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 

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”.