Breathwork: a modern Tantric Practice

Breathwork: a modern Tantric Practice Modern Breathwork is undoubtedly a practice that involves the individual in their entirety a complex of interrelated physical, mental and energetic/spiritual systems. Its purpose is to bring those systems into an optimal balance, from which ensues the experience of integration and wholeness. That subjective experience of wholeness becomes the foundation of physical and mental health, and for the individual incontrovertible evidence of their connection to the Ineffable. This article intends to show that modern Breathwork can find its antecedents in traditional Indian Tantrism, and is in fact its modern expression. It will look briefly at traditional Tantra, the merging of Eastern and Western philosophies and the re-emergence of modern breathwork showing how both the concepts and practices remain fundamentally unchanged. Tantrism is a nondual philosophy: a paradigm of the one-ness and interconnectivity of all things, in which body/mind practices are the pre-eminent means of self realisation. Georg Feuerstein, one of the world s leading scholars and practitioners of Tantra, maintains that Tantra is essentially practical. It is above all, a practice of realisation, or what is called sadhana. [.] the Tantras are marked by an astonishing synthesis between theory and practice based on a vibrant eclecticism 1 As with all Indian yogas it is concerned with union with the divine and in Tantra it is the union of the various mental, emotional and energetic systems within the individual that creates that experience of divine union. It is important not confuse the philosophy of Tantrism with the sexual yoga that is nowadays so often referred to as Tantra. Sexual yoga is a Tantric practice, but it by no means represents the fullness of what Tantric philosophy and practices have to offer. Tantrism found its full expression in Kashmir between 8 th and 12 th centuries C.E., yet the seeds can be found in earlier Indian scriptures the Vedas and Upanishads. Already, the importance of the breath was firmly established within that philosophical system and practices already indicated. 1 Feuerstein, G. 1989 p. 252 2011Ann Harrison,. Ann Harrison Breathwork - a modern tantric practice final.doc 1

Spirit, which is prana, springs from the Self, which is the essence of all things 2 Kandogya Upanished Yoga is said to be the oneness of breath, mind and senses Matri-Upanishad Yoga is said to be the unification of the web of dualities dvanda-jala. Yoga Bija 3 The primary Tantric sources of Kashmir Shaivism which include the Shiva Sutras, Spanda Karikas, Pratjabinjahrydam and Vijnana Bhairava continued those earlier teachings. The exposition and unravelling of the concepts of Kashmir Shaivism is the work of scholars, among whom I do not include myself, and goes far beyond the scope of this paper, as does the discussion of the differences between the various tantric schools. Nevertheless it is possible to identify common conceptual underpinnings that all tantric schools share. Most important is the goal of yoga, which is defined as going beyond the web of dualities to a state of union or oneness, and equates spirit, prana and Self. The individual through and within their own body can achieve that state of oneness with the Divine. Prana - energy, vibration or shakti - is the integrative factor. There are various types of energy, the most important of which is the Kundalini shakti, which until awakened lies dormant within the individual. It is through the various physical and breath techniques that the kundalini is awakened and its unfolding within the individual supported. Tantric practices lead to self awareness and quieting or mastery of the mind. The practices can be divided into two categories: those that focus on the body and those that focus on the breath. Physical practices include ritual, hygienic purification and hatha yoga asanas; in the case of breath a simple awareness and/or the practices of pranayama, which is a focus on and manipulation of the breathing process Tantra also offers a psycho spiritual map of energy as it relates to the individual. It includes various energy centres [chakras] and energetic layers; and suggests the means by which the individual becomes aware of them and integrates them into a unified whole. With awareness and concentration there naturally develops an attitude of allowing or surrender to a process, and an observance of ebb and flow whether it be of the breath or 2 Kandogya Upanished, 26 th Khanda, trans. Max Muller 3 quoted in Feuerstein, 2003. p 31 2011Ann Harrison,. Ann Harrison Breathwork - a modern tantric practice final.doc 2

the expansion and contraction of the body or the beating of the heart. An awareness and surrender to the process of life itself. Traditionally, teachers were of great importance. There has always been in India a tradition of kula or groups centred around a guru or teacher. Often these groups lived apart from society in forest areas and were focused on swadyaya the study of sacred text, and practices that were designed to enable the student to experience the Truth of the teachings. There was very little interaction with other schools or teachers. This is still the case today. The most unconventional of these groups were the Nath Yogis. Goraksanath, a siddha who lived, as far as can be ascertained, around the 12 th centuries in Kashmir, was considered one of the greatest teachers. It is to his disciple Svami Svatmarama, that the authorship of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika is attributed. The Nath yogis placed particular emphasis on the physical side yoga practice, believing that it is through mastering the body, the individual can most easily gain mastery over the mind and thus union and liberation, indeed immortality. The doctrine of physical immortality [ ] is an immediate corollary from that of physical purification. 4 By the 15 th century in India two sects of Nath yogis 5 had emerged those who pursued physical immortality and those who define immortality as spiritual. Both had technologies of ecstasy that focused largely of the body and breath. And although a teacher was considered vital especially for awakening the kundalini energy - it was through experiential knowledge that the individual transformed. Second-hand knowledge of the self gathered from books or gurus can never emancipate a man until its truth is rightly investigated and applied; only direct realisation will do that. Realise yourself, turning the mind inward. - Tripura Rahasya, 18: 89 6 A millennium after the height of the Tantric schools of Kashmir, the west coast of the United States, especially California, became a cauldron for new ideas and experimentation into the nature of consciousness. There was a re-emergence ideas and practices that are essentially tantric in nature. 4 http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/tantra/aspects.htm, accessed 2002 5 White, 1996 provides scholarly research on the Nath yogis 6 http://www.shivashakti.com/index.html accessed August 2011 2011Ann Harrison,. Ann Harrison Breathwork - a modern tantric practice final.doc 3

