My expectations were completely wrong.
What I thought would be a 90-minute relaxation session of breathing in sparkling sensations of pure zen turned into a heavy dose of tears streaming down my face as decades-old emotions unearthed themselves to bitchslap me across the face. What. The. Hell?
Turns out, you can only bury things for so long. Even the unknown things.
Fortunately, this crude regurgitation of emotions allowed me to release some seriously embarrassing and shameful feelings I didn’t even know I’d been harboring—undetected but alive and kicking in my "this is who I am" narrative. (Sometimes, your “story” is so ingrained, you don’t even realize it's there, influencing you in everyday decisions.)
And what caused the gurgling rise of these shame-filled emotions? A somatic breathwork class I took a few months ago. (To say it was transformative is like saying puppies are “sort of cute”—criminally underselling it.)
Somatic breathwork taps into your sympathetic nervous system (aka your fight, flight, freeze, or fawn zone), unlocking energy and emotions that may be hiding deep within. Ever heard of stuck energy? Yeah, that.
Here’s the wild part: breathwork isn’t just about dealing with the big, obvious stuff. It’s sneaky—it helps you uncover those “Oh, that’s been sitting there for years” moments, the ones you didn’t even realize were messing with you. While it sounds intense, it’s also incredibly freeing.
After a session, I felt lighter, clearer, and honestly, like I’d given my nervous system a much-needed deep clean. It’s amazing how something as simple as breathing can help you heal and reconnect with yourself.
If you’ve been curious about breathwork, or you’re just looking for a way to feel more grounded without booking a two-week silent retreat, it’s definitely worth exploring.
In today’s episode of Aging Fiercely, I’m talking with Julia Zern, the somatic breathwork practitioner who opened me up to this life-changing practice.
Julia is the real deal. She’s a yoga teacher, certified breathwork master, and basically a magician when it comes to helping people let go of trauma they didn’t even know was there.
If you’re curious about how just breathing can open the floodgates to freedom (and maybe even spare you some therapy bills), trust me—you don’t want to miss what Julia has to say.
Click on the podcast and let’s dive into the healing benefits of breathwork!
Have you ever tried breathwork before? What’s one thing you walked away with?
Haven’t tried it yet but are curious?
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