How I went from Pranayama hater to breathwork lover (and what it taught me about myself)

I’ll share my three practical tips on how you can get started right now (even if you only have 5 minutes)

I have been a Yoga practitioner for more than 25 years. Jup, I actually started as a teenager in the late 1990s, wayyyyy before Yoga was mainstream or cool. I was fascinated by the movement, the ability to calm and control the mind, the strength of the Yogis that I knew (and these were only a few at this point, coming from a mid-size southern German city, there wasn’t much exposure to that. Instagram did not exist, believe it or not). 

My first experience with Pranayama

Later on, I understood that there was so much more to Yoga than just headstands and triangles and warriors. In particular, during a three-month internship in India, I learned that breathing exercises (or Pranayama in Sanskrit) were actually a big part of the Yoga practice. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit that I had not known that, but I think most people in the Western world have no idea what an authentic Yoga practice looks like, because the practice has been so reduced to physical movement (or pure “Asana” in Sanskrit). And to be honest, I hated Pranayama. I just hated it. Whenever a Yoga class started with breathwork, I felt that incredible mental resistance. My body felt like it was dying during these endless breath holds. I felt my heart pounding. I felt the panic creep up. I felt like I was going to suffocate. The rigid counting and the endless rounds of repeating the same breath left me bored to death. I just did it, because I did not want to get kicked out of class, I just sat through it when I had to, but I never picked up my own practice. 

And then this happened…

Everything changed for me when a friend who had won a giveaway on Instagram gifted me a 6-week breathwork program that came with that giveaway, “The Breathwork Journey”. That thing made all kinds of promises about how I would release doubts and fear and what not during the guided sessions. It was different from classic Yogic breathing. I gave it a try. It was for free, so why not. And I didn’t have to sit, I could lie down. Which I liked. There was no counting. Which I liked. She played music. Which I liked. At first, I felt a lot of resistance as always. I got a little dizzy, a feeling that I found very uncomfortable. I breathed too fast, because I wanted to get the most out of it and I thought that’s how you would do it (spoiler: you don’t). I got a bit frustrated, I wanted to stop since I was obviously wasting my time. What could possibly happen by just lying on the ground breathing? 

And then I heard the words from Samantha Skelly, the instructor (who later became my coaching trainer): “All you need to do is lie here and breathe.” And I thought to myself: wow, yeah. I mean, I literally just have to lie here and breathe. I can’t possibly find any excuse why I can’t do that. How hard can it be? Turns out, it can be very hard. 😂 But it changed everything. I started to understand why I felt that immense resistance, why I always found the most elaborate excuses and why I couldn’t practice anything consistently. Not just breathwork, anything. I had gotten very good at pseudo-consistency - which I define for myself as kinda doing something while avoiding the actual thing, not doing the actual work that needs to be done. 

All you need to do is breathe

And now here I was on the ground, having the most simple and natural task: breathing. And my go-to reaction was to resist, not trust. And for the first time, I decided to give up that resistance and trust the process for once. That’s when I understood and experienced for the first time how it feels to come out differently on the other side. That if you don’t run away, if you just stay with it, right then and there, feel all the feels, let your body release all the stuck emotions and breathe through it, something happens. You will feel free. Grounded. Energized. Like for real.

You see, it wasn’t a giant rainbows and unicorns moment. The practice lasted 20 minutes, it wasn’t a trance-like, hours-long practice with hallucinations and massive epiphanies. It was a subtle, simple reminder of what I was avoiding. And that one sentence stripped away all the excuses I was always able to make up for not doing something, for not being consistent with anything. And it changed everything.

There are these little moments when it clicks and you know you can’t go back to where you were unless you keep lying to yourself. That was one of these moments for me. That’s why I believe so deeply in the magic of breathwork and why I love to share that passion.

Okay, first: safety. Breathwork is safe, except for some situations. NEVER do intense breathwork exercises while you’re pregnant, in water, while you are driving a car or if you have unregulated high blood pressure! Don’t practice while you are standing. Be smart and careful. I mean it. If you are not in any of these situations, go ahead. 

Tip #1: Just start

It really is that simple. If you’d like to get started right now, you only need yourself, a quiet place and music if you like. It takes less than five minutes.

Tip #2: Keep it simple

Just use this gentle technique: Breathe in through the nose, fill up the belly and breathe in all the way up into the chest and out through the mouth. Create a circle with in- and exhale, don’t leave a break in between. The pace can be slow, maybe a bit quicker than your natural breath, but speed is not important. Depth is. No need to count, just focus on the breath and keep a steady rhythm. No pause between inhale and exhale. 

Here’s how you set yourself up for success: 

Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Close your eyes, after reading the rest of the tips obviously... Don’t make up any excuses. Just do it. Now. It is dead simple. 😉

Tip #3: Add music 

🎶 I personally like to listen to music while doing breathwork. Music helps to soothe your system and shift your mood. To calm down, my go-to is „Higher Love“.

⏱ Set a timer for one minute. After the minute, just stay in your position, go back to your normal breathing. It’s okay if you feel a bit dizzy. It’ll pass very quickly. Enjoy listening to the rest of the song. Then open your eyes and take a second to check in with yourself. Feel any different? Don’t get up too quickly. Give your body time to adjust.

These long, deep breaths give your brain and your entire body a nice oxygen bath and help to get rid of CO2 faster, too - which triggers a relaxation response. Even if it is just a minute, don’t underestimate the power of your breath.

And there you have it. The most simple way to practice breathwork. Even a few minutes make a big difference. No need to overcomplicate anything.