“Pull it in,” yells Belinda Aguayo in her Mexican accent as she makes the 30 participants in the yoga studio in Jubilee Hills resort to dynamic breathing – rapid inhalation and exhalation through the mouth. Before they get comfortable with their inhalation, she reminds them to ‘let go, leave it, blow it away, throw it out from your mouth’. Do it faster, deeper, louder, she prompts. After about nine minutes of this rapid breathing in the dimly-lit room overseeing KBR Park, one can witness the participants, lying on yoga mats and crying, laughing, moaning, groaning – basically venting out their inner traumas, fears and concerns through various emotions. They are all collectively experiencing a catharsis, a kind of emotional explosion. To add to the vibe, Belinda’s breathwork workshop partner, Samriddhi Malhotra is walking around with a Tibetan brass singing bowl and a wooden mallet to soothe the high energy around.
Welcome to the Guided Breathwork Journey workshops that are trending on the wellness circuit. Belinda and Samriddhi conduct at least one workshop a month in Hyderabad alone, which tells you how popular they are. The duo is based in Goa and have learnt the techniques from the same Israeli guru Shiran Michaeli, who conducts these workshops across India through the year. The participants are either exploring self-help after facing traumas in life or simply curious about breathwork sessions and what they can do to one’s spiritual health. It was surprising to see the participants ask if breathing so hard and fast can have any side effects. Such questions are natural, assures Samriddhi. “The technique is called circular conscious connected breathing. Although yoga and pranayama date back to the ancient Indian texts, the conscious connected breathwork was discovered by American psychiatrist Stanislav Grof in the 1960’s in Europe during his experiments with psychedelics for healing purposes,” she adds.
Belinda and Sanriddhi conduct at least one workshop a month in Hyderabad alone, which tells you how popular they are.
After these substances were banned, he sought an alternative method to induce the same elevated state of consciousness through this breathing technique. Rapid, intense and deep breathing can access the inner recesses of our brain which stores childhood traumas. “This kind of breathwork helps you release those traumas and feel rejuvenated emotionally,” adds Belinda, who is also a Reiki and sound healer.
The workshop is for everyone, but is not recommended for pregnant women or those with epilepsy or schizophrenia. The session begins with a ‘release your inner child’ exercise to be able to tap into your authentic self. The next part is guided breathing where they are encouraged to go back to their primordial selves, emptying their pent-up emotions.
Underscoring the need to be conscious of one’s breath, Belinda wraps up the workshop saying, “The next time you need to make a big decision, don’t give it a thought. Give it a breath,” she quips. Their next session is on August 19-20.
MANJU
Fees: Rs 3000 per session
Yoga Studio, Asian Spine Hospital, Opp KBR Park, Jubilee Hills
Tel: 9607474088
Timings: 10 am to 3 pm @sukhsamriddhi on Instagram
