WHAT IS CONSCIOUS BREATHWORK?
The breath opens what the mind alone cannot reach.
Conscious breathwork is a simple practice with a long history: you breathe in a deliberate, connected rhythm — fuller and faster than everyday breathing, with no pause between the inhale and the exhale — for an extended stretch of time, usually lying down, with music and a facilitator holding the space.
The style Jen works with is Holotropic-inspired. Holotropic Breathwork was developed in the 1970s by Stanislav and Christina Grof as a drug-free way to reach the kinds of expanded states then being studied in psychedelic research. The word means “moving toward wholeness.” Jen’s ceremonies borrow its shape — sustained connected breathing, evocative music, an unhurried return — and weave in somatic and embodiment work, so that whatever surfaces has somewhere to land in the body.
It is not a technique to master. Nothing is forced. The breath does the work; the facilitator keeps the container steady; and you keep the right to slow down or stop at any moment.
What an expanded breath state can feel like
- Tingling, warmth, or buzzing in the hands, face, or whole body
- Temporary tightening of the hands or mouth (tetany) — common, and it passes as the breath settles
- Waves of emotion arriving without a story attached
- Memories, images, or a felt sense of things long held
- Deep stillness, spaciousness, or a sense of being held
- Grief, laughter, shaking, or tears — the body’s own ways of releasing
- A slow, quiet return, often with more clarity than you went in with
What we know — and what we don’t
Here is the honest picture. Sustained connected breathing changes the chemistry of the blood — carbon dioxide drops, blood vessels narrow, and the nervous system shifts — and that is a large part of why the experience feels so different from ordinary breathing. Slow, regulated breathing has good evidence behind it for calming the stress response. Faster breathwork styles have a smaller body of research: early studies point to reduced anxiety and a greater sense of wellbeing, and many people describe lasting change, but the studies are few and mostly small.
What is not known is exactly why some sessions reach so deep, or how to predict what a given person will meet. Jen does not claim that breathwork treats or cures any condition. It is a way of coming into contact with what the body is holding, in a setting built for safety, with support before, during, and after.
Jen also keeps a Breathwork Ceremony Information Guide on the mechanics of breath and what current neuroscience suggests about the brain–body connection. Ask for it on the Breathwork Ceremony page.
When to take extra care
Because the breath moves the body strongly, some conditions call for a conversation before you book, and some mean breathwork is not the right tool right now: pregnancy; heart conditions or high blood pressure; a history of seizures or aneurysm; glaucoma or retinal detachment; recent surgery or injury; severe asthma; a diagnosis of bipolar disorder or psychosis; or an acute mental-health crisis. Certain medications matter too.
None of this is a judgment — it is the same care that makes the ceremony safe for everyone. If you are unsure, ask. Jen will tell you plainly whether a Breath Ceremony fits, and what might fit better.
Ready to breathe? Ceremonies are held privately, in person, in St. George.
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