Giten Tonkov
Connect to your inner safe space with the six elements of BioDynamic Breathwork — breath, movement, sound, touch, emotions, and meditation — to release the effects of past traumatic events as you find your strength and ability to live happily, openly, and freely.
Practice powerful techniques to track the sensations in each area (or “belt”) of your body, focusing on the felt sense — which enables you to remain present from moment to moment and break the cycle of nervous system activation, overstimulation, and reactivity.
Many of us have recently become accustomed to uncertainty, adapting to our new normal with fortitude and courage.
Yet because we are human, lingering trauma can still reverberate for years to come.
Trauma is a physical reaction that becomes part of our bodies, a response to situations both large and small. It takes up residence in our tissues over time, expressing itself in our everyday lives.
According to Giten Tonkov, noted trauma release expert, trauma can manifest almost anywhere in the body, and impact almost anyone.
A traumatic event can be as simple as being startled by an aggressively barking dog, or as complex as suddenly losing a loved one.
It can also be the cumulative effect of long-term but perhaps less obvious stressors, like interpersonal difficulties, unrealized dreams and aspirations, or generalized anxiety.
Trauma happens when our systems become overwhelmed.
If we can’t adequately process and clear the traumatic experiences, our lives can slowly become less than manageable and we may struggle to deal with the discomfort we feel.
Join Giten for a 7-module journey through his powerful healing process, the BioDynamic Breathwork & Trauma Release System® (BBTRS®).
This system supports your body’s natural process for releasing chronic tension, self-restricting patterns, and emotional trauma — clearing the way for feelings of joy, self-love, and deep relaxation.
You’ll explore the seven belts of tension in your body — ocular, oral, cervical, thoracic, diaphragmatic, abdominal, and pelvic.
Throughout the course, Giten will address each belt of tension individually — and as you’ll discover, each section of your body is linked to specific emotions.
Giten will show you how to use all six healing tools of BioDynamic Breathwork — breath as the main focus, along with movement, touch, sound, conscious emotional expression, and meditation.
You’ll also learn techniques to explore your own felt sense — the practice of experiencing a physical sensation without attaching meaning to it — and discover how to use your felt sense in your daily life.
As you stay connected to the felt sense, you develop a greater capacity to remain present in your body, which prevents you from dissociating and creates opportunity for trauma release.
When you come back to your body time and again, you can more effectively break the cycle of constant nervous system activation and find places of safety within.
When you delve into BioDynamic Breathwork and begin bringing long-hidden (and often overlooked) emotions to the surface, your experience of yourself in relation to your physical body becomes more alive.
Once you fully experience your aliveness — your “juice for life,” as Giten calls it — your relationships with yourself and others can transform.
In this life-enhancing course with Giten, you’ll discover:
- How trauma impacts the nervous system
- The 6 elements of BioDynamic Breathwork — breath, movement, sound, touch, emotions, and meditation
- The 7 belts of tension — ocular, oral, cervical, thoracic, diaphragmatic, abdominal, and pelvic — and how they’re different from the chakras
- The 3 different speeds of breathing — and how the speed and pattern of your breath activate your sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system response
- Ways to work more deeply with your felt sense , and understand that if something arises, it’s just a sensation in your body — and, if it’s too much, you can shift yourself to a place of safety
- How, as you address each belt of tension, the belt above or below it also opens and releases
- A deeper awareness of where you’re holding tension — and where your healing focus needs to be
- How your eyes gather visual information, assess safety or threats in your environment, and then send nerve impulses to your occipital area for processing
- How, when you’re breathing effectively and your diaphragm moves freely, it activates your abdominal organs, enhancing digestion, lung and heart movements, overall energy, and long-term wellbeing
- Ways to create and expand what Giten callsa window of tolerance to become more resilient, even in the face of your triggers
- Why a deeper understanding of how trauma works within your body can be incredibly empowering
- Ways to find a place of safety within your own body that you can always return to
- And much more...
With Giten as your guide, you’ll target specific issues for personal growth, using his flexible system.
You’ll connect unconscious patterns to past events, gaining more clarity to act with awareness, fostering intimacy and connection with others.
