Awakening breath (Tetra breath) internal training Samma

Karuna – Version 1.9 March 2019, Author: Ishi – Audience: SK Teachers

Last update: November 2022.

Video Seminar part I

Video Seminar part II

Video seminar part III

Extension to video seminar January 2022

Before the class

Create a nice play list of music based on the class you are planning to facilitate. Setting tracks progressively from a bigger tempo to a smaller tempo. As a general guideline its best to start with a soft melodic music as intro until the students get the breathing technique and then select a set of music tracks that follow the chakra elements.

0) Intro melodic music
1) Earth music (Muladhara)
2) Water music (Swadhisthana)
3) Fire music (Manipura) [trance + relax ]
4) Air music (Anahata) [ keywords: let go, opening, surrendering, bliss ]
5) Relaxation music (harmonic tones)

Audio lecture – Tetra breathwork and music by Ishi

<Download Music>

Class structure

An awakening breath session has 3 stages, an intro, the first part of the class (usually on a sitting position) and the second part of the class.

• During the intro you the facilitator welcomes the students and explains the basic technique of breath.
  
  
• During the first part of the class the teacher further explains the breathing techniques, introduces the subject of the class (in every class a new technique is introduced) and closely observes the students breathing practice providing guidance as needed. During the first part of the class we usually work on the first 3 chakras (Muladhara , Swadhishthana and Manipura).
  
  
• The second part of the class is usually on a laying down position and you will be usually working on the chakras 4 to 7^th,  but specially on anahata chakra.

Before the class

• Work on yourself, practice meditation with mindful deep inhalations and exhalations
• You should be able to have your belly relaxed for the class in order to demo the right type of breath as best as possible.

During the class

Introduction

• Intro class and yourself
• Invite students to join in a circle at the center of the halls
• Ask who is new to awakening breath
  • Remember these students as they might require more guidance than others.
• Intro awakening breath
  • Breath for healing and awakening that activates a natural healing system on the body
• How it works?
  • Explain what circular breath is
  • Explain inhalation and exaltation should take about the same time, nor forcing the exhalation, no exhaling all the air out before I start inhaling again.
  • Explain how healing occurs
    • When we cannot deal with a situation in the outside we tend to block the way we feel. This blockages remain stored in the body.
    • With this healing system we will be pushing energy through the nadis (the path ways from where the energy flows) and allowing the energy to flow again.
    • As a result the sensation related to that blockage may come up and the healing of it will take place providing we just allow it to be (without rejecting it or clinging for it).
    • This is a safe environment, here you can allow yourself to feel whatever you need to feel and in this way bring healing to your body and yourself.
      • Feel free to express any emotions as well with sounds but If you feel like shouting loud use a pillow (adapt this instructions to the posibilities of the hall and the enviroment where you are teaching).
• What can happen in a session?
  • Nothing can happen and this might be alright, for healing and awakening to occur we need to let go the idea of what we should experience on the session to allow the real experience that is meant for us to unfold.
  • Also lots of things can happen and if at any point you don’t know how to deal with it rise you hand up and I will be with you. I’m here to support you in this process.
    • I MIGHT PASS BY AS WELL AROUND YOU AND PROVIDE YOU SOME ENERGETICAL SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE. I MIGHT ALSO TOUCH YOUR FEET, TAP ON YOUR CHEST AND TOUCH YOUR 3ER EYE AS A WAY TO SUPPORT YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY. IS ANYONE THAT DO NOT WISH TO BE TOUCH DURING THE SESSION?
      
      
  • Often people feel lots of energy in the body, especially in the hand and around the mouth and this is normal. After a few minutes you stop breathing it will go away.
  • What else can happen? Some people feel very cold at times or very hot.

• What to do?
  • You are responsible for you body, if you feel that somehow you are getting dizzy or you don’t feel good reduce the breath or stop it. Having said this I highly recommend you not to stop breathing as is the continuity of the breath and your capacity to just allow sensations and emotions to express what brings healing.
    
