On the path of Breath.
Rebirthing came to my life, one could say, at an ideal moment. The
same could be said about Poland. I met Leonard Orr, the founder of Rebirthing,
for the first time in the fall of 1982. Earlier that year I had spent 4 months in
Uherce prison[i],
interned for my involvement with the Solidarity Movement, and my support for
Lech Walesa. I was also fired from my job with the University of Silesia. I was
traumatized, scared and paranoid. I was considering emigration.
To survive a few months until
then, I thought, I took a job as psychologist in a small addiction clinic in
Siemianowice Slaskie. This clinic shared one building with a mental health
clinic and a day psychiatric division. It was there where I had a chance to
experience Conscious Connected Breathing (Rebirthing), in a group session run by
Nora Rutkowska. I have not experienced anything like this before. My whole body
tensed up and then released all that tension. The state of peace was
unparalleled. It was for the first time in my life, when I realized how
powerful Breath can be, and how amazingly pleasant at the same time. I started
my healing process, so to speak, on a very basic, "cellular"
level.
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| Leonard Orr, circa 1980. |
In November 1982, I believe, I
attended first lecture by Leonard Orr. These were the gruesome times of the War State in Poland. Due to international boycott of Polish communistic regime,
almost no one was coming to Poland at that time. Polish people were subdued, on
"internal emigration," and often afraid of each other. Against this
background, Orr - flamboyant, always smiling, happy, confident, motivated -
presented as a "flow of fresh air."
Orr was invited to Poland
by Lucyna
Winnicka, a famous Polish actress, who he referred to as "Polish Liz
Taylor." She arranged for him to have a few lectures for different
divisions of Polish Psychotronic Society. Orr didn't care for money as, due to strange
exchange rates, he practically was not earning anything in Poland. But it was
giving him some pleasure to bring "the gift of breath" to yet another
country.
Many of the things he was saying in Poland were in stunning
contrast to the prevailing views. For instance, he was praising Polish
government for limiting meat consumption (!)(at that time, meat was rationed -
you could only buy so much a month on a special card). He was always of the
opinion that eating meat is harmful to human body. He was also praising Polish
government for securing, at least in principle, jobs for everybody.
 |
| Leonard Orr running a training in Bukowno, Poland, 1984. |
An auspicious event took place
in the beginning of 1983. While visiting Poland again, with an entourage of
rebirthers, Orr ... fell in love with a young Polish girl, Katarzyna. He was
over 40 at that time, and she was, if I remember well, 19. This love made him
to come to Poland a few more times. As he didn't speak any Polish, and
Katarzyna didn't speak English, they would often come to me for translation.
Perhaps that is why I was honored to become a witness for their wedding, which
happened some time in 1984. I have very fond memories of a week-long
training we did with Leonard in Bukowno that year. Leonard taught us not only the secrets
of breath, but the principles of fire purification (we maintained continuous
fire for seven days), the importance of keeping the mind positive and
disciplined, the practice of mantra, the importance of the community, and so
on.
 |
| Haidakhan Babaji and Leonard Orr, Hairakhan, circa 1980. |
Contacts with Orr were also
important for me spiritually. A neophyte Catholic after my release from prison,
I was exposed to his great fascination and love for Haidakhan
Babaji. Babaji taught that all religions are encompassed in the principles
of Truth, Simplicity and Love. He also taught the importance of work and
physical activity (Karma Yoga), the practice of repeating God's Name, the
importance of courage and humanism. These ideas, though creating temporary
tensions with my Catholic faith, greatly enriched my spiritual life. They are
also forced me to seek "underlying unity," which later in my life led
to the creation of One
God Site and One God Notes - collections of the most inspiring
quotations from all spiritual traditions.
Another way, in which Orr's
interest in "rebirthing Poland" manifested, is that he encouraged a
number of American and Western rebirthers to come and train in Poland. Bonnie
Nixon came a couple of times, Joe Moriarty, John Paul (from US) and Sharda
Collard, David Wood and Robin Lawley (from UK). This all strengthened Polish Rebirthing community. We established standards for the practice and held yearly
certification conventions. There was a great interest in Rebirthing at that
time, with Rebirthing centers in almost all bigger cities in Poland. Polish Rebirthers'
Association was formally incorporated some time later, in 1988.
The year 1986 was very
important for my growth as rebirther and human being. In March 1986, we gave a
water birth with my wife to our younger son, Pawel. This was possibly the first
water birth in Poland, and it was inspired by Leonard and Katarzyna giving
water birth to their daughter, Spirit, a few months earlier. Also, I had a
chance to visit USA for the first time.
 |
| Shri Muniraji |
The most important thing was that I spent a few weeks travelling
with Leonard, Katarzyna and Spirit through the Western USA. I had a chance to
observe Leonard's work and also his off-work, private life, on a daily basis. Leonard
used to introduce me to different groups as “Polish saint of Rebirthing.” It
was, naturally, very pleasing to me, but also reflected Orr’s sense of mission –
Rebirthing as a service to the whole world.
I very much enjoyed spending time in Campbell's Hot Springs,
Rebirthing main center at that time, breathing with people from all over the
world, taking baths in the forest, practicing Vision Quests, etc. I met many wonderful rebirthers there - Hans Delyser, Yashu Deschanes, Mavi Carreras,
Agnes O'Neil, Jim Morrison, and many others. With some of them I have stayed in
contact until this day.
While in USA, I also had a
chance to visit Hopiland, and learn about some of the spiritual principles of
Native Americans. It was in Campbell's Hot Springs that I finished Polish
translation of "The Teachings of Babaji." That is why, perhaps,
Leonard invited me (and paid for my ticket) to go with a group of people to
India and Nepal that summer. I was privileged to visit Hairakhan and
Chilianaula ashrams then, and also to do a few days of trekking in the
Himalayas. Altogether, this was definitely the trip of my life.
 |
| Author with wife and sons in Silna Nowa, 1987. |
They year 1987 was also very good for
Polish Rebirthing community. Agnes O'Neil and Jim Morrison came to train that
year, along with Willem Van Diest and Anneke from Belgium, and Sakua from
Germany. Their modest donations, totaling perhaps $700, due to the paradoxical
exchange rates, allowed us to buy a property in Silna Nowa, which later became the Polish Rebirthing Centre. The community was very vibrant at that time, with
over 30 Registred Rebirthers (highly trained individuals, running group
workshops) and close to 100 Rebirthers (offering individual sessions of
rebirthing). The community was strong enough to pay a salary for the resident of
the Centre.
It was also a good time for
Rebirthing as therapy. With all my co-workers being rebirthers, in 1987-88, we
offered seven month-long therapy programs for alcoholics, based on Rebirthing.[ii] Over seventy persons
graduated. Those people were also offered weekly group breathing sessions as
follow-up. Over 50% of the participants maintained sobriety one year after
attending the training, which was a very good result at that time.
However, things started to get
complicated in 1988. A rift manifested between those who wanted Silna Nowa to
be both a Rebirthing center and a Babaji's ashram, and those who wanted that place
to be used only for Rebirthing. As a result of these tensions, two new ashrams
were created - in Lanckorona and Mąkolno. Still, combined with some
personality conflicts, this rift led to a slow decline of the centre in Silna
Nowa and the whole community.
