Frequently Asked Questions

Select Courses and Events where you will find all of our upcoming lectures and courses.

To discuss the alternative ways to prepare for Level-1 BBM Teacher Training for those who are unable to attend the basic course, please leave a message for Dr. Gerbarg at 845-331-8881. This number is only for questions regarding teacher training.

For a list of upcoming courses, select Courses and Events for a complete list. Also, on the homepage, sign up for the free newsletter so that you will receive information about courses and lectures.

Please contact Nehemiah at nehemiahby@gmail.com.

1. You can use Our newest book + CD, The Healing Power of the Breath (Shambhala 2012) to teach yourself the breathing practices we are now using. This would be good preparation before you take our course. The more you practice, the further along you will be and the more you will get out of the training we do live.

2. We are using Qigong movements from Master Robert Peng. "The Master Key Video Series" of Comprehensive Training in Qigong for Happiness, Longevity, and Awakening, which includes the Four Golden Wheels. ($79.95 USD)

www.robertpeng.com/products.php

Do these prior to the Breathing Practices in our book.

3. It would be best to take a weekend course before you do the Teacher Training. Watch for details on our website.

You will find the information you need in our book, “How to Use Herbs, Nutrients, and Yoga in Mental Health Care.” In the appendix of our book there is a list of quality brands we recommend. If you have a medical condition, discuss the use of Rhodiola rosea with your physician. If your physician is not familiar with this herb, loan him/her your copy of our book to read about it.

Rhodiola rosea can be taken in doses up to 900 mg/day for a long time without adverse effects. However, at such higher doses, some (but not all) people can have some effect on platelet clotting such that they have more bruising. Anyone who notices increased bruising on Rhodiola rosea should reduce the dose and/or avoid taking any other medications that affect clotting such as aspirin, Motrin, or large doses of vitamin E or fish oils (above 2000 mg/day). It is not advisable to take higher doses of Rhodiola than are really necessary because higher doses (above 800 or 900 mg) are not more effective and they can increase the risk of bruising.

Some people can stay on Rhodiola rosea for years without loss of effect. However, other people notice that after about 4 months, the effect starts to fade. If the effect fades it is important to check to be sure you are taking a high quality brand. If your brand is of high quality but losing effect, then you may need to take a “holiday” off of the Rhodiola rosea for about 4 weeks. Usually when you start taking it again, it will be effective. Some people maintain the effect by only using the Rhodiola rosea when they know they are entering a time of high stress or work demand. For example, one can start taking it 2 weeks before the stressful period, building up the dose to its full level during the stressor and then tapering it down afterwards.

Look in the Tables at the end of our book, "How to Use Herbs, Nutrients and Yoga in Mental Health". There you will find information on where to order brands that we consider to be of good quality. We do not have any financial interest in the companies whose products we recommend, nor do we receive any payments from these companies.

You will find information about SAMe and how to use it safely and effectively in combination with other antidepressants in our book, “How to Use Herbs, Nutrients, and Yoga in Mental Health Care.” SAMe is an effective antidepressant that can be taken alone or in addition to other antidepressants. Take a copy of the book to your doctor’s office so that the two of you can discuss whether it would be appropriate for you to do a trial of SAMe.

For information on quality supplement brands and where to obtain them, look in the appendix of our book, “How to Use Herbs, Nutrients, and Yoga in Mental Health Care”. Other sources of information are www.consumerlabs.com. We cannot make specific recommendations through this web site. We do not have information on all supplement brands.

In order to assure that people learn to do the practices correctly, the Breath-Body-Mind Level-1 CDs are only distributed at our course. You may follow the link to our course schedule. If you live too far away to attend a course, you can learn the breath practices by using our new book and CD set, The Healing Power of the Breath. Follow the text in the book and use the CD with it. See more information by clicking on the image of the book cover displayed on our home page.

You can get the Respire-1 CD at www.coherence.com or just download Track 3, the ‘Two Bells’ chime track.

Breathing more slowly will not do any harm. Breathing more slowly is more calming and also more sedating, so it can be useful at bedtime. However, breathing more slowly also allows the mind to become fuzzier. The unique property of 5 - 6 breaths per minute is that it creates a state of mind that is relaxed and at the same time alert and functioning better cognitively. In order to achieve this, you need to practice with the chime track until you are able to do it consistently on your own. Also, when you use the chime track and you do not have to count or think about your breath rate, you can turn off that intellectual effort and attain deeper effects. So you can decide which kind of mental state you prefer at different times, depending on what you need to be doing.

Start by re-reading all of the instructions on Coherent Breathing in the book carefully. Some people get a headache when starting to learn Coherent Breathing on their own. Usually this is because they are exerting too much effort, inhaling or exhaling too much, too fast, too forcefully. As the book and CD instruct, it is important to breathe very gently, moving only a little bit of air at a time, using no force. It is important to not try to fill the lungs or expel all of the air. If the breath does not last until the next tone, then just pause the breath and wait for the tone. With a little practice it becomes easier, less effortful.

Look carefully in your Kindle book. You will find instructions for how to download the CD tracks.

Call Fellowships of the Spirit in Lily Dale, NY, and speak with Della. The phone number is on their website. This is available only for people who completed this course.

From www.coherence.com

The audio recordings on the CD included with this book can be accessed online at shambhala.com . Access instructions are also provided within the first part of the book.