It is our whole body, along with our brain and energetic field, that forms our consciousness, and breath is an active part of that system. Changes in our consciousness change the way we breathe - for example when we are feeling stressed, we breathe in a very different way to when we are relaxed - and this mechanism acts in reverse: changes in our breathing also affect our consciousness. Breathwork in its broadest sense is our engagement in this unique ability to actively influence consciousness by altering our breathing.
There are many forms of breathwork - ways of working with the breath that affect consciousness. The approach to breathwork offered here (which is a combination of Conscious Connected Breathwork and Holotropic Breathwork) is different from many approaches in that it doesn't endorse or encourage a specific breathing technique, instead creating the space for participants to tune in to their own body and generate their own breathing patterns, creating their own perfectly tuned altered state of consciousness. Supported by the safe and sacred environment of the breathwork session, these personally generated shifts in consciousness allow participants to experience a unique personal journey of discovery, healing and growth.
Breathwork can create an endless variety of powerful and profound experiences, and can be both gentle and active. Many journeys involve an exploration of trauma and the way it becomes locked in the body. It is through experiencing, accepting and allowing trauma to exist that we truly come to understand it and become free. This in turn can produce significant openings and expansions, on many levels.
There are different ways to approach this type of breathwork - shorter, gentler sessions and deeper, longer sessions. Often breathwork takes place in a group setting, but it can also be offered one-to-one.
People usually lie down with their eyes closed, with music played to support people's journeys. Beginning with a guided meditation, the aim a session is for people to have a safe space to connect with their deeper self, find their own breathing pattern and go on their own journey. A breathwork facilitator is always present to help and support people, and newcomers are always offered a detailed introduction.
There are three types of session you can attend: A Light Breathe lasts 50 minutes, a Spirit Breathe last 1 hour 30 minutes, and a Soul Breathe lasts 2 hours 30 minutes.
Growing up in Wales as part of a Quaker family, Jon was aware of the spiritual world from an early age. He spent several years on a shamanic path, and discovered Holotropic Breathwork in his early twenties. He has continued to practice breathwork regularly since then, alongside Vipassana and Non-Duality meditation, energetic healing and free movement (a combination of Chi-Kung and improvised dance). Jon has travelled several times to India, spending much of his time there with Sai Baba, and has also spent time at Guru Subraminium's Skanda Vale in West Wales. More recently Jon has been working with Advaita teacher Shakti Catarina Maggi. A spiritual journey is also a psychological one, and Jon has also worked with psychotherapeutic, psychoanalytic and other personal development modalities as part of his journey.
Kundalini is an Indian term describing a potent spiritual energy originating at the base of the spine. This flow of energy, from Earth to Spirit, can be described as the essence of consciousness. When this flow is increased, spiritual development occurs. A full Kundalini activation involves an accelerated spiritual awakening, and can result in a wide variety of emotional and energetic states, eventually leading to spiritual liberation.
There are different ways to approach this type of breathwork - shorter, gentler sessions and deeper, longer sessions. Often breathwork takes place in a group setting, but it can also be offered one-to-one.
People usually lie down with their eyes closed, with music played to support people's journeys. Beginning with a guided meditation, the aim a session is for people to have a safe space to connect with their deeper self, find their own breathing pattern and go on their own journey. A breathwork facilitator is always present to help and support people, and newcomers are always offered a detailed introduction.
There are three types of session you can attend: A Light Breathe lasts 50 minutes, a Spirit Breathe last 1 hour 30 minutes, and a Soul Breathe lasts 2 hours 30 minutes.
Growing up in Wales as part of a Quaker family, Jon was aware of the spiritual world from an early age. He spent several years on a shamanic path, discovering Holotropic Breathwork in his early twenties. He has continued to practice breathwork regularly since then, alongside Vipassana and other Non-Dual meditation, energetic healing and free movement (a combination of Chi-Kung and improvised dance). Jon has travelled several times to India, spending much of his time there with Sai Baba, and has also spent time at Guru Subraminium's Skanda Vale in West Wales. A spiritual journey is also a psychological one, and Jon has also worked with psychotherapeutic and other personal development modalities as part of his journey, which has now brought him to a place where he feels ready to offer breathwork, in the context of his wider spiritual journey, to others.
Almost everyone who participates in Breathwork feels its powerful connection to the ancient and the mystical. But in terms of modern, Western understanding, it was discovered and developed by Stanislav Grof in the 1970s. Trained as a psychiatrist, he initially spent time studying the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics, before shifting his focus to the effect of breath and music on consciousness, developing Holotropic ('towards wholeness') Breathwork - the basis of all Breathwork practices today.
The approach of Breath Journey Breathwork is based on Jon's experience and training, but is most closely associated with Holotropic Breathwork. Here are some video testimonials from around the world describing people's experience of Holotropic Breathwork.