    
  • What im trying to say is that this is a Karuna breath, a breath of compassion. It’s full potential will unfold as much as you are able to accept and embrace your emotions and the way you feel (sensations in the body).
    • This requires in certain extend to let go the idea of who you should be and how you should be feeling to embrace who you are now and what is really going on.
      • “This is my fear, this is my sadness, my shame.. “ they are mine, the belong to me…

• Demo circular breath using your hand as guidance to follow the breath
  • Explain concepts behind the breath
    • A good awakening breath should have 2 things: a big amount of air coming in (mouth wide open) and constant awareness of the body, these are the 2 winds of this practice, if you miss any of them might not get the benefits of this practice.

• Invite students to practice it and watch attentively for anyone no getting it right
  
  
• Ask students if they have any questions

First part of the class

• Introduce lower belly breath
• Demo
• Practice lower belly awareness

Second part of the class

• Practice warm-up exercise on the floor (if applicable)
• Facilitate student’s practice of awakening breath from chakra 3 to 7.
• Allow the students to relax for about 10 minutes (savasana)
  • Good practice: When about 5 minutes left invite the students to lay down sideways on their right hand side.

Class closure

• Invite student to form a circle in the center of the class just like at the beginning of it but this time holding hands.
• Invite people to share their experience (up to 5 minutes)
• Promote the students to leave the halls in silence
  • If you are in Samma Karuna you may suggest student to take their experience to the beach and avoid talking for a while.
• Recommend students to do not drive a motorbike (our such) for a few minutes, until they feel well grounded.
• Invite students to approach you if they have any questions
• Namaste and dismiss class.

Awakening breath techniques

• Hara-Push:
• Hara-activation (hum mantra)
• Diaphragmatic massage
• Muladhara Bioenergetics
• Hand sublimation
• Hips sublimation

Class theme

Awakening breath classes have 4 topics, every class have a topic that needs to be covered by the facilitator.

Topics to be covered are:

• Week 1: Hara-Push & Diaphragmatic massage
• Week 2: Muladhara Bioenergetics & Hara-activation (so hum mantra)
• Week 3: Hand sublimation
• Week 4: Hips sublimation

Techniques covered on previous weeks are added to the first part of the class on the following week. By week 4 the students should be able to understand and perform all techniques.

What to do during a session

• Look at the student breathing, if you see anything abnormal in a student get close to him and listen carefully how he is breathing. Provide vocal and energetical support as needed.
• Do not allow student to hold breath in your session without your consent.

What not to do during a session

• Allow a student that is not completely grounded to leave the class
• Touch a student in any way without a vocal warning (except for grounding technique on the feet)
• Caress a student when starting crying as a way of support
• Command a student to keep breathing when he/she has expressed not wishing to continue.

What can go “wrong” (emergency procedures)

• A student calls you because is feeling paralyzed and scared
  • Ask the student to breath normally
  • Ensure the student the symptoms are normal and will pass a few minutes after he starts breathing normally
  • Apply soft massage on students hands
  • Apply grounding technique on the feet

• A student faints or looks about to faint
  • Ask the student to breath normally
  • Apply grounding technique on the feet
  • Pour water on the students head and massage (as seeing on your training)
  • Ask student to drink water
  • Stay calm 😉

Other notes for teachers

Warrning: Do not mix fire energy with breathwork. The breath (air element) will help fire energy to rise to th head. and this can be dangererous for the human body.

What is the phenomenon behind “lobster hands”?

                Its called Tetany (pronounced “tetny”) and it occurs due to low Co2 (carbon dioxide) in the body, this is because C02 reduces celluar calcium and increses blood PH. Sodium leaks then into nere cells and makes them hyper-excitable resulting in the fenomenon called tetany.

Tetany is more likely in people with underlying mineral imbalances, including:

• Low magnesium– more likely during pregnancy or lactation, use of diuretics, or high alcohol consumption
• Low potassium
• Parathyroid hormone (PTH) deficiency
• Excess phosphate
• Low calcium
• Electrolyte deficiencies due to long-term inhaler use

TIP: You may ask you students to loop their trousers or anything that might be restricting them to breath freely on the belly.

KeySentences:

• You create more aliveness in your body by breathing more deeply
• I allow myself to feel any sensations or emotions
• This is a safe environment, here you can allow yourself to feel and express whatever has been repressed before.
• The healing comes from watching and allowing the sensations or emotions that might come up rather than trying to change them or push them away.
• Opening up in the inhale, releasing and letting go in the exhale.
• Willingness to breath deeper and faster opening up every part of the torso