The first time I tried breathwork, I had a mystical experience … and I definitely wasn’t expecting it.
I had booked a private breathwork session mostly out of curiosity and for stress relief, hoping to feel a little calmer and more grounded. But as I lay there, breathing rhythmically in the care of a skilled facilitator, something unexpected happened: I heard a voice in my head that wasn’t mine: It’s time to live in your body. A message that I didn’t realize I needed, but that ended up reconnecting me with a much bigger life.
Before that session, I had often talked about “the shift from doing to being” but the experience of that breathwork journey (and the hundreds I’ve done since!) showed me how to embody a new state of being. I didn’t even realize how disconnected from my body that I had been before then, and how much I needed to breathe deeply, and fully, to re-ignite my life. My state of being.
I fell in love with breathwork after that. Breathwork has turned out to be the key that’s helped me unlock my own felt-sense connection with spirituality. While I had always believed in a Higher power, breathwork has brought me into a union with the divine that’s shifted my whole life. Without any drugs!
Breathwork is an ancient spiritual practice
Long before modern science began studying the nervous system, cultures across the globe have understood the sacred power of the breath to restore humans to vitality.
In yogic traditions, pranayama—the conscious control of breath—is seen as a pathway to union with the divine. Christian mystics spoke of the “Holy Spirit” as the breath of God. In Hebrew, the word “Ruach” is translated to mean both breath and spirit. The name Yahweh, when spoken aloud, mimics the sound of an inhale and exhale. In many Indigenous traditions, breath is central to ritual, healing, and communion with the Great Spirit.
These aren’t coincidences. The breath is the animating force of all life. We cannot survive without it. It’s the first thing we do when we enter this world and the last thing we do when we leave.
It’s also the very thing that reconnects us with our higher intelligence, and expanded ways of knowing and being.
Mystical Moments & the Intelligence of the Body
During breathwork, something beautiful happens in the body: the mind begins to quiet, the nervous system shifts, and the heart space opens. The rhythm of the circular breathing pattern entrains the brain into slower, more coherent waves—similar to what happens in deep meditation. Endogenous DMT (a natural psychedelic compound found in the body) may even be released, contributing to expanded awareness or visual imagery in some sessions.
In this altered state of consciousness, our breathwork shifts our state of being—without needing substances or complex rituals—this is why people often report spontaneous healings, insight downloads, and deep encounters with what they describe as God, Love, or Source.
I’ve witnessed many unexplained phenomena happen in breathwork. Sometimes people release lifetimes of trauma, heal chronic pain in the body, encounter ancestors, or receive the exact guidance they need in their life.
Breathwork does not give us anything we don’t already have. It clears the noise so we can hear what’s always been there. And sometimes, that’s an unlocking of our intuitive gifts and psychic senses.
For me, this unlocking came in the form of subtle messages—inner knowings that began arriving when I was facilitating breathwork for others. These weren’t thoughts I consciously generated. They were messages from the higher self of the person I was supporting. As I deepened into the practice, I also began to feel a Higher Presence guiding the sessions, meeting people exactly where they were, holding them with grace. I don’t hear messages in every session, but I’ve confirmed the meaning of these messages with enough clients to trust that what these messages were coming through for them. Breathwork had opened a clear channel between my intuition and something greater.
Why Reconnection Matters Now
We’re living in a time of unprecedented distraction, overwhelm, and spiritual disconnection. For many, the old paradigms of religion no longer resonate, yet there’s still a longing—for meaning, for peace, for communion with something greater.
We’ve become so focused on doing, producing, and performing that we’ve forgotten how to be—how to listen, how to receive, how to return to ourselves.
Breathwork is one of the simplest, most powerful ways to remember.
Humans are not just human. We are divine by design. It’s in our DNA. Remembering this is key to our self-actualization—not as an egoic achievement, but as a spiritual homecoming.
A Sacred Invitation
If you’re feeling the pull to connect more deeply with your body and soul, breathwork may be just the ticket and I’d love to invite you to experience a session for yourself. If offer regular guided breathwork sessions in person and online. My next session is on June 25th, and the theme is tapping into your Future Self state of being.
In a breathwork session, you’ll be guided to use the breath to soften, release, and open. As we drop into deeper presence, with the support of the breath, you’ll find it easier to access the clarity, self-compassion, and connection that’s available.
Whether you’re in a moment of transition, craving clarity, or ready to meet the next version of you, breathwork can help you ground, reset, and realign. If you’re brand new to breathwork, I recommend you read this article on How to Start a Breathwork Practice.
Monica is a breathwork facilitator, life-long entrepreneur, and founder of www.headplusheart.com. Sign up to get her popular monthly wellness roundup.