Conscious connected breathing

Domain X · Body, movement, breath & physical

What it is

Conscious connected breathing is not a single therapy or a school of its own. It is a breathing pattern that many schools share. The GPBA defines it as a pattern in which the breather "intentionally connects the inhale with the exhale without any pauses" (6.3). It defines Conscious Connected…

Format

• stages of a session, integration, touch, movement and verbal interventions;
• Phases of a course (generic; schools vary):

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Who may lead sessions. No government regulation of breathwork facilitators was found. The GPBA is a voluntary international professional association. It certifies four levels:
• a Professional Breathwork School, which provides that 400-hour training.
• Its training standards require trainees to guide supervised sessions with peers and to take at least three clients through 10 sessions each. Trainers must have practised for at least 2.5 years.

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Evidence status. Fincham, Montero-Marin, Strauss and Cavanagh (2023) published a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials of breathwork in general. For self-reported stress (12 RCTs, 785 adults) they found a small-to-medium effect favouring breathwork over controls (g = -0.35). They found…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• combining breathwork with psychedelics outside a legal, supervised setting. It is working when sessions happen only with clear capacity.
• clients minimising harm out of loyalty to a group or facilitator. It is working when adverse effects are named early and the client gets appropriate care.
• new suicidal thoughts; confusion; the client being alone after a very intense session. It is working when the client has a clear and safe plan for the rest of the day.
• hazards around the floor space; clients arriving unwell; the facilitator's own fatigue. It is working when there are no avoidable hazards and the client knows how to call for help.
• strained or forced breathing; escalating speed; breath-holding; early signs of over-breathing: light-headedness, tingling around the mouth or in the hands. It is working when the breath is…

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.