Tony Lo Mastro is a renowned breathworker who has been helping people unlock the power of their breath for many years. Through his breathwork sessions, Tony guides individuals to tap into their inner wisdom, heal past traumas, and find a greater sense of connection to themselves and the world around them. With a focus on creating a safe and supportive space for his clients, Tony’s work has had a profound impact on the lives of many. In this article, Mystic Mag and Tony dive deeper into the transformative power of breathwork and explore Tony’s unique approach to this powerful practice.
When did you first know that Breathwork was your calling and how did it come about?
In July of 1979, a friend went for a massage and the woman masseuse gave him a Rebirthing breathwork session because of her excitement of her own experience of the breath.
He came to me that same day, a Wednesday, and gave me a breathing session. It was an extraordinary experience of an internal journey that landed me in my body. Out of my mind and into my body. Again, this was a Wednesday. Two days later, on Friday, Bill and I were in Hoboken New Jersey attending a Rebirthing Weekend training.
It was an opening for who I was as an ethnic Italian with Asperger’s syndrome, raised by immigrants in the 1940’s and 1950’s.I met a group of people who got me for who I was as an individual.
The teachers came from New York City to my home in Philadelphia, one weekend a month for nine months, to lead a Rebirthing Weekend Training.
This infusion of students into my home caused me to become an organizer and Center manager, giving me a profession for the first time that I loved and was interested in.
What services do you offer?
Rebirthing Breathwork – Classical Rebirthing
In the 1990’s Rebirthing started to get personalized and called different names.
All through the late 1970s and 1980s, the seminar offerings were The EST training, Life Spring Insight and The Loving Relationships Training (Rebirthing).
In the 90’s, everything split into a myriad of different Yoga and self-help offerings.
My wife Maureen and I offer Classical Rebirthing, and our home as a community Center.
What is breathwork, and how does changing how we breathe can affect our health?
When you do a breathwork session you breathe 60 to 80% more oxygen than you are used to and the body wakes up and is vitalized and restored in healthy ways. The mind becomes quiet and often the emotional body relaxes enough to integrate past trauma and indignities.
A calmness to the nervous system gives a space to feel unburned.Many things happen during a breathwork session, our mind is infinite.
What can a person expect from your sessions?
Making a commitment to a series of ten sessions that occur weekly or biweekly is making a commitment to shift your life permanently.
Rebirthing is learning a relationship with your breath and the power of the breath as a function of the body. Circular, or conscious connected breathing, is normal for the body. Our breath gets suppressed with the emotions and events of the past, possibly for some, starting at conception.
Rebirthing (which is circular breathing for approximately an hour or more) relieves the negative charge in cell memory. Rebirthing sessions with a practitioner aim to facilitate positive change through working with the breath and taking responsibility for thoughts, feelings and actions. The sessions will help one to identify birth trauma, family patterns, inherited attitudes and specific negative thoughts. Rebirthers aim to support clients in using the breath to ground themselves safely in their body during emotional and physical releases and spiritual insights. This encourages the clients’ use of Rebirthing methods independently.
Rebirthing connects us to ourselves and gives an experience of present time. We can observe and make conscious choices from a clearer perspective and feeling of well being.
One of the purposes of sessions is to educate you about your breath so that you can heal and clear yourself, as a therapeutic and Spiritual practice. Only you heal you. Your breath coach is an experienced and educated support person.
An exciting aspect of Rebirthing is that it addresses the core belief or personal lie. For example, ‘I’m not good enough” or “There is something wrong with me.'” Thoughts like these are discovered in the beginning rebirthing sessions. This gives you, as the client, an opportunity to rethink the reasons for being distressed in your body and the possibility of choosing life as a foundation to rebuild upon.
Rebirthing feels good; rebirthing allows suffering to be optional. When people come to Rebirthers, something inside of them is ready to heal and they let their burden down in reference to long standing issues from the past. An added benefit of conscious connected breathing is that the increased oxygenation contributes to the release of stress and an experience of more health and vitality.
What is the most important detail in maintaining a relationship of mutual trust with clients?
To listen, be present, compassionate. Offer the bottom line as soon as appropriate.
What is the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is that I Love it. The honor to be present to someone’s healing, growth. (We are a 43 year community.) I love sharing this work with my wife. Together we are Center managers to the community