You’ll learn to breathe more effectively, sense your body, and explore feelings unconditionally. Giten will also show you how to return to your own internal resources for support and comfort whenever you need to.
Instead of going into deep, connected breathing practices as you would with other approaches, you’ll move through BioDynamic Breathwork in intervals using the principle of titration…
… releasing tension in small doses so you don’t become overstimulated.
Join Giten and learn powerful breath and movement techniques to track the sensations in each area of your body, let go of trauma, and find the strength and ability to live your life happily, openly, and freely.
What You’ll Discover in These 7 Modules
In this 7-part transformational course, Giten will guide you through six elements of BioDynamic Breathwork to release the effects of past traumatic events as you find your strength and ability to live happily, openly, and freely.
This course will feature step-by-step teachings and experiential practices with Giten. Each session will build harmoniously upon the previous ones, so you’ll develop a complete holistic understanding of the practices and tools you’ll need to release trauma and enhance your physical and emotional wellbeing.
Module 1: Introduction to BioDynamic Breathwork & How It Can Help You Release Trauma
As your journey with Giten begins, you’ll become fully grounded in the foundations of BioDynamic Breathwork and the concept and power of the felt sense.
Giten will walk you through the ways trauma turns into tension and how it’s stored in the body as it accumulates over the years.
Explore the profound physical impacts of trauma — and the sensations the body produces when that trauma is released.
Rather than going into deep, connected breathing practices as in other approaches, Giten will move you through BioDynamic Breathwork in intervals...
... using the principles of pendulation and titration — releasing tension in small doses so you don’t become overstimulated.
Learn how to become more aware of your body’s sensations — and develop an even more intimate interaction with sensory messages throughout your body — as you take the first steps toward releasing your trauma.
In this module, you’ll discover:
- The 6 elements of BioDynamic Breathwork — breath, movement, sound, touch, emotions, and meditation
- The 7 belts of tension — ocular, oral, cervical, thoracic, diaphragmatic, abdominal, and pelvic — and how they’re different from the chakras
- The 3 different speeds of breathing — and how the speed and pattern of breath activate your sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system response
- The true meaning of resources — supports, feelings, sensations, areas of the body, memories, people, physical objects, and thoughts — that calm you while enhancing feelings of safety
- How to use your body’s natural rhythm of moving between the contraction of tension and the expansion of relaxation in a process called pendulation
- A 45-minute sitting breathwork exercise to help you become familiar with the practice and bring awareness, through your felt sense, to parts of your body that need attention
Module 2: Releasing Tension in the Ocular Belt to Reduce the False Sense of Danger
Explore the ocular belt, which includes your eyes, forehead, and the top of your head.
The ocular belt is also home to the emotions of suspicion, amusement, contempt, detachment, guarding, fighting, anger, and grief.
As Giten will explain, tension in the ocular belt is constantly asking the question, “Where is the next danger coming from?”
Your eyes gather visual information, assess safety or threats in your environment, and then send nerve impulses to the occipital area for processing.
In this module, you’ll discover:
- How continual fear and stress create headaches, tension around the ears, tightness in the muscles around the eyeballs and pupils, hair loss, and tightness (in the forehead, cheeks, temples, and more)
- Why extreme cases of fight-or-flight activation — that arise from war environments or unsafe home environments, for example — can cause tunnel vision, when people block out what they’re seeing
- How your ocular belt is affected by frustration — for example, why you might sometimes have difficulty concentrating when you’re stressed and frustrated, despite the high level of energy pouring into your overactive mind
- The powerful changes that come from releasing tension from the ocular belt, including better hearing, sharper vision, and more
- A 45-minute guided practice of breathwork and eye movement to release tension around your ocular belt and expand your peripheral vision
Module 3: Releasing Tension in the Oral & Cervical Belts to Rediscover Your Voice & Open the Channel of Expression & Creativity
Giten will introduce you to two pivotal belts that often collaborate with each other.
Explore the oral belt, which includes the mouth, chin, nose, jaw, and ears. Emotions like contempt, disgust, longing, desire, fear, pain, anger, connection, self-awareness, and presence reside in this belt.
