Breathe to Heal the mind body and spirit
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Powerful energy coursed through my central channel, down my arms and legs, out my fingers and toes. I was caught in a current of white light.
I was determined to know more. So, Joanne kindly agreed to answer some questions about her Breathe to Heal Workshops:
Q: What is Breathe to Heal, and how does it work in the body to create such an experience?
One of the most fascinating things about breathwork is that something we do every moment of our lives can also become one of the most powerful tools we have for healing and transformation.
As we breathe in this intentional way, we begin oxygenating the blood more deeply and sending more oxygen to the brain. This stimulates areas such as the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, which help regulate hormones and release endorphins. Endorphins are the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. I like to call these ‘happy hormones’. They help relieve pain, reduce stress, and support a more positive state of mind.
As this process begins, people often start noticing sensations in their bodies. Energy begins moving through areas that may have been holding tension or feeling stuck. Because energy moves electrically in the body, many participants notice tingling, warmth, or waves of sensation moving through their arms, legs, or torso.
The breath also has a way of quieting the busy thinking mind and bringing awareness back into the body. When that happens, emotional or energetic blocks can begin to release. Sometimes emotions come up, sometimes insights arise, and sometimes the experience is simply one of deep relaxation.
In many ways, the breath is doing the work. Our job is simply to stay present with the rhythm of the breath and allow the body to do what it naturally knows how to do — rebalance and restore itself.
Q: How did you become interested in breathwork, and where did you learn the practice?
My interest in breathwork really developed over many years of being a yoga student. Along the way, I would learn little breathing techniques here and there in different classes, but it always felt like I was only getting pieces of something much bigger.
While I was in India, I asked my Ayurvedic doctor and yoga teacher, “Where can I go to really learn breathwork?” I felt like I had only scratched the surface and wanted to understand it more deeply. I was surprised when they said, “You need to become a yoga teacher.” At the time, I laughed and said, “Oh no, I don’t want to teach yoga.”
Well… life has a sense of humor.
A few years later, I attended a breathwork session like Breath to Heal, and I was completely hooked and knew it was exactly what I had been looking for. The experience was so powerful that I immediately asked, “Where can I learn this?”
That search eventually led me to train in the style of breathwork that I now share in my Breathe to Heal workshops and private sessions.
The approach I use is a style of breathwork taught by renowned teacher David Elliott, who has been teaching it through his healer trainings since the 1990s. His work has had a strong influence on how I guide these sessions today.
And interestingly enough, not long after that experience, life did in fact point me toward becoming a yoga teacher after all. When I began exploring different styles of yoga training, I felt especially drawn to Kundalini Yoga because of its strong emphasis on both breathwork and the energy body.
Kundalini Yoga includes powerful breathing practices that help move and balance energy throughout the body, so it felt like a very natural fit with my growing interest in breathwork and energy healing.
When you look at it all together, it makes perfect sense. Breathwork, yoga, Reiki, and other energy healing modalities all work with the same basic idea — moving energy through the body, clearing blocks, and helping restore balance.
The breath is simply one of the most direct and powerful ways to do that.
Q: Who can benefit from Breathe to Heal?
Many people come to a session because they feel stressed, overwhelmed, or stuck in their thoughts. Others are looking for emotional release, clarity, or simply a deeper connection with themselves.
Because breathwork works on multiple levels — physical, mental, emotional, and energetic — people can experience a wide range of benefits.
Some participants leave feeling deeply relaxed and calm. Others feel energized, inspired, or gain insights about things happening in their lives. For some, it becomes a powerful stress-relief tool. For others, it opens the door to greater self-awareness or emotional healing.
Some participants have even expressed experiencing spiritual moments during their breathwork session — including feeling deeply connected to themselves, sensing messages or guidance, or even feeling a spiritual connection to ancestors during their breath experience.
Every person’s experience is a little different, but the common thread is that breathwork helps bring the body and mind back into a more balanced state.
Q: Is there anything a participant should do or not do prior to the Breathe to Heal Workshop?
There are a few simple things that can help participants have the most comfortable experience.
It’s best not to arrive with a heavy meal in your stomach and ideally, about two hours after eating before the session begins. Being well hydrated beforehand is also very helpful, and continuing to hydrate afterward supports the body as it integrates the experience.
If a person has a medical condition that concerns them, they should always seek the advice of their licensed professional before participating.
I also encourage people to come with an open mind and an open heart.
For someone who has never experienced active breathwork before, some of the sensations may feel unfamiliar and even intimidating the first time. These sensations often feel like tingling waves of energy, warmth, vibrations, and even electrical sensations moving through the body. This is simply the body becoming more aware of its own energy moving through it.
The most important thing is to be aware that although the sensations might feel new and different, you will be in a safe space to express whatever comes up and if you just stay with the rhythm of the breath and allow the process to unfold, it will be so worth it. Simply breathe and let the breath do the work.
Q: What can participants expect after attending a Breathe to Heal Workshop?
After a session, people often describe a wide range of positive shifts.
Some feel incredibly relaxed and peaceful. Others feel energized, clear, and motivated. Many people experience emotional release or insights that help them see things in their lives from a new perspective.
It’s not uncommon for participants to say they feel “good from the inside out.” That’s because breathwork helps activate the body’s own natural chemistry — what I sometimes describe as our body’s internal and natural pharmacy. Our brain and glands release natural compounds like endorphins that help improve mood, reduce stress, and support a more balanced state.
Many people leave feeling lighter, clearer, and more connected to themselves. They express how they’ve released emotions or situations they’ve been holding on to for years. I’ve had many participants tell me that their partners express the change they see in them too after a session.
The benefits can continue unfolding over the next few days as the body integrates the experience, as you yourself experienced.
As much energy may shift and recalibrate during the experience, I recommend continuing to hydrate and drinking plenty of water.
Experience Breathe to Heal
Whether someone has never experienced breathwork before or has tried breathing practices in yoga or other settings, many people are surprised by what happens during a Breathe to Heal session.
It’s one of those experiences that can be difficult to fully capture in words. Participants often leave saying something like, “It’s powerful, energizing, emotional, calming — and honestly something you just have to experience for yourself.”
Perhaps one of the most valuable parts of the experience is that participants leave with a simple but powerful tool they can continue using in everyday life. Once you learn how to work with your breath intentionally, it becomes something you can return to again and again to help regulate stress, calm the nervous system, and reconnect with yourself.
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About the authors:
Joanne Kleppal is a master of change and transformation with a passion for personal growth and development. Known for her calm presence, she brings a unique approach to personal transformation.
Her purpose is to elevate the frequency of humanity and help women become unstuck, empowering them to consciously create and live lives filled with purpose.
You can learn more about Tammy on this site as well as on www.tammytalk.com
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www.kearcecrafted.com.