Holotropic Breathwork™
The name Holotropic means literally “moving toward wholeness” (from the Greek “holos”=whole and “trepein”=moving in the direction of something).
How it works
The process itself uses very simple means: it involves a combination of deep and rapid breathing, evocative music and focused bodywork to access non-ordinary states of consciousness.
The work is done in a supportive environment with the assistance of highly trained facilitators. Breathwork can lead to the healing of previous emotional or physical trauma, reduction in anxiety and stress, amelioration of symptoms of depression, emotional expression & release and creative inspiration.
Many people also report that it helps them connect to a deeper feeling of meaning and purpose in their lives, as well as a greater feeling of authenticity in their daily life.
The Workshop
Setting up the space for a Breathwork session.
A Brief History of Holotropic Breathwork
The Holotropic Breathwork™ workshop is a carefully designed set and setting for entering non-ordinary states in a sacred and safe way.
It was designed with the benefit of both Stanislav Grof’s experience with clinical, therapeutic psychedelic sessions and Christina Grof’s experience with sacred settings for yoga and meditation.
The priority of any Holotropic Breathwork™ workshop should be a safe space where all can allow themselves to trust, let go and be guided by the inner healing wisdom.
Therefore, we as trained facilitators, together with all participants, create a space where everyone feels welcome just as they are — where everyone feels protected and accepted.
Music and other forms of sound have always been used for consciousness-altering rituals and spiritual practices.
Music touches, connects, inspires, triggers feelings and can sometimes have a healing effect. Music naturally supports our inner journeys.
Each music set for Holotropic Breathwork™ is unique but should always have the same structure.
It has a length of about three hours and has three stages:
The first pieces are an invitation to the journey of activating the breath and letting go. As the process unfolds, after a few pieces the music becomes more intense.
The first hour has a driving force, supported by powerful, trance-inducing sounds, chants, drums, didgeridoos, electronic music and sounds of various indigenous cultures.
After about one hour the music becomes melodic, more epic and can touch the full emotional spectrum of a human being. We are in the middle of our journey, and it is supported by what we call “Journeying Music”.
In the third hour, the intensity of the music gradually decreases and it turns towards loving heart pieces which in turn become more meditative, including chants and nature sounds. We call this phase, ‘Coming Home.’
Let the music guide your journey and connect you to the heart of your soul.
Holotropic Breathwork™ can cause various physical reactions in the body.
These can be types of movement and sounds, such as dancing, twisting, shaking, animal-like sounds and movements, crying, screaming, talking in tongues, coughing, laughing and many other unique expressions.
Holotropic Breathwork™ facilitators are trained to support participants in their process with a form of bodywork called Focused Energy Release Work. It is available to participants on request during a session or at the end of a session. Often participants express the wish for support when they feel stuck or not grounded or feel that their session has not completed.
Focused energy release work can be applied in different ways: a gentle touch on a specific point on the body that the breather is showing, offering resistance so that the breather can feel and express a tension while breathing into it or the breather has the wish to be held.
“The Facilitator is simply present for what is needed in the moment, not trying to do or accomplish anything. In a sense the Facilitator is a midwife to energies that want to emerge.” – Kylea Taylor
Facilitators are present throughout the workshop.
They keep the space safe for all participants, so that everyone can let go and dive deep into their process.
Mandala means “circle” or “discoid object” in Sanskrit. Mandalas have been used as spiritual guidance tools, establishing a sacred space and symbols of prayer in various traditions such as Hinduism or Buddhism.
Carl G. Jung a Swiss psychiatrist introduced the practice of creating mandalas in the western world for self-expression, discovery and healing. Jung discovered that shapes, colors and symbols can reflect mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.
After each breathing session there is time to capture the experience through artwork and mandala drawing.
It is a non-verbal expression after the inner journey. A way of bringing the non-ordinary into the ordinary and the first step into integration.
The room is prepared and equipped with many painting materials, such as watercolors, pastels, chalk paints, glitter, crayons, craft utensils as well as large paper pads and much more.
The Breather is invited to take a few minutes to inwardly reflect on their experience and to allow what arises to flow out through them onto the paper.
This is not an art competition and there are no specific guidelines for the mandalas. Some people use colors, some people draw visions that have appeared to them in their session and still others follow their intuition by choosing a color and moving it on the paper without knowing what the result will be. The essence of mandala making is to still remain in a space of non-intellect or not knowing.
The Breathers are invited to bring their mandalas to the sharing circle, in which they talk about their experiences.
The sharing circle is another important part towards integration. Through the mandala drawing you have already put your experience into some kind of form or symbol and through the sharing you have the opportunity to bring it alive in a state of normal consciousness, allowing ordinary mind to be with it by expressing it in words. Through articulating it, your experience will settle and perhaps you will have more understanding about it or insights.
In Holotropic Breathwork™ we say: “Share what has heart and meaning for you.” You are welcome to share as much or as little you want, and it is also ok not to share.
Together we create a safe space, share with openness and honesty, and listen with our hearts.
We do not interpret or analyze experiences. We create sacred attention for each individual, a space where everyone can open up and share.
Through listening we also learn from other people, we can often recognize ourselves in the other person, we learn to be compassionate for ourselves and others, we learn to trust in the deep wisdom and we feel connected.
Through integration we test and ground our insights and experiences.
How do we allow the HB experience and what we have seen or understood to naturally settle into our daily lives by neither holding the experience nor letting the daily life bury it? One key to this is through simply being present for what is moment to moment and creating time and space in our lives. Hence even as you prepare for the workshop try to schedule a few days off afterwards to reset your schedule, settle and start the post-workshop time with new intentions.
At the end of each workshop, we will talk about integration, give you some detailed suggestions for going home and making the transition into daily life.
It is not uncommon to feel emotional, vulnerable or slightly de-stabilized after a meaningful experience, so it is always good to have space for each process to unfold at its own pace. Do things that keep you connected.
Trust in your inner wisdom, listen to your body. Allow the seed of insight to permeate your whole body and mind.
Be patient with yourself. It’s ok if you don’t understand the experience you had in the workshop. Insights are alive and unpredictable, coming by themselves in their own time. Allow yourself to not know.
If you don’t have a daily practice yet, we recommend a meditation practice like Zazen or any other meditation practice that gives you time to calm and settle your mind. Easily integrated into your daily life, a few minutes each day is a great start.
With a meditation practice that uses breath as a focus your understanding of body-mind grows and most importantly you become familiar with your breath.
One breath is enough.
In simply bringing attention to the breath, we let go of the mind that is busy going other places and we arrive here. In this letting go we can see what really is and respond naturally and with ease. That is real freedom, when we are free from our own concerns and can meet life without any conditions on how it should be. That was the original intention in creating a safe setting in the HB session and this, in living, is where we continue.
There is also another aspect we would like to draw attention to: the benefits of a community.
We believe that it is not only about the experience from the session. We also see this work as about community, the connection we immediately feel to each other, the honesty and openness at the workshops. In the western world, we have withdrawn from living in communities or working internally with a community. In other cultures, it is natural to work and grow together — to support and learn from each other and to listen to those who have walked the path before us. We encourage you to find people in your life who will share the journey with you, a guide or a friend who is also a fellow traveler who will support you when you need it.
Open your heart, be playful and joyful on your journey of ongoing integration.
Above all else BE GENTLE AND PATIENT WITH YOURSELF.