Who is Alchemy of Breath? What is Alchemy of Breath? Why ‘Alchemy’?
These are some questions that pop-up not only with newcomers to our community but also with longstanding Breathers and students of our Academy. So we have dedicated this month’s article to answering these queries and to outlining our beliefs, our values, our core mission and several ways that you can be a part of the Alchemy. We will start with a little history.
The Birth of Alchemy of Breath
Alchemy of Breath (AoB) was born in a small room in Ubud, Bali almost a decade ago. At the time founder Anthony Abbagnano was on a journey of self-discovery. He had entered his 4th decade of life and although he ‘had it all’ from the outside he felt exhausted, overwhelmed, unfulfilled, and adrift. “My outer world was adorned with luxury and comfort, but my inner world lay parched and barren. I couldn’t bear the emptiness any longer, so I walked away from all I had built,” says Anthony.
Anthony realized he needed to do more inner work and to allow himself to feel his feelings, which he had been burying since his traumatic childhood. He had several profound experiences with the breath throughout his life, so he chose Breathwork as his tool for healing, and he invited a few others to breathe with him. In breathing, they discovered how to be who they are and in this seemingly magical process of healing and transformation, Alchemy of Breath was born.
The number of breathers grew rapidly and participants kept asking Anthony to teach what he does. At first Anthony was resistant to the idea of teaching Breathwork but eventually he realized he needed to ‘answer the call.’ Alchemy of Breath has since evolved into a global healing community and an Academy with several hundred students currently in training to become Breathwork Facilitators.
AoB has also become a collaborative enterprise with an ever-growing team of dedicated workers united in the mission of bringing Breathwork to the masses. As a part of that mission, we share free weekly breath-based and somatic offerings online, have developed several courses for personal transformation, and host regular live online workshops. We also stay in close connection with our community on Instagram and Facebook and offer monthly ‘AoB Insider’ newsletters.
The Meaning Behind the Name
Al-che-my: A seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination.
– The Oxford Dictionary
Alchemy of Breath describes the seemingly magical process of transformation Breathwork brings about. It reminds us of the mysterious power in a process as humble as breathing. The miracle of an inhale. The marvel of an exhale. With each breath, everything is possible!
The 4 Pillars of Alchemy of Breath
- We work towards non-duality by embracing duality
- No one can do this work for us except ourselves
- There is something that wants to happen at any given moment
- We embrace both poles/extremes of who we are – shadow and light
Our Beliefs & Goals
The Alchemy of Breath team envisions a world where everyone is empowered to be their own healer with the miracle of the breath. We believe changing our world starts from within and our motto is thus: “Change your world from the inside out.” With this motto in mind we seek to expand global consciousness one breath at a time.
We believe the breath belongs to everyone and we strive to make Breathwork and the Breathwork Facilitator Training accessible to all. In order to encourage diversity and inclusion we offer free community sessions and educational content and scholarship programs. We also strive to make things exciting and encourage people to break free from the ordinary, to go further, to try new things, and perhaps most importantly of all – to feel all their feelings.
We Invite Transformation with Breathwork and Inquiry
In our workshops we often start with exercises designed to stimulate inquiry and self-reflection, then use the Breathwork to embody any realizations achieved. This is effective, because what might seem abstract to the mind may be understood by the body. We also encourage breathers to use questions of inquiry to reflect after a session as a way to incorporate the discoveries they make.
We Take Pride in Our Ethics & Our Extensive Training
We measure ourselves against the highest ethical standards and adhere to a strong code of ethics. We also believe in order to hold space as a Breathwork Facilitator safely and effectively you need to be willing to do the work, face your shadows, and go on your own deep inner journey. Although it is wonderful to see Breathwork rapidly growing in popularity, it has led to Facilitator schools popping up with shotgun trainings, some as short as two days. This does not allow time for personal transformation to occur or for the integration of learnings and it can lead to Facilitators who are ill prepared to hold space for the plethora of intense experiences that arise during Breathwork.
We take pride in training high quality Facilitators – who’s authenticity and expertise make them leaders in their field. Our extensive Breathwork Facilitator training takes 400 hours over nine months and it’s one of the only trainings accredited by both the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance (GPBA) and the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP). We have a team of mentors to make sure every student gets the support and guidance they need and offer ongoing support after graduation, so our Facilitators can continue to learn and grow. Breathers feel safe with our Facilitators, and that sense of safety allows them to access great depths of healing with the breath.
We Invite You to Be A Part of the Alchemy
The community that is awakening to the miracle of the breath is growing exponentially, and you are a welcome part of it! Tens of thousands are joining this wave of consciousness as it spreads from continent to continent, renewing the faith that we can be active now to create a better world rather than waiting for others to do it for us. If you would like to experience the Alchemy of Breath and help to change our world from the inside out, we have 3 FREE weekly online offerings for you to do so.
The first offering is our Sunday #BreathetheWorld sessions, led by various members of faculty and other AoB graduates from around the world. Having a rotating schedule of AoB Facilitators is a major asset because as mentioned above we put a strong emphasis on the inner journey in our training, and as a result, our graduates have cultivated their own special gifts and each of them have a unique way of offering the breath. You can expect something a little different from every session, but all of them will be powerful, deep, and beautifully held!
We also offer Ceremonial Breathwork every Tuesday. These are sacred gatherings led by Master of Ceremony Kim Kindersley. We set the space for these ceremonies around a fire, and call on the ancestors, guides, elements and unseen forces as we pray, dream and breathe the activation of a new earth! We build on this collective prayer every week and also allocate time to share stories, invocations and messages from the elders, and to express what is showing up in our lives.
And finally, we offer the Alchemy Meditation biweekly on Fridays. This meditation is about focusing on subtle body sensations in order to connect with your Felt Sense and it is the perfect compliment to Breathwork. It supports the embodiment of new realizations and awareness and helps you to gain greater sensitivity and presence in your daily life. It also helps you to understand the messages of the body, to deepen your intuition, and to awaken to your fullest potential. It is led by Pablo Castro, who is a sensitive, soulful, and intuitive Facilitator and teacher at the AoB Academy. We hope to see you soon at one of our live events!
“If you had a miracle in your pocket, wouldn’t you want to use it?” – AoB Founder Anthony Abbagnano
