Instructors In-Depth
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Rob Paul
Classes: Soulful Breathwork for Healing & Transformation; Meditate & Move
Visit our Meetup Calendar for class dates, times, description & details.
What is the most common question people want to know before signing up for your class/event?
'What the heck is going to happen during this workshop?' And my answer to that question is that Soulful Breathwork will be able to give you whatever you most need in your life at that time.
If what you need is a deep emotional release, for tears to be poured and a heart to be wrung, then that's what will happen. If what you need is spiritual healing to reestablish in your mind and body the interconnectedness of our existence, then that's what will happen. And perhaps one of the most amazing things is just how intelligent the breath is and how it knows, far more than us, what it is that we need.
I've done Soulful Breathwork sessions where people were expecting the former, for deep grief to surface and be expressed, and what they got instead was the most profound spiritual experience of their life, just because that's what they needed more at that moment in time. So whatever you need most, whether that is something mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or even physically (if the physical issue is psycho-somatic), the breath will be able to provide that and begin chipping, or bouldering, away the things that hold us back from living free, open, happy, aware, and conscious.
What unexpected insights or lessons do students take away from your class/event?
It's so different and individual for everyone that it's impossible to generalize, but I've had many people tell me after one session that they'd never be the same again. So many people release emotions that they're aware of and for this they're very grateful. More interestingly is that many people receive insight into emotions and traumas that they didn't even know they were walking around with, and could then begin to work through those; new and fresh perspectives on their lives are very common.
And some people don't go the emotional route at all, but rather drift off into a spiritual fairy land of bliss. Of course not every session is that profound and mind blowing, sometimes it's more subtle, but deep healing is taking place either way. Many times people can't put into words what they got out of a session even though they know that something deep happened. That's because the process of Soulful Breathwork bypasses our rational, thinking minds and goes straight to the source of our issues, namely our subconscious and unconscious. But people don't need to know why or how or exactly what was healed in order to feel better and live more fully, they simply need to show up, be open, and trust.
How would your class/event fit into a person's meditation journey?
In many ways. For one, this practice can help clear and re-sort the things in our minds that keep us from being present in the first place. Furthermore, and perhaps more interestingly to me, is that this practice teaches us how to hold more energy. What we're doing during a Soulful Breathwork session is taking in more energy, more life force, more prana, and circulating it through the body.
Initially we might not know what to do with all that energy, but after some practice we can begin to consciously work with it, direct it, and simply possess more of it. What this means, among other things, is a higher attunement to that energy. And so after some practice in Soulful Breathwork, one can sit down to meditate and begin to feel more of the energy in their bodies and the energy possessed in different practices, for example mudras, chanting, and simple pranayam practices all begin to take on new life as we develop the ability to explore new facets.
How did you first get introduced to the material you teach?
I first got introduced as a student taking workshops and found that the Soulful Breathwork practice was incredibly beneficial to many of the things that I was going through at the time. And of course it's still a practice that I use regularly on my own path and development.
What surprises you most about the teaching role?
Just how perfect this work is for me and my nature. Everything about it seems to align perfectly with my skills and my seemingly innate talents and desires. It's such an honor to witness and be a part of the incredible and deep transformation that this practice ignites in my clients, and it never ceases to amaze me just how deep this well runs.
What little-known fact would your students be amused to know about you?
I sing, a lot. I live in an apartment building and I often wonder if my neighbors can hear me and if they ever get annoyed by my frequent belting of songs, but in the end that becomes irrelevant because if the music is in you, or any other emotion for that matter, then you've gotta let it out.