As mentioned before that tantric world view is non dual, in other words there is no belief in an external God, rather the individual considered to be a part of a great whole. Fritjof Capra has show how, during the course of the 20 th century, many disciplines changed their theoretical framework whether they be physics, or linguistic or anthropology or others 7. The paradigm changed from a linear to an ecological or systems perspective. Now, in the 21 st century, a holistic worldview is the norm. There is an acknowledgement of interrelatedness of all things. This is essentially the same philosophical position that underpins traditional Tantra. Concurrently, during the 20 th century there was greater East West dialogue. The influence of Eastern spiritual teachers on a disenchanted spiritually hungry West can be mapped. Modern Indian tantric gurus 8 began to tour. As they elucidated traditional teaching the ancient concepts and practices found their modern expression. So many of these teachers began to speak of spiritual practices involving the breath. Feuerstein notes that the sage [ Ramana Maharshi] also equated the kundalini with the life energy (prana-shakti) 9. As does another modern Tantric guru, Swami Muktananda, when he is describing the mantra hamsa as nothing more that the sound of the breath as the individual breathes in and out. The Upanishads say Prak samvit prane parinata the universal consciousness becomes prana So the sound which the breath makes as it flows in and out of the body is that supreme Consciousness, the universal energy which creates this universe out of her own being and who, when she resides in the human body, is known as Kundalini. Kundalini herself is repeating the mantra Hamsa. Hamsa is actually the sound of God. 10 Jeffrey Kripal 11 very explicitly links Esalen and Tantrism, describing what he calls the tantric transmission and sees in his history of Esalen that very real fusion of Western and Asian erotic traditions that turns to the potential of the human body as the most potent site for spiritual transformation & intellectual insight. 12 the history of Esalen can be read as an American moment in a much broader Tantric transmission from Asia to the West that different cultural actors have been catalysing for well over a century now. 13 Esalen was the crucible for so many of the modern technologies of consciousness. The residency of Stan and Christina Grof, and the development of their month long workshops that focused on breath and body were a core part of the programme there. Grof s Esalen 7 Uncommon Wisdom, 1989; Web of Life, 1996 8 Swami Muktananda, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh 9 ibid. p. 363 10 Muktananda,1992 p 36-7 11 Kripal, 2007 p 16 ff 12 ibid. p17 13 ibid. p18 2011Ann Harrison,. Ann Harrison Breathwork - a modern tantric practice final.doc 4

experience allowed him to develop an astonishing synthesis of theory and practice holotropic breathwork. How he acknowledges and incorporates Eastern Tantric traditions can be read in his book The Cosmic Game. Furthermore, the results of these personal experiences and the observation of the process in others, provided the evidence and stimulus for Grof s contribution to the articulation the tenets of transpersonal psychology - a reclaiming of the wholeness of the individual, as it reincorporates the psyche or soul into a rightful place. Modern breathworkers are no doubt heir to the rich tantric tradition of India. The influence of modern Indian tantric gurus is evident, as their practices continue to focus on breath and body techniques. There are two main streams of modern breathwork holotropic breathwork and rebirthing breathwork. Dr Stanislav Grof, with his wife Christine, developed the former, while the latter was developed by Leonard Orr. In both cases their seeking arose after a powerful personal experiences and all have been influenced to some degree by Tantric gurus and tantric philosopy. In the case of the Grofs it was with Swami Muktananda; Leonard Orr s connection is with Babaji. It could be argued that the Rebirthing Breathwork has a spiritual link to that branch of the Nath yogis who pursued the goal of physical immortality through purification practices. Leonard Orr has written on the necessity of purification through the use of the elements earth, fire, air and water; and a basic tenet of his teaching is that of physical immortality. This is most often an embarrassment to non Holotropic breathworkers who prefer the approach to conscious connected breathing that is characteristic of the Orr school, but cringe at the mention physical immortality. Yet, it is undeniably an extension of the mediaeval Indian tantric philosophy and practice of the Nath yogis. In Australia, the vast majority of the early breathwork trainers were similarly connected to some degree to a modern Indian Tantric guru Babaji, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Swami Muktananda of the Siddha yoga lineage, Swami Satyananda of the Sivananda lineage. The essential ingredients for personal transformation are the same now in modern breathwork as there were with the Tantric gurus a thousand years ago. Awareness and concentration on the interrelationship of the breath, body, mind and emotions and the 2011Ann Harrison,. Ann Harrison Breathwork - a modern tantric practice final.doc 5

