FAQ - Buddhist

What makes this training unique?

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Ripe with over 20 years of breathwork training and facilitation experience, my unique approach to teaching was born from the motivation of providing others with what I wish was available to me during my years of being a student. This course is born from pure love and the genuine intention to be of service.

The whole training is centered around self-actualization by eliciting a deeper level of consciousness within. You will be guided to discover and embrace the uniqueness of your inner core, which in turn leads to a much higher rate of success with this work. It’s a healer heal thyself type of energy.

Contrary to most programs, this setting allows you to receive in-depth guidance and personalized support from me—all while gaining the confidence to step into skillful facilitation. The groups are small and intimate. And even after the in-person training is finished, you’ll have 3 months of online guidance and support from me. It’s more than just the basics, it’s a program that embodies everything you need to be a soul-centered and successful facilitator.

I took everything I knew could transform valuable internalized knowledge into empowered confidence in action. One of my superpowers is my trained eye and intuitive knack for seeing where people hold themselves back. This allows students to unearth subconscious fears and remove stagnant blocks preventing them from stepping into their. It’s been truly remarkable to witness the transformations that have taken place.

Is Breathwork Safe for Everyone?

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In general, Breathwork is perfectly safe with limited risks. It’s been scientifically proven to offer a wide range of benefits for both physical and mental health. Because of its fast-growing popularity, it has even been recommended by medical professionals.

Be aware that Breathwork can affect some medical conditions and may be a stronger experience for people with certain mental health conditions. If a client has any of the below medical conditions, it's advisable to have them check with their doctor first:

- Aneurysms
- Asthma
- Cardiovascular disease and/or irregularities, including prior heart attack
- Detached Retina
- Epilepsy
- Glaucoma
- High Blood Pressure that is not controlled with medication
- History of strokes or seizures
- Osteoporosis
- Pregnancy
- Prescription blood thinning/anti-clotting medications such as Coumadin

For mental health, it's important to avoid working with clients who have the following conditions initially:
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- Bipolar disorder or schizophrenia (diagnosed by a health professional)
- Hospitalization for any psychiatric condition or emotional crisis in the past 10 years, such as an attempted suicide or nervous breakdown
- PTSD
- Any other medical, psychiatric, or physical conditions that would impair or affect the ability to engage in activities involving intense physical and/or emotional release.

For more detailed information, you can visit https://breathworkonline.com/contraindications/

What is your process when you’re asked a question you don’t know the answer to?

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Most importantly, I never lie.
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I usually breathe the question in, let it marinate for a minute, and see if anything comes through. What I’ve discovered over the years is that I know much more than I think I do. In fact, we all do.And we carry this intuitive knowing within us at all times.
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If I don’t know the answer I am fully transparent about that. I give thanks for the challenging question, offer to research it, and view it as an opportunity to expand my own knowledge base. People appreciate authenticity. They value vulnerability and a willingness to show up and be seen.

Keep in mind it’s not helpful to fill the space with anxious, rapid chatter or give a half-correct answer to patch your uncertainty. Not knowing the answer is not indicative of inadequacy, it’s a valuable opportunity to demonstrate the humanness we all share. Your silence, your moment of checking within, and your admission to not having all the answers are an invitation for your clients to lean into their own authority. By modeling this, we give others permission to do the same. As simple as it sounds, take a deep breath, anchor yourself, and see what’s there. You may be pleasantly surprised.

I consider myself an empath. How do I avoid taking on other people’s stuff when I’m facilitating?

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If you’re anywhere near the spiritual community, you’re most likely aware that the word "empath" is thrown around more than ever before. While embracing our sensitivity is great, labeling ourselves as "empaths" can unconsciously create a victim mentality.

“Oh, I can’t be around people, I am an empath” or “I’m an empath so I can’t be around this person or I will take their issues on.” If you keep your energy field clear by continuing to breathe into the surrounding energy, and by acknowledging what’s inside, then another person’s issues won’t be a problem for you. Some people think, “Oh, I can’t be around that person because every time I run into them, their energy sticks to me.” From my perspective, it’s only sticking to you because you have that same energy inside yourself and you are allowing it to stick.

