Chaotopia

Connected Breathwork
I have been coaching professionally in Britain and occasionally mainland Europe and the USA, for fifteen years, and have helped many people master this enjoyable and empowering technique.

WHAT IT DOES
Connected breathwork has been described as ‘the science of enjoying the whole of your life’. Here are some comments from my clients:

Claire D: "Breathwork is excellent for me. I have suffered with my nerves for a long time and tried various things including therapy and hypnosis, but breathwork is the only thing that has really worked. After my first session I felt happy and very calm, in fact I couldn't remember the last time I felt so calm. I took things in my stride rather than getting stressed out like usual - it was great! My husband and my parents noticed straight away. The following sessions I had, went really well too during and afterwards I always felt very relaxed. I always ended feeling really happy and couldn't help the big smile on my face!”

“Breathwork has really helped my outlook on life as when I am calmer I don't seem to worry so much and can reason with myself and feel more positive. Its great to know that when I do have bad days (which are becoming less frequent) I have my breathwork to lift me up. I'm very grateful to Dave for giving me the chance to learn this technique and improve my quality of life."

Susan T: “At my first connected breathwork session I was quite nervous as I didn’t know what to expect. Dave put me at ease straight away with his friendly manner and we chatted about the basics of connected breathwork and what I hoped to gain from it.
I have suffered from anxiety for many years and this has lead to various problems with depression, poor sleep patterns etc. My first session went well and I felt calm and uplifted. After several connected breathwork sessions with Dave I cannot believe how well I feel. Because I am calmer I can deal with the day to day stresses of everyday life without them becoming major problems, my sleeping has improved and I just feel happier with myself as a person. The difference it has made to my life has been fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone.

Steve S: ‘Connected Breathwork has worked for me like no other ‘therapy’ or technique of meditation I have ever encountered. This incredibly simple practise has enabled me to get through the aftermath of a very painful divorce and instilled a degree of confidence in me I didn’t know I had! Breathwork has brought me a level of calm assurance in everyday matters that I’d previously lacked. After the very first session the levels of anxiety and depression I was experiencing were dramatically reduced.
‘Subsequently, breathwork has transformed my approach to life so noticeably that friends, family and colleagues have all commented on how much more relaxed and ‘together’ I seem to be these days’.

Connected Breathwork is a technique of breathing which relieves anxiety and stress, improves outlook on life, causes bliss states, puts you in touch with the profound life-energy of breath - and cures boredom!

MY BREATHWORK STORY
At a conference in 1991 Lionel Snell introduced a group of us to Rebirthing breathwork. I lay on the floor of the mediaeval room and within the first few minutes was overwhelmed with a flood of emotion. After the session and my initial surprise, the emotions resolved smoothly, and I found myself happy, bewildered and impressed.
Awed by the power of so much emotional release with such a simple technique - who’d have thought that just breathing could achieve so much? - I vowed to do more of it.

Back home, I found a Rebirthing practitioner in Sheffield and went for a series of sessions over six months. Connected breathwork came into my life during a difficult year. My father was dying and a relationship of seven years was coming to an end. My life had lost its sparkle and vigour. Breathwork sessions opened it all up, like letting air and light into a shuttered, dusty room.
It was so effective that I decided to go in for professional training.
I learned that there are two modern ‘lineages’ of connected breathwork techniques, both from the early 1970s, one starting with Stanislav Grof’s ‘Holotropic Breathwork’ and the other with Leonard Orr’s ‘Rebirthing’. Each has given rise to a few ‘schools’ of connected breathwork.
The Rebirthing movement gave rise to a new development called ‘Vivation’ by its originators Phil Laut and Jim Leonard. They trained Hilary Newman of London, who launched her first Vivation Professional Training course in Autumn 1992.
In six weekends in London over a year I qualified, and we had a graduation party picnic in August 1993 at Oxleas Wood, recently saved from demolition.

So my experience of connected breathwork started with the gentle Rebirthing approach, then I qualified in its close relative, Vivation, then much later I experienced the healing bedlam of group Holotropic sessions under Stan Grof.
I developed my own approach to breathwork and have been coaching professionally in Britain and occasionally mainland Europe and the USA, for fifteen years. In 1999 I wrote ‘Connect Your Breath’, a booklet with accompanying CD. Click here to read and hear samples of it.

If you want to know more about the mystery of how I think this powerful, gentle technique works, (though it isn’t necessary to understand it to get impressive results) have a look at the other writings on these pages - my essay The Mythic Breath and the excerpts from my book.

HOW TO DO IT
In order to master this technique, you will need a coach. After a few hours of coached sessions, you should have enough experience to do a full session on your own. Coaches aim to equip the student with enough experience to be able to work alone indefinitely if desired
A few sessions led by a coach should convince you of the power of this technique to let go of negativity, and fill yourself with life-energy.

TO CONTACT DAVE LEE AND LEARN BREATHWORK
Individual Sessions
I run sessions both from my home and at clients’ homes in the Sheffield area, and also work out of London by arrangement, usually at the client’s home. Fees are £40 for the first session and £25 for subsequent sessions, £50 and £30 respectively for London sessions.
To book a session or series of sessions, email me at breathwork@chaotopia.co.uk

Breathwork Group
I also run practice groups for people to experience connected breathwork and as an additional opportunity for clients to have coached sessions.
A group is running in the Heeley area, Sheffield 8.
Open to all, cost £5 per session.
Please email breathwork@chaotopia.co.uk for details and to confirm your place.

‘Connect Your Breath’ booklet with accompanying CD is £10 plus £1 UK p&p. To see contents and hear sample sound click here.