breathwork is a trauma-informed, facilitator-led somatic practice that uses intentional, rhythmic breathing to support emotional release, nervous system regulation, and a deeper connection to the body.
rather than forcing change, breathwork gently creates the conditions for the body to unwind stored tension, repattern what the body absorbed long ago, and return to a more coherent internal state. you may feel shifts after a single session, and over time breathwork becomes less a one-off experience and more a training for your whole system in how to come back to center.
each session offers a steady, attuned space where the breath becomes the bridge between mind, body, and the deeper intelligence within you. as the system settles, clarity rises, strength rebuilds itself, and a steadier inner rhythm emerges.
your breath is the first place your nervous system learns safety — and the first place it remembers it.
because at some point, thinking our way through things stops working.
most of us move through life carrying more than we realize—layers of stress, bracing, and unfinished experiences the body hasn’t had the chance to fully process. over time, this can leave us feeling tight, foggy, easily overwhelmed, or strangely “disconnected” from ourselves, even when on the surface things look fine.
breathwork gives the body a way to complete what it never got to finish.
by working directly with the nervous system, breathwork helps unwind long-held patterns, soften chronic tension, and create space where there used to be pressure. the breath becomes a gentle, reliable way to shift out of survival mode and back into presence.
with practice, you may notice:
this is not about pushing, performing, or becoming someone else.
it is about remembering how to be with yourself—softly, honestly, and in a way the body can trust.
Breathwork refines the internal state that shapes every external result. For equestrians, athletes, and high-performers, it becomes a profound tool for coherence, clarity, and embodied confidence.
Here are some of the transformations riders experience:
• A quieter, more intelligent seat
The breath unwinds bracing, micro-tension, and protective holding patterns so the pelvis, hips, and spine move in harmony with the horse. This improves balance, feel, and subtle timing in the saddle.
• Nervous system steadiness under pressure
Before a ride, breathwork converts nerves into grounded alertness — sharpening decision-making, improving reaction time, and creating a calm, responsive internal state.
• Deeper rider–horse connection
Horses read breath instantly. When your breath settles, your whole body softens, and your horse feels it. This coherence reduces reactivity, increases trust, and enhances the clarity of your aids.
• Faster recovery after fear, falls, or setbacks
Breathwork helps release stored adrenaline, fear, and freeze patterns, allowing riders to return to the saddle with presence, confidence, and emotional stability.
• Cleaner aids and improved performance flow
As the breath organizes the body, tension in hands, legs, and shoulders dissolves, leading to softer contact, smoother transitions, and a more fluid “moving as one” partnership.
• Expanded lung capacity and energetic vitality
Deep breathing supports endurance, stamina, and oxygenation — essential for both riding and overall athletic performance.
• Emotional clarity and a regulated internal landscape
Breathwork allows riders to meet intensity with steadiness, understand their own patterns, and stay composed regardless of external conditions.
• A return to your center — physically, emotionally, energetically
This work supports balance, posture, symmetry, and embodied calm, creating the internal conditions for excellence.
these simple steps help your body feel safe, supported, and ready to receive the work we’ll do together.
arrive as you are
you don’t need to “be” any particular way for this session to support you. feeling calm, overwhelmed, numb, anxious, hopeful, or unsure are all welcome. your only job is to show up and let the breath do the teaching.
honor the space
treat your session as a protected time that belongs to you—a pause in the day to reset, listen inward, and be held with care. if you can, silence notifications, let others know you’ll be unavailable, and give yourself a few minutes before and after to transition.
posture: find what feels supported
lying down is often best for deep release, but sitting comfortably is also welcome if that’s easier on your body. use cushions, pillows, or blankets to support your head, neck, knees, or low back. the more supported you feel, the more your system can let go.
before your session
create a nest
wear loose, comfortable clothing. you might like to have nearby:
your environment
choose a quiet, private space where you’re unlikely to be interrupted. for online sessions, please keep your camera on and angle it so i can see your chest, abdomen, and face—this helps me track your process and support you safely.
give yourself a soft landing
after the session, plan a little buffer time—5–15 minutes to sit, sip water, write a few notes, or simply breathe. integration is part of the work.
preparation isn’t about getting it “right.” it’s about offering your nervous system enough safety and support to receive what the breath is ready to bring.
here’s what you can expect inside a typical breathwork journey:
1. settling in
we begin by slowing the system. gentle music, softer breaths, and a moment to arrive in your body. this is where safety establishes itself.
