We breathe from the second we’re born. Nobody teaches us.
So why train for something you’ve already been doing since day one? That’s what I thought too, until I read Breath, by James Nestor, about a year ago.
People have been studying the breath for thousands of years. Long before it had a hashtag.
Turns out breathing on purpose takes training. And reps.
That book is what got me looking.
I found a local studio (Breathe – Meditation & Wellness) which starting breathwork teacher training in February and signed up immediately.
One weekend a month, eight weekends this year. I did miss one. My daughter got married, and some things outrank a breathing class. Just barely.
The room was full of people chasing the same thing I was. The teachers were fantastic and my classmates were the coolest. Learning the art and science of breathwork was a blast.
This past weekend, we finished.
What do I do with it now?
Genuinely, I don’t know yet.
I’ve got some big ideas scribbled on the back of an imaginary napkin.
For now I’ll share the skills with my people, keep adding tools to the fanny pack, and trust that somewhere in the next few years, something’s going to come together. I don’t know what. I just know something’s coming.
I “graduated” the day before my birthday.
Which means: on my birthday, a year ago, I got handed that book. And practically on my birthday, this year, I finished what it started.
Coincidence? I don’t think so.
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