How Breathwork Changed My Life
My path into breathwork began through my own experience. Born in France, my professional life has taken me around the world through my work in the nonprofit sector. During an especially demanding period in my late twenties, my health began to suffer, and I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
That experience changed the direction of my life. I began exploring the relationship between physical health, emotional trauma, and the way we experience stress. Along the way, I discovered conscious breathing practices, and the breath became the center of my healing journey. I healed from autoimmune disease and reconnected with a body I had felt disconnected from. Working with the breath became one of the most empowering journeys I could have imagined. As I began clearing long-held emotional patterns, I discovered a clarity and inner strength I had never known before.
Wanting to understand the practice more deeply, I went on to train in Transformational Breath®, which became the foundation of my work with the breath today.
Today, one of my greatest joys is witnessing what can unfold when others discover the power of their own breath: the emotions that can move, the awareness that can emerge, and the deep connection with themselves that can develop.
After all these years, I am still amazed by what something as simple and ever-present as our breath can open within us. Sharing that possibility with others is at the heart of why I do this work.
The 4 levels of breathwork
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The Physical Level - The Science Behind the Breath
Supporting the body from the cellular level
Breath is the foundation of life. With every breath, oxygen enters the bloodstream and is delivered throughout the body, where it plays an essential role in cellular energy production. Inside our mitochondria, oxygen helps our cells produce ATP, the energy they need to carry out their everyday functions.
This cellular energy allows the body’s ongoing processes of maintenance, repair, and waste processing. Our liver, kidneys, lungs, and other system cells are continuously working to process and eliminate metabolic waste, and those processes depend on healthy cellular metabolism.
Through conscious breathing, we engage with this fundamental exchange between breath and body, supporting the body’s natural processes of detoxification while restoring vitality. In doing so, we support its natural capacity for homeostasis, regulation, repair, and healing, helping the body return toward balance.
Nervous System Regulation
Feeling peaceful again
Our nervous system is designed to protect us. When we perceive stress or danger, the body activates its fight-or-flight response, preparing us to react and survive. But in a world of constant demands, stimulation, and emotional pressure, that response can remain activated long after the immediate threat has passed. Anxiety and panic attacks have become increasingly common experiences of modern life, and both can involve this same survival system becoming highly activated, even when there is no immediate physical danger.
When stress becomes chronic, it can affect far more than how we feel emotionally. Prolonged activation of the stress response can influence sleep, digestion, immune function, cardiovascular health, and overall well-being, and is associated with a range of health conditions.
The breath has a unique relationship with the nervous system because it is both automatic and under our conscious control. Research on controlled breathing shows that it can influence autonomic regulation, including vagal activity and heart-rate variability, mechanisms associated with the parasympathetic “rest and restore” response. Through the breath, we have a practical way to influence the state of our nervous system, helping us move out of survival mode and return to a greater sense of peace and safety.
Emotional Integration
From reaction to conscious response and unlocking our highest potential
The accumulation of unprocessed emotions can affect our ability to fully express who we are and move toward our potential. Much of our emotional world exists outside our conscious awareness until something triggers it. A situation, a relationship, or even a seemingly insignificant event can activate an emotional charge that was already within us. Until these emotions are processed, they can keep us caught in familiar patterns, leading us to react automatically rather than respond with conscious choice.
These patterns have roots in our earliest experiences, before we had the cognitive ability to fully understand or make sense of what we were feeling. These early emotional wounds become a foundation upon which further emotional layers accumulate as we grow and encounter new experiences. Because their origins reach back to early childhood, they are not always connected to a clear conscious memory. And yet, they continue to influence how we move through life, and how we relate to others…and to ourselves.
This is where the somatic nature of breathwork becomes particularly powerful. Rather than trying to understand through the perspective of the mind, the breath anchors our attention in the body and brings us into the world of sensation and feeling. It can allow us to come into contact with deep emotional experiences that are difficult to reach through memory or cognitive processing alone.
Through the breath, we can begin to meet these deeper emotional layers, bringing what was outside our awareness into conscious experience so it can be felt, processed, and integrated. This integration can create a profound sense of peace and release, as emotional energy that had been tied up in an old wound is no longer held in the same way. What was once inhibited in response to a painful experience can begin to find expression again. Whether that is our capacity for joy, self-confidence, creativity, leadership, faith in our journey, or simply the freedom to be more fully ourselves.
It can also influence our relationship with our body and our physical well-being. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, emotions and physical health are understood as deeply interconnected, with persistent emotional imbalances believed to affect the functioning of the body over time. From this perspective, emotional integration is not only about feeling better emotionally, but also about supporting greater balance within the whole person.
The Spiritual Level
An Encounter with Our Higher Self
Breathwork can become a profound inner journey. As conscious breathing anchors us deeply into the present moment, the constant activity of the mind can begin to quiet, creating an inner space that we may rarely experience in everyday life.
As we move through the layers of emotion and inner noise that occupies our awareness, there can be moments when something else becomes perceptible. A deep sense of peace, love, presence, and connection that seems to exist beyond our usual thoughts, stories, and emotional patterns.
For some, this can feel like an encounter with a deeper part of themselves, what spiritual traditions might call the Higher Self, or the Divine realm. It can feel as though an inner space has opened that was always there, but had previously been difficult to access.
Every breathing session is deeply personal and unique. What is revealed will be different for each session and for each person. There is nothing to achieve, only an invitation to feel the Presence.
Frequently asked questions
What should I wear?
Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing that doesn’t restrict your belly or chest. This allows your body to move freely with the breath and gives us space to work on opening and expanding your breathing pattern.
Is breathwork safe?
I am trained in Transformational Breath®, a structured breathwork method that has been developed and practiced for nearly 50 years, with an emphasis on breath mechanics, facilitation, and safety. Before we begin, we will discuss anything relevant to your health and well-being so the practice can be approached appropriately for you.
Do I need any previous experience with breathwork, meditation, or other practices?
Not at all. The breath meets you exactly where you are. No previous experience is necessary, and there is nothing you need to know or achieve beforehand. As you become more familiar with the practice, breathing consciously begins to feel more natural and the experience deepens.
Are there any contraindications?
Breathwork is generally considered safe for most people, but certain health conditions may require additional care or medical guidance. Before your session, we will discuss your health history and any conditions that could affect the practice. Depending on your circumstances, I may adapt the breathing practice or recommend that you speak with your healthcare provider before participating.
Is breathwork like meditation?
Not exactly. While both practices can bring us into greater presence, breathwork is a more active and physical experience. You will usually be lying down, but you are actively engaged with a conscious breathing pattern throughout the session. You don’t need to be particularly fit or flexible.
Can I consume alcohol or other substances before breathwork?
I recommend arriving for your session sober and avoiding alcohol or recreational substances beforehand. Breathwork asks us to be present with our body, sensations, and emotions, and experiencing the practice with a clear mind allows you to engage with it more fully. If substance use is part of something you are currently working through, you are welcome to discuss this with me privately before booking so we can determine what is appropriate for you.
Can I come with someone?
Yes. If you would like to experience breathwork with a partner, friend, or small group, contact me and we can discuss the possibility of arranging a shared or group session.
How much does a session cost?
Please visit the Session page.
If you feel called to experience breathwork, explore private sessions and what to expect.
Have questions first?
Schedule a complimentary. 20-minute discovery call.
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