He is the pioneer of this kind in France. And explains how breathing can teach us to move towards what we really want to be in life, what we love, where our energy is. Explanations:
He is one of a kind. Meeting Suzanne Ubari in the first place is a huge energy hit, as she, perceptible in her celebrated blonde appearance, immediately attracts us. It is also a lesson in “Americanism”. A pioneer in France of Breathwork, a breathing technique still little known on this side of the Atlantic, Suzanne Oubary was actually born in California and has spent most of her career in fashion. field in Europe after studying in Paris. In 2005, at the age of 35, burnout forced him to take a hiatus, then he discovered Reiki, then the discipline of intense and precise breath work that allows you to dig deeper into yourself to know a better and better guide. Your Life.
From his country of origin, he has retained an entrepreneurial spirit that helps him always see the glass half full, problems as opportunities to solve them, and which is not afraid to give a price and value to his work; an important virtue when, like him, you created your own institution and school, Breathe in Paris (1). “Never be afraid to be yourself,” Susan Ubarri seems to tell us when we meet her. The risk would be to settle on a cliché (becoming yourself, well…) without listening to him explain how, and this is the very basis of the method. Because behind her light, lively, colorful style, Suzanne embodies a method that she has decided to carefully define in her guide. Breathe, Breathe for Change (2), and that he teaches future practitioners. This really takes a lot of skill as it can take you far. Exploration in three stages.
Breathe to… regain your footing
“Breathing is a neurological and physiological process that can become blocked when faced with emotions such as fear, stress or agitation,” Susan Ubari recalls. When it hears, as it does now, the words war, climate disaster, strike or demonstration, our brain sends this stress message through its amygdala to the hypothalamus, which controls the nervous system. This in turn sends it to the adrenal glands, which will then produce an overdose of cortisone, adrenaline and glucose. The result: increased heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature as well. And… we stop breathing. Version: we breathe shakily, through the mouth. In both cases, the message sent to the brain is again a message of stress. And the vicious cycle begins. “Relearning to breathe through the nose, through the stomach, breaks this cycle, sending calming messages to the brain and body,” continues Suzanne Ubari. The sensory sensors in the nose hairs (yes!) activate the “transmitter” in the brain, where all parts start working together again. Hence greater clarity of thought. “Good breathing helps all the organs work better and the body is healthier,” says Susan. The program itself is a dream.
Go on a journey of self-discovery
But the greatest strength Breathing it is to guide those who practice it in a true journey into their heart and their deepest selves. “For 30 minutes, lying down, we breathe through our mouths to induce controlled and voluntary hyperventilation,” describes Susan Oubari. In the beginning, therefore, we experience, as previously explained, rather unpleasant symptoms of stress, hence the importance of being well guided by a certified teacher. to pass this passage to another state of consciousness. After 10-15 minutes, the nervous system “gives up”, stops fighting. “We go into an altered state of consciousness, a form of trance, also called ‘transient hypofrontality’ (transient hypofrontis), continues the coach. We are no longer guided by the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain that directs analysis); we also move out of the limbic brain, which connects us to our past experiences and emotions. Then we arrive cerebellum or the cerebellum, this part of our brain that allows us to access the essence, our true selves, overcoming fears, blockages, unconscious obstacles.
It is no coincidence that Breathing was developed by psychiatrists in the 1970s in California because they discovered that breathing could induce the same state of consciousness as powerful psychoactive drugs… Breathing helps us move towards what we really want to be in life, what we love, where our energy is,” Susan sums up. This is why it usually takes 30 minutes to “come down” after a session; the famous “journey” could be exhausting. “Sometimes it happens that after a year people come to me to tell me that they have changed their job, their relationship with their boss, etc. Others tell me they now cope better with stress at work, jet lag, or sleep better. Mothers assure me that they are more patient with their children and are able to “love better”.
Building beyond the gaze of others
Hence the interest in the practice Breathing, if we stick to the method, for example, once a month in “maintenance”. “I support many young people from the age of 21, because this technique helps them to know themselves better, to make informed choices, to know better who they are and to be less influenced by what they want or think.” – explains Susan Ubari. . “How not to compare yourself” was the topic of one of his recent sessions. “Comparison to others can have an uplifting side, but in our societies we compare children to each other from the day they are born. The consequences for the mental health of young and old are significant.” How can you grow old without thinking about other people’s eyes, for example? “Obviously, it’s impossible to avoid it, but we can change our experience. it’s better to live this constant desire to be perfect, this instruction to be like what others expect from us,” smiles the coach. It is still one of the forces Breathing“.
(1) for a session, private or group, in Paris or via Zoom; www.susanoubari.com
(2) “Breathwork, breathe to change better”, Susan Oubari, Émilie Veyretout, Éditions Flammarion, 208 pages, 18 euros.
Source: Le Figaro
