u/Zoolanderlover

At a retreat, I did a holotropic breathwork session, and it was an incredible experience. It didn’t feel intense or overly activating. Instead, it felt peaceful, almost blissful. For days afterward, I felt like something had shifted in me in a really positive way.

Since then, I found a local place that offers something similar once a month. Last night, while lying in bed, I found a short 20-minute “Breathe with Sandy” video and decided to try it. Again, it felt amazing, and the peace afterward was incredible.

My question is, can this type of breathing be harmful in any way? Is the breath-holding part especially risky? Can it activate the nervous system in a negative way?

If it were up to me, I’d do this once a week because of how good it makes me feel, but I also notice there are a lot of warnings around breathwork.
Would love to hear any wisdom or personal experiences.

The past few years my spiritual walk has gotten much deeper. Lots of healing, changes and I am not who I used to be for the better.

The circles I have been running in varies with different modalities and practices. I have spent years doing deep healing and peeling the onion to where I feel a need to protect it by not just allowing anything in.

One thing I do not want is a K Awakening and many times sense that meditations or other things can open me up to it.

What do I need to stay away from to not invite it? I want no part of it😩

I see so many questions about how to awaken, and I have a few thoughts. Here is what I have experienced.

1. Come to a place of surrender—to the truth that you really know nothing. This opens the path to relearn. Everything you’ve picked up from one religion, teacher, philosophy, or belief system may need to be surrendered and released.

2. Pay attention to what draws you. Notice what interests arise—what you feel called to learn, read, or explore. I always used to say that when I walked into the spiritual section of a bookstore, the book that grabbed my attention was the one I was meant to read.

3.Expect trials and tribulations, especially in relationships. This is still one of my greatest teachers. People can challenge us in deep ways. Always ask: What is my part? How can I grow from this?

4.Be open to flow. Life has a way of bringing exactly what you need when you stop gripping so tightly. Trust that what is meant for you will find you.

5. Awakening often doesn’t announce itself while it’s happening. It’s subtle. Then one day, you look back and realize—you’re not the same person anymore.

6.There is no final arrival. There is only expansion. You become someone who sees more clearly, loves more deeply, and responds differently to the world.

7. The difficult seasons are often where the deepest transformation happens.

The rough times are where the potter does some of his greatest work.

Peace, Out😀

Hi, I would love some feedback and perspective on an experience I recently had.

I attended a retreat centered around the theme of finding your purpose, with the idea being not just to learn something intellectually, but to truly embody it. There were six of us staying together in a house for the retreat.

The first evening, we were told we would begin promptly at 5:00 PM, but we ended up waiting because one participant forgot the retreat actually started that night. The following days continued in a similar pattern. There were frequent conversations about taking long breaks or naps, and when we were told to meet somewhere at a specific time, it was usually just me and the leader there while everyone else wandered in later. One participant, in particular, often had to be tracked down.

At one point, after waiting around 15 minutes, the leader asked me to go look for people. Internally, this became frustrating for me. I believe there is a time for flow and spontaneity, but also a time for structure and honoring commitments. What challenged me most was feeling as though my discomfort with the lack of structure was somehow framed as my issue. I was told, indirectly, that I may be someone who “rushes” too much.

My question is this: if people are told something starts at a certain time and they choose not to come, isn’t that their responsibility? If the retreat was truly meant to operate in complete flow, then why not simply allow people to arrive late or miss parts of the experience naturally, instead of gathering everyone so no one misses anything? Why should those who are respectful of the agreed time absorb the consequences of others’ choices?

This dynamic continued throughout all three days, and I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated internally. On the first full day, after the delayed start the night before and hearing people talk repeatedly about wanting naps and downtime, I shared with the group that if I had wanted to nap all weekend, I could have stayed home. People had traveled long distances to be there and I personally wanted to fully engage in the experience.

Now that I’m home, what lingers most is the feeling that perhaps something is wrong with the way I’m wired. The leader’s comments about me being someone who moves quickly and needing to “ponder” that have stayed with me more than I expected.

The truth is, I actually do consider myself someone who flows deeply in life. I follow intuition strongly. But when I feel led toward something, I move on it. I act. That way of being has never failed me. In many ways, it has been one of my greatest gifts and has led to some of the most meaningful impact in both my life and the lives of others. So to suddenly question whether this part of me is somehow unhealthy or wrong has honestly been painful.

Thanks for letting me share. I would genuinely appreciate hearing others’ thoughts or perspectives.

P.S. We did holotropic breathwork, and that part was absolutely incredible.

Hi, I would love some feedback and perspective on an experience I recently had.

I attended a retreat centered around the theme of finding your purpose, with the idea being not just to learn something intellectually, but to truly embody it. There were six of us staying together in a house for the retreat.

The first evening, we were told we would begin promptly at 5:00 PM, but we ended up waiting because one participant forgot the retreat actually started that night. The following days continued in a similar pattern. There were frequent conversations about taking long breaks or naps, and when we were told to meet somewhere at a specific time, it was usually just me and the leader there while everyone else wandered in later. One participant, in particular, often had to be tracked down.

At one point, after waiting around 15 minutes, the leader asked me to go look for people. Internally, this became frustrating for me. I believe there is a time for flow and spontaneity, but also a time for structure and honoring commitments. What challenged me most was feeling as though my discomfort with the lack of structure was somehow framed as my issue. I was told, indirectly, that I may be someone who “rushes” too much.

My question is this: if people are told something starts at a certain time and they choose not to come, isn’t that their responsibility? If the retreat was truly meant to operate in complete flow, then why not simply allow people to arrive late or miss parts of the experience naturally, instead of gathering everyone so no one misses anything? Why should those who are respectful of the agreed time absorb the consequences of others’ choices?

This dynamic continued throughout all three days, and I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated internally. On the first full day, after the delayed start the night before and hearing people talk repeatedly about wanting naps and downtime, I shared with the group that if I had wanted to nap all weekend, I could have stayed home. People had traveled long distances to be there and I personally wanted to fully engage in the experience.

Now that I’m home, what lingers most is the feeling that perhaps something is wrong with the way I’m wired. The leader’s comments about me being someone who moves quickly and needing to “ponder” that have stayed with me more than I expected.

The truth is, I actually do consider myself someone who flows deeply in life. I follow intuition strongly. But when I feel led toward something, I move on it. I act. That way of being has never failed me. In many ways, it has been one of my greatest gifts and has led to some of the most meaningful impact in both my life and the lives of others. So to suddenly question whether this part of me is somehow unhealthy or wrong has honestly been painful.

Thanks for letting me share. I would genuinely appreciate hearing others’ thoughts or perspectives.

P.S. We did holotropic breathwork, and that part was absolutely incredible.