We allow it by not owning our own issues and traumas. The reality is that we’re all sensitive to energy, just like we can all have narcissistic traits. They don’t define us. Some of us are more sensitive than others in different ways. But we’re all, each and every one of us, inherently sensitive to energy because we are energy. Taking responsibility for your energetic field and for the baggage that you’re carrying is how you can navigate that.Sharing this perspective about empathy is a beautiful gift you can offer to your clients. Look at it as if you’re helping them get out of victim consciousness. With them taking responsibility for their own experience by using tools to help them clear their fields, it’s so much more empowering.

What is the type of Breathwork Taught During this Training?

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The breath used is an open-mouthed deep inhale and free exhale. But it’s much more than that.
As you know, I never planned on having my own method of breathwork. It just evolved. Breath Is Prayer is more than a spin off of this ancient practice. It’s based on surrender, allowing, and open up to a greater intelligence without judgment and take these benefits off the mat and into the world.
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It is a conscious and connected breath. while lying down. Although I’ve studied many types of Breathwork, I have found this circular breath to be the most transformative.
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It is most closely associated with the rebirthing method. The concept is to inhale fully, breathing from the belly up into the chest. Then, without forcing it, exhaling fully with no pause between breaths.
Keep in mind a gentler version can be practiced by breathing in and out through the nose.

What is the difference between Breathwork and Meditation?

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Technically speaking Breathwork is a form a meditation. They’re both known for their transformative and healing aspects.Meditation is more focused on relaxation and peace. Yes this can be transformative, but in certain aspects it is more limiting. Breathwork pushes your emotional barriers and energetic edges.

You talk a lot about transmission for facilitators. How do I make sure I’m doing this?

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From a facilitator’s standpoint, transmission is the act of transforming. We have the potential to help our clients shape-shift on every level of the totem pole—cognitive, emotional, mental, social, physical, intuitive, creative, spiritual.

Transmission is simply the act of passing on information from one person to the next. From this perspective, teaching is the process of creating situations where our students are able to interact with the material. Knowledge is not passive, but actively received. We don’t just tell them how to breathe; we embody this with them.

We’re not here to dump information into them. We’re here to transmit it in a way that allows them to experiment with their own flow and construct new personal narratives for their evolvement, leaving us more aware of the multiple dimensions of Self.

As you’re learning, remember that you will be in a state where you’re not as masterful with this yet as you are with other work. Give yourself time, grace, and permission to embody newness. Remember to keep anchoring into the felt-sense practice! Find your heavier hip or foot (whatever is furthest from the head and connected to the ground) and remember that you’re just a conduit offering a client transmission. What matters more than anything we say is the transmission. That’s number one, and that’s why I say start off not talking a lot.

Also, the thing that our clients need the most help with is for us to transmit a sense of grounding.

With that being said, should I use an energetic shield as part of my ritual before facilitating so I don’t take on other people’s energy?

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This may sound painfully blunt, but no. While this may contradict everything you’ve been taught and I cannot tell you what to do, I can speak from my years of professional and personal experience.

I am often asked questions like, “Are you an empath, too, Gwen? Do you take on other people’s emotions?”

We are all sensitive to energy. Some more so than others. To be fully human is to be empathetic. My own experiences involved being over-sensitive, and I worried this was a problem.

The pivotal turning point for me was when I realized I cannot take on anyone’s energy I don’t already have suppressed within me. This is another reason we must continually work on ourselves and remain in alignment.

It’s important to learn how to keep energy flowing. The more we embrace and treat energy like a child, the quicker it moves through. When somebody else is talking, get in the habit of inhaling to fully receive what they are saying to you.

The more that we embrace and allow, really actually treat energy like a little child, the quicker it actually moves through us. We can let it move through us. People will feel more connected to you when you stand in your authenticity. By being vulnerable myself, I give others permission to be vulnerable.

This is all the protection you need:

Exhale. Keep the breath flowing. 70% of the body’s detox system is through breathing. If we don’t exhale, there is no room to breathe in.

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