Get More out of Life

To get more out of life, its useful to get in touch with our thoughts, emotions and feelings and also be aware of what is happening in the body.

By practising breathwork, we may grow acutely aware of grief, fears, loss, anger, physical pain, emotional pain and energetic imbalances. Many people have heard of the unconscious mind but you may not be aware of the difference between conscious and unconscious breathing and how unconscious breathing plays out in your body.  What if growing aware can improve your health and be a turning point for positive change?

There are periods or situations in our lives when we feel unsafe or unloved. We may hold onto emotional pain for many years, if not lifetimes, until we are ready to address those feelings.  By growing aware of the emotional body and allowing it space to communicate, we gain insight into ourselves and opportunity to heal past or ongoing wounding.  Being present to painful or uncomfortable emotions does not mean acting them out in harmful ways.  Rather, breathwork and related meditation practices allow us to be present with and feel these emotions. To get the most out of life, we are invited to love, accept and integrate all of ourselves. 

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12 Steps to be more aware

Breathwork guides us to be conscious or more aware of what is really going on in different life areas. Reflect. Where can we bring “consciousness” into our lives before, during and after breathwork? This is about paying closer attention to the signs and signals and underlying meaning of our health and body language, mental thoughts, emotions and spiritual views in our lives.  Ponder 10 steps to allow more awareness into our lives;

1. Reflect on life patterns.  Do we see trends, assume genetic disposition or inclinations in the state of our physical health and fitness, finances, similar partners or relationships, repeated environments or spirituality?This is about feeling the way into life areas and growing aware of the beliefs, values and practices that are shaping our conditions.

2. Experience breathwork. Various breathwork modalities make use of scientific research available to us about effects of levels oxygenation on our organism. These modalities use special breathing techniques, which support increasing or decreasing levels of oxygen in our body to achieve a desired result. When guided by a skilled facilitator with proper training, intention and context, breathwork has a potential to release the effects of unresolved traumas, thus supporting healing of our physical organism and psyche. Breathwork can prevent an onset of debilitating and potentially life-threatening trauma-related diseases. Check out Interview with Dan Brule.

3. Connect goal-setting with motivation. What can we do to align behaviour and visions? What is our unconscious programming? What are our dreams versus our reality?  Where do we wish to commit? Consider ways to stay motivated when new to breathwork by Ashley Neese.

4. Grow conscious during regular activity – while engaging in communication, exercising, eating, having sex, sports, gardening, being in nature, driving, walking. What prompts us to think or act as we do? What are we noticing? Does a sense of separation bwteen ourselves and the external world grow or shrink?

5. Connect restlessness & inauthenticity. When something feels right, we do not hold back or complain. If self-doubt arises, or we question our decisions and choices, then it likely doesn't jive with who we are. Being in integrity means taking responsibility for how we think and feel and finding courage to make life changes when we are not in harmony with our true nature.

6. Get clear on what it feels like to be conscious. Notice when we are “present” or “tuning out,” when our senses are engaged, and when we are numb.  Addictions and other unconscious behaviours are examples of tuning out due to fear, hurt or pain. To know what consciousness is/feels like, we are taught to experience what it is not. Learning The science and purpose of different breathwork techniques can ease fears as we ease into practise.

7. Know growing conscious unleashes power. This inner power enables us to make positive change or cosnciously respond and influence outcomes. We grow aware we hold power to experience a deeper level of fulfillment and joy, the power to be natural or unnatural, as well as to consciously co-create and choose.

8. Let go of conditioned habits and impulses.  Growing conscious of self-defeating habits means being aware they do not serve our highest potential and happiness. There is so much to pay attention to in life, it is easy to go on “autopilot,” to go unconscious. We are taught to multi-task as well as suppress or deny pain.

9. Choose 3 unconscious activities.  Over the next week, purposefully bring “consciousness” to these mind-less activities. This is about being present and feeling what this is. By practicing “being present to the NOW” during these activities, we expand consciousness.

10. Explore resistance. Choose a subject.   Explore it with curiosity, brainstorm words or images nd notice emotions. Allow the bod-mindy to reveal possible reasons.  Do a breathwork meditation to explore deeper reasons for the resistance. If you have a history or insight into specific trauma and would prefer a private session, consult me or another practitioner for a for trauma release.

