Becoming Balanced

To solve our problems with others, we first have to come to balance and harmony with ourselves, with our surroundings, and with all life. We first have to become a balanced human being, regardless of outer conditions, and then we may be able to do something about the conditions themselves. By coming to the breath and the body, we become less reactive. The less reactive we are, the more possibilities we have. Many of our problems come because we react when we’re trying to communicate with others, and then they react to our reactions. Coming to the body and the breath doesn’t guarantee a solution to our problems. But it gives us a direction.

—from Every Moment Is Eternal by Jon Schreiber

A photo tour of some recent Breema events around the world:

Breema workshop in Susak, Croatia

Montserrat, Spain, site of the
Barcelona Breema Intensive

Practicing at the Intensive in Spain

Breema Intensive in Bühl. Germany

Doing Self-Breema at the
weekend workshop in Israel

Demonstrating Breema at a
workshop in Eugene, OR

Leading a Self-Breema class on the beach
in Sylt, Germany

Breema workshop in Nicaragua

Beyond Unplugging—to fully participate in life we need to be present

If you work with any of the Nine Principles during the day, you have much more energy. We receive energy from food, drink, and impressions. But our energy reservoir is determined by our posture towards life, our attitude, the way we think about life, the way we feel about it, the way we sense it, the way we perceive it. —Breema and the Nine Principles of Harmony by Jon Schreiber

Turning off our devices to take time for ourselves and for non-digital communication and connection is an important step for all of us. At the same time, we need to do something to be present and available, to come out of our habitual preoccupation with what we think and feel, into a direct experience of life in the moment.

We usually live in disconnection, caught in thoughts about life, reacting to those thoughts, and full of tension in body, mind, and feelings. This is part of the reason that the distraction of the digital world is so attractive—it’s a very effective way to avoid experiencing how we are. It gives us an imaginary relationship to others and allows us to project an imaginary image of ourselves.

When we unplug, how are we then? Are we still caught in our ideas about the world? Are we still projecting an image to others of what we’d like to be? Or are we using the act of unplugging to truly experience the moment of life we are living?

If we wish to fully participate in life we need to be present. And to be present, the simplest and most reliable step we can take is to bring body and mind to work together in whatever we’re doing. When body, mind, and feelings are working together, we become present in the moment and have an entirely new relationship to ourselves, to other people, and to life.

Breema is all about this process. We work with Nine Principles of Harmony that point us again and again in the direction of being present moment after moment. The bodywork and movement exercises are an engaging and nurturing way to begin to practice bringing body and mind together. They also support non-judgmental, non-manipulative interaction and connection with other people. Eventually we can discover it’s possible to be present even when we are engaged with digital technology! With these experiences we see a possibility of living our day-to-day lives with greater meaning and purpose. But we have to take the first step of bringing body and mind together over and over again.

Water flows from the mountain down toward the ocean. It is not anxious to get there, nor is it sorry when it’s just begun to flow. Just going through each step of the process, the drop of water has the joy of being a part of Existence in the form of a drop.

Every moment, we can embrace the whole of Existence by simply being present.

—excerpted from Freedom Comes from Understanding by Jon Schreiber 
 

Breema Bodywork and Being Present

This post is by Jon Lobdell, long-time Breema instructor and practitioner:

If one wishes to pursue a life direction of raising their own consciousness, the avenues that often come to mind are some form of meditation or prayer. Another assumption is that these practices must be done in solitude. It may, therefore, come as a surprise that a very direct and effective way to learn how to become present (which is the natural entrance to higher consciousness) is by practicing a partner bodywork called Breema.

What is Breema? At first glance, Breema might look somewhat like other forms of bodywork, where one person, using leans, stretches, and holds, manipulates another person’s body. However, in Breema, the aim of the person giving the bodywork is not to heal or relax the recipient but to use the activity as an opportunity to be present with the movement of their own body.

Yet the question remains: why work with another when seeking an inner experience of unity with universal truth? Wouldn’t the other person simply be a distraction? Of course, those who pursue solitary practices readily discover the distraction of their own mind! In many methods one waits for the mind to become quiet; in Breema another mechanism is employed, that of mind-body connection. Instead of trying to empty our mind, we give it a job to do—observing the activity of the body.

