What's all the buzz about somatic breathwork?
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Somatic Breathwork in a nutshell
At its core, somatic breathwork involves simple circular breathing (a fancy way to say "in and out"). As you breathe, you'll hear rhythmic music along with verbal cues and affirmations, creating an environment that makes it easier to calm your mind and reconnect with your body, bringing insights and a deeper connection to self.
The first half of the actual breathwork is upbeat for the purpose of bringing the nervous system to a slightly stressed state. By doing so, we create an opportunity for our bodies to release any stress that was suppressed or buried. The second half of the session is very calming for the purpose of deep relaxation.
If that first half sounds a little intense, I totally get it. In our society, we're taught to bury our stress and avoid it — so why would anyone want to enter a stressed state on purpose? Keep in mind that you'll be doing so in a safe and supportive environment, which can help you build resilience to stress you'll inevitably experience in the real world. AND, you are in complete control of how deep you go.
I like to remind my clients that there's no prize for pushing yourself past your limits. The point is to gently explore areas of stress and tension in the body — NOT to blast your nervous system!
The goal of somatic breathwork is expression: it's common to experience some tears, perhaps some anxiety, even anger or joy. You may feel like laughing, yelling, stretching, shaking your body, or saying something out loud. In a world that teaches us to suppress our emotions, somatic breathwork is a powerful practice that lets our bodies EXPRESS in the ways it always needed to, before our minds said that wasn't allowed.
That said, our minds looooove to latch onto the word "goal," so I want to emphasize that our body isn't always READY to express right away, especially if you've spent decades holding things in. I've had clients express disappointment when their experience didn't match what they expected. Maybe they wanted to have a good cry, and that didn't happen. It's also totally normal to fall asleep during the session; sometimes sleep is what we suppress! Give it time, and keep showing up; every experience is different.
So, maybe a better way to say it is this: the true goal of somatic breathwork is to allow your body to take the wheel for once. The mind is actually not the boss here! Each of us is made of mind, body, heart and spirit. Even if you don't experience any emotional expressions, that doesn't mean you're doing it wrong. You still showed up and set aside time for yourself to connect with your body, and that's always powerful.
What to Expect (1-Hour Class)
Class structure
- 10min explanation
- 40min guided breathwork
- First half: up-regulation of nervous system
- Second half: down-regulation of nervous system
- 10min closing circle
I will be giving cues and affirmations during the breathing sessions. Participants will be muted; videos are optional but helpful for me as a practitioner. There is time at the end of class for anyone who feels called to share their experience.
Sensory considerations
- The first half of class contains 2 sets of 8min of upbeat rhythmic music, which may be overstimulating for those with an overactive nervous system. There is a break in between sets.
- The second half contains calming meditation music.
Participants can adjust their own music volume on their end, but it may interfere with being able to hear my verbal cues.
Anita's Experience
I first discovered the practice of somatic breathwork while on a retreat with my younger sister, led by Ellie Rome of Comfort Zone Retreats. It was here that I experienced my first somatic breathwork journey, a 90-minute guided breathwork session under the stars.
I'll be honest, I had no idea what to expect and was pretty skeptical. And yet, as I started to breathe in the first half, I started to experience vibration and shivers throughout my body, as though there was something buried inside, something I couldn't quite access.
Then, I felt Ellie's presence nearby as she offered verbal affirmations of safety and freedom to express. On my next exhale, I felt her hands pressing gently onto my belly, right where some of that tension was stored.
To my surprise, my exhale turned into a huge sob! Suddenly I was sobbing freely like I hadn't cried in years — maybe my whole life.
The funny thing was, I didn't feel uncomfortable crying like that.
I felt free.
I felt like years of buried emotions and trauma were melting away. I could give you my life story, sure, tell you all the things I carried from childhood and onwards, but the thing is, everyone knows what it's like to experience pain. It is a core human experience...one that, if we look at it head on, can bring us closer together.
And sobbing under the stars that night, surrounded by dozens of others crying, laughing, and yelling through their own inner journeys...well, there was something really magical about that.
That's the other thing about somatic breathwork: it's not always about crying and releasing sadness. I've experienced laughter, excitement, bliss, anger, fear, deep relaxation, sleep and a whole bunch of other emotional and physical states during sessions, both as a client and practitioner.
Expectations live in the mind. Sometimes we go into a session imagining we're going to release some anger about that annoying coworker at work, or sadness about a recent loss. Oftentimes in these cases, the body has other plans. As a very mind-based individual, I've found somatic breathwork to be instrumental in honoring my body and what it needs.
If you're ready to try out this transformational practice, you can check for upcoming sessions here.