Breathwork, an age-old practice with roots in various ancient cultures, has become increasingly popular in today’s wellness world for its powerful effects on both mental and physical health. At its essence, breathwork is the intentional control of breathing patterns to influence the body and mind, supporting relaxation, clarity, and stress relief.

Scientifically, breathwork impacts the autonomic nervous system—the system responsible for regulating automatic functions such as heartbeat and digestion. By consciously adjusting the breath, we can move from the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which is responsible for the body’s stress response ("fight or flight"), to the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which supports recovery, relaxation, and digestion. This shift helps lower cortisol (the stress hormone), reduce blood pressure, and promote a sense of ease and balance in the body.

Breathing techniques also directly affect the brain. Intentional breathing increases oxygen delivery to the brain, supporting better focus, emotional regulation, and mental clarity. It also triggers the release of endorphins—our natural mood boosters—helping to ease anxiety and lift mood. Deep breathing, especially when using the diaphragm, supports lung capacity and boosts oxygen flow throughout the body, contributing to overall physical wellness.

Studies in the field of psychophysiology further confirm breathwork’s benefits for mental health. Practices such as pranayama, often used in yoga, have been linked to improvements in conditions like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Breathwork encourages mindfulness and body awareness, helping individuals to process emotions more effectively and build emotional resilience over time.

How Inefficient Breathing Impacts Your Body—and How Healing Happens

Breathing is our most fundamental yet under-taught life skill. From the moment we’re born, most of us breathe unconsciously—and over time, stress, illness, and daily life can shape this into habits that do more harm than good. Shallow, irregular, or chaotic breathing disrupts the free flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide, putting the body under oxidative stress and increasing inflammation and cellular deterioration.

Breathing that’s out of sync activates your sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight), short-circuits cellular function, and can reduce the energy your cells produce. Too much oxygen at once—without enough carbon dioxide—prevents efficient ATP generation, weakening vitality and contributing to oxidative “rust” in your body.

The Healing Harmony: SOMA, Somatic, and Holotropic Breathwork

SOMA Breath® — Conscious, Rhythmic, and Regenerative

SOMA Breath® rebalances the breath, harnessing techniques that encourage efficient oxygen-CO₂ exchange and steady ATP production. Rooted in science, ancient wisdom, and music, it allows you to feel vibrant, resilient, and energetically aligned. By training your breath with awareness, you can keep oxidative stress at bay and support overall longevity and wellness.

Somatic Breathwork — Grounded, Safe, Nervous System Healing

This body-centered approach helps you truly feel your breath—diaphragmatic, gentle, anchored. Somatic breathwork calms the autonomic nervous system, activating the parasympathetic (“rest-and-digest”) response, reducing blood pressure and heart rate, releasing tension, enhancing lung capacity, and fostering emotional release and clarity.

Holotropic Breathwork — Deep, Transformative, Conscious Expansion

Developed by Stanislav and Christina Grof in the 1970s, Holotropic Breathwork uses accelerated, even breathing (within safe bounds) to access non-ordinary states of consciousness. It can catalyse emotional release, insight, and a return to wholeness. While powerful, it’s meant to be done with a trained facilitator given the emotional and physical terrain it can open.

Why These Breathwork Practices Matter—Together

• Regulate your nervous system—shift from overwhelm to ease.

• Support efficient cellular function—keep oxidative stress in check.

• Release deeply stored emotions and trauma—through safe, embodied practice.

• Access clarity, creative insight, and self-integration—through conscious breath and states of presence.

These methods offer not just physical health benefits, but emotional resilience, mental clarity, and spiritual re-alignment through embodied awareness.

Why I’m Here to Guide You

I’ve healed my own traumas and wounds through these very practices—and I bring you this offering from a place of deep, embodied authenticity. As a personal trainer, nutritionist, somatic guide, breathwork facilitator, and Outdoor Education Leader, I hold a trauma-informed, nature-immersed, somatic container rooted in trust, presence, and respect.

As I complete my Level 2 Somatic Trauma-Informed Therapy training, SOMA Breathwork Master and Holotropic Spiritus Breathwork- I’m integrating breath, movement, touch, sound, and deep meditation in a way that supports deep release, integration, and the letting go of stagnant energy that no longer serves you.

Your Invitation

If you’re feeling weighed down—emotionally, energetically, or physically—this is your wake-up call. With breath as your bridge, we can guide your body’s return to openness, vitality, and clarity. Whether you're seeking trauma release, emotional regulation, or just a deeper connection to yourself, these practices offer a profound way home.