10/10/2026
Day 56 of 365 Days of Breath
I’ve been practicing breathwork for years and actively teaching and guiding others for the past three. Yesterday, for the very first time, someone asked me, “What’s your approach?” 🤯 That question stayed with me. I was the first time I’ve been asked!
I’ve always volunteered information about how I facilitate, why I use certain techniques, and the importance of understanding the breath. But it made me realize how little many people actually know about breathwork.
And yes, I understand, if you’re alive, you’re breathing! 😂 But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re breathing efficiently or understand how your breathing patterns affect your body and mind. I take breathwork VERY seriously. Because we’re not just working with someone’s breathing. We’re working with their nervous system, emotions, and potentially their psyche.
Psyche (pronounced SY-kee): The totality of the human mind, including our conscious and unconscious thoughts, emotions, memories, perceptions, and psychological processes.
Read that again. 🙏🏼 🧠🤔🧐🥺🤯
When someone trusts you to guide them through breathwork, you are being invited into an incredibly vulnerable space. Breathwork can bring emotions to the surface, influence physiological states, and sometimes activate memories or psychological responses that a person may not be prepared to navigate.
This is why the approach MATTERS. This is why understanding the nervous system matters. This is why trauma awareness, informed consent, contraindications, and knowing when to slow down or stop matter.
Not every breathing technique is appropriate for every person. And not every intense emotional experience is necessarily healing. I don’t take that responsibility lightly. Breathwork is powerful, but with that potential comes a responsibility to understand what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and who we’re guiding.
We are working with human beings, not just their breath.
Practitioners, explain your approach, screen for contraindications, obtain informed consent, and prioritize safety over intensity.
Participants, ask about your facilitator’s training and approach, share relevant health information, and remember that you can slow down, pause, or stop at any time.
Breathwork should support your well-being, not override your boundaries.
Happy Breathing, one more thing.
What’s one thing about breathing or breathwork that surprised you? Let me know ⬇️ in the comments ⬇️