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Comment by mtalantikite | Hacker News Reader

So is this some sort of hyperventilation breathwork done in savasana to pop music? I guess as long as the breath retentions aren't super long they should be ok, as long as the practitioner doesn't have underlying health issues, but I've seen videos of people having mini seizures doing Wim Hof breathing. Just be careful with it, there's a reason why pranayama is introduced gently and progressively over a long period of time.

Also, I would maybe drop the references to meditation. It seems more like breathwork in the tradition of a Stanislav Grof, which is totally fine and valid, just maybe misleading for newcomers expecting meditation.

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Super great comments. Our class is split between the breathwork and then also traditional Vipassana or Insight style meditation. One of the reasons we don't typically describe it as "breathwork" is for the reasons you highlight and have been raised in other comments regarding how the Gof breathwork is supppppper intense. Our method is MUCH more tame and approachable - fitting for a daily practice -- vs when I've done the Grof style I feel completely wiped (in a good way sometimes) but not something Id like to do more than once every few months. All to say - we try and stay away from calling it breathwork because people either 1) think its Grof and are freaked out or 2) think its chill yogic breathing like you do through the nostrils in a yoga class and that’s misleading too. We also have grappled with if we should call it meditation and have decided for the time being that yes - it helps people context set - and the way we use the breath (which is different than the full blown Grof version) together with the beat of music and teachers voice is similar to meditation in that you have an "object of focus" you train the mind to stay on. Would love to hear if you have any ideas for what else to call it - cuz we totally have gone back and forth on this topic.

Yeah, naming is tough! If you're guiding people from something that resembles pranayama to eventually dhyana then I guess calling it meditation would be fine. I'd just make it clear to your students that working with the breath is a preliminary practice, to help them to begin to recognize awareness. And in particular not to attach to the high that comes with exercises like this, chasing sensation. That could set them back when they need to learn about samatha, because vipassana eventually requires it (see, for example, mahamudra teachings).

That is SUCH great advice - and particularly the part about encouraging them not to chase the high. thank you so much for your input!!

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