In addition to supplying oxygen during the process of respiration, the breath simultaneously draws in another energetic quality, known as "prana." This prana, or "Qi" as it is called in China, is the vital energy of life. Eastern adepts have long been aware of the rejuvenating power of prana, recognizing it as an essential link between the mind and body. For centuries, they have used specific breathing practices to harness and direct this life energy in order to facilitate healing and self-development. It is these breathing practices that form the basis of the Barratt Breathworks model.

In recognizing that the breath is a primary vehicle for our life energy, we begin to understand how the quality of our breathing literally reflects the quality of our lives.  When we begin to cultivate an awareness of our breath, many of us notice that we are unable to breathe fully, and that our breathing is labored or erratic.  Most of these tensions in the breath grow out of highly complex breathing habits caused by chronic stress and suppressed emotions.  Our dysfunctional breathing habits inhibit the body's natural ability to draw in and absorb prana, creating energetic disturbances within the human energy system.  These energetic disturbances deeply affect the intricate balance of the mind/body continuum, ultimately undermining health and well-being.

Our model employs a systematic approach designed to identify and dismantle dysfunctional breathing habits as a means to impact energy flow and allow it to move more freely. As tensions in the breath are released, the movement of energy through the human energy system becomes stimulated and is redirected to balance both excesses and deficiencies. By dissipating energetic blocks and regulating energy flow, this redirected energy helps restore the synchronistic balance within the human energy system, resulting in improved health and emotional balance, which ultimately lead to personal and spiritual growth.