about awakened breath

My Path to Breathwork

My name is Holly, and I’m so glad you’re here.

I found breathwork through my own healing journey. For much of my life, I had been working through the effects of childhood trauma such as recurring depression and anxiety, compulsive patterns, and coping strategies like drinking, recreational drugs, and other ways of numbing and dissociating.

I was also carrying the conditioning and impact of a decade-long abusive relationship, which included chronic internal pressure and self-criticism, nervous system dysregulation, chronic illness, and a deep disconnection from myself and my body. There was always a persistent feeling that I couldn’t fully begin my life – that I was stuck on the “launch pad,” unable to move forward in the ways I wanted to.

Before finding breathwork, I had tried many other approaches: years of cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma therapy, EMDR, neurofeedback, hypnotherapy, ayahuasca, meditation, self-help work, and transformational trainings. All of these supported me in different ways, but breathwork is what allowed me to access and work through layers I hadn’t been able to reach previously. 

It didn’t solve everything, and I don’t present it as a cure-all. What it did do was help me begin to more directly process what my system had been holding onto. Over time, my mind and nervous system felt less cluttered. I became more connected to myself and my body, and more compassionate toward myself. Life began to feel clearer. I started to feel that I was living, rather than only surviving.

I’ve found breathwork to be an incredibly powerful tool for healing and transformation, and I feel grateful and honored to be able to offer this work to others.