Author: Juliana Stoddart

Traditional therapy has been a lifeline for many, offering a space to unpack emotions and gain insights. But what happens to the trauma that lives deep in our muscles, our nervous system, our very cells? This is where breathwork steps in—a powerful approach that speaks the language of the body.

The Limitations of Talking

Talk therapy is incredibly valuable. It helps us understand our experiences, recognize patterns, and develop cognitive strategies for healing. But emotions aren’t just thoughts—they’re physical experiences that get trapped in our body’s memory.

Breathwork: A Somatic Approach to Healing

Imagine trauma as a knot deep within your physical self. Talk therapy might help you understand how the knot was formed, but breathwork actually helps you untie it. It’s a direct line of communication with the parts of yourself that words can’t quite reach.

How Trauma Lives in the Body

When we experience something traumatic, our body doesn’t just file it away like a memory. It stores it physically:

• Hormonal shifts in cortisol and adrenaline
• Neurological rewiring in stress response pathways
• Muscular tension and protective holding patterns
• Altered breathing mechanics
• Nervous system dysregulation

Breathwork targets these physical manifestations, offering a pathway to release what goes beyond verbal processing.

The Body Knows

Our bodies carry the imprints of our experiences. They remember things our conscious mind might have forgotten or tried to suppress. Breathwork creates a safe, structured way to:

• Access these stored experiences from a supported state
• Allow physical release
• Complete interrupted stress responses
• Reconnect with your body’s innate healing wisdom

More Than Just Breathing

This isn’t only about taking deep breaths or practicing relaxation. It’s an intentional, guided process that:

• Activates the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
• Allows traumatic experiences to move through you
• Releases stored tension
• Integrates fragmented experiences
• Creates new neural pathways of resilience
• Creates space and new perspectives for transformation

Why It Works

Breathwork is an approach to healing that recognizes a fundamental truth: our minds and bodies are not separate systems, but deeply interconnected experiences.

Think of trauma like a language your body speaks that your mind can’t always translate. Breathwork is the interpreter—it creates a bridge between:

• Unconscious physical memories
• Conscious emotional awareness
• Neurological healing responses
• Physiological release mechanisms

A Complementary Approach

It’s not about replacing talk therapy, but expanding its potential. Some experiences are too deep for words alone. Breathwork gives those experiences a voice, a movement, a way to be expressed and released.

At its core, breathwork is beautifully simple: it trusts your body’s capacity to heal itself when given the right conditions.

The Invitation

For anyone who feels stuck, who knows there’s something beneath the surface that talk therapy hasn’t quite touched, breathwork offers a different path. It’s an invitation to heal not just mentally, but physically, emotionally, and holistically.to be fixed. It’s a brilliant, adaptive system waiting to be heard, understood, and ultimately, healed.

References:

Van der Kolk, B A. “The body keeps the score: memory and the evolving psychobiology of posttraumatic stress.” Harvard review of psychiatry vol. 1,5 (1994): 253-65. doi:10.3109/10673229409017088

Breathwork is a versatile practice that encompasses a wide range of techniques and approaches, each offering unique benefits and experiences.

Generally, there are 3 main categories of breathwork:

• Functional Breathing
• Nervous System Regulation Breathwork or Pranayama
• Transpersonal/Psychedelic Style Breathwork

Functional Breathing refers to the way you naturally breathe every day. Functional breathing techniques aim to correct any dysfunction or suboptimal patterns, helping you achieve efficient and balanced breathing. This involves nasal breathing, diaphragmatic engagement, and maintaining a calm, steady rhythm to optimize oxygen intake, balance carbon dioxide levels, and support overall health, energy, and stress management.

Nervous System Regulation Breathwork, or Pranayama, includes techniques designed to either calm or energize the body and mind. Pranayama, sometimes referred to as “Yoga of Breath,” is an ancient Indian practice that dates back over 5,000 years. Calming practices, like Box Breathing (4-4-4-4) or 4-7-8 breathing, focus on longer exhales to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress and promoting relaxation. Energizing breathwork, such as Breath of Fire or Kapalabhati, uses rapid, rhythmic breathing to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, boosting energy, focus, and alertness. These simple practices offer a dynamic way to shift your state, whether you need calm or an energizing reset.

Transpersonal or Psychedelic-Style Breathwork, such as Holotropic, Rebirthing, and Shamanic Breathwork, involves deep, rhythmic breathing techniques, paired with carefully chosen music, that is designed to access altered states of consciousness. These practices often evoke profound emotional release, spiritual insights, and a connection to the subconscious, supporting deep healing and transformation.

I mainly teach Conscious Connected Breathwork which is a transpersonal style. However, I use a variety of these techniques to tailor an experience that suit your goals, needs, and intentions.