In the blog "Aussies Fly the Flag at GIC 2019", Mirabai Vines gave us a heads up that the IBF had ratified definitions of Breathwork to better describe the various forms of Breathwork. In the past few years the ABA committe also wrote letters of support and input to the process. We were excited to receive the official definitions from the IBF this week. Thanks to the IBF team and Mirabai and all the people involved in the long term process of getting to this historically significant point in time.

republished from IBF Newstletter  31/8/19...

Hi Australian Breathwork [Association]

In a historic meeting of the AGM in 2019, the IBF community discussed and agreed upon a series of working definitions. This represents a huge step forward for our community and brings together over 25 years of discussion and debate on the subject. The long consultation by IBF involved our community, the founders of Do As One and the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance. The agreement to move forward with these definitions means that we are a big step closer to establishing breathwork as a word in the dictionary and grounding the field and the profession in the mainstream. We are very proud to share our definitions with you.
 
You can find more information about Breathwork and these definitions on the Breathwork pages in the new IBF website.
Breathwork Definitions:

Conscious Breathing : Conscious breathing is the practice of breathing with awareness, intention and attention to your inner experience, in the present moment.

Breathwork : The experiential field of study and practice that encompasses a variety of breathing techniques utilised individually and in groups, to cultivate self-awareness and the enhancement of physical, emotional, cognitive, or spiritual well-being.

Conscious Connected Breathing : Conscious Connected Breathing is a breathing pattern in which the breather intentionally connects the inhale with the exhale without any pauses. 

Conscious Connected Breathwork : Conscious Connected Breathwork (CCB) is an experiential field of study and practice that uses conscious connected breathing and body-mind techniques to support the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels of being.

• Some schools of CCB are psychotherapeutic.  
• There are various schools of CCB including but not limited to; Rebirthing, Holotropic Breathwork, Integrative Breathwork, Clarity Breathwork, Shamanic Breathwork and Transformational Breath. 
• The emphasis placed on different components of the session, as well as different theoretical and spiritual frameworks, determines the distinctions among the various schools of CCB.

Breathworker : A practitioner of one or more types of breathwork who facilitates others in utilising breathing techniques for self-awareness, for the enhancement of physical, emotional, cognitive, or spiritual well-being in an individual or group setting.  

Breathwork Practitioner : A qualified breathwork professional who has been certified with a breathwork qualification (training and apprenticeship) that meets the minimum requirements set out by their national/international organisation or training school.

Conscious Connected Breathwork Practitioner : A qualified breathwork professional who facilitates individual and/or group sessions. They are certified with a conscious connected breathwork qualification (training and apprenticeship) that meets the minimum requirements set out by the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance. 

With love and light,

The IBF Executive Team 

Contributed by Jennylee Taylor

In 2016, at the ABA Committee Inspiration and Planning weekend I was sitting with Cindy Aulby (current president) and Mirabai Rose (past president), Robyn Fernance (then membership officer)  and the rest of the committee at the time talking about the depth of the Breathwork lineage in Australia. We had just worked out that Mirabai and I could have the same “grandparents”.  My lineage belongs to the Breathwork Family Tree that started with Ahrara Bhakti who trained Michael Adamedes who teed up with Quentin Watts to train Robyn Fernance who was my trainer.
​
Mirabai’s lineage also started with Ahrara Bhakti who, as stated above, trained Michael Adamedes who teed up with Quentin Watts to train Denise Burgess. Denise teed up with Michael and Quentin to train Jonine Lee-Gabay who in turn trained Mirabai. During her training, Mirabai was also supervised by Karen Daniel – Ahrara’s daughter, through whom Mirabai says: “I feel the lineage through her so strongly, its an honour to work with her.”

In July, nine Aussies attended the GIC (Global Inspiration Conference) in Joshua Tree USA (Mirabai , Anne , Fey, Josh, Lisa - Canberra; Eli - Melbourne; Alakh, Ghislaine - NSW and Russel - Perth).
I have been attending the GIC for a decade and have loved every single one. 

The GIC was attended by almost 300 people, many new to Breathwork. 
Asked about the highlights.... I would say that definitely it is the community of breathers, who come together every year and share, reconnect with the breath and inspire each other. We fill each other up for the year ahead. I am so nurtured, nourished and held. It is delightful. 