The cervical belt is home to the deep neck muscles and tongue. Emotions like self-pity, helplessness, longing, hurt, fear, pain, rage, freedom, creativity, and self-expression are found in the cervical belt.
As Giten will explain, your oral and cervical belts work intimately together. While your oral belt is home to your mouth, your cervical belt houses your tongue, and ultimately, your voice.
Discover how both belts are involved when you hold back the words you really want to say — for instance, you might wake up with a sore throat the morning after repressing your true opinion at work.
Or you might experience chronic tension in your throat and neck, stiffness in your trachea and vocal cords, and/or a restriction of breath.
Neck tension can also cause you to sink your neck down into your shoulders, physically pulling yourself into your “shell” like a turtle. This type of constriction involves much more than keeping your physical mouth shut — it impacts your creativity and true expression of your inner self.
In this module, you’ll:
- Discover the meditation space within you that’s been covered up by trauma — and explore how to reveal it
- Experience firsthand how, when you work with one part of your body, the rest responds — Giten will guide you to address your jaw and neck tension, so your pelvis responds
- Discern the different ways oral and cervical belt tensions show up in your life — for instance, Type A people often have a strong lower jaw that projects forward, and they might struggle to balance confidence with a fear of being reprimanded
- Explore why, even though you might feel strong anger, you sometimes can’t open your mouth to speak about it
- Create what Giten calls a window of tolerance — and discover how to make it larger so you’ll become more resilient, even in the face of your triggers
- Work more deeply with the felt sense, understanding that if something comes, it’s just a body sensation — and if it’s too much, you can shift yourself to a place of safety
- Engage in a 45-minute guided practice of breathwork, self-bodywork, movement, and vocal sounding — focusing on the felt sense — to ease tension in your jaw and the front and back of your neck and throat
Module 4: Releasing Tension in the Thoracic Belt to Soften the Area Around Your Heart & Relate More Intimately With Others
You’ll explore your thoracic belt, which includes your heart, shoulders, and surrounding muscles, chest, arms, hands, lungs, and the muscles between your ribs.
As Giten will share, this belt houses deep heart feelings of grief, mourning, longing, love, fear, anger, rage, and joy.
The thoracic belt is most impacted by the childhood impulse to reach out for pleasure. Chronic tension can take hold when your developmental needs aren’t met, and you’re instead exposed to deprivation or punishment.
For adults, traumatic heartbreak also can cause knots in the thoracic belt. If you don’t take steps to release this tension, years may pass before you recover.
In this module, you’ll explore:
- How tension around your shoulder joints can interrupt the flow of your heart — and the emotional significance of your heart meridian, which travels from your armpit, down the inside of your arm, to your pinkie
- How the thoracic belt of tension often shows up as shoulder stiffness and a collapsed chest, which then affects the lungs
- The ways your thoracic belt is involved every time your nervous system instantly reacts in the face of a threat
- How thoracic tension or relaxation show up in different cultures — and how these cultural norms are passed from generation to generation
- How full-body hugging supports oxytocin production and cardiovascular health — if it’s welcome
- The ways the energetic field of your heart extends outside of your body the moment you receive comforting, healing touch
- A 45-minute guided practice of breathwork, movement, and self-bodywork to soften the protective armor around your chest area, shoulders, and arms — and reestablish the energetic flow to better relate to yourself and the world around you
Module 5: Releasing Tension in the Diaphragmatic & Abdominal Belts to Release Old Emotions & Allow Yourself to Feel Again
The diaphragmatic belt — located in your diaphragm, stomach, rib cage, and all supporting structures — involves pain and pleasure.
When trauma is held here, it can block the sensing sexual feelings, rage, hate, terror, strength, and empowerment.
The diaphragm is intimately involved in your ability to breathe deeply, and any stuck emotions affect the volume of your breath.
In the same way, your breathing affects how you activate and use your diaphragm. The inability to express yourself emotionally affects your ability to flex the rib cage and expand the lungs.
In other words, when you stop breathing, then you stop feeling.
Explore the abdominal belt, home to both the abdominal and lower back muscles. This belt is linked to emotions including pain, fear, pleasure, trust, and all feelings related to nourishment.
