The first time I experienced somatic breathwork was in 2017 at the Sage Yoga School in Boise. Rainbow Eric and Marisa Radha Weppner led us in the practice of deep breathing. I traveled back in time to my early childhood—a memory that I hadn’t thought about since the time. It was profound, because this was a wound that I carried without knowing it. It was almost as if I was watching my life from above. After some deep journaling and integration, I was able to make sense of the scenario and understand why I may have some emotions that I do today.
My second breathwork experience was in 2019 with Anahata Ananda with our Fit For Service community in Sedona, AZ. It was then that I went back to another time when I was young (about four years old) where I experienced humiliation around a haircut I had given myself. Memories surfaced and I sat with my inner child and told her that she didn’t do anything wrong. She is okay. I hadn’t realized in my adult life that this experience left another scar in my life. Sitting with it, allowing emotion to flow, truly helped me heal from the experience and understand myself on a deeper level.
In 2020 I signed up for a course called Alchemy of Self Realization with Rainbow Eric and Stacy Matulis. It’s a yearlong program and began in the thick of COVID-19 quarantine. I’ve experienced multiple breathwork sessions virtually on Zoom from the comfort of my own home, and through this program, I have experienced a broad spectrum of emotions including rage, tantrums, shame, tears, joy, the list goes on. This course also helped me realize how much proprioceptive input ((sensations from joints, muscles and connective tissues that underlie body awareness) can be obtained by lifting, pushing, and pulling heavy objects, including one’s own weight.)
My body and brain need on a daily basis to function. No wonder I’ve been a dancer, martial artist, cheerleader, yoga practitioner and exercise lover my whole life. Quarantine pushed me to my edge of stillness and deep yearning my body has for a consistent movement. This breathwork practice has helped me in countless ways.
“We need to pay special attention to the breath, firstly because the respiratory system is the only major system in the body which is usually involuntary, but which can also be voluntarily controlled. We need to pay special attention to the breath secondly, because it is a very powerful and centrally important system. Somewhat like the flywheel in a car engine, the breath regulates all the other autonomic systems, including brain function. As yogis have known for centuries, controlling and changing the way we breathe, can go a long way towards getting us unstuck from the debilitating effects of central nervous system overactivation.” -Dr. Susan Kriegler
Summer of 2020 I felt called to the Healing Modalities and Shamangelic Breathwork Facilitator training with Anahata Ananda. I want to help others along their journey of self-realization and deep healing. My gratitude runs deep for the ability to receive this wisdom, and I do not take it lightly. Deep bows to Anahata Ananda, Rainbow Eric, Stacy Matulis, Sage Yoga School, Fit For Service Fellowship, and the teachers and healers who came before them for sharing these gifts with me, which sparked my desire for this learning.
“Deep Shamangelic breathing has been found to facilitate profound emotional releases, open new channels of awareness and clear toxicity in the body. This sacred journey incorporates guided visualization, deep shamanic breathing, vibrational sound, soulful music, energy healing, Shamanic tools, crystal therapy and light body expansion techniques to facilitate a personal Sacred Shamanic Journey into the depths of one’s soul and BEYOND! Due to the intense and powerful nature of Shamangelic Breathwork, facilitators require comprehensive training and experience.” -Anahata Ananda
I have been personally transformed and have healed so much thanks to receiving Breathwork from many facilitators (above names aforementioned, plus others) in the last three years and cannot wait to continue to share this practice!
Many people ask what a breathwork ceremony looks like, so this is a rough idea (each practice is different and each person’s experience is relative):
I’ll create a specific altar based on the theme of the practice, moon cycle, astrological occurrences, or individual person. We set intentions together so that I can fully understand your intention of the journey. From there, the participants begin by laying down and breathing deeply. We have a specific playlist for the journey based on the intention. Throughout the session I may play instruments, spray scents into the space (as long as the participants agree to that), offer hands-on assists (with consent), encouraging you to keep going, to express, and allow you space and time to journey and feel. After the session is complete, we spend some time journaling and allowing time to share on your experience/main take-away. The breathwork lasts for about one hour with 30 minutes of intention setting and 30 minutes of integration for a full 2-2.5 hour experience.
It’s truly an honor to be a facilitator of an experience like this. With the deep shifts I’ve had in these ceremonies I am a direct testament to the amount of healing potential this practice has. The breath is a direct vehicle for trauma release. Trauma doesn’t always have to mean obvious traumas such as war, death, sexual abuse, violence, etc. Less obvious causes of trauma can be a minor car accident, being lost in a strange place, moving homes, changing schools, being teased, loss of a pet, hurtful comments, rejection, a breakup, etc. Trauma comes in many forms and every human has experienced some form of trauma in their lifetime (in my opinion). Somatic breathwork and embodiment is a great place to explore and to assist in releasing these experiences from the physical body.
In the least, breathwork is an incredible detox for the body and brain! If you are curious about receiving a ceremony for you or a few loved ones, I would be honored to hold space. Feel free to reach out!
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