FAQ
Journeying 101
Experiences vary person-to-person. You may have a psychedelic or spiritual experience. You may have intense emotional releases, with the urge to laugh or cry. You may become disoriented in time and space. You may have visual hallucinations. You may experience bodily sensations like itching or intense fluctuations in body temperature. You may have the odd sensation that someone is touching you even though no one’s there. These are all things that are commonly reported. You also may have trouble focusing or being present during the experience, or you may just have a nice meditative “nap-like” experience. These are also common experiences.
You really don’t need to do anything special at all. If you would really like to lean into the experience, though, you might try setting aside time the day before your breathwork experience to meditate, journal, and set your intention for the journey. Be loving to yourself. Eat healthy food and get a good night’s sleep.
If you use nasal spray for allergies or nasal congestion, it wouldn’t hurt to use it right before you come. If you’re having joint issues or major inflammation, feeling stiff, or generally have trouble laying on the floor for extended periods, consider whether an OTC pain reliever of some sort might not increase your comfort. (These are all my personal tips… I have allergies, I cry a lot during breathwork, and I have a bad back and the beginnings of arthritis in my hips and knees!)
If you can’t get to any of this… show up exactly as you are. You’ll be fine.
Bring a yoga mat, and a pillow and blanket if you will want them. I really encourage you to bring beloved, snuggly items, if that feels good to you. You may want to bring a journal and pen, or some drawing materials. Definitely bring a water bottle or something to drink. You might also want chapstick and tissues for blowing your nose – especially if you have allergies.
If you have back issues, bringing a yoga bolster can help your situation considerably. One of these large bolsters under the knees can take the pressure off your lower back – this is a super popular move with folks. What works better for me, actually, is putting two of these mini-bolsters just under my butt cheeks… it’s like a magical remedy for my lower back pain. Listen to me or don’t, it’s cool either way. But magic.
Immediately afterward, you’ll probably feel euphoric and/or invigorated. If you experienced an emotional release, though, you may feel wrung out and not feel like talking much. We generally spend about 15 minutes talking about our journeys together after the session.
After you go home, you may feel the effects of your session for days or even weeks afterward. You may find that answers to questions you’ve been puzzling over suddenly come to you, or that you can finally let go of something that’s been bothering you. You may continue to have enlightened thoughts, or you may find you fall into flow state easily. You might have lots of new ideas.
Generally, it’s a good idea to take good care of yourself after your session, whether it’s group or 1:1. Eat healthy food, drink lots of water, and get lots of sleep. Salt baths are great – they’re very grounding. So is walking outside. Journal. Reflect. Consider getting some exercise doing something you enjoy, if you feel like it. Dance. Draw. Write. Do the things that bring you joy.
Yes and no. You will be doing the same breathing patterns you do in group sessions. For 1:1 sessions I work entirely with playlists rather than live instrumentation – we can talk about what kinds of music you like ahead of your appointment. You will have my undivided attention, so you will be in a much more intense state of connection with your practice. Having this secondary focus in one of the tenets of Holotropic Breathwork, as well, and it really helps the breather to stay with the breath, providing an intense session. In terms of my role, it is otherwise very similar. I will remind you to breathe. I will provide some guided meditation. I will do more reiki than I might in a group class, if that’s something you want.
At the end of your breathwork session, you are welcome to hang out in the studio for 15-30 minutes to draw or journal and have a cup of tea on the house. I have art supplies, paper and mini-journals.
As often as you want! I have a daily practice. There are some things to keep in mind, however. First of all, different types of breathwork ellicit different responses from your nervous system – if you want some guidance on how to build a home practice that will help with your goals, feel free to get in touch for a consultation and we can talk about the breathwork styles that will work best for you.
If you’re doing breathwork to resolve trauma or emotional pain, and you do breathwork more than, say, once a week.. you may just find that you’re processing that a lot. That’s not bad! I honestly think it’s great if you have the bandwidth in your life to fall apart a little bit – you need the space to process. But if you’re an especially volatile or wobbly person (I can be), doing breathwork multiple times a week can definitely be really unsettling. Literally. Again – this isn’t necessary bad! I processed years’ worth of trauma over the course of about six months going to breathwork and sound healing 2-4 times a week. It was a really magical period of my life. But I was definitely in heavy processing mode.
Breathwork Safety
Absolutely. We’re professionals and stage events frequently. We know what we’re doing, and we always put your health and safety at the forefront. That said, if there’s anything you don’t feel comfortable doing during breathwork – please don’t! Listen to yourself, and listen to your body. You know yourself better than we do. if you feel like you want to take a gentler path through any journey, I always encourage that.
I have adult emergency first aid, CPR and AED certification.
Certification & Training
Yes! I hold a 20-hour pranayama-based certification from Loka Yoga School. I will also complete a 60-hour certification for Shamanic Breathwork in March 2024.
I study polyvagal theory and polyvagal yoga with both the Polyvagal Institute and Embody Lab. I currently train with Arielle Scwartz and I will be training with Dr. Stephen Porges starting in January 2024. Along with yoga and other mind-body practices, breathwork is a strong focus of polyvagal management of the nervous system.
I am also studying Holotropic Breathwork with Grof Transpersonal Training, the organization founded by Stan and Christina Grof. The Holotropic Breathwork training process takes 2-4 years and involves traveling fairly extensively, so this will be ongoing for some time. (It’s kind of a privileged form of breathwork.)
No. Somatic therapy is a mind-body practice and is not licensed.
If you’re considering working with a somatic therapist and want to evaluate their qualifications, professional certifications and Google reviews are a good place to start. Not all healers have the privilege of professional training – but those who work actively in the community more than likely have reviews online you’ll be able to check out so you can get a feel for their style.
Location
I currently teach at a couple of yoga studios in St. Louis – I have a monthly class at Shanti Yoga in TGS and a traveling monthly event with Elevate Well. I will also be hosting a weekly breathwork circle at the Arcade Building downtown starting in January 2024.
The 1:1 studio is location at the Arcade Building at 800 Olive Street in downtown St. Louis. It is next to Culinaria and the Old Post Office. Sessions are by appointment only.
Yes! You can check out accommodations here.
There is no attached parking garage for the Arcade Building. There’s usually street parking somewhere within a block of the building. If you want to park on the street and you can’t find anything, there’s almost always parking on Chestnut between 8th and 10th streets, alongside Citygarden.
The two best garages for visiting the building are the 9th Street Garage, above Culinaria, and the Central Downtown Garage, on Pine.
Yes! I’ve lived here for 8 years now. My appointment window ends at 8:30pm each day, however, and it can seem pretty dark and quiet downtown. If you’d like me to walk you to your car after your appointment, just let me know.
NOTE, HOWEVER! Please remove everything from your car. This is a city, and car break-ins do sometimes happen. Not super often, but please follow basic city parking logic – don’t leave anything out that might tempt passersby.
Scheduling and Payment
I accept cash, all major credit cards, and Venmo. I do not accept Paypal.
Yes – if you receive any form of assistance (SNAP, TANF, SSI, Medicaid, Medicare, cash assistance, childcare assistance, etc.) you are eligible for the sliding scale rate of $50/hour. Reach out and we can work out details.
Yes! A gratuity is not expected, however.
Please try to let me know 24 hours in advance if you need to cancel. I don’t currently take deposits, so it’s not like I’m going to bill you for the time. I do, however also have a full-time job as a projecct manager at a tech company during the day, so please try to respect my evening and weekend time if possible. If you cancel more than twice, I’ll probably decline to book any more appointments with you. Thanks for understanding. 🙂