The speakers this year largely focused on conscious connected breathwork and I enjoyed that SO much. It was good to reflect on the foundations of connected breathing practice, and to hear different ways of demonstrating CCB (Conscious Connected Breathwork) and holding space. There were also workshops on working with people with trauma, and also teaching teachers to use conscious breath in classrooms. 

I had a lot of fun of an evening, drumming, ecstatic dancing in community; and morning breath practices with the breathairians who taught me so much about life and prana. Truly grateful for their wisdom. 

Lastly, I have been chairing the AGM for a few years and it is THE BEST way to engage with our peers. At the AGM the IBF voted in a new definition of Breathwork - which relates specifically to Conscious Connected Breathwork. The IBF recognises that the term 'breathwork' is used as a blanket term for various breathing practices. Given this, there is a need for a term/definition that refers more specifically to our profession. The term Conscious Connected Breathwork was agreed to (although we are open to suggestions for a less clunky name!) and a working definition was approved. Phew! At last...we can EASILY answer the question 'what type of breathwork do you do?'

I invite you all to join us in Sweden in 2020 - reconnect with breath, with spirit, and with our breathing community the world over.
​Love xx Mirabai 

Breathwork Trainings with Ann Harrison
 
Breathwork Trainings’  latest 8 day Breath Awareness retreat – Birth, Death and Rebirth – completed 13 April 2019.  It was the third of four Level 2 Breathwork Practitioner Training modules. It followed the modules of 2.1 Psychotherapy & Spirituality, 2.2 Bodymind Connection; and follows on from the foundational Level 1 personal growth course that completed November 2017.
 
The practice of Breath Awareness and the Breathwork Trainings that Ann has facilitated since 1990 have been always had their foundation in spiritual awareness and an integration of the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels of being. Breathwork is an exercise in mindfulness -  an intense meditation technique, that is a journey of self discovery and  connection with one’s true potential.
 
This 8 day module was unique in so far as the first four days were facilitated by Robyn Fernance, author of the renowned book Being Born; and the second four days were facilitated by Ann Harrison. Robyn interrupted her sabbatical to come and facilitate this workshop, and the participants received the benefits of her experience and authority in this field. She created a profoundly transformative space. Jennylee Taylor, a Breathwork practitioner trained by Robyn, participated and will make this part of the Breathwork Group Facilitator training that she is currently undertaking with Robyn. Other trained breathwork practitioners were also there as participants enjoying the experience of these pioneering trainers.  For one its “a balance between movement and stillness – a delightful journey of self awareness”.
 
There is a flavour of Eastern philosophy in Ann’s Breathwork training course – Tao: the Way of Change – paradigms, process, concepts and values. She is concerned with articulating principles that hold true throughout time,  and articulating how they may be applied to individuals in this time and culture. She says “… that way there is a steady reference point, and one is not jumping onto the latest bandwagon or following the latest technique of consciousness and transformation” One participant could see that the course was “beautifully balanced with clear intellectual explanations and varied theories that brought unexpected insights and personally right experiences”
 
The Spring Retreat 14-20 October will explore the chakra system as a guide to finding balance and authenticity. Kylea Taylor’s book The Ethics of Caring will be the primary text.
No doubt the experience of this breathwork retreat and training will be as one participant found this past retreat: “freeing both physically and intellectually”.

Congratulations to Claire Belton and her latest group of graduating Breathwork Practitioners. The ABA are so blessed to have Claire as an endorsed Breathwork Trainer in Australia bringing her flavour of Breathwork to the world.
Well done to all of the students. With love from the ABA

This is what Claire has to say about her recent graduates ... her words reflect the love and respect that comes as a reflection of such beautiful and thorough training.

"These beautiful women have all recently completed their Breathwork and Shamanic Healing Training with me... 450 hours of training!
I am so proud; they have all gone through a very deep and intensive training, moved through powerful inner states of personal healing, and hold space to facilitate incredible depths of the work for others.
They all have learnt and shown exceptional ability in working powerfully with the breath in combination with deep listening bodywork, and shamanic tracking and healing in the energetic field and other worlds. A truly beautiful and magical combination!
Congratulations Maxine Santich, Paula Flinn, Sharon Jennings, Schnitzel Von Krumm, Rebecca Moore, Shanie Sim, Kristine Gomez, Katherine Harding Farrant, and Donna Blakeway (Phil'n'Donna Blakeway)!
I can confidently recommend each of my trainees.. who I recognise now as colleagues in the work.
I will be passing along their details as I’m not able to see all the clients that are referred to me. So if you are looking to do some deep inner work let me know and I will pass details along to you.
I will be running another Breathwork and Shamanic Healing Training and information will be coming out soon. I am a recognised Australian Breathwork Association (ABA) trainer.. which means you can also gain membership to the ABA in completion of your training. The ABA is keeping high standards of breathwork practice in Australia!"