2. active breathing
you’re guided into a rhythmic pattern that gradually increases energy, presence, and openness. some sequences include gentle breath holds to support a deeper nervous-system reset and internal reorganization.
3. integration
we close with soft breathing, stillness, and a brief meditation so your system can absorb the work. this is where the shift lands and the shift becomes embodied.
throughout the entire session, you are guided—not pushed. your pace, your comfort, and your safety lead the experience.
everything that arises is welcome. your body knows exactly what it’s doing.
as your system shifts, breathwork can create noticeable sensations. these are signs that your nervous system is unwinding and reorganizing. everything here is normal and expected:
physical sensations may include:
emotional sensations may include:
these responses are your body doing exactly what it needs to do—completing cycles, releasing pressure, and finding a steadier rhythm.
if anything feels too intense, you can always slow the breath, return to natural breathing, or simply rest. these shifts happen because you are in choice, not because you push through.
your comfort leads the session— the technique follows you, not the other way around.
breath patterns are specific and intentional. i draw from several traditions—rhythmic breathing, trauma-informed breathwork, pranayama, and gentle somatic techniques—and weave what your nervous system needs in the moment. each session meets you exactly where you are and gently guides you toward coherence, balance, and deeper internal alignment.
rhythmic breathing
a steady inhale–exhale pattern through the nose or mouth that smooths your breath and stabilizes your internal rhythm. supports grounding, emotional balance, and nervous-system coherence—the foundation for attuned movement and balanced internal symmetry.
3-part breath
a gentle mouth-breath sequence that begins in the belly, rises through the ribs, and releases with spacious softness. mobilizes the diaphragm, opens the ribcage, and clears emotional residue stored in the body. supports unwinding, presence, and a softening of bracing so the body can reorganize from the inside out.
breath of fire
short, active exhales with passive inhales that awaken inner heat and sharpen focus. supports vitality, clarity, and an internal lift—especially when the body feels compressed, sluggish, or over-efforting.
alternate nostril breathing
a left–right balancing breath that harmonizes both hemispheres of the brain and smooths emotional reactivity. supports symmetry, concentration, and a centered baseline—the qualities that translate into an even, organized seat.
ujjayi (ocean breath)
th that anchors awareness inside the body. supports steadiness, timing, and embodied quietness—qualities that naturally calm the space within you and around you.
box breath
a structured inhale → hold → exhale → hold pattern that steadies the breath and quiets mental agitation. supports clarity, composure, and reliable internal stability in moments of intensity or pressure.
intentional holds
gentle breaths with soft top or bottom holds that help the nervous system reorganize, integrate, and soften patterned tension. support recalibration, stillness, and the shift from reactivity into grounded responsiveness.
You never need to “get it right.” We simply work with the breath your body is ready for.
music is an integral part of this work—not as background noise, but as a calibrated element that shapes breath, rhythm, and nervous-system coherence.
each session is paired with music chosen for its tempo, tone, and emotional arc, allowing your breath, heart, and neural pathways to settle into a more organized pattern. over time, these pairings help reinforce new pathways for regulation, clarity, and ease.
in this space, music becomes a neural partner that:
when breath and music move together, the brain and body enter a state where re-patterning becomes natural. the system learns, through experience, how to shift out of survival mode and into steadiness.
the result is a new internal rhythm—one of coherence, spaciousness, and grounded clarity—that your body remembers long after the session ends.
where rhythm enters, the nervous system reorganizes.
horses read us long before we touch the reins. they feel our breath, rhythm, muscle tone, and intention—often before we’re aware of it ourselves.
because of this, rider breathwork always begins on the ground. the nervous system needs space to stabilize, soften, and reorganize before stepping into the sensitivity of a horse’s awareness.
this progression protects both nervous systems, builds trust, and lays the foundation for true rider–horse coherence.
all rider breathwork begins off the horse—lying down or seated—so the body can recalibrate without the demands of balance, movement, or managing a horse.
this phase establishes:
this is where the deepest rewiring begins.
once internal stability is present, breathwork becomes part of your pre-ride ritual. this anchors clarity, focus, and grounded presence before you mount.
this ensures:
this phase becomes the nervous system’s set point before every ride.
as your capacity deepens, we integrate the breath in the saddle—where every inhale and exhale shapes timing, aids, rhythm, and the emotional tone your horse mirrors.
on-horse breathwork supports:
sessions may take place:
this structure keeps both rider and horse safe, supported, and regulated. by the time breathwork reaches the saddle, your system has the stability, awareness, and internal organization to use the breath effectively—without overwhelming yourself or your horse.
