What is Breathwork?
Breathwork is the practice of consciously working with the breath, generally for relaxation, meditation, or therapeutic purposes, and to unwind tension patterns in the physical, mental, and emotional body.
While conscious breathing practices have roots in indigenous cultures and traditions, the term breathwork now encompasses a wide variety of practices designed to affect the body and consciousness, from yoga pranayama and anxiety-reduction techniques, to breathing exercises for enhanced oxygen delivery, and practices that catalyze expanded states of consciousness.
As a breathwork facilitator and teacher of yoga and meditation, I draw on a wide variety of breathing practices to support holistic wellbeing for my clients. However, the primary modality I offer is conscious connected breathwork to access the deeper dimensions of the body, psyche, and spirit; in support of therapeutic healing, insight, and self-discovery.
In a breathwork session, you will be guided in a 3-part breathing technique – a 2-part inhale into the abdomen and chest, followed by a relaxed exhale. Adjustments to the baseline breathing pattern are welcome as you explore the relationship between your breath and embodied experience, and you will be invited to explore breath holds and retentions, to pause and rest in awareness, and to welcome any body movements or sounds that want to express. I offer guidance and support with verbal invitations for awareness, touch (optional), and energetic attunements. A thoughtfully curated soundtrack will support you in getting out of your head, and into the deeper dimensions of your body, psyche, and spirit.
Why Breathwork?
While talk-based therapy can bring about meaningful self-discovery and awareness, more than an intellectual understanding of our psyche and experience is often needed for healing. Breathwork is a form of experiential therapy in which the patterns and memory of the body, nervous system, and psyche can be accessed, with the potential to effect profound transformation in our day-to-day lived reality and experience.
Through the process of conscious connected breathing – and with the care and guidance of a skilled facilitator - breathwork supports:
Somatic Healing & Embodiment
Without conscious awareness, the breath is constantly responding to the events and conditions of life. In experiences of overwhelm, fear, and stress, the breath becomes rapid and shallow, or suspends, as if frozen – a response of the “fight, flight, or freeze” system. In experiences of safety, comfort, and ease, the breath flows more freely and completely, signaling to the body that it can “rest and digest.”’
Throughout a lifetime of chronic and acute stress – including early childhood experiences that were overwhelming, traumatic, and exceeded our ability to cope – most adults have developed chronic tensions patterns in which the movement of the breath is restricted, contributing to a baseline of stress in the system (allostatic load) and some manner of dissociation and disconnection from the body. The pendulum swings between anxiety and depression, often with reduced capacity to engage with the world and others, and often with increased physical ailment and ‘dis-ease.’
Done in a safe and supportive setting, conscious connected breathwork helps actively discharge accumulated tension so the body can (finally!) enter a state of deep rest and relaxation, and reclaim the vital energy that was previously bound in those tension patterns.
Benefits include:
An experience of coming home to one’s body and inhabiting it with greater ease, joy, and comfort
Completion of unprocessed emotional energy in the body
Reduced anxiety; release of accumulated stress
Alleviation of depression; increased physical vitality, energy, and inspiration
Enhanced nervous system regulation and greater capacity to consciously respond to “triggers” instead of unconsciously react
Alleviation of many physical ailments including gastrointestinal issues, headaches, insomnia, and more
Respite from mental rumination; deep relaxation and stillness
Greater mental clarity
More ease and authenticity in relationships
Expanded States of Consciousness
As an expanded-state therapy, breathwork provides an accessible way to explore non-ordinary states of consciousness in which profound insight, clarity, and inner-wisdom can be discovered and embodied.
While expanded states can be accessed through deep meditative states, chanting, rituals like sweat lodge, taking plant medicines and psychedelics, or even through flow states induced by activities like running and surfing, breathwork is one of the easiest and most accessible ways to shift patterns of the mind and open the doors of perception so that you can see yourself and life from entirely new perspective.
In contrast to psychedelic work, breathwork is accessible, safe, legal, and can be dialed up or down in real-time to ensure the experience is one that can be productively integrated for the highest outcome possible.
Benefits include:
Heightened self-awareness, perspective, and insight; new possibility
Creative inspiration (personal projects, work, life’s purpose, etc.)
Release of energetic weight and the burdens and pains of others
“Soul retrieval” and re-integration of aspects of our innate self that have been exiled
Embodied experience of the energetic field of life and one’s own body
Connection to the Source/God/Nature/Spirit
Less fear and existential anxiety
More awe, delight, and ability to live from the heart
Are there any precautions to consider?
While this kind of breathwork is valuable to anyone interested in healing and personal growth, there are some conditions that may require modification or additional support, and some conditions in which it is not recommended.
These include:
pregnancy
high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, or glaucoma
epilepsy
bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or dissociative identity disorder
history of severe PTSD or complex trauma
active spiritual emergency
If any of these apply to you, you are welcome to contact me to discuss potential modifications and to assess whether this work will be beneficial.
A note on trauma:
While breathwork is a somatic healing modality that can be supportive in trauma resolution, it may NOT be appropriate for some histories of significant trauma. Please contact me if you have any questions about how to proceed mindfully and compassionately in your breathwork journey.