The abdominal belt is also known as the body’s relaxation center.
In this module, you’ll explore:
- How the volume of breath you inhale directly impacts the expansion of your lungs, your ability to feel emotionally, and your digestion
- How, when you’re breathing effectively and your diaphragm moves freely, it activates your abdominal organs, enhancing digestion, lung and heart movements, overall energy, and long-term wellbeing
- The scientific roots of the popular phrase “gut reaction”
- How constriction in the abdominal region closes off your internal spaces and your breath
- Why extreme stress causes you to tighten your belly, which then constricts your diaphragm — and the many ways this kind of constriction is connected to emotional trauma, sexual abuse, anger, and can even result in Irritable Bowel Syndrome and related issues
- How to work with your abdominal region to create more space for your diaphragm — and expand down into your abdominal cavity to release tension
- A 45-minute guided practice of breathwork, self-bodywork, and movement — focusing on the felt sense — to expand the volume of your breath and release ribcage restriction
Module 6: Releasing Tension in the Pelvic Belt to Allow Energy to Rise & Re-engage Your Sexuality, Power & Love
The pelvic belt is where almost all core pelvic muscles are located, including the genitals, urinary tract, buttocks, and leg muscles.
It’s linked to sexual feelings and arousal, a sense of power, and the emotions of anger, rage, anxiety, terror, panic, and pleasure.
The pelvis houses the primary core muscles, including the psoas major (the large muscles that run from the lumbar spine through the groin on either side into the hips).
This area envelops and supports the bladder and sex organs.
Giten will explain how the pelvic belt is crucial in fight-or-flight, and how it’s a primary location for tension. Trauma responses in this belt can cause the core to become weak and overextended.
In this module, you’ll learn:
- How trauma from fight-or-flight-related tension, sexual abuse, rape, and misuse of sexuality all take hold in the pelvic belt
- When people are contracted or conflicted about sexuality, why the resulting tension has been linked to sexually-related disease
- The ways the intimate connection between sexuality and quality of life, pelvic discomfort, contraction, and disease can also block the channeling of sexuality to the heart
- How the moment you relax into sexual energy and heal traumas throughout the body, you can also gain newfound access to your creativity
- The ways your legs keep you connected to the Earth — but when you’re grappling with sexual and/or creative repression, you can still feel disconnected
- How your connection to the Earth (your “roots”) can be cut when you forget to go barefoot and maintain direct contact with the planet
- A 45-minute practice featuring breathwork and movement focused on your pelvic region — including the craniosacral connection (jaw, occiput, and pelvis) — to discover what messages arise and how your body communicates with you
Module 7: Closing Assessment & Celebration
Move through each section of your body and assess the many ways you now feel different.
As your journey draws to a close, you’ll feel lighter after having released the traumas stored in your body.
Simply understanding how trauma works within your body — and discovering how to release it — can be incredibly empowering.
In this module, you’ll:
- Experience a BioDynamic Breathwork session that incorporates all belts of tension to release and unwind
- Track your newly expanded body awareness using the concepts of felt sense and resource
- Notice how different your body feels compared to the first day of this journey — and appreciate how you’ve let go of your physical tension and armor along the way
- Enjoy a time of personal sharing with Giten and your classmates
The Release Trauma From the Body With BioDynamic Breathwork Bonus Collection
In addition to Giten’s transformative 7-module online course, you’ll receive this special bonus collection to complement the course and take your understanding and practice to an even deeper level.
Tense, Release, Unwind
Video Teaching From Giten Tonkov
In this experiential session, Giten leads you through the “Tense, Release, Unwind” practice. He invites you into greater awareness of your physical self, moving through contraction and into softness and ease. During this powerful teaching, be guided through visualization, breathwork, surrender, and, most importantly, self-acceptance.
Using Your Felt Sense to Heal
PDF Excerpt From Giten Tonkov’s Book Feel to Heal: Releasing Trauma Through Body Awareness and Breathwork Practice
In this chapter from Giten’s book, he discusses successful body-based trauma-release therapies and illustrates how to break the trauma cycle, improve relationships, and enjoy a healthier, more fulfilling life. Giten’s holistic approach integrates deep, connected breathing with movement, conscious touch, emotional expression, sound, and meditation — to allow your body to intuitively heal itself.