the progression is simple:
regulate on the ground → regulate before riding → regulate in the saddle.
this is the missing thread in equestrian performance coaching. it is the essence of the gap between the gap™—the quiet internal shift that changes everything.
the breath changes you — and you change the ride.
before you even touch the reins, your horse is already reading your breath, your rhythm, your posture, and the emotional tone you’re carrying.
pre-mount breathwork creates the first moment of connection.
through slow, coherent breathing, softened eyes, and a balanced approach, the rider signals safety, clarity, and presence — the qualities horses respond to instantly.
this ritual may include:
horses feel this immediately. their nervous system softens, their attention shifts, and a sense of partnership begins before the ride even starts.
this is where rider–horse coherence begins: on the ground, in the breath, in the unspoken conversation.
yes — deeply. breathwork is grounded in nervous system physiology, not “woo.”
conscious, intentional breathing directly influences the autonomic nervous system (ans) — the system that governs heart rate, muscle tone, tension patterns, digestion, and your stress response. when we train your breath, we’re working with the exact pathways that determine how your body shifts between activation and regulation. your horse feels these shifts instantly.
it strengthens vagal tone — the calm, connected “leader state” your horse trusts
slow, extended exhalations stimulate the vagus nerve, the major communication pathway between your brain, heart, lungs, and organs. higher vagal tone is associated with emotional steadiness, quicker recovery from stress, and a more stable heart rhythm. in the saddle, this shows up as a rider whose energy settles fast — creating the safety your horse tunes into.
it improves heart rate variability, a key marker of resilience and performance
heart rate variability (hrv) — the subtle differences between heartbeats — is one of the most studied indicators of nervous system health. breathwork has been shown to increase hrv, which correlates with adaptability under pressure, clearer thinking, and stronger recovery after challenge. for equestrians, this means you meet intensity — a show ring, a big course, or an unpredictable moment — with more bandwidth and less collapse.
it repatterns stress responses stored in the body — not just in the mind
research shows that breath-driven regulation rewires how the brain and body communicate. when you use breath to repeatedly move from activation back into safety, you retrain your autonomic nervous system. over time, this softens chronic bracing, startle reflexes, gripping, and performance anxiety — allowing your seat, hands, and timing to become more accurate and less influenced by past falls or fear patterns.
it upgrades the rider’s entire mind–body network — and the horse feels the difference
the ans and central nervous system (cns) work together as one integrated system. when you train your breath, you refine perception, coordination, body awareness, timing, and emotional tone. the result? you become a more coherent rider — clear, steady, and attuned. your horse reads this coherence immediately. in scientific terms, you are building a regulated, efficient neural network. in the arena, it looks like harmony, trust, and exceptional rider–horse partnership.
Not quite. They both use the breath to open deeper states, but the intention, intensity, and impact on the nervous system are very different.
Holotropic work is designed to create strong, psychedelic-like states. It intentionally pushes the system toward catharsis and big emotional expression. That intensity can be valuable — but it’s not aligned with what a rider or athlete needs in the saddle, the barn, or the arena.
My work is gentler, more precise, and nervous-system-anchored. The goal is not to “blow the system open,” but to help it reorganize:
This creates functional, ride-ready coherence — the state your horse responds to instantly.
Holotropic breathwork points you deep into your inner landscape. Equestrian breathwork points you back into the relationship — with your breath, your body, and the horse who reads you in milliseconds.
Your horse feels:
So the breathwork we use is designed to support the partnership, not just personal exploration.
Because horses attune to your nervous system, we avoid practices that could leave you:
Instead, every session stays within your window of capacity, so your system reorganizes without overwhelm — and you remain trustworthy, steady, and clear in the saddle.
Holotropic breathwork often centers large breakthroughs. Equestrian breathwork refines the micro-skills:
These are the shifts that create the unmistakable feeling of moving as one.
Holotropic breathwork opens a big internal journey. Equestrian breathwork opens the path of coherence — a pathway that your horse, your breath, and your nervous system walk together.
expect a grounded, regulated reset — not just “relaxation”
we’ll begin with a brief check-in and a simple intention: what’s happening in your body, your breath, your riding, and your partnership with your horse. from there, i guide you into a quiet space where your system can soften out of survival mode and into steady, ride-ready presence.
expect to be guided, breath by breath, into a new way of inhabiting your body
you’ll lie down or sit comfortably while i lead you through a gentle, precisely-paced breathing sequence. it’s never overwhelming. never forceful. this pattern opens the ribs, softens bracing in the hips and spine, and invites your nervous system to reorganize from the inside out — the foundation of a quieter, more intelligent seat.
