"To let the breath come, let it go, and wait until it comes back on its own is to perceive the unconscious function of the breath. A movement emerges, a connection to the human wholeness, and the possibility to get to know and experience oneself"
-Developer of Middendorf Breath Experience, Ilse Middendorf, The Perceptible Breath, 1990.
Middendorf Breathwork uses the tool of breathing as an approach found somewhere between conscious breath and unconscious breath. There is no forcing of the technique, and the breath is never controlled. This method of breathing encourages bodily wisdom, both physical and mental, and accentuates the many dimensions of the person visible in each breath cycle.
- Focus of Middendorf Breathwork
- Process of Middendorf Breathwork
- Resources Related to Middendorf Breath Experience
Focus of Middendorf Breathwork
The primary focus of this method of breathwork is to first and foremost discover the body’s own natural response and sensation to the breath as it comes and goes. A person practicing Middendorf Breathwork is encouraged to stay in the present and be in tune to other facets of processing, such as imagining, feeling, or thinking, as secondary to sensing. By focusing solely on sensory perception, the client is able to gather insight into how the physical, emotional, and mental reactions are formed and processed.
Process of Middendorf Breathwork
Each person has a sensory mechanism that responds to various stimuli including vocal prompts, movement, touch, and working with sounds. A person will recognize the effect that each stimulus has on the movement and rhythm of their own breath. By understanding that cause and effect, a person can open the door to remarkable change. Breathwork can be used to facilitate habitual patterns of body or breath that block progress with physical and psychological issues. Breath is seen as the window into our inner healing and can be metaphorically opened to allow more healing in or closed tightly to resist healing. Understanding this is the key to identifying the role of breath in the recovery process. As a person experiences change of breath, they experience change in themselves.
Resources Related to Middendorf Breath Experience:
Official Website ofr Middendorf Breath Experience - Ilse-Middendorf-Institute fuer den Erfahrbaren Atem (in german, but can be translated through Google search site)