What Graduates of Giten’s Courses Are Saying...
— Bonnie Davis: “Giten’s Great Heart Gave Me a Better
Appreciation for the Tenderness of My Own Heart”
“Giten’s expert understanding of trauma and how to access it is invaluable.”
I have done other breathwork before and am, in fact, certified in Transform Breathing. But nothing has had the structure and way of titration for trauma that this does. Giten’s expert understanding of trauma and how to access it is invaluable. I had many painful memories get processed through these classes that have never been accessible through other methods.
— Deypa, Colorado Springs, Colorado
“I am so grateful to Giten for his knowledge, experience, and support during each session.”
This course is amazing. And even though you don’t need to identify the specific trauma to release and heal it, I received many insights on the origins of the trauma as I was releasing it, as well as afterwards. I am so grateful to Giten for his knowledge, experience, and support during each session. I regret I was unable to attend (live), but I still felt everything and received healing throughout the course. I am lighter and I have accessed a new level of freedom and self-acceptance.
— Darlene, Medford, New York
“[Giten’s] breathwork techniques are powerful tools for transformation, healing, and wellbeing.”
I have started using short breathwork practices in my daily life and noticed positive improvement in overall attitude and resilience. Truly loved the course with Giten Tonkov, and his breathwork techniques are powerful tools for transformation, healing, and wellbeing. The Shift Network team and their organization and professionalism deserves 10/10. I am very satisfied! It was a great investment!
— Aga, Connecticut
“I can’t thank Giten Tonkov’s breathwork course enough for giving my life back.”
When I started the journey with Giten I was a stone-and-a-half heavier and in a lot of physical and emotional pain from PTSD. After doing both trauma release and inner safety, I feel more like I was before the trauma. I can’t thank Giten Tonkov’s breathwork course enough for giving me my life back. I’ve still got a way to go but Giten has given me more tools to add on.
— Gina Petinou, Cyprus
“Highly skillful and professional, a master in his field.”
Tremendous benefit. I felt totally safe under Giten’s tutelage. Highly skillful and professional, a master in his field. Every aspect of his teaching resonated with me and is a gift to continue working with.
— Fiona, Lancashire, United Kingdom
Here’s What You’ll Receive
Seven 90-Minute Class Sessions With Giten Tonkov
Experience a unique opportunity to learn from Giten Tonkov, founder of the BioDynamic Breathwork & Trauma Release System® — from the comfort of your own home. Each class session includes a streaming video option and will guide you to find the strength and ability to live your life happily, openly, and freely.
Seven Transcripts of Class Sessions
You’ll also receive the entire class transcription after each session is completed. You can then review, print, and highlight the most important insights and practices you were given.
Exercises and Questions for Each Lesson
Between class sessions, you’ll have the option of completing related exercises, practicing new tools, and answering questions to accelerate your learning and integrate each lesson.
The Release Trauma From the Body With BioDynamic Breathwork Bonus Collection
- Tense, Release, Unwind
Video Teaching From Giten Tonkov - Using Your Felt Sense to Heal
PDF Excerpt From Giten Tonkov’s Book Feel to Heal: Releasing Trauma Through Body Awareness and Breathwork Practice
An Unprecedented Opportunity to Join the Online Course, Release Trauma From the Body With BioDynamic Breathwork
We feel honored that Giten Tonkov has chosen to partner with The Shift Network to offer this exclusive online course. This is a unique opportunity to learn from the founder of the BioDynamic Breathwork & Trauma Release System whose powerful insights and pioneering work are helping us heal and awaken ourselves and our world.
If you’re serious about letting go of trauma and finding the strength and ability to live your life happily, openly, and freely, then you owe it to yourself, your loved ones, and our world to take this one-of-a-kind program.
If you’re ready to take the next step in your own evolution, click the register button below to reserve your space now.
Your Satisfaction Is 100% Guaranteed!
Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed! If you don’t absolutely LOVE BioDynamic Breathwork — or don’t feel that it meets your needs — please submit your refund request form 2 weeks from your date of purchase and we’ll happily issue qualifying customers a refund.
About Giten Tonkov
Developer of the BioDynamic Breathwork & Trauma Release System Giten Tonkov shares a mastery of body-oriented therapies that evolved over 20 years of learning, exploring, and working with countless clients and groups around the world.
His humility, passion for life, and love for people inspired his own personal journey and the creation of his “6-Element” approach to healing.
The author of Feel to Heal: Releasing Trauma Through Body Awareness and Breathwork Practice, Giten regularly leads practitioner trainings and experiential workshops with his unique blend of creativity, depth, and playfulness, while growing the BioDynamic Breathwork & Trauma Release Institute and its global community of friends and colleagues.
Giten has been a licensed massage therapist since 1994 (Swedish Institute of Massage Therapy, New York), a certified breathwork and body-oriented therapist since 2001 (Diamond Breath School, Miasto Meditation Institute, Italy), and was a former OSHO Multiversity therapist (OSHO Meditation Resort, Pune, India).
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What’s a virtual course?
A: It’s a great way to engage live and pre-recorded teachings and each other from the comfort of your home! All you need is a computer, mobile device, or telephone. If there’s more than one person in your household taking the course, you’ll each need your own connection. We use Zoom video conferencing to make it just like an in-person event, where you can ask questions and deepen your exploration of the course themes.
There’s no additional charge for connecting to Zoom with your computer or mobile device. Please note that dialing Zoom from your telephone is a toll call; your telephone service provider will charge you according to your existing long-distance calling plan. International access numbers are available.
“I’ve never seen a course so well put together ever...”
I had never participated before in an online course. The packaging, presentation, inclusion, and Facebook postings created a wonderful, safe cocoon within which to participate. I’ve never seen a course so well put together ever — not in all the years of taking college classes — and I had my doubts about doing an online course. The wealth of organization and ease of learning materials and support made this fun as well.
— Claudia F., Medford, Massachusetts
Q: Can I still benefit from the course if I miss the live classes?
A: Absolutely! You can stream the recordings and download the transcripts of all course sessions, so you never need to worry about missing live calls. You can also engage with the full community and leaders in our private online community group.
Q: Can you tell me about the private online community group?
A: We’ll have a private online community group for all course participants on Facebook that will support you in making connections with others, sharing insights, engaging in discussions, and completing homework assignments that can supplement your transformational journey. You’ll have the ability to share your experiences, projects, and growth throughout the course.
Q: Are there scholarships available for this training?
A: Yes, we always make a certain percentage of spaces available for partial scholarships, for those who otherwise would not be able to enroll at the regular rate. If you’d like to apply for a scholarship, please review our guidelines, which include a link to our online application form.
Q: What’s your refund policy?
A: Your satisfaction with The Shift Network and this course is our highest priority! We offer a satisfaction guarantee so that you can sample the course risk-free. The deadline to receive a full refund is December 7, 2023. To request a refund, please click on this refund request form and submit your request. Qualifying refunds will be processed within five business days and an email confirming the refund will be sent. However, we’d love to have a chance to address and resolve your concerns first. If there’s something we can assist you with, please email us at support@theshiftnetwork.com and we’ll be happy to help! (No refund requests accepted after the above date or with scholarship awards.)
Q: What is your refund policy?
A: Your satisfaction with The Shift Network and this course is our highest priority! We offer a satisfaction guarantee for a full two weeks so that you can try out the course risk free. The deadline to receive a refund is two weeks from your date of purchase. To request a refund, please click here to submit your Refund Application Form. Your refund will be processed within five business days and we will send you an email confirmation when your refund has been completed. However, we’d love to have a chance to address and resolve your concerns first. If there’s something we can assist you with, please email us at support@theshiftnetwork.com, and we’ll be happy to help!
Q: How can I reach Customer Support?
A: Please visit our Customer Support Center, where you should be able to find the answer to your question or the solution to your problem. And if you can’t, you can submit an online request form and we’ll get right back to you.
