Slowly she lifts and stretches my legs and back, using her own body weight as ballast, then works her way around to my arms, head, and neck. In three minutes I have soared so far into bliss I'm not sure I'll ever come back.

"It's like swimming," I sigh, trying to speak through the grin that's taken over my face.
"People say that," Boe agrees. "They also say it's delicious. Like food."
Breema, a type of partnered or self-movement developed by Jon Schreiber,
D.C. and Denise Berezonsky of California, has been compared to partner
yoga, Thai massage, and meditation. It contains elements of all of these, but its central aim, says Boe, is to create a "nurturing presence."

"There is an energetic thing that happens, but that's not the focus," she
says. "The weight and breath is what I am focused on. I'm not trying to bring energy in or move energy anywhere, as you might in Reiki."

When I ask what kind of breath work she's using, she laughs. "In yoga you can change your breath, but Breema is about the natural breath,
your natural body."

Breema is based on nine "Universal Principles": Body Comfortable, No Extra, Firmness and Gentleness, Full Participation, Mutual Support, No Judgment, Single Moment/Single Activity, No Hurry/No Pause and No Force.

Boe says these principles guide her not only in her Breema practice, but her daily life. Partnered Breema, which is slow and gentle, is appropriate for people of all fitness levels and abilities: seniors, pregnant women, athletes, yoga practitioners, dancers and more.

Self-Breema is done without a partner, and involves a series of movement
sequences that are done on a padding of mats and blankets.

"It's a moving meditation," says Boe. "I move as single moment, single activity. There is no hurry, no pause. I don't need to rush to the next thing. My awareness is in my breath, because I'm working hard."

"The goal is to become more present," she says, "whatever that means to each person."

Boe is certified as a Breema practitioner and Self-Breema instructor. She enjoys the practice because "it gets me out of my thoughts. The churning, chewing mind chatter. It takes you out for an hour a week. That's a breather." Boe's Breema classes are offered every Thursday at Indigo Wellness, 3276 Commercial SE, from noon to 12:45 p.m. Class includes Partner Breema, Self- Breema and a guided meditation. Cost is $5. For information, call (503) 990-5043.

Sara Wiseman owns Wiseman Creative, a Salem marketing and public relations firm. Contact her at wiseman@open.org.