expect music that supports regulation, rhythm, and coherence
sessions unfold with curated sound that follows the arc of the work: a subtle activation → a spacious middle → a soft landing. the rhythm helps your breath settle into timing and flow — the same timing your horse feels when you ride.
expect physical and emotional release to be welcome — but never pushed
you may feel warmth, tingles, shaking, or waves of emotion as stored tension unwinds. you remain fully conscious, fully in choice, and fully held within your own window of capacity. nothing is forced. everything is attuned.
expect integration
where the inner work translates to the saddle. we close with simple, practical tools you can use immediately — pre-ride breaths, in-saddle resets, and post-ride decompression patterns. the intention is always the same: a more coherent nervous system, a seat that listens and responds, and a horse who feels the steadiness rising from your body.
studies and teachers who show how regulated breathing upgrades focus, timing, seat intelligence, and the energetic clarity your horse reads instantly.
this collection is here for riders who want to understand why breathwork works — not as “relaxation,” but as a measurable shift in brain, body, and nervous system coherence.
yale university: mindfulness, breathwork & mental health
mindfulness and breath-based practices reduced anxiety, depression, and negative thinking while improving mood, connectedness, and overall mental health.
why this matters for riders: breathwork builds emotional resilience and grounded presence—states your horse reads instantly through your body, energy, and timing in the saddle.
breathwork & ptsd in u.s. military veterans
breathing interventions reduced ptsd symptoms, anxiety, and markers of hyperarousal.
why this matters for riders: Falls, near-misses, and high-pressure training can leave the nervous system stuck on “high alert.” breath becomes a direct way to restore internal safety so your seat, timing, and decision-making can return to clarity
connected breathing & trauma remission
in one study, eight sessions of connected breathing brought PTSD symptoms into full remission, showing how breath re-engages both body and brain in self-regulation.
why this matters for riders: connected breathing softens freeze, gripping, and survival patterns that interfere with feel, partnership, and your horse’s trust in your leadership.
diaphragmatic breathing & pain reduction
research shows diaphragmatic breathing decreases chronic pain and improves functional movement.
why this matters for riders: a functional diaphragm supports posture, spinal alignment, and ribcage mobility—foundations of a quiet, resilient seat that can absorb movement without strain.
slow breathing, insomnia & recovery
slow, deep breathing helps the nervous system shift out of fight-or-flight, supporting better sleep and physiological recovery.
why this matters for riders: restorative sleep enhances coordination, reaction time, patience, and emotional steadiness—crucial on lesson days, in the warm-up ring, and under competition pressure.
how trauma changes the brain
trauma alters the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex — reshaping perception, short-term memory, and decision-making.
why this matters for riders: understanding these shifts explains why one fall can change how safe you feel in the saddle—and why nervous-system based breathwork is such a powerful pathway for rebuilding trust, confidence, and clear thinking.
coherent breathing for depression
a 12-week yoga + coherent breathing protocol significantly reduced depressive symptoms.
why this matters for riders: coherent breathing supports mood stability, motivation, and overall vitality — key ingredients for consistent training, showing up for your horse, and sustaining long-term performance.
dr. peter levine — working through a traumatic experience
a gentle, embodied demonstration of how the body completes survival responses and restores safety.
shauna quigley — “healing trauma: letting the body inform the mind”
a powerful TEDx talk on listening to the body’s wisdom instead of forcing the mind to “get over it.”
dr. bessel van der kolk — how trauma affects the brain
clear, accessible teaching on how traumatic stress reshapes brain function, memory, and behavior.
“6 ways to heal trauma without medication” — bessel van der kolk
practical, body-based pathways for healing that go beyond talk therapy and pharmaceuticals.
polar bear video — how animals discharge shock naturally
a simple yet profound clip of an animal shaking off a traumatic event—nature’s built-in reset.
a beautiful reminder that regulation is an instinct, not a performance. breathwork helps riders return to that instinct—so both human and horse can come back to safety, presence, and connection.
for barns, trainers, and riders across disciplines — ask about tailored rider–horse coherence and
performance breathwork packages.
your next level begins with a single conversation.
whether you’re a rider seeking deeper rider–horse coherence, an athlete refining mental clarity, or someone navigating a life threshold with intention—this is a space to reach out, be met, and move forward with support.
if you have questions, want to explore a session, or feel called to work together, i welcome your message.
every inquiry is read with care and held in confidence.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (352) 895-8930
based in ocala, florida — serving clients locally and worldwide via Zoom.