Breathing, the act of inhaling and exhaling, gives us life. It is so fundamental to our existence we rarely think about it, we do it unconsciously. When we become aware of the breathing process, mindful of how we can control the flow of life-giving air into and out of our lungs, we can achieve an expanded sense of life.

In my "Conscious Connected Breathing" workshops I teach techniques to control the breath, such as eliminating pauses between inhaling and exhaling, and taking deeper draughts of air with each breath. We learn to use the breath to connect our consciousness to the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that exist on an unconscious level. The process is experiential. Induced by the controlled breathing, we enter a trance or so-called "unordinary" state. This allows us to re-experience the events in our lives that have not been fully resolved; we can heal ourselves on spiritual and emotional levels; even physical pain can be alleviated. In actuality, the trance state is a common experience that often occurs in the time between sleeping and waking. It can be thought of as very deep relaxation that enables you to have lucid dreams.

The practical results of conscious connected breathing can be apparent immediately. Instead of "automatically" reacting to stressful events, individuals can create an inner state of calm where they can take momentary refuge before choosing the manner in which they respond. By breathing deliberately and purposefully, angry and even violent feelings can be controlled and emotional balance maintained.

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