I’ll share my three practical tips on how you can get started right now (even if you only have 5 minutes)
My Journey with Breathwork
More Than 25 Years of Yoga
I’ve been a yoga practitioner for more than 25 years. Yup, I actually started as a teenager in the late 1990s—wayyyy before yoga was mainstream or cool.
I was fascinated by the movement, the ability to calm and control the mind, and the strength of the yogis I knew. (There weren’t many in my mid-sized Southern German city. Instagram didn’t exist—believe it or not.)
My First Experience with Pranayama
Later, I began to understand that yoga wasn’t just about headstands, triangles, and warriors. During a three-month internship in India, I learned that breathing exercises (or Pranayama in Sanskrit) are a core part of the practice.
It’s a bit embarrassing to admit I hadn’t known that before. But honestly, most people in the Western world don’t either—because yoga has been reduced to physical movement (Asana).
And I hated Pranayama. I really did.
Every time a class started with breathwork, I felt intense resistance.
My body felt like it was dying during the breath holds.
My heart pounded, panic crept in, and I felt like I would suffocate.
The rigid counting and endless rounds bored me to death.
I only did it because I didn’t want to get kicked out of class. But I never built my own practice.
And Then This Happened…
Everything changed when a friend gifted me a 6-week breathwork program called The Breathwork Journey. She had won it in a giveaway on Instagram.
It made big promises—release your fears and doubts through guided sessions. It wasn’t classic yogic breathing. But I gave it a try.
It was free, so why not?
What I Liked:
I could lie down instead of sitting.
No counting.
There was music.
At first, the usual resistance showed up. I got dizzy. I breathed too fast, thinking that’s how it “works.” (Spoiler: it doesn’t.)
Then I heard the instructor, Samantha Skelly (who later became my coach trainer), say:
“All you need to do is lie here and breathe.”
And I thought: Yeah. That’s literally all I have to do.
All You Need to Do Is Breathe
Turns out… it’s not that easy. 😅
But that moment changed everything.
I started to understand why I had always resisted. Why I couldn’t be consistent. Not just with breathwork—with anything.
I had mastered what I now call pseudo-consistency:
Kinda doing something, while avoiding the actual thing.
Now I was on the ground with one simple task: breathe.
And my default reaction was still resistance.
But for the first time, I gave that up.
I trusted the process.
And I felt what it means to come out different on the other side.
To stay with the discomfort.
To feel all the feels.
To breathe through them.
And then… something happens:
You feel free.
Grounded.
Energized.
For real.
It wasn’t some rainbow-unicorn moment.
It was 20 minutes of breathing.
No trance. No massive epiphanies.
Just a subtle, simple reminder of what I was avoiding.
And that one sentence—“all you need to do is lie here and breathe”—stripped away all the excuses I’d ever made.
That’s why I believe in the magic of breathwork.
And why I love sharing it.
First: Safety ⚠️
Breathwork is generally safe—except in certain situations.
Do NOT do intense breathwork if you are:
Pregnant
In water
Driving
Standing
Suffering from unregulated high blood pressure
Be smart. Be safe. If none of the above applies: you're good to go. 🙌
Getting Started with Breathwork
Tip #1: Just Start
Yes, really.
All you need is yourself, a quiet place, and maybe some music.
It takes less than five minutes.
Tip #2: Keep It Simple
Try this gentle breathing technique:
Inhale through the nose, filling your belly and then your chest.
Exhale through the mouth.
No pause between inhale and exhale—just keep a smooth, steady rhythm.
Go a little deeper than your natural breath. Speed is less important than depth.
No counting. No perfection. Just flow.
Set-up:
Sit or lie down comfortably.
Close your eyes (after reading this 😉).
And breathe.
Tip #3: Add Music 🎶
I personally love using music to support my breathwork practice.
It helps:
Soothe the nervous system
Shift your emotional state
My go-to track for calming down is:
“Higher Love” 🎧
One-Minute Practice ⏱
Set a timer for one minute.
Breathe using the circular breath:
In through the nose
Out through the mouth
No pause in between
After the minute is over, stay where you are.
Let your breath return to normal.
If you feel a little dizzy—that’s okay. It will pass quickly.
🎵 Enjoy listening to the rest of your song.
Then, gently open your eyes.
Take a moment to check in with yourself:
Do you feel any different?
More grounded?
A little calmer?
Don’t get up too quickly—give your body a moment to adjust.
These long, deep breaths give your brain and entire body a nice oxygen bath, helping to flush out excess CO₂.
This shift triggers your relaxation response.
Even just one minute of breathwork can have a real impact.
Don’t underestimate the power of your breath.
That’s It — The Simplest Way to Practice Breathwork
Even a few minutes can make a big difference.
There’s no need to overcomplicate anything.
It will make you a better person —
and a better investor.But that’s a topic for another day. 🌀
