My First Experience with Breema

Jon Schreiber, D. C.

Last night I attended my very first Breema class at the Breema center in Oakland California. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I must admit I was pleasantly surprised at how deeply enriching the experience turned out to be.
What is Breema?
"Breema bodywork and Self-Breema exercises use nurturing touch, tension-relieving stretches, and rhythmic movements to create physical, mental, and emotional balance. Breema’s commonsense wisdom guides the practitioner to support the body’s instinctive healing energy, nurturing vitality instead of focusing on symptoms of illness or imbalance."-www.breema.com
What does it look like to take a Breema class in Oakland?
When you walk into the center, you are met with a very calm and clean energy. There are beautiful carpets lining the floors and the walls of the center and it creates a very warm and safe atmosphere. The class began with a short guided meditation followed by instruction on how to perform  series of gentle movements and "self breema". I was amazed at how these gentle movements were able to ground me, and bring me back into my body. Next we were taught some simple methods on how to practice gentle effortless Breema bodywork sequences with a partner, and learned about the 9 principles of Breema. We were told to touch our partner without any agenda of trying to "do" anything to them. We weren't trying to heal them, or fix them in any way. We were simply asked to interact with each others bodies in a safe comfortable and neutral way. This was a very new concept for me, and I could feel the difference in staying connected to myself and my level of comfort in my body as opposed to feeling anxious that I wasn't "doing it right".  The instructors were calm, centered, and answered questions with ease and grace. 
We concluded the class with a short meditation, and silently thanked our partners for allowing us to practice with them. They even have an adorable station set up with complimentary herbal tea and healthy snacks for you to enjoy when the class is over. Such a sweet way to end a delightful evening.

I'll definitely be back for more next week!

*Next week the Breema center is offering a week of free classes in honor of National Dance Week. Click HERE to check out the schedule. 

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"All human beings have a hidden desire for something infinite and eternal. And that is unreachable, because as soon as you start to reach for it, you believe in the idea of separation from it."- John Schreiber,D.C. director of the Breema center.