11. List what we appreciate. Write down 25 things you appreciate. Expand consciousness about what is inspiring and a blessing in our lives. We can do this daily, weekly or as often as we choose. This includes noting inspirations like Max Storm whose Ted Talk teaches us to Breathe to Heal and Giten Tonkov whose 2019 book Feel to Heal, reveals how and why he founded the Biodynamic Breathwork Trauma Release (BBTR) Institute.  

12. Journal repeating thoughts and beliefs. Jot down repetitive thoughts, those that trigger suffering as well as uplifting or inspiring ones. Do this without judgement. Awakening to our mental condition is growing aware of patterns.  What to do with/about our observations is up to us. Engaging in a therepautic breath experience with a teacher like Christian Minson helps us override the mental suppression of emotions. We can transform destructive energy into joy and love. Watch: breathwork: our original medicine. "Realisation is like flipping a light switch.  The darkness vanishes as if it had never been. We can choose to bring it back in."

12 ways breathwork empowers me

Breathwork involves a series of nasal or mouth breathing techniques.  Those who engage in such practices gain access to what is going on within different aspects of their being.  This can evoke life-changing 'ah-ha' moments, shed light on perceived obstacles in our lives, strengthen relationships, and preciptate changes in career and all kinds of situations.  the question is, why does the opportunity present in our lives? What if everything only has perfect timing?

The Sufi poet Rumi echos, "What you seek is seeking you." Yet, it is not always obvious until the lightbulb goes on inside.  The courage to explore, be brave and vulnerable, happens with perfect timing. 

We can ask ourselves "who am I?" before breathwork experiences and discover how far we have come after a session, even a series of sessions, a retreat, a course or facilitator trainings. Nothing real changes yet how we feel about who we have always been, shifts. Extensive breathwork shows me that perceived obstacles are themselves the Path to emotional release, deeper awareness, understanding and much more. It brings me face to face with who I AM.  Notice 12 ways breathwork empowers me:

1. I finally grasp things that had previously eluded me

We all have puzzles in our lives that we exist to solve, events that do not seem to make sense, situations that appear and disappear or even outcomes that evoke confusion or negative emotion.  Every breathwork session allows me to grow conscious of intimate details that join key dots. Our lives are like movies.  We are actors, directors and scriptwriters and gradually gain access to insights from each role play. One can no longer lie to oneself when one is privy to the truth. No other practice I have experienced precipitates such clarity.

2.  I uncover core beliefs that had been running me

Like many people, at a very young age, I developed unconscious beliefs that created patterns of behaviour later in my life.  Breathwork gives me access to events from the creator of each scenario.  Thus, I re-experience emotions and pivotal moments that are like waterfalls that trigger new levels of healing.  

3.  I now feel more confident speaking my truth

Over a period of many years, I had shared some energetic insights in my books, but generally kept these experiences to myself.  Breathwork further opens my perception, gives me access to streams of consciousness and enables me to gain new insight into the energetic flow through and around me. Imagine your sense of past, present and future run together and allow you to truly savor all this moment offers.

4.   It enables me to own disowned anger

The cultures and situations of our upbringing ingrain morals, ethics and other behaviours. breathwork helped me discover to my surprise that I had a lot of disowned anger that was repressed and in need of release.  Through training I learned a variety of techniques that facilitate effective letting go on a whole new level.  In my body, I grew privy to pain from betrayal, abandonment that relfected what I had actually done to myself. 

5.  I strengthen ability to tune into the Soul 

Breathwork sessions, combined with regular meditation,  empower me to pay closer attention to my Soul. I feel more deeply, recognize intuition is the language of the soul so I act more consistently on that (as  opposed to acting on the logical mind which I was taught to do). The more I let go of what is not me, the more I affect the rising of my kundalini and energetic journey from hell to heaven (bliss).

6.   I am no longer tone-deaf

Intervals are the spaces between events.  For an extended period, I did not notice the intervals. My perception was limited to recognizing sounds of events in a linear way.  Breathwork guided me to feel at one with the breath.  I came to see we need an ear, an eardrum and nervous system to hear and recently, I detected something subtle joins all perceived events.  Vibrations can exist in air but unless we perceive the vibrational intervals, they go unnoticed.  Breathwork allows me to stop jumping between events and flow as the energy that is also the intervals. I feel interconnectedness on a whole new level; how flowers go with buzzing bees, why plants go with water and sunshine, why human interdependence with trees goes far deeper than exchanges of oxygen and carbon dioxide. 

