Enneagram x Breathwork
WHAT IS THE ENNEAGRAM?
Ennea: “nine”
Gram: “something written”
A tool: A personality structure made of 9 “Types” or strategies for relating to ourselves and the world.
A map: It names our patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving and builds actionable self awareness.
A guide: By acknowledging our deepest motivations, the Enneagram outlines how each type exists in stress and growth.
WHY THE ENNEAGRAM?
When I was teaching middle school in 2015, my therapist called me out of some repeating patterns. I also freaked out the most when I had to call home. I’d have literal nightmares about fear that parents would yell at me when I shared that their kid had knocked someone out with the backpack.
He recommended I take a test to find my “Enneagram Type.”
I had no idea what this Enneagram thing was, but I was ready for support. I was miserable, had rapidly gained 20 pounds, and numbed out every weekend with alcohol and burritos.
After finding my type, I learned I was a 9: The Mediator.
My body softened as I read the description. Huh?! Have you been following me around my whole life, taking notes? It felt so damn good to be seen this way.
The description captured details about my inner world that I’d never see written down. It was a felt experience of being truly understood.
The Enneagram then unlocked years of deepening self-awareness and resulting personal growth.
But flash forward 5 years and I’m stuck again….
I had out “self-awarenessed” myself; I saw my patterns; I saw how they repeated.
I could impress my therapist every session with how I knew what was happening and how that was thought to this specific childhood memory. Woohoo!
But the results of my life were not shifting. I was stuck and scared. Do I go to business school? Do I leave LA? Am I a professional dog walker for the rest of my life? One day, I submitted my resume to 23 jobs, all of which I knew I didn’t want.
The slew of automated rejection letters in the following weeks were all reminders I was not on track. I was not listening. I was blocked and I didn’t know how to get unblocked.
Scene change:
I’m in a strange man’s basement in Venice breathing in a repeated pattern, eye mask on, music blaring in the room. Tears streaming down my face. Oh shit, even more tears. Okay...
After a huge release, my inner voice got loud and clear -- nope on business school, just keep breathing. And every time I breathed, it spoke up even louder.
I started to listen to the cues and making changes in my life.
I’d come by the Enneagram to learn my patterns; Breathwork helped me soften them.
Breathwork connected me to my inner knowing, so that I could act from it.
The combination created real shifts. I had a conscious tool for my mind to understand, and a body based practice to get get unblocked. I could finally get out of the way and stop trying to make sense of it.
I’m now very literally living a life that 10-year George would dream about (and thought could never be possible) and I am deeply grateful.
HOW THE ENNEAGRAM & BREATHWORK WORK TOGETHER
I’m excited to begin the merger of two very powerful tools, Breathwork and Enneagram.
Enneagram: the mind map
Breathwork: the body-based practice
Enneagram shows the path, Breathwork clears it.
Enneagram shows you the box you’ve created, Breathwork breaks it down.
Why am I teaching this?
By combining these two modalities, I’ve been able to experience a felt sense of presence.
These two tools have guided my personal growth. One calmed my mind and intellect by giving a clear framework; the other taught me total trust and surrender.
For me, they both cut through the noise. They both start with truth and dig deep. Neither is prescriptive, but both are wide open with space for possibility and exploration. You can take them as far and deep as you’d like.