The first thing we do in Breema is experience our breath and weight with our mind in a relaxed state. Any kind of mental forcing interferes with mind and body becoming truly connected. The mind habitually seeks to dominate in our lives. As with seeking any fruitful union, some equanimity is best. When mind and body do connect, there is a notable shift in perception, but even this remarkably grounding experience is not the ultimate goal. It’s when our feelings enter and participate in the process that the true magic occurs: the experience of being present.

Despite what many of us assume, being present is not an experience of time between past and future; it’s an experience of a dimension above the flow of time. It’s an experience in the direction of direct knowing. In religion, it has been called grace or nirvana. In the new physics it has been referred to as a quantum leap. It is the experience of the Timeless.

In Breema we touch our partner, but not in some spaced-out state. We connect to our own breath and weight, then we touch our partner. But Breema provides more than this as support; Breema acknowledges nine universal principles that are integral to the experience of being present. They are: Body Comfortable, No Judgment, No Extra, No Force, Firmness and Gentleness, No Hurry/No Pause, Single Moment/Single Activity, Full Participation, and Mutual Support. These principles can be practiced while doing the bodywork. They are attributes of the present moment.

One of Breema’s Nine Principles of Harmony is Mutual Support. The energetic connection between bodies is palpable when we practice Breema. If one person becomes more present, the other will be aided to become present. Doing Breema bodywork, our body becomes a vehicle through which we can experience the principle of Single Moment/Single Activity. Practicing the principle of No Judgment allows you to let go of concepts about yourself and your partner while doing Breema.

If we take the example of two people relating and one is doing all the talking and refusing to listen to the other, then we can say the talker is not being receptive. It is similar within ourselves; our mind is always "buzzing" and will not be receptive to our body or our feelings. We might think it is being too active, yet its randomness is better described as passive. A truly active step for the mind would be to come into accord with the other two parts of ourselves. First bringing the mind to the body is the most practical step we can take, as the feelings are much more comfortable entering in when mind and body are together. When the three are together, we are receptive to higher influences. From passivity there is no road to receptivity. We have to first come from passivity to the active state by bringing the mind to the body. From there, we can come to the receptive state.

This saying might express it best: "When you hear truth, you wake up!" But one last thing about Breema is important here. We have stated the importance of body-mind connection, but we have also seen that in our ordinary daily life body and mind and feelings usually function as if they are separate. We have also stated that a relaxed mind without a past-based or future-oriented agenda is necessary for mind-body connection. The body itself is hampered because of years of crystallized postures brought on by this very separation from mind and feelings. Breema is particularly effective in loosening up these postures. The receptive mind connecting to the decrystallized body produces an experience some have described as “taking the cotton out of my ears” and allowing them to hear and understand, as if for the first time.

Breema Intensive in Bühl, Germany

Every year people from all over the world gather to study, practice and deepen their relationship to Breema. This year Jon Schreiber, Director of the Breema Center and author of many books about Breema, will participate in the Bühl Intensive along with Pari Schneider (the organizer of this Intensive) and many other Breema instructors, practitioners and students.

Pari said that this will be the 13th annual Breema Intensive in Bühl. He and the other European Breema students are very excited that Jon is coming this year.

I asked him why someone should consider coming to this Intensive:

Pari: Because of the current world conditions, it seems there is more desire for finding something real. It seems like material things have not provided what people really want from life. There is an opening—people are seeking more conscious insight in their life, more understanding, asking the question, "What does it mean to be here on this planet?"
At the Intensive, we are doing Breema for ourselves, experiencing ourselves anew in the presence of another person. The moments of presence while I am doing Breema give me a taste of my own existence instead of a thought or concept about it. In these Intensives love arises for the simple fact that we are, with appreciation for being together with each other, having an alive experience of life—actively practicing and bringing the Breema principles alive.
There is so much beauty in exploring life in a new way. If I can let go of my concepts about how life should be or how I should relate to others, I may have a new experience of life.

I also asked Roxanne Caswell and Birthe Kaarsholm, Breema instructors who come to the Bühl Intensive every year, what it's like to be a part of this five-day retreat:

Birthe: Breema "retreat"  is really the right word for it. The atmosphere created in class also extends outside the class time. Often the material of the classes comes alive in a relaxed, informal way during meals together and walks in the evening.

Roxanne: It's a very wonderful, unique way to relate to other people—more essentially, rather than with the usual currency of the story of the personality.We emphasize one principle for each morning and afternoon class during the five days. It's a great way for students to really experience what a Breema principle is, and how it can be worked with in the class and brought into their lives.