allowing or surrendering to a process of transformation through an expanded states of consciousness. A number of modern yoga teachers who work initially through the body asanas, and then with the breath (pranayam), have also begun to identify to other phenomena in a yoga practice: emotional/mental phenomena that have always been the concern of holotropic and rebirthing breathworkers. Kaminoff, recognises a whole level of reactivity that we have on an unconscious level that governs the patterns of breath, and how they came to be, and what function they may have served earlier on in life and are not serving so well now. 14 He relates the restricted breathing patterns to the yogic teaching of the Brahma Granthi, located in the solar plexus. It is the knot of tension there that inhibits an ease in the flow of the in and out breath. Most interesting is Kaminoff s articulation of the teachings of his own yoga teacher Desikachar and his father Krishnacharya. Kaminoff explains that pranayam which usually is translated as breath control can be seen in quite another way in fact have quite the opposite meaning by understanding the Sanskrit to be prana-i-yama, that is, is the second syllable is pronounced as a long aa rather than a short a. This creates a totally opposite meaning. while yama means restraint or control, ayama means the something like removing constraint or extending or lengthening or opening or unobstructing rather than controlling. B.K.S. Iyengar 15 also notes Since prana is energy and life force, pranayama means the extension and expansion of all our vital energy. He quite explicitly links physical practices to spiritual goals. In our spiritual quest, it is required of us that we develop our body in such a way that it is no longer a hindrance, a drag, but becomes our friend and accomplice. Similarly, our emotions and intellect must be developed for divine purposes 16 Modern Breathwork, using a conscious connected breath, a circular breath where there is no pausing in the flow, can be seen as a way of extending the breath. It both a therapeutic process as it ensures that our emotions and intellect are no a hindrance in our spiritual quest. 14 Kaminoff, July 2011 15 Iyengar, 2005 p.65 16 Iyengar, op.cit 2011Ann Harrison,. Ann Harrison Breathwork - a modern tantric practice final.doc 6

Since recorded time there have been explicit links between body, breath and spirit made by teachers and seekers in both Western and Eastern traditions. The traditional Indian Tantric traditions created the technologies and psycho-spiritual maps that individual practitioners used to integrate the complex of interrelated physical, mental and energetic/spiritual systems within the individual, so as to experience wholeness. These techniques and maps of consciousness are still being referred to and used today. Grof, in the very naming of holotropic breathwork, acknowledged that the practice of breathwork is a movement toward wholeness. 17 Orr teaches spiritual purification. In both cases there is a recognised therapeutic, transformative effect as the individual experiences and integrates the mystical into their life. Many thousand of Breathwork practitioners and teachers have followed the work of these 20 th century teachers, who through their connection to spiritual teachers, Tantric gurus, and their techniques involving awareness and practice of breath and body can be seen as continuing an ancient tantric tradition and bringing it into the 20 th and 21 st century. Bibliography Feuerstein, G. 1989. Yoga: the technology of Ecstasy,Tarcher, Los Angeles Feuerstein, G. 2003. The Deeper Dimension of Yoga: theory and practice, Shambala, Boston & London Grof, S. 1998.The Cosmic Game: exploration of the frontiers of human consciousness, State University of New York Press, Albany, NY Grof, S. & C. 2010, Holotropic Breathwork, State University of New York Press, Albany, NY Iyengar, B.K.S. 2005 Light on Life, Rodale International, London abridged pp 65-105 Kaminoff, L. It s all in the breath, http://www.soundstrue.com/podcast/leslie-kaminoff- its-all-in-the-breath, accessed July 2011 Kripal, J. 2007. Esalen: America and the religion of no religion, Univ. Chicago Press, Chicago & London Leonard, J. Mahamudra and breath, http://www.vivation.com/articlematboe.htm accessed 2002 Marquez, A. 1999. Healing Through the Remembrance of the Pre- and Perinatal: A Phenomenological Investigation, doctoral dissertation Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo Alto, CA Minett, G. 1994. Breath and Spirit, Aquarian/Thorsons, London/CA 17 Grof, 2010 from Greek holos = whole and trepein moving towards 2011Ann Harrison,. Ann Harrison Breathwork - a modern tantric practice final.doc 7

Peps, P. & Nyogen Sensaki, 1998 Zen Flesh Sen Bones: a collection of Zen and Pre-Zen writings, Tuttle Publishing, Boston & Tokyo Swami Muktananda,1992 I am That, 4 th edition, Siddha Yoga Publication, South Fallsburg, NY White, D.G. 1996 The Alchemical Body: siddha traditions in mediaeval India, Univ. Chicago Press, Chicago & London 2011Ann Harrison,. Ann Harrison Breathwork - a modern tantric practice final.doc 8