Am I doing the Shamanic Breathing technique properly?

[JessyA]

The first time I did it, I went for 15 minutes to see how by body and mind would react, then I continued for the whole 30 minutes (there was a little intermission to reset the timer). After the whole 30 minutes, I felt dizzy and tingling in some part of my body. I think I breathed a little bit deeper than Leo's demo, but not too deep either.

The second time I went for 30 minutes straight, but I had a few yawns and I swallowed my saliva a couple times too, which didn't make the session 100% non-stop.

I'm wondering if it has to be 100% no break (without moving, swallowing, etc.) for this technique to be fully effective?

Thank you

 

P.-S. - I do the Shamanic Breating technique once a week.

 

 

[BlackMaze]

That's ok i think. Wasn't it intense? Everytime i did it a huge weight was lifted. I had something like visions coupled with very intense emotions. This exercise is so powerful.. Everyone in the world should know about this. 

Don't worry about doing it without any interruptions. If you do it right you will know. Also do it with shamanic music or how it's called, it makes it more intense. 

[Gesundheit]

I have practiced it intermittently over the past couple of years, since Leo first talked about it, but sometimes I would go months without any practice. For the first year, I would faint quickly after barely 30 seconds to one minute, I would feel dizzy and tingling all over my body, and everything in my sight would go black, then I would stop and feel the relaxation, and receive lots of insights and healing. Nowadays, I can do up to 3 to 4 minutes, but then I stop because I feel tired and I don't notice any changes. I guess that I've gained some weight lately because I don't exercise as much as I used to, and the fat is in the stomach area, so it's not allowing the session to be as effective as it used to be before. Or maybe my state has become higher than the technique. Or maybe both, or neither, idk.

Edited January 16, 2021 by Gesundheit

[Forestluv]

I just did a facilitated shamanic breath session with Angell Dear. His session had an Aya ceremony feel to it. He was very good. If anyone is interested, they are offering Shamanic Breathing Ceremonies at 7pm NYC time (GMT -5). (Free, donations encouraged). https://www.thesanctuaryheal.com/event-info/breathwork-ceremony-online-36

Regarding the OP:

There are many different forms of Breathwork. For Shamanic Breathing, I don't start with deep mouth breathing right out of the gate. I spend the first 5-10 minutes with nose breathing and then nose in / mouth out. This is an important relaxation stage to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and to get into state. 

When I switch to full mouth breathing, I've had issues with dry mouth and swallowing. This can be distractive at surface levels. To reduce the distraction, I try to have my head straight or slightly tilted back (on the ground or a very thin pillow). I do swallow at times to reduce the annoyance. Yet when I start ramping up into deeper breaths and go into subconscious, the dry mouth and puddle of saliva isn't as bothersome. The dry mouth is just another sensation and I think the saliva puddle is reduced. 

5 hours ago, JessyA said:

The second time I went for 30 minutes straight, but I had a few yawns and I swallowed my saliva a couple times too, which didn't make the session 100% non-stop.

I'm wondering if it has to be 100% no break (without moving, swallowing, etc.) for this technique to be fully effective?

Taking breaks will disrupt the flow and hinder reaching deeper levels. Ideally, there is a rhythm that arises and the body is breathing itself. At the deeper levels, distractions become minor. Swallowing might be like a flicking a fly off your face. It's a quick reflex and then a return to the deeper experience.

One important aspect is not to push the out-breath out. The out-breath should be passive and letting go, no force. Like dropping a rock or surfing a wave. As well, the breath should be circular or like a pendulum. There are a variety of circular breaths. Shamanic breathing emphasizes full, expansive breaths. 

The deeper work occurs after 'breakthrough', which for me comes around 20min in. So a 1hr session would include 10min warmup, 10min breaking through, 25min. rhythmic, energetic, deep work and 15min. returning and integrating. 

[Gesundheit]

About the swallowing, I make sure that I am prepared to let the saliva running so that I don't put any attention on it. Sometimes, when I'm walking, I start to do shamanic breathing, and I let the saliva just spill from my mouth like a dog. I don't care. It even feels nice btw, the saliva becomes very liquid and light and cold, it feels awesome on my lips and chin.

[JessyA]

@BlackMaze Well the first time it was more intense than the second. My second time was this morning and I felt a subtle weight release, nothing big and my body also cooled down. Yes with music it's more pleasant, I like tribal drumming or meditative music :).

[JessyA]

@Gesundheit It's surprising how with only a couple minutes you could feel big shift and state :o, even 30 minutes for me I think it's not enough to get the garbage out...

[JessyA]

@Forestluv Thank you very much for this explanation, really eye-opening. Do you know the difference between breathing from the nose vs mouth in general? Some says that in-nose / out-mouth is optimal but shamanic breathing is mouth-mouth so... I'm a little confuse with that. Thanks again :).

[Forestluv]

3 hours ago, JessyA said:

@Forestluv Thank you very much for this explanation, really eye-opening. Do you know the difference between breathing from the nose vs mouth in general? Some says that in-nose / out-mouth is optimal but shamanic breathing is mouth-mouth so... I'm a little confuse with that. Thanks again :).

Nose breathing is better for inducing the parasympathetic nervous system (relaxation and repair). Mouth breathing is better for activating the body during breathwork. Yet in daily life, breathing in through the nose is best because the nose acts as a filter. I’m not sure about the benefits of nose in / mouth out during breathwork. 

[Gesundheit]

@Forestluv I have noticed that breathing from the nose correlates with more mind activity/identification, while from the mouth is much more relaxed and grounded in the body/senses. I used to always breathe from the nose, because I thought it was a filter too. The last few years, I have shifted to the mouth completely. (there's still partial nasal air leak lol).

[Gesundheit]

4 hours ago, JessyA said:

@Gesundheit It's surprising how with only a couple minutes you could feel big shift and state :o, even 30 minutes for me I think it's not enough to get the garbage out...

I'm not sure about how you're doing it. I become the breath, like when I breathe in I make my stomach fully bloated with air, and when I breathe out, I push it to the inside. This produces a quick effect, I think. And it's necessary to open the mouth well for the breath because you want to be fully proactive with the breath instead of passive. Every little bit of air should be moving in and out by your will.

[JessyA]

@Gesundheit I just realized : I think I suck/blow the air a bit... so maybe that's also why my mouth is getting dry quickly. 

17 hours ago, Gesundheit said:

And it's necessary to open the mouth well for the breath 

Yes I'm gonna think about that next time I do it, thank you.

[Muhammad Jawad]

30 min Shamanic Tribal Drumming Music with Breath Rhythm: