In a recent conversation with Katherine Correa, a friend and colleague in Nashville, I discovered I didnʼt know how she became interested in Breema, a comprehensive system we both practice which includes bodywork and universal principles.
Asking her brought up several more questions and elicited answers I related to from my own experience but was grateful to hear in a delightfully fresh way from her. Hereʼs how our exchange went.
Q: How did you first come to study Breema, and why have you continued?
A: I came to study after receiving a session. I had a taste of being present that was completely different from anything in my prior experience. That struck me, and I was sure I wanted to continue. Iʼve stayed with Breema because it gives me access to an aspect of myself that, when I have it, provides a sense of true inner satisfaction. I see that when Iʼm disconnected from that, Iʼm always vaguely searching for something to fulfill me. In other words, I need support to be connected to that which is real in myself, and Breema is the most simple and direct path back to that.
Without that connection, I see Iʼm confused by the apparent meaninglessness of events. When Iʼm connected to my true nature, I have access to a more purposeful direction and a new way of being thatʼs more responsive and less reactive to life.
Q: What happens in your Breema classes? Why do people come?
A: We have fun! Classes are playful as well as mindful. We do solo exercises and two-person sequences that encompass many types of movements. But what ties everything together is that weʼre always working with body-mind connection. Thatʼs whatʼs needed to come out of the world of ideas and actually experience a moment. Body breathes, body has weight, right now. So Iʼd say Breema classes are playful practice in body-mind connection.
People come for many reasons and seem to benefit in different ways. Some just want to relax and be nurtured by the nonjudgmental atmosphere and the physical support to let go of tension. Some are open— if not at first then later on—to Breemaʼs philosophy and principles that they can work with to be more present in daily life. So it varies, but the bottom line is that Breema is nurturing and encourages us to open up.
Q: What’s unique about Breema?
A: Breema isnʼt about fixing you or making you a better person. That, I think, is a radical departure from most other approaches offered in life, which are geared toward “selfimprovement.” Breema is about being right here and actually experiencing your life as itʼs unfolding.
Q: Final thoughts for those who relate to what you’ve expressed?
A: If youʼre drawn to see for yourself what Breema has to offer, receive a session or come to a class, and donʼt take my word for what it is or isnʼt.
Why? Because whatever I say will not be what Breema is, it will just give you a pigeonhole to put it in. What good would that do? Breema has given me more than anything else in this world by giving me tools to see life as it actually is, not as I imagine it.
If, like me, you want to take some simple steps toward being more available to fully participate in life, youʼll find support at any Breema class and be glad you took the time to join us.
Visit Katherineʼs website: nashvillemindandbody.com
*True Nourishment Is in the Moment was written by Elaine Pendergrast and originally published in B.Real Magazine. Elaine is a Staff Instructor at the Breema Center in Oakland, California.