7. I sense new levels of intimacy in relationships

This goes way beyond personal, professional, and friend-relationships.  It is a vision that recognizes all humans are interconnected with all things. Only as we tune into the energy flow of relationships are we aware of the over-reaching melody and harmony everywhere. We can even come to see waves of energy like strands of webs on Earth, into the cosmos and connecting this and other universes. 

8. I deepen self-love and acceptance

Breathwork is seemingly growing more popular with well-known people like Anthony Robbins working with Dan Brule and other celebrities  getting their own breathwork therapists.  This said, breathwork came into my life through synchronicity, at a moment when my body was ready to purge itself of thought forms it had outgrown.  This is ultimately about learning to love myself and see my growing love for myself reflected in the world around me. At some point it hit that everything feels like a message about love,or a call for love and appreciation. The more I love and appreciate others, the more I realize to love and appreciate myself.  We are One.

9. I gain new clarity

Breathwork is like a conduit or direct channel of energy to and from my Soul.  I discover I can lay down and immerse in a session to readily obtain answers from my higher more expanded being.  The impulse to reach outside myself for answers is quiting down.

10. I stand more in personal power

Gaining insight on emotional trauma is a great way to show ourselve that thoughts begin and end in the mind.  This is a wonderful way to demonstrate I am safe and protected right where I am and also the source of forgiveness that liberates me from any thoughts that bind.  Sensing energy fields and what goes on in 'Covert ways' is true freedom. 

11. I know selective awareness is a choice

Many people seek spiritual connections and extra-sensory perception.  This is something I have always felt and never lost but often hid out of fear. Breathwork helps me feel the humor in the challenges I perceive and the wisdom available in grounding in different countries, environments and situations.  I am able to see from a more expansive vantage point the game of life.  From the view of continuous stream of consciousness, I am the cosmic consciousness revealing layers of what I am ready energetically to integrate.  Breathwork opens me up to see wholeness in every experience and the choice to be aware of our full light, optimum functioning or reduced existence.  When ready we can expand and blossom into more potential.

 
12. I am no longer emotionally- detached from life

Breathwork offers me a window into some very disturbing and traumatic experiences that led me to understand why I chose to experience a fear of life, a fear of being rejected, mistreated, fear of being honest and candid about what I perceive to feel good and right and fear of speaking truth. Rather than continuing to be diplomatic and selectively numbing out, I choose instead to feel and express the full gamut of emotions, to create healthy boundaries and share insights to empower others to feel just as enlivened and uplifted. This enables me to deepen my experience of what it is to be truly human in a multidimensional world.

5 Ways Breathwork empowers us

People increasingly ask about breathwork psychotherapy, what it is exactly, and how it can empower people to shift perception, energy levels, paradigms, timelines, and ultimately, life conditions.  Consider 5 ways breathwork is a tool that empowers us:

1. It empowers us to make the unconscious, conscious

Its one thing for someone to tell us something.  Its quite another to experience it for ourselves. Breathwork has completely shifted how I see myself and the world, and shows me the language of the breath reveals how we each breathe life into stories. When someone suggests an idea or speaks from experience, we can choose to believe it or not.  As we tune into ourselves, sense something is off, we may not know exactly what, but we are always guided to uncover what we are ready to see.  Breathwork empowers us to flow as energy to make unconscious emotional trauma conscious.  Thus, we see through misperceptions and feel everything, so we can let go.

2. It enables us to breathe our way to clarity

Different breathing techniques exist that draw our attention to our own rhythm and where it originates, in the present moment. When ready, each of us can recall how to read our breath like a horoscope. Ask yourself what leaves you breathless, when you feel light-headed, why you get the 'wind knocked out of you,' and where you are prompted to breathe deeply.  Every breathing rhythm emits a vibration that echoes specific emotions.  Knowing this helps us understand if we are approaching or getting further away from something. Notice the spectrum of feelings and emotions, from fear and anxiety to peace and joy, and how each vibration is sharpening or obscuring clarity.  As we master the power of the breath now, we know we exist neither in past or future.  It is being the breath that effortlessly allow events to unfold right where we are.

3. It guides us to shift models of reality 

Getting in touch with breathing rhythms empowers us to grow aware of dis-empowering models of reality as well as our unconscious decisions that cause them. As the result, we can empower ourselves to accelerate huge life changes. We cannot begin to imagine the profound impact and far-reaching implications of stepping into more of our hidden personal power. We can reclaim what we unknowingly give away.   Whatever we believe to be true comes true until we see through and transcend our own misplaced perceptions. We unconsciously give meaning to every experience and adopt distorted models of reality until ready to upgrade them.