If you would like to learn more about Breathwork Training in Australia along with links to all of the ABA Endorsed Trainers you can find the information here.

The ABA Committee recently met in Hobart to get together face to face and breathe, inspire, and plan around the ABA and it's members.
We were inspired by the beautiful bushland, connection with nature and connection with each other that occurred over the weekend.
The key outcomes and areas of focus for the committee over the next few years are all around consolidating resources for membership and growing the membership base :

1. To raise the credibility of Breathwork and conscious connected breathing to reach more people with this incredible tool.

• Connections with International Breathwork Community (IBF) and work with them for Breathwork as a whole
• Investigate ways to collect data about the effectiveness of Breathwork (IBF are also initiating a project to do this with Dr Philippa (Pippa) Wheble MBChB, BSc (Hons) Pharmacology, DRCOG, MRCGP (UK) who is on the IBF UN Team which co-ordinates activities relating to the IBF and its association to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations).
• Create a library of current research on the ABA website for access by ABA members and the public
• Seek case studies from ABA members

2. Community and Collaboration

• Promote Professional Members
  • Member Spotlight - Online interviews with members to post on ABA youtube and website
  • Seek existing member podcasts and YouTube videos to share in FB and load to ABA you tube channel
  • Encourage Breathing Circles in each state by providing themes and formats for members to use
  • Promote member authored books relevant to Breathwork
  • Share member blogs and articles on FB
• Breathe Australia Conference to bring the Breathwork community together annually in November

3. Education

• Education/Support for members
  • Online Member Mentoring sessions
  • Breathe Australia Conference
• Educating the public
  • developing a resource library on the website
  • maintaining and increasing available information

4. ABA processes

• continue to refine the smooth running of the ABA back end in support of providing a solid association for the members.
• updating and simplify the joining and renewing processes online
• creating a members only login area
• documenting and maintaining background processes

5. ABA Peak Body for Breathwork in Australia

• Continue to endorse trainers trainings against the ABA Training Standards to increase the potential for membership.

The Committee are looking forward to another productive year on behalf of the ABA and it's members.
We are also currently looking for volunteers to assist on one or more of the subcommittees. If you have any skills or passion for Marketing and Communications or for organising conferences we would love to hear from you. You would be part of a team that shared tasks and met periodically online throughout the year. Please email: Jennylee the Secretary

Many of you will know Robyn Fernance -  she was originally a member of Australian Institute of Rebirthing in 1986; joined Australian Association for Professional Rebirthers in 1999 and became its first membership officer, as well as taking on the Treasury of AAPR in 2001.

In 2000 the ABA was born and Robyn holds membership number 008-2000. For many of those years since has been in very loving and committed service to the Association on the committee. She spent many many years as Treasurer and Membership officer.Robyn has recently 'retired' from being on the ABA committee for a very welcome look at what life looks like beyond the ABA!!

She is still a beloved member, and is generously available to support the current committee whilst we continue to learn the ropes.
Robyn was not present at the Breathe Australia Conference for us to acknowledge her and give her a gift of our appreciation. So a week before Christmas, we presented the gift of a card "signed" by many of the members and a beautiful gift of a dwarf mandarin fruit tree that has been grafted onto flying dragon rootstock.

Robyn is a Breathwork Trainer and metaphysician so she got a get a kick out of that metaphysically.
“The Dragon is the symbol of primordial power. It is master of all elements: fire, water, air and earth.  As a spirit guide, it makes a powerful ally in our daily life with its amazing restorative and potent qualities.”
As her gift was presented to her the sky opened up and the tree was nurtured from the summer rain.  Robyn is a keen gardener and her suburban garden is full of food bearing trees and vegetables. 
The ABA loves Robyn and are looking forward to an non committee member relationship with her in coming years.