When you don’t know what to do, or where to go… Begin with Breath.
(psst....next class starts May 7th, 2024)
“Breath by breath you can be in charge of your thoughts and emotions naturally, have clarity, focus, and enough energy to sustain your days.”
As a therapist with 20 years of working in mental health, I can confidently tell you that calm is not something that you are born with, it is something that you practice (and it’s much easier than you think).
It begins with slowing down your breath.
99.999999% of the people I work with who have been diagnosed with anxiety, burnout or depression are barely breathing and few of them know the consequences of short and shallow breathing on their mental health. Breathing well is literally one of the simplest and cheapest ways to positively influence your wellbeing 🙂
I created Begin with Breath for this reason.
"When you understand the link between your breath, body, emotions & mind, AND you have a small tool box of breathwork practices to turn to, you are well equipped to deal with all kinds of stress that will come up in your life."
Every week you will be introduced to a different breathing technique. The 5 most basic types of breathing that you need to know are covered; long and deep breathing, breath of fire, segmented breathing, as well as breath suspensions. All classes are recorded and extensive course notes are provided.
Access to Wake up & Breathe gives you a chance to try out what you have learned and integrate the teachings. There is no other way to learn than to practice.
To support your practice, you can book a 30 or 60 minute individual breath coaching session at a reduced cost to ask any personal questions and get individual feedback.
The teachings are grounded in yogic science within the Kundalini & Hatha yoga traditions, the healing practice of Sat Nam Rasayan, somatic therapy, as well as Western anatomy/physiology/psychology, and trauma theory.
What it looks like:
Embody the practice so that you can experience the power of connecting to your breath firsthand.
This course is suitable for beginners and for more experienced breathers. People have taken this class many times to deepen their understanding, as learning breathwork is a gradual experiential process. You have to do it, to know it.
Begin with Breath is also useful to anyone who is embarking on therapy as an adjunct to support your mental health. It gives tools to help move through trauma (for more information about this check out the Nervous System First Aid Kit).
Begin with Breath is recommended for yoga teachers who want to integrate breathwork in their classes, therapists, social workers or life coaches who want to learn techniques to help their clients, as well teachers, or health care workers (see also Prana for Professionals).
We go over all the fundamentals of breathing so that you can apply the practice to many other areas of your life. Small class sizes permit us to dive deep and tailor each class to the needs and questions of the participants.
Who is this course for?
Breathwork is the most accessible healing resource that you can turn to in times of stress.
Breathwork is the easiest, most cost effective, and accessible way to both calm and strengthen your nervous system.
Breathing is very much connected to your emotions and your thoughts, and so by learning to control your breath, you also learn to control your emotional and mental states.
As a psychotherapist, this is the one skill I think that everyone needs to master in their lifetime, especially if you want to life long tools to care for your mental health. So many psychological issues can be bypassed by simply changing your breathing pattern.
Breathwork also improves your energy and concentration levels, reduces anxiety and depression, boosts your immune system function & cardiovascular health, encourages weightloss, reduces inflammation, and helps with sleep. And if you have had COVID, breathwork is a way to rebuild damaged tissues and increase your lung capacity… and there are many science backed studies to prove it.
Why take this class?
With consistent practice you build resilience to stress, so that you are able to literally breathe through anything.
What others have said…
“Wowie!! The joy of breath really is joyful. Though I had a rocky start with making breathing a habit, I’m amazed how integral it has now become to my routine. It feels easier to incorporate into my day compared to other practices, if anything the breathwork is more akin to the need to eat than the drive to, for example, get on my yoga mat. I also feel much more confident and equipped in the face of anxiety, like now I have some back up. There’s truly no emotion I can’t overcome, even if only briefly, if I fall into the breath. I’ve also shared many of these practices with students and friends and some of them have even gone on already to share with others in their lives as well which amazes me. We are all part of one big chain. ”
Haley: University Student and Yoga Teacher
“I wanted to say thank you for encouraging me to take the breathing class and running the course in a way that an absolute beginner can benefit. Never in a million years did I think I would be able to sit still and breathe. If you know me you know I don’t have the ability to sit still or relax, AT ALL! You changed that! The class was interesting and made me want to do more. After each class I enjoyed practicing. I still do. Thank you again for changing my views about life and teaching me more than just breathing. Looking forward to joining classes again.”
Jelena: Engineer & Project Manager
“I took Begin with Breath and absolutely loved it! Esther is highly experienced and knowledgeable and dedicated to her practice and I am so grateful to her for passing on her wisdom. I was highly anxious when I started the course due to work/personal reasons and within about a week or two of this course, combined with daily practice, my nervous system had almost completely regulated. What a great reminder that I live in my body and not just my mind. Thanks Esther. Eternally grateful.”
Suzanna: High school teacher
“Laugh as much as you breathe.
It’s important to laugh as much as you breathe. That’s why my classes are always fun. The truth is that breathing just makes you feel good and brings good people your way.”
Your breath is a gift.
I have been teaching these practices for many years now to people of all ages and backgrounds in the context of my clinical practice as a psychotherapist, art therapist, and yoga teacher. What I come back to again and again is how important, how utterly fundamental breath is to all aspects of our lives (physical, mental, emotional, & spiritual). Our lives are profoundly enriched when we become conscious of the breath, this incredible healing resource we have been given within our own bodies.
Learning to breathe is not a luxury, it is a necessity especially during these stressful times on the planet. My mission is to make breathwork available to as many people as possible, so that it is taught regularly in schools, workplaces, hospitals, and other organizations.
I am so honoured and excited to share these transformative and healing practices with you.
With gratitude and love,
Esther Kalaba