitive art, as well as a practical science. Everyone is unique, and every session is different. I don’t really have a fixed agenda, but in general we focus on three things: The first is meditative awareness: being conscious of our thoughts, feelings and sensations, and emotions; and especially our reactions to these things. The second thing is relaxation: the art of letting go. The third thing—the main thing—is conscious breathing. 

The point is to experience a deeper or higher aspect of ourselves; to get in touch with our inherent creative energy and natural healing abilities. People feel freer and safer in their bodies, more alive and more aware, more energized and calm, more relaxed and at peace. 

Q: Why does breathwork cause so much healing and transformation? How can something so simple be so powerful?

A: The simplest things are the most powerful! Breath is the link between mind and body. It bridges the sub-conscious, conscious, and “super conscious” or “higher conscious” mind. It represents our connection to life, spirit, our source, to the world and each other. So naturally, it is a very powerful process and practice. 

Every physiological, psychological, emotional, chemical state has a corresponding or associated breathing patterns or quality. The way you breathe when you are angry or afraid or bored or upset or depressed, is different than the way you breathe when you are happy, peaceful, joyful, enthusiastic, motivated, etc. When your state changes, your breathing changes. Change your breathing, and you change your state. It’s that simple.

Q: Can I do a breathing session with a certain goal in mind? Can I set an intention and then use the breathing sessions to work with it? 

A: So much of breathwork is natural and spontaneous, intuitive. Sometimes it’s best, especially in the beginning, to have no goal, no agenda—except to master the basic skills. We all have an inner healer, an inner teacher, a higher self… and a breathwork session is meant to awaken it. So that’s a good goal to have in the beginning. Later on, as you develop skill, you can direct your process toward a specific issue, or challenge, or goal.

Q: I am a scatter brain, and I can’t seem to focus on any one thing. Will breathwork help me?

A: You are not alone. It’s nice to know I’m in good company. Actually, that’s one of the reasons I love breathwork. It’s a great way to focus one’s energy and attention. It’s the perfect tool: that’s why performing artists, martial artists, meditators, public speakers, athletes, all use breathing to focus, center, and ground themselves.

Q: I heard you say that breathing is a trick. What did you mean by that?

A: Most of our suffering is caused by our automatic mental and emotional habits, by our conscious or unconscious conditioned, robot-like reactions. Conscious breathing directs our energy away from these dysfunctional habits, and channels it in a more resourceful and empowering way. When we are breathing consciously, we are not doing what we usually do in the moment, and so a space for something new is created. Healing and growth are natural things waiting to happen in us when we get out of the way, when we get free of our dysfunctional habits. 

And so in this way, breathing is a kind of ploy. By focusing on breath and breathing, we get out of our own way. Without even focusing on our problems, they seem to dissolve, disappear, or resolve themselves!

Q: I’m actually afraid to do breathwork. What if I freak out during a session?

A: People freak out all the time. So what? People freak out in the supermarket, in traffic, at work, at the movies, at sporting events… Children freak out at birth! They freak out when they are learning to walk, or when they can’t get something they want, or when they wake up in a strange new place. Public speakers freak out before they go on stage, and often on stage! 

I’m willing to bet that this isn’t the first thing that the fear of freaking out has prevented you from doing.  Breathwork always leads to resolution, integration, and healing. Better to freak out during a session, with tools and a strategy on hand, and someone there to support and encourage you to get beyond your anxiety once and for all. I’ve done this work in prisons with rapists and killers and drug addicts—people who needed to be put in straight jackets. And so dealing with everyday people, and softies like you, is a breeze!

Q: I was told that you recently raised your fees for a private session to $450 dollars. Is that true? Is what you have to offer that valuable?

A: Yes. This work and my time are extremely valuable—precious in fact. And the cost of a private session has actually been $1250 for many years. It’s just that I’ve been donating the difference, or waiving my fee, for those who cannot afford it. And I will continue to do that. In thirty five years, no one is ever turned away because of an inability to pay.

Love and blessings, health and happiness, peace and prosperity to all,

Dan