4.  It enables us to release suppressed energy

Rather than taking pills, or engaging in unhealthy patterns or habits to suppress emotions, breathwork is one process which enables us to access underlying reasons for stuckness and release it, permanently.  What's inspiring is how fast and powerful transformations are.  Breathwork raises awareness of and enables us to consciously shift energy.  We can combine (compliment) it with acts of meditation, gratitude, compassion, forgiveness (everyone of everything) and other spiritual practices that guide us to tap into something above or beyond ourselves. Such practices engage us energetically on an authentic feeling level in this moment. Releasing suppressed energy is allows constricted inspiration and genius to flow freely.

5.  It enables us to rewire our brain

Each of us has insight into levels of happiness.  Yet much of our conditioning focuses our attention to stress, anxiety, depression, fear and instances when are convinced that we are not happy.  Breathwork empowers us to release dense energy so we can refocus our attention on being happy.  From here we naturally feel our way intuitively into choices that feel more exciting, fun, myserious and inspiring. The result is we rewire the brain to visualize and believe in things that intensify these uplifting and energizing energy bursts and flows. 

If this article resonates, contact us for a pre-requisite questionnaire for our 12 week coaching program and also read the insightful Interview With Dan Brule.

6 Tips to Get on Track

From the moment we feel restless, stagnation or something hindering our progress, we may sense we are off track in areas of our life. Rest assured, strategies exist to strengthen relationships and get back on track.  Here are  6 action-oriented tips to offer new clarity.

1.  Do some free-writing

An effective starting point is to ask yourself some questions aloud, put a pen in your hand and allow your hand to respond immediately without thinking.  This is sometimes called automatic writing.  It is a way to communicate with a higher part of yourself that sees your life choices from a position of relative objectivity. Part of you is aware of what is really bothering you, yet another part of you is not listening. This is a way to begin making the unconscious, conscious. 

2. Pay attention to your night dreams

As we pay attention and strengthen dream recall, it is helpful to write details.  The more we do, the easier it gets.  Techniques exist to jog the memory.  Although dream dictionaries can shed some light and also be entertaining, sometimes working with a skilled dream analyst is also beneficial.  In this way, we see deeper meaning in symbols. If this approach to shaking life up stands out, get excited for a new, related Inspirational Mentor Interview coming soon.

3. Meditate

Different ways exist to meditate;  engaging in gardening, yoga, pilates, whatever evokes joy and relaxation. It is a process shifting from the experiencer to the watcher of our thoughts and what is unfolding in our lives. A useful practice is to create a quiet space or immerse in nature.  They key is to be willing to see and feel events from a new point of view. Meditation is not about quieting the mind but rather, recognizing we are not our thoughts, not our emotions, not our mind, we are the Soul. The ego-driven purpose can differ from the Soul purpose. If meditation rings true, invite reading Interview with Susan Shumsky: Maharishi and Me

4. Explore breathwork

Breathwork is a powerful approach to self-exploration and healing. A facilitator guides us individually or in a group to consciously control the breath as a means to alter mental, emotional and/or physical state.  It can compliment different approaches we take to get to know ourselves and make choices that create a more purpose-driven life. Breathwork draws insights from modern consciousness research, anthropology, transpersonal psychology, Eastern spiritual practices, and mystical traditions.  If this sparks interest, read Interview with Dan Brule.

5. Engage in Regression

Some revelations arise and change work can also be done during regression.  Fears are released during this process and insight is given.  However its up to each of us to take information on board and apply it to our lives.  It may turn out that you grow aware of repeating patterns from childhood conditioning and may be ready to dismantle old programs. In order to heal, we must be willing to feel. We offer this as a service as an optional tool in our coaching program. If this resonates, also invite reading Interview with Karen Joy and Interview with Anne Jirsch.

6. Commit to Holistic Coaching

Liara offers a coaching program that empowers clients in twelve areas of their lives. If  this peaks curiosity or stirs something within, this is a sign to contact us for more info about our free 30 min consultation.  Discover if one of our programs feels right. We can learn from and model others until we feel more confident trusting ourselves fully.  If motivational stories inspire something, invite reading Interview with Drew Tracy.