In 1989 I finally decided to emigrate (to Canada). Poland was going then through a political transformation
(so called "Talks of the Round Table"), which, though inspiring hopes
for better future, also triggered some uneasiness on my part. For a while it
was not quite certain, if the whole process would not end up in another War
State. I didn't feel like going to jail again. I also missed the colorful world
"out there," which I saw in 1986, at that time in striking contrast
to the "greyishness" of the last years of communism in Poland.
 |
| Claude Charlebois, Leonard Orr and Piotr Rajski, Montreal, 1989. |
For the first 3 years of my
emigration I lived in Montreal, which had a vibrant Rebirthing community. In
1989 I organized a training for Orr in Montreal. This was the last time we
worked together. This training allowed me to buy tickets for my wife and sons,
so they could join me in Canada. Yashu Deschanes came from California a couple
of times - it was always so joyous to work with her. Also, the local rebirthers -
Claude Charlebois, George-Henri Arenstein, and a few others, were great
privilege to work with.
Having trouble to establish
myself professionally in Montreal, with my limited command of French, and tired
of supporting family through odd labor jobs, I moved to Northern Alberta in
1992. This was meant to be a temporary solution; however, we spent five years
in the small community of High Level. I passed all the necessary examinations and
eventually became a Chartered (Registered) Psychologist in 1993. Though growing
professionally, I gradually lost contact with the Rebirthing community. I made
a few attempts to offer "the gift of breath" to Albertans, but in
most cases received only a lukewarm reception. I realized it was a
different story to offer Rebirthing in one of the most conservative parts of
Canada, comparing to the cosmopolitan places, such as California or Montreal.
Paradoxically, political
transformations in Poland didn't work so well for Rebirthing. A very powerful
Catholic Church emerged, its powers now unobstructed by the lay communistic
system. Rebirthing was included in the list of "sects," and
unpleasant press publications followed. People started to withdraw, as the new
political and economic possibilities opened up. One of my fellow-rebirthers had
to abandon Rebirthing all together, as he was threatened with the loss of financial
support for the addiction center he led.
My last direct contact with
Leonard was in 1994. While travelling with my family, we stopped to visit him
and Katarzyna in Chico. Leonard was as usual kind - gave horse riding lesson to
my boys, and gave us fresh peaches straight from a tree. We gradually lost
contact in the following years. I either had no time or no money to go for a
visit. Not without impact were also Leonard's personal problems, leading
eventually to his divorce.
Though not in direct contact, I
still kept receiving Leonard's newsletters, so I had a chance to follow his
thought. I also supported him financially. I have remained interested in
Rebirthing as therapy and I published on this subject.[iii] Periodically, people
interested in Rebirthing find me through Internet. Most of them come for 1-2
sessions, but some stay longer. To this day, I am amazed with how people change
momentarily as a result of this so simple breathing technique. It is very
rewarding to see them breathe better, become more peaceful and more alive at
the same time. That is why, I think, I will follow "the path of
breath" until my last one.
[i] See Rajski, Piotr. (2010). Uherce
to takie miłe więzienie koło Leska. Dziennik internowanego. [Uherce
– this is such a nice prison near Lesko. Diary of the interned.] Katowice:
Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego.
[ii]
See: Rajski, Piotr. (2002). "Alcoholism and Rebirthing." International
Journal for the Advancement of Counseling, 24: 123-136.
[iii] See
for instance: "Energy Renewal for People with Cancer." (2000).
Edmonton, AB: Roche Miette Psychological Services.
"Rationale for Use of Conscious Connected
Breathing in Treatment of People with Cancer." (2002). The Healing Breath:
a Journal of Breathwork Practice, Psychology and Spirituality, Vol.4, No.2.
"Thinking Positive or Rational?" (2002) The
Healing Breath: a Journal of Breathwork Practice, Psychology and Spirituality,
Vol.4, No.3.
"Toward Empirically Supported
Rebirthing-Breathwork." (2003). The Healing Breath: a Journal of
Breathwork Practice, Psychology and Spirituality, Vol. 5, No. 3.
Rajski, P., Delgado, T., Dowling, C., Heyda, A.,
Sudres, JL, Vignali, E.(2003). Standards of Rebirthing-Breathwork as Therapy.
The Healing Breath: a Journal of Breathwork Practice, Psychology and
Spirituality, Vol. 5, No. 3.
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