OPENING DOORS EPISODE 6: A Symphony of Breathwork Techniques with Roger Jahnke
“Modifying your breath’s depth and pace leads to a functional regularity enhancement of the body, mind and spirit.“ Roger Jahnke
In our latest episode of Opening Doors with Ross Guttler, Ross dives into the world of breathwork with Roger Jahnke, founder and CEO of Health Action Synergies and the director and chief instructor of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi in Santa Barbara.
Tune in as Ross receives 1:1 instruction from Roger and learns 4 breathing techniques that are the foundation of every breath practice from every culture you can possibly imagine.
“Breathwork is one of those things that I’ve learned many times, with many different teachers, across many different styles. Each time I think to myself, “This is great. It’s so easy and effective. I should do this more often.” But then…nothing. I’m not sure why, but it’s never stuck with me. Yet several weeks after doing this episode with Roger, I’m still breathing, intentionally, consciously, every single day.
What I loved about his approach is the simplicity, which is often the case with many of the great modalities. Stripping them down to the basics, very few rules, just practice. Roger gave me four methods to work with and I’ve been using each one. As of this writing, I haven’t figured out which one works best for me for each scenario, but I also don’t feel any pressure to get there. I’ve been doing anywhere from 10 seconds to 3 minutes, sometimes in the morning, but often right before bed. Roger talked about breathing being a good method to clear the mind if I’m having trouble falling asleep. Intentional breathing has allowed me to focus, cleanse, and do a mini reboot. I’m going to continue practicing and will feel out the times and styles that seem right for me. I’ve wanted a consistent practice of this modality for many years, and I’m stoked it’s finally landed.” Ross Guttler
Special Guest:
Roger Jahnke, OMD
Roger Jahnke, OMD, is the founder and CEO of Health Action Synergies and the director and chief instructor of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi in Santa Barbara, California. As the author of The Healer Within, Roger has dedicated his entire professional life to sharing the powerful ancient healing traditions that come from China. He is the co-founder and recent chairperson of the board of the National Qigong Association.”
Ross Guttler is Chief Executive Officer of The Open Center. Throughout his time with The Open Center, Guttler has led the evolution of a four decade-old New York City institution into a global changemaker with an engaged audience from more than 180 countries. After a career in wellness real estate, exploring how the built environment makes us healthier, happier, kinder and more creative, Ross found his calling at The Open Center, where wisdom traditions and spiritual practices, balanced with modern-day medical and behavioral science, art and sound, are used to help us live more harmoniously with ourselves, each other and the earth. 