Looking for spirit? Don’t hold your breath

   Some things in life take your breath away. Some just invoke a “Hmm,” which was my reaction when Nancy Amestoy invited me to a dolphin breathing workshop that she’d arranged.

   Amestoy, known to many in the Snellville area for the writing group she conducts at Borders, explained that former Gwinnettian Carol Brown would teach us to breathe like dolphins and fully experience our emotions in the way we were meant to.

   After a traumatic experience, Brown searched for ways to overcome her grief. After trying various forms of therapy, she said Conscious Integrative Breathwork, which includes dolphin meditation, brought her to a spiritual level she never imagined possible. 

   When I arrived at Cedar Hill, a retreat center in Dahlonega founded by Dominican nuns, (www.cedarhillenrichment.org ) I added my shoes to the pile by the door, then chose a mat to sit on. Brown explained that dolphins use 100% of their breathing capacity, while humans use only 20%. By fully breathing, dolphins let go of their emotions in about 14 seconds, whereas humans hang on to emotions due to shallow breaths. Also, she enlightened us that we release most of our toxins not by excretion, but by exhalation, giving credence to the old anxiety cure of taking a deep breath.

   As an analogy, Brown used a half-filled glass of water with sediment at the bottom. By pouring in a little water, the sediment gets stirred up, then settles back to the bottom. By pouring in a full glass of water, the sediment flows out, which is what dolphin breathing is all about.

   Brown had us lie on our backs and gave us the option of putting on blindfolds. (I paid for it; I used it.) She instructed us in deep breathing techniques, while coaches helped us tune in to her circular rhythm. Her initial narration sounded like any relaxation tape. But then she kicked it up a notch. With the music becoming more pulsating and the dolphin sounds becoming more intense, Brown guided us on an underwater odyssey with our own dolphin. She stressed the circular in images, movement and music, which for me, induced thought patterns that were not unfamiliar. Her music and words were akin to the Wednesday vespers at my church. Most of the service is intoned. Some of the litany is sung in rounds; some is alternated with humming. Both experiences very circular. Both very spiritual. 
We shared our reactions, which varied greatly from those who were just curious to those who were recovering from lung cancer surgery. But everyone’s spirit was lifted which should not be surprising. Brown said that in all cultures except ours, the words breath and Spirit mean the same. 

   Hmm. Not only that, but in our culture teachers are prohibited from nurturing the Spirit in children’s lives. Could this give new meaning to “Take your breath away?”

   (Information: www.mcsoulutions.com   or 404-246-1036.)


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