Breath Odyssey w. Dr Ryan Pope and Amber Hawken

Explore the breath's healing capacity to unwind survival patterns, deepen awareness and awaken greater vitality, resilience, and aliveness. BREATH ODYSSEY A three-hour breathwork experience. Breathwork can be a deeply healing practice. Using a continuous, connected breath over an extended period can increase sensation, energy and emotional intensity, and give us access to feelings, patterns and experiences that are not always easy to reach through thinking and talking. For some people, there is a significant emotional release. There can be grief, anger, fear, pleasure, joy, movement, sound, shaking, insight or a deep sense of rest. For others, the experience is much quieter. There is no particular state we are trying to create. Over three hours, we use conscious connected breathing, movement, sound, music and bodywork to support the process. We begin slowly, bringing attention into the body, grounding, moving and preparing for the breathwork. The way we breathe can tell us a lot. We may notice where the breath moves freely and where it doesn't. Where there is holding, effort or restriction. Where the body braces as intensity increases, or where we want to push harder, pull away, control the experience or disconnect from it. We are not trying to force those responses out of the way. We work with the body, the breath and the nervous system as they are, while exploring whether there is a little more movement, adaptability and choice available. The breathing itself is extended. This gives us time to move beyond the initial effort of the practice and stay with what begins to arise. You might notice where you hold the breath, brace, control, push, pull away or disconnect. We don't try to force any of this to change. We work with what is there, and with what your body is ready for. Tension or protection may soften. Emotion may find a pathway for expression and resolution within the system without being extreme or overwhelming. There may be new insight or clarity. You may feel more energy, pleasure or vitality. You may simply feel deeply rested. We work with the breath and body in ways that can soften long-held patterns of stress and protection, build greater adaptability, and support the nervous system to move more freely between activation, settling and rest. There is plenty of time at the end to come out of the breathing slowly, rest and land well before we close. Our approach is relational and deeply grounded in the body, working with nervous system awareness, attuned support and respect for your own pace and capacity throughout. Potential Benefits & Outcomes Every breathing journey is different. Rather than working towards a particular state or outcome, the practice can support: • Deep rest, restoration and a greater sense of well-being • Emotional healing and processing • Greater connection with your body and awareness of what you are feeling • Insight and clarity around patterns that may be difficult to access through thinking and talking alone • Greater awareness of where you brace, hold, control, restrict or override yourself • Softening patterns of protection when they are no longer needed • Greater capacity to stay present with sensation, emotion, energy and intensity • More freedom for movement, sound, feeling and expression • Greater choice in how you respond to what you are experiencing • Nervous system awareness, adaptability and greater ease moving between activation and settling • Greater access to pleasure, vitality, tenderness, strength and connection • Exploring a wider spectrum of your aliveness Preparation & What to Bring To ensure the best experience, please: Have your last meal no less than 2 hours prior to the session. Bring a yoga mat or something soft to lay on. Bring a pillow for under the knees (if needed for back support) and a small, flat pillow for under your head (if preferred). Bring an eye covering that leaves the face exposed. Bring a blanket for warmth. Have a water bottle nearby. Bring notepaper and a pen for journaling afterwards, if desired. Your Facilitators Dr. Ryan Pope Ryan is a chiropractor, breathwork facilitator, and practitioner of somatic energetics. With over a decade of experience in chiropractic and nervous system health, he understands how breath, structure, and energy weave together to create healing. His work bridges the science of the body with the depth of the breath, ensuring each journey is expansive and integrative without overwhelming the system. Amber Hawken Amber Hawken is an integrated holistic therapist. Some of the more official qualifications held in, Ancestral Healing (Ancestral Medicine, Daniel Foor) Initiation and Ritual, Death Walker Training (Zenith Virago) Process Orientated Facilitation (David Bedrick), Conscious Connection Breathwork Practitioner and Bachelor of Medical Science with mentorship and experience in Gestalt Therapy, Attachment and Development.Currently studying under Lee Tree for Holistic Psychotherapy. Please ensure you have read and understood the contraindications before registering. Your safety and wellbeing are our priority. Contraindications This breathwork practice is not suitable if you have, or have a history of, any of the following: • Heart disease, heart conditions, or a history of heart attack • Stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) • Uncontrolled high or low blood pressure • Epilepsy or seizure disorders • Aneurysm • Severe asthma or chronic respiratory conditions • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) • Glaucoma or detached retina • Severe mental health conditions, including psychosis or bipolar disorder • Current manic or psychotic episodes • Dissociative disorders that are not well stabilised • Pregnancy • Recent major surgery or significant physical injury • Any condition where intense physical or emotional activation is contraindicated If you are unsure whether this practice is suitable for you, please consult your doctor or healthcare provider before attending. Acknowledgment of Country We hold great respect for the land we live and work on, the lands of the Kombumerri Country of the Yugambeh speaking people. We honour their connection to the land, waters, and culture and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging.