Breathwork means two simple things practiced with care and intention:

1. Breath Awareness – noticing *how* you are breathing, in real time.

2. Conscious Breathing – gently guiding the breath (tempo, depth, rhythm, pattern) for a purpose: relaxation, clarity, emotional release, energy, integration, healing.

As my teacher Dan Brulé says: “Breathwork is the use of Breath Awareness and Conscious Breathing for healing and growth, personal awakening and transformation in spirit, mind and body.”

Why Breath Matters More Than We Realize

Most of us breathe just enough to get by. Stress, rushing, screens, posture, and old emotional holding patterns all narrow and restrict the breath. Shallow, fast, or held breathing can quietly keep the body in a low‑grade stress response. Over time, that affects mood, focus, sleep, digestion, immunity, and how safe we feel in our own skin.

Learning to notice and work with your breath gives you a direct way to influence your nervous system, shift emotional states, and reconnect with your body’s natural intelligence. It’s simple, portable, and always available.

My Story: Finding Breath in a Hard Season

In 2012, during a period of looping thoughts and anxiety, I began practicing basic breath awareness. Almost immediately I noticed something: when I stayed with the breath, the mental spiral softened. With time, paying attention to my breathing helped me sense what was happening *inside*—in my body, my emotions, my mind. I became more in tune with my environment and with other people. Empathy deepened. My relationships changed quality. And I touched a quiet inner joy that wasn’t dependent on circumstances.

This is why I keep coming back to the breath—and why I share it.

Breath & State: A Two‑Way Street

Every psychological, emotional, and physiological state has a corresponding breathing pattern. When we’re calm, the breath naturally slows and deepens. When we’re stressed, angry, afraid, or in pain, the breath becomes shallow, fast, tight, or irregular. **The relationship goes both ways:** change the breath and you can help change the state.

Try asking:

–   How am I breathing when I feel safe and content?

–   How am I breathing when I’m upset, overwhelmed, or shut down?

–   If I lengthen my exhale or soften my belly, what happens to my mood?

Awareness creates choice. Choice creates change.

What Science Is Showing

From the scientific point of view, breathwork isn’t magic—it’s physiology you can feel. Here are key ways conscious breathing is being explored and applied:

•  Autonomic Nervous System Regulation

Slow, steady, intentional breathing (especially with a longer exhale) can activate the parasympathetic branch—your body’s “rest, digest, and repair” mode—helping reduce heart rate, lower perceived stress, and support emotional regulation.

•  Heart‑Rate Variability & Coherence

Breathing at a relaxed, even rhythm of \~5–6 breaths per minute (often called *coherent* or *resonant* breathing) has been shown to support heart‑rate variability (HRV), an indicator linked with resilience, adaptability, and emotional regulation.

•  Carbon Dioxide Tolerance & Calm

Many of us chronically over‑breathe (exhale too much CO₂). Gentle breath practices that slow or balance breathing can improve CO₂ tolerance, which may reduce anxious sensations related to air hunger, dizziness, or panic.

• Vagus Nerve Engagement 

Breathing that lengthens the exhale, uses gentle humming, or coordinates with sound can stimulate branches of the vagus nerve, supporting calm, digestion, and social connection cues of safety.

• Stress, Sleep, and Focus

Paced breathing before bed can help downshift the nervous system and improve sleep quality for some people. Brief breathing resets during the day can reduce perceived stress and help refocus attention.

•   Pain & Emotional Release

Changing respiratory patterns can influence pain perception and open space for stored emotional energy to surface and release—especially in facilitated settings where safety and support are present.

> Science Note: Research on specific techniques varies in depth and quality. Breathwork is promising and widely practiced, but it’s not a substitute for medical care. Use it as a supportive practice.

Ancient Roots, Universal Wisdom

Long before “breathwork” became a modern wellness term, cultures around the world used breath as a gateway to presence, healing, and expanded awareness.

• Yoga & Pranayama (India):** Systematic practices to regulate prana (life force) through the breath—cooling, warming, balancing, energizing, meditative.
• Anapanasati (Early Buddhist Practice):** Mindfulness of breathing as a core path to insight, steadiness, and awakening.
• Qigong & Daoist Breathing (China):** Coordinating breath, movement, and intention to cultivate qi, vitality, and longevity.
•  Sufi Practices:** Breath, sound, and repetition (zikr) used to open the heart and deepen devotional awareness.
• Indigenous & Shamanic Traditions:** Rhythmic breathing, chanting, and sound to enter non‑ordinary states, release tension, and connect with community and spirit.

These might be different languages but it is the same wisdom: when we attend to the breath, we open a doorway inward.

Two Pillars of Practice

1. Breath Awareness (Everyday Mindfulness)

Simply notice: Is your breath in the chest or the belly? Fast or slow? Paused at the top? Held when stressed? Awareness alone often brings softening.

Everyday ideas:

• 3 Conscious Breaths before you answer an email or text.
•  Notice your natural exhale when you step outside.
•  Place a hand on your belly at stoplights or between meetings.

2. Conscious Breathing Techniques (Intentional Sessions)

For a set period of time you guide the breath in a specific way. Different patterns, different effects. Examples:

• Lengthened Exhale:  Inhale gently, exhale longer (e.g., 4 in / 6–8 out) to settle the nervous system.
• Box Breathing: Inhale–hold–exhale–hold in equal counts (often 4s) for focus and regulation; widely used in high‑stress professions.
• Coherent / Resonant Breathing (\~5–6 bpm): Even inhale/exhale timing to support HRV and balance.
• Alternate Nostril Breathing: Traditional yogic practice associated with balance and centering.
• Conscious Connected Circular Breath: A continuous, active inhale/passive exhale pattern used in transformational, rebirthing, and integrative breathwork sessions; can access deeper emotional layers.

The “right” technique depends on your intention, nervous system state, and experience level. Skilled facilitation matters—especially for deeper journeys.

Why Work With a Facilitator?

Working with your breath can open body memories, buried emotions, or unexpected insights. You don’t have to navigate that alone.

A good facilitator helps you:**

• Feel safe enough to relax and go deeper.
• Recognize unhelpful breathing habits you can’t see yourself.
• Pace and adapt techniques to your nervous system.
• Stay grounded when strong feelings or energy arise.
• Integrate what you experience into daily life.

My approach: I hold a safe, intuitive space where you can find the answers already within you. Together we explore your current breathing and if there are areas in your body that need to open up. I take you from where you are and guide you on your own particular journey and self discovery. Your breath leads; I help you listen.

What Breathwork May Support

People use breath practices—alone or with guidance—to support:

•  Stress reduction & relaxation
•  Emotional regulation & resilience
•  Anxiety support (not a cure; a tool)
•  Greater body awareness & interoception
•  Improved focus, creativity, or decision clarity
•  Sleep preparation & downshifting before bed
•  Integrative healing work (trauma‑informed settings)
•  Spiritual or existential inquiry 

Breath isn’t a replacement for therapy or medical treatment—but it’s a powerful ally alongside them.

Ready to Explore?

Start small. Notice your breath three times today. Then, when you’re ready, come breathe with me in a guided session or group practice.

Your breath is the guide; I walk beside you.