Breathwork is a form of meditation and is performed intentionally for healing and transformation. Meditation is more focused on anchoring you into the present moment and is rooted in relaxation and mental clarity. While daily meditation can be transformative, breathwork is the most effective modality I have personally found to quickly shift emotional and energetic barriers, open your heart to clarity and heal from past traumas.

While the technique remains mostly the same across all sessions, what you will experience and heal will vary from session to session, and person to person.

I open with a grounding meditation, dance or visualization and then a body check to assess how you are feeling followed by stretches to come fully into the practice. We will set individual intentions for your session and state what you are ready to clear or get rid of and what you will replace it with. Depending on whether we are at group event or in a private session we’ll dig into self- inquiry questions to set the tone for the session. We may work with themes or particular issues as well. This will allow you to set an intention for the practice, and then we begin with a brief demonstration of the techniques or sequences we will use for that session!

You’ll be in ‘active breathing’, hypoxic breathing or a combination of both, as described above, for 20-35 minutes depending on the length of the session. Trust me, this will feel like 5 minutes once it’s over. Then we move back to normal breathing and integration to being present in our space. This is where I personally feel as though all the magic happens. Your body is open and expanded, you are connected to your highest self and an open channel for information, messages or just feelings of bliss.

You will be tender and open following the session. I always recommend to go easy and be kind to yourself for the days following the session, drink plenty of water and journal any feelings, ideas, emotions or inspirations that emerge.

Like a regular meditation practice, breathwork has been shown to have a profound effect on the body. Some of the known benefits include:

• Increased parasympathetic tone (moving you from ‘fight or flight’ to ‘rest and digest’).
• A reduction in stress, anxiety, grief, depression and anger.
• Increased energy levels and a boost to your body’s immune system.
• Increased self-awareness, presence, happiness, creativity, intuition and access to joy.
• Increased capacity for self-love by bringing us into our body and seeing our truth.
• Improved sleep, trauma release and fear of that feeling of being “stuck”.
• Reduced pain, release of toxins from the body improving our wellness for mind, body and spirit.
• Improved digestion.
• It provides a way to explore altered states of consciousness, consciously [advanced methods with special safety requirements]!

In summary, breathwork supports so many of the challenges everyone experiences on a day-to-day basis. It reduces stress, creates feelings of openness, love, peace, gratitude, clarity, communication, and connection. Breathwork also helps release trauma or mental, physical, and emotional blocks, as well as anxiety, depression, fear, grief, and anger.

Breathe on an empty stomach.

If you are going to engage in a prolonged breathwork session (greater than 15 minutes) it is advisable to not eat heavily for at least up to two hours prior to breathing. If your stomach is digesting food, it will require a higher demand of blood which will interfere with the Breathwork experience. You may feel a strong discomfort in your stomach, getting winded rather quickly, and incapable of sustaining breath holds for too long.  Eating lightly 1-2 hours prior to your session is the optimal way to attend.

Prepare your space before the session

Your breathwork location should be comfortable and safe where you know you will not be interrupted or judged by anyone else. Ideally, you want a space where you have the liberty to shout, cry or laugh at will. Some people like to sage their space to cleanse it for deep work.

Use headphones – wireless recommended for remote sessions

Many of the music choices I use have binaural beats and can only be fully experienced through the use of headphones.

Have on hand…a water bottle, eye pillow or eye covering, mat with a blanket for comfort and an extra blanket for support or if you get cold (common in active breathwork sessions).

Use the bathroom before your session

It is best to do breathwork on an empty bladder.

Wear comfortable loose clothing. You will be laying down for most breathwork sessions.

Breathwork is completely safe to practice everyday, that being said I practice a full session most mornings before starting my day.  On days that I choose not to practice the full session in the morning,  I will do shorter (7-15 minute) practices throughout the day to shift energy or as an energetic tune-up including pre-sleep.

New emotions – You may notice that new and previously unknown thoughts, feelings and emotions rise to the surface. Just notice what they are and practice acceptance. See if they bring new insights, perhaps they may help you gain clarity or new perspectives. New memories can surface that have been protected for years. Keep a breathwork journal to record the things that emerge.

It’s normal to feel tired, especially after big energy releases during breathing sessions. After breathing practices that stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, you can experience some tingling and mild contractions in your hands and feet, and sometimes a sense of vibration throughout your whole body.

Technically, yes during certain advanced practices especially during active trauma and release breathwork and some hypoxic breath training. Since Hyperventilation is breathing that is deeper and more rapid than normal. It causes a decrease in the amount of a gas in the blood. (This gas is called carbon dioxide, or CO₂.) The decrease may make you feel lightheaded or dizzy. This is why you lay down or sit safely in your practice space. Anytime you are doing breathwork and feel uncomfortable, all you need to do is take a break or slow your breathing. Most introductory breathwork is done in a controlled way with shallow breaths and short breath-holds. If at any time this makes you feel uneasy, you can keep the breath softer and more shallow through your practice until you feel comfortable in speeding things up or taking the breath deeper. It is your breath and you control your experience.

As you start the active breath (mouth breathing), you begin to increase the level of oxygen in the body. You are oxygenating the blood, stimulating the hypothalamus gland, and releasing endorphins in the body. Your body may start to feel like it is energized and tingly. This may be all over, or local to one area. This is when the body begins to open up and energy and emotions can move freely through the body, even emotions you may not have been consciously aware of. In essence, you are voluntarily stimulating the involuntary system and moving to a higher state of consciousness. You will learn to release negative energy in a safe way, experience spiritual and emotional awakenings, and enhance clarity on the next steps in your journey.

If you have any medical conditions or are currently taking medication, please consult your doctor prior to practicing Breathwork. It’s recommended that you consult with your healthcare provider (including any mental health provider) prior to practicing breathwork if you are unsure if breathwork is right for you. 

 Breathwork can result in intense physical and emotional release. Therefore, it is advised to seek advice from your care physician for persons with a history of cardiovascular disease, including angina or heart attack, high blood pressure, glaucoma, retinal detachment, osteoporosis, any significant recent physical injuries or surgeries, severe mental illness, diagnosis of schizophrenia, seizure disorders or are using major medications and if using blood thinning medicine.

Breathwork is not advised for persons with severe mental illness or seizure disorders or for persons using major medications. It is also unsuitable for anyone with a personal or family history of aneurysms. Pregnant women are advised against practicing Breathwork without first consulting and getting approval from their primary care physician and should refrain from deep breathing and breath-holds. Persons with asthma should bring their inhaler and consult with their primary care physician and the Breathwork facilitator before their first session.

Active breathwork through the mouth is a this style of breathing that is neurologically linked to sending the body into a stress response by activating your sympathetic nervous system, so even if you had no reason to be stressed, if you breathed in this way you would cause your body to go into a stress response — doesn’t sound so smart does it? This practice helps to release the things that no longer serve you and/or things that may be “stuffed down”.

What breathwork does so effortlessly is to reconnect you with your body, which actually helps you jumpstart the healing process. Additionally breathing deeply causes the body to release endorphins, which reduces sensitivity to pain and boosts pleasure, resulting in a feeling of well-being

Yes, but highly unlikely when guided by a Certified Instructor.

If you’re new to breathwork, more challenging techniques may lead to hyperventilating. This is dangerous because you may also experience: Dizziness. Tingling in your hands, arms, feet, or legs.  You should always be in a safe space lying down or upright in a supportive chair.