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What is breathwork?

The breath is more than something we do automatically

It is one of the few processes in the body that happens on its own—and that we can also consciously influence.

Our breath changes with us. It can become shallow when we're anxious, catch when we're startled, deepen when we feel relief, and change rhythm when we cry, laugh, rest or move.

Breathwork begins with this relationship between the breath, body and our internal state.

It is the intentional use of breathing practices to influence how we feel and to bring greater awareness to what is happening within us.

There are many different forms of breathwork, and they don't all do the same thing.

At The Breath Beneath, I work primarily with two approaches: Conscious Connected Breathing during facilitated sessions, and gentler breathing practices that you can take with you into everyday life.

Conscious Connected Breathing

Conscious Connected Breathing is an active breathing practice in which the breath flows continuously, without intentional pauses between the inhale and exhale. A little deeper, and a little faster than your regular breath.

This form of breathwork invites us to pay attention to our internal experience.

As the breathing continues, you may become more aware of physical sensations, emotions, thoughts, tension, memories or patterns of holding within the body.

Sometimes the experience is emotional.

Sometimes it is physical.

Sometimes it is quiet.

And sometimes very little seems to happen until the body feels safe enough to explore.

There is no set experience you are supposed to have.

I don't approach Conscious Connected Breathing as a way to force a breakthrough, manufacture catharsis, or make the body “release” something before it is ready.

The practice is an opportunity to become curious about what is already here.

Breathwork you can take with you

Not every breathwork practice needs to happen during a facilitated session.

Alongside Conscious Connected Breathing, I also introduce gentler breathing techniques that can become part of everyday life.

Depending on the person and what feels appropriate, these practices may be used to support:

settling during moments of stress or anxiety
relaxation and a sense of calm
preparing the body for rest and sleep
grounding and reconnecting with the body
pausing before reacting when emotions feel intense
transitioning out of a busy or stressful day

These practices are generally slower and more regulating than Conscious Connected Breathing.

The intention is not to teach you one “correct” way to breathe all day. It is to help you develop a small collection of practices you understand and can return to when they are useful.

Something you can carry with you beyond our time together.

Breathwork & the nervous system

Our breathing and nervous system are closely connected.

When our internal state changes, our breathing often changes with it. And because breathing can also be intentionally altered, the breath gives us one way of interacting with our physiological state rather than simply observing it.

This doesn't mean the goal is to remain calm all the time.

Nervous system regulation isn't the absence of stress, activation or difficult emotion.

It is partly about developing greater awareness of our internal state and having more ways to respond when we notice ourselves becoming overwhelmed, activated or disconnected.

The breath can become one of those ways.

Breathwork isn't therapy—and it doesn't need to be.

Breathwork is not psychotherapy, medical treatment, or a replacement for appropriate mental health or medical care.

It is an experiential, body-based practice centered around intentional breathing, awareness and our relationship with our internal experience.

For some people, breathwork exists alongside therapy. For others, it is one of several practices they use to support their emotional and physical well-being.

I see these approaches as complementary rather than competing.

A glimpse into breathwork