NIGHT BREATHING
Uldis Ḳirsis Latvia IBF National Representative
As a breathwork facilitator, the idea of a breathwork marathon came to me during one of the breathing sessions when I was lying on the mat. In the group sessions, when everyone is coming back from the breathing journey, begins to chat and is about to eat some sweets after the session full of emotions, I only begin my integration. It happens very often.
Once I asked my teacher why? What is the reason for this? His estimate answer was : “This whole process is related to birth. This is your experience and indeed it is related to real birth. Do you know how you came into this world? Ask your mother how she gave birth to you and you will understand everything.”
After calling my mother, I was surprised. She had never told me this information, because the birth was long and difficult. Until now, we had talked about it in different manner, because it usually happened on my birthday, and birthdays are about me, not others. I thought so until now.
To be honest, I had never looked at the world from a different perspective these days. With my ego, I hadn’t even noticed that every time my mom talked about it, it wasn’t easy for her, there was a little bit of pain in it. Probably not even a tiny bit, because everything can’t be told at all.
Of course, the breathwork sessions didn’t get any shorter after this revelation. However, I’m sure I’m not the only one who has had this experience, because people are different: some jump up after 40 minutes, while others are foggy until the next day. That is why this idea is brewing in me that a new format should be created – marathon breathing, breathing sessions that will last three times longer than the usual session.
After an inspirational session I conducted at my country residence, I realized that I had to implement this idea because I had already told so many people about it that there was no turning back. A step has to be taken and a date announced for this event.
Latvian summer is too short to sleep. Therefore, the idea that the breathing session can also take place at night crystallized. Two like-minded people from my study group were attracted, who did not reject the idea (yes, there were also those who were skeptical) and we began to prepare for the first night breathwork.
Vilnis and Linda are my study mates. They agreed immediately. Thanks to them for this, because it was my little dream, which they helped to fulfill and realize.
The place – it was chosen as a dome with a transparent cover. It is a special energy and one of the reasons was to let people look at the stars at night, if you have filled yourself with energy and you are not going to sleep. However, you could only watch the stars when there was a toilet break, because only the moon and the reflections of the candles could be seen through the foggy walls. However, the moon was almost full, it accompanied us throughout the night. A dome in which the sound echoed as if in a huge cave and the moon alone could create this wonderful atmosphere.
By the way, this dome was like a greenhouse and very hot during the day. Perhaps, if we held this event in the middle of summer, it would not be so comfortable, but the end of August in Latvia is not so hot
anymore and we only enjoy a huge heat when the sun was out, but as soon as it went down, the room temperature was suitable.
We started the night with a short meditation while it was still dusk and then talking about the planned night plan. We could do it leisurely because we had the whole night ahead of us. It was a great feeling, we had no time limit!
Only experienced breathing practitioners were invited, and that was the second great feeling – freedom. We let them breathe according to their feelings, according to their flow, move around the space and take the positions they want. The main condition is the connected breath.
The breathing process was accompanied by music. At first we got active, then there were waves of active and integrative music that alternated one after the other. Which slowly faded into calmer and calmer rhythms until mid-night it morphed into a flow-driven transformative meditation, followed by a meditative background of ambient music and snoring. 🙂
Yes, there was snoring, but that can be dealt with if you have three facilitators in the room.
We woke up with the first rays of the sun and it was another wonderful feeling – to be together with nature. You could swim in the nearby river and after a morning sharing with a small breakfast, we were ready to go home. The active rays of the sun also warmed the large dome so quickly that it would be impossible to stay there for a longer period.
I should dispel the worried about the exhaustion after the all night’s breathing. In fact, to my surprise, it was quite the opposite – there was quite a lot of euphoria, there was no lack of energy. Even one of the participants wrote that she was so full of energy that she washed the windows at home all day.
None of the facilitators spent the next day in bed either, but did a full day: Linda went to celebrate her daughter’s birthday, Vilnis had clients sign up for the sauna, but I assisted in the temescal ritual. I was able to sleep only at eight in the evening and I was the first one who went to bed.
Night breathing. It is a delicate, tingling event that fills with energy, transforms and allows you to look at things with a different sense, because we know that nothing stops at night. Life is bubbling, energy flows, but the perception is special – more subtle. Therefore, everything should be done with ease.
At this point, the thoughts on this event are by all of facilitators are: the event was a success, despite the fact that we made some mistakes. We are aware of them and will take them into account next time. Yes, there will be a next time and it is already being organized. Right now it’s like a stone that’s a little rough, but we see value in it, and only by polishing can it be turned into a diamond.
Thanks to all participants for their courage, Vilnis and Linda for strength,
Heinz and Lera Lange for their knowledge, To my wife Ilona for believing in me
and thank you too for reading this and I hope this information is useful for you.