Birthe: The atmosphere carries everyone with it. It's the opposite of everyday life, which carries us in the unconscious direction—here we're all supported to be more present and to drop "extra."

Roxanne: People return year after year, to deepen their relationship to Breema. There is something really accessible for all levels. When people come back from an Intensive their relationship to Breema is much stronger, and their desire to be present grows. I always come back with body, mind, and feelings more balanced. I feel relaxed, but charged up with life!

How can I make the time that I spend with my clients truly rewarding, satisfying, and meaningful to us both?

I asked Jon Schreiber, Director of the Breema Center and Breema Clinic. Here's what he has to say in response:

Breema is based on an amazingly practical common-sense approach to the body and to life. There is nothing that we need to do in life that should be uncomfortable or painful to our body. But in fact, most of the things we do in life fall into that category! They end up damaging us or draining us. Breema actually teaches you how to do things in a way that is enjoyable for you, and increases your energy rather than draining it.

Each of us has an instinctive intelligence that operates in the body, and the possibility to enter a deeper, more meaningful, or higher level of consciousness than we typically spend our life in. Breema's philosophy and practice constantly orient us toward this bigger picture. It saves us from reducing clients to the set of problems they are presenting themselves with. The more the practitioner is free from identifying with what the client's identified with, the better it is for both of them. At those times, I can see that my client may have back pain, but at the same time is alive, is actually much healthier than not healthy, and is part of a much larger Life. The more this is not just a concept for me, but informs how I move, how I touch, how I am when I am with them, the more they are affected by that and oriented toward a larger perspective of what's actually going on in their life. It decreases their fear of possible consequences of their problem, and that alone is a big support for the healing process, which takes place within the client himself.

In practicing Breema, and working with its philosophy and principles, you know you've helped when you experience that you were supported to become more present. This definite knowing that we did something that was useful and helpful doesn't come from what we observe with our eyes and senses about the recipient, or from our conjectures. It comes from putting the principles like Mutual Support and No Judgment into practice. The natural confidence that comes from seeing that both the client and the practitioner have benefited makes doing bodywork very joyful—moving it from a job to something that you are doing that really supports your own life.

I spoke to a couple of Breema practitioners who also practice other forms of massage, bodywork, and yoga. They told me of their experiences and how they benefit from Breema, no matter what form they are practicing:

Eileen Sendrey

Before I started studying Breema I was studying massage and teaching yoga, and have practiced it in different therapeutic settings. I probably wouldn't be practicing massage professionally if it wasn't for Breema, because it was Breema that taught me that I am included in the session. Until I learned that, massage seemed like too much work, because I was thinking about the client and forgetting about myself. I've been practicing for 20 years, and I don't think I would have this kind of relationship with bodywork if it wasn't for Breema. Not only am I included and taking care of myself, but I actually benefit from giving bodywork, because of Breema.

Rather than talking about being present in an abstract way,  Breema gives me really simple tools to actually experience being present to my own experience. When I am doing other forms of bodywork I can relate the Breema principles to that bodywork, and doing massage and bodywork becomes a quiet time that supports me essentially.

Before Breema, my yoga practice was full of force—but studying Breema opened up a quality of being rather than just doing.  The emphasis on understanding and verifying things for myself gave a whole new orientation to bodywork and to teaching yoga. I became a lot more available to listening to myself, and able to be more present when I teach yoga, and with my clients. The emphasis on learning from my own direct experience, not from theory, has helped me learn so much more, both about the body and about myself.

Diahna Fortuna

I mostly do massage at Google, practicing a number of different massage techniques, using my Breema experience to support me to be present in the session. When I notice that my mind is wandering, I register my breath to come back to the body, or  begin to work with one of the Breema principles, like Body Comfortable or Single Moment/Single Activity. Some of the inspirational material from the philosophy will come alive, like the titles of Self-Breema, for example: This Moment Is, I Am. I almost always do a Breema hold on my clients' feet, and I find that I am always really present during that hold—I can rely on it to help me be more connected and present. Some other aspects of Breema bodywork also come in while I do massage, and they always remind me to come back to my body and breath.

Breema for Bodyworkers workshop with Jon Schreiber will take place at the Breema Center Saturday April 12 from 10am-4:30pm. More information, details and registration here.