Throughout the past four years of living in Los Angeles, I have tried all kinds of crazy alternative modalities, from cosmetic acupuncture to crystal healing, the Wim Hof Method and neurofeedback.

Breathwork is one modality that has been a real game-changer for me.

Now, there are all different forms of breathwork. Pranayama, the Skanrit term for breathing practice, has been practiced by the yogis and monks for thousands of years. Breathwork’s popularity in western culture really started around the 1970s when Dr. Stan Grof, a Czech psychiatrist, developed something called holotropic breathwork as a way to induce a psychedelic state for psychotherapeutic benefits, without the use of drugs. 

At this point, I’ve tried all different kinds of breathwork. I’ll never forget my first breathwork during my yoga teacher training in 2016, and how powerful this was for me. I couldn’t believe what I was feeling in my body through breathing alone.

How breathwork actually works:

As I mentioned before, there are all different types of breathwork, but generally what’s happening in most forms of breathwork, is a decrease in the levels of carbon dioxide in the body and an increase in oxygen. This causes the pH of your blood to increase and become more alkaline, and scientists have actually measured these levels studying Wim Hof breathing in the lab. 

With this change in alkalinity, the body and brain start to react in all sorts of ways physically and emotionally. There are documented accounts of people having all sorts of psychedelic-like experiences during breathwork, but the research on why this actually happens is just not something we have yet. 

Since I’ve started making more content about breathwork and other holistic modalities, a comment that I often see is that people wish they lived somewhere in the world that offers breathwork classes. 

So when I discovered a type of breathwork being taught completely online, I knew I needed to try it out to see if this is something that might be a way for people around the world to gain access to a modality that’s been a big part of my spiritual path, and is helping so many people around the world. 

So I went to meet with Michael Stone, a certified breathwork facilitator who has been guiding breathwork experiences for more than a decade in-person and online. Michael developed something called neurodynamic breathwork online in order to give people around the world access to breathwork, in an easy and affordable way.

My Experience

There are a lot of breathwork tutorials online, but what made this experience different is that it was a live class held via Zoom with Michael leading the session as a certified facilitator

Breathwork can be really intense, so it’s important to feel safe and supported. It was definitely reassuring to know that Michael was right there in case anyone needed him during the session.

Something that I really enjoyed was how people from all over the world were able to share their personal experiences after the class. Although it wasn’t the same as being in-person with people, I still felt such a strong sense of community. It reminded me that there are people all over the world who are hungry for this stuff and want to expand their consciousness. It’s not just happening in Los Angeles.

Although I would still recommend going to an in-person class over an online session if you get the chance, I know that’s necessarily a possibility for everyone. I feel that neurodynamic breathwork online is the next best thing and would highly recommend it. You can do this from the comfort of your own home while still feeling the support of a global community. 

Because Michael wants to share this with as many people as possible around the world, he’s offering the Sky Life vibe tribe a free neurodynamic breathwork session! So you can try it out and see if it’s something that resonates with you.