Rebirthing Breathwork is a conscious connected breathing practice: you breathe in a circle, with no pause between the inhale and the exhale, while a facilitator sits beside you. Leonard Orr developed it in the 1970s, and it is the oldest named style of connected breath still taught today.
A facilitator stays beside the breather for the whole session.
What Is Rebirthing Breathwork?
Orr described it as "merging the inhale with the exhale in a gentle relaxed rhythm in an intuitive way." The breath is fuller than everyday breathing but not forced. Each exhale lets go, and the next inhale starts right away.
He also called it Conscious Energy Breathing: learning to breathe energy as well as air. Rebirthing practitioners pair the breath with work on beliefs, affirmations and what Orr called "the Biggies," among them birth trauma and the parental disapproval syndrome.
The name comes from that birth focus. Some people remember their birth during a session. Most simply feel emotion move and their body relax.
Leonard Orr and the Origins of Rebirthing
Orr found the breath in a bathtub. The longer he stayed in the water, the more memories and emotion surfaced, and he learned that a circular, connected breath helped them clear. In his words, "the main part of the discovery of Rebirthing took about 10 to 15 years, starting in 1962. The giant leap occurred in 1974-1975."
He taught worldwide for decades and wrote more than 30 books. Rebirthing Breathwork International credits him with training well-known teachers such as Sondra Ray, Judith Kravitz and Linda Star Wolf.
Orr died on September 5, 2019. His wife, Elvi Orr, his colleagues and his direct students carry the work on.
How a Rebirthing Breathwork Session Works
Every facilitator runs a session a little differently, because no single school sets one format. This is the shape you can expect from a well-run one.
Before: You talk with the facilitator about why you came, any health conditions, and what you want from the session. A good facilitator screens you here.
The breath: You lie down, close your eyes, and start the connected breath. The facilitator watches your breathing and coaches the rhythm when it stalls or speeds up.
During: Tingling in the hands or face is common, and some people feel warmth, cold or waves of emotion. Memories can surface. Orr called the turning point "the Breathing Release" and said it "cannot be induced. It happens when the person feels safe."
After: The breath settles on its own, you rest, and you talk through what came up. Traditional Rebirthing is taught as a series of sessions rather than one big one.
How Rebirthing Relates to Conscious Connected Breathing
Conscious connected breathing is the technique: a circular breath with no pause. Rebirthing is one tradition built around that technique, with its own teachings layered on top.
Many later styles use the same circular breath with different pacing, music and goals. That includes the method we teach at Liquid Breathwork, which adds intermittent breath holds and lets the breather set the pace.
When I asked my mentor Dan Brulé how Rebirthing differs from Holotropic Breathwork®, he said: "Rebirthing is like this. Hunters sharpen their spears, quietly stalk their prey, kill their food, and slowly roast it over a fire before eating. Holotropic Breathwork is like burning the whole damn forest down just to get the hog."
Holotropic Breathwork is a registered trademark of its owner. Liquid Breathwork is not affiliated with it.
Rebirthing is the slow roast: gentle, relaxed, led by the breather's own pace. Our Holotropic Breathwork guide covers the other end of that range.
Is Rebirthing Breathwork Safe?
For most healthy adults with a trained facilitator, it is a gentle practice. The common side effect is tetany: tingling or cramping in the hands, feet or face as a faster breath shifts your blood chemistry. It passes when the breath slows.
Talk to your doctor first if you are pregnant or have epilepsy, a heart condition, high blood pressure, glaucoma, or a serious mental health condition. A facilitator who skips these questions is a reason to find another one.
Why the Name Needs Explaining
In April 2000, 10-year-old Candace Newmaker died in Evergreen, Colorado, during an attachment therapy its practitioners called "rebirthing." She was wrapped in a sheet while her therapists pushed against her to simulate birth. Both therapists were convicted, and Colorado banned the practice in 2001.
That therapy was not Breathwork. The BMJ’s report on the case described traditional Rebirthing as predominantly a breathing technique. The therapy used on Candace was a variant built to simulate birth, and her therapists restrained her. A Breathwork session involves no restraint.
Who Rebirthing Breathwork Suits
- People who want depth without force. The breath is relaxed, and nothing is pushed.
- Anyone curious about the roots of Breathwork. Many connected-breath styles trace back here.
- People who want individual attention. Many Rebirthing facilitators work one-on-one.
It is a weaker fit if you want a quick daily calming tool. Slow, exhale-focused breathing for anxiety or box breathing will serve you better there.
Finding Rebirthing Breathwork Near You
No single school governs Rebirthing, and many independent facilitators teach it. Rebirthing Breathwork International carries Orr's teaching, and the British Rebirth Society sets practitioner requirements in the UK. Plenty of good facilitators belong to neither.
Our free Breathwork Near Me tool lists Breathwork classes and workshops in your city. Before you book, ask each facilitator three things:
- Where did you train, and in which lineage?
- How do you screen new breathers?
- What happens if someone has a hard session?
In Arizona, our Breathwork classes use the same connected breath with holds, live sound and plenty of room to rest.
How to Train in Rebirthing Breathwork
If you want to guide this breath for others, start with our conscious connected Breathwork training, which teaches the circular breath, its history, and how to hold a room safely. Shelby and I teach it together, live online or in person.
Our Rebirthing Breathwork certification page explains what we kept from the Orr lineage, what we changed, and how other Rebirthing schools certify.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rebirthing Breathwork
What is Rebirthing Breathwork?
Rebirthing Breathwork is a conscious connected breathing practice developed by Leonard Orr in the 1970s. You breathe in a circle, with no pause between the inhale and the exhale, while a facilitator guides you.
Is Rebirthing Breathwork the same as conscious connected breathing?
Rebirthing is the oldest named style of conscious connected breathing. The connected breath is the technique; Rebirthing is one tradition built around it, with its own teachings on birth, beliefs and spiritual purification.
Is Rebirthing Breathwork safe?
For most healthy adults, with screening and a trained facilitator, it is a gentle practice. Tingling and cramping in the hands or face are common and pass when the breath slows. People who are pregnant or have epilepsy, heart conditions, high blood pressure, glaucoma or a serious mental health condition should talk to their doctor first.
Is Rebirthing Breathwork related to the 2000 Colorado rebirthing case?
They share a name, not a method. Candace Newmaker died in 2000 during an attachment therapy in which her therapists restrained her to simulate birth. The BMJ's report on the case described traditional Rebirthing as predominantly a breathing technique, and a Breathwork session involves no restraint.
How do I find Rebirthing Breathwork near me?
No single school governs Rebirthing, so independent facilitators teach it everywhere. Search our free Breathwork Near Me tool for classes in your city, then ask each facilitator where they trained and how they screen new breathers.
Learn to Guide the Connected Breath
Our training teaches the circular breath, its lineage, and how to guide it safely.