Is Somatic Breathwork Safe, or Just Stirring People Up?

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What if healing looked nothing like you were taught?
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Welcome to All Within.
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I'm Dawn Elle Davis, and every episode I'm sitting down with the healers, the seekers, and the ones who found their way back to wholeness through roads you might not expect.
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Their stories, their modalities, and their hard-won wisdom.
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This is where healing gets real.
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Let's begin.
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Real quick, every healer on this podcast now has a healer spotlight on the All Within site.
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It's a place where you can ask them questions about what they shared today or about their work and connect with it more deeply.
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Link in the show notes Welcome.
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I'm so excited today to be back with you guys, and we have Sarah Jafar on.
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And Sarah, I would love for you to introduce yourself and tell us what you're all about.
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Thank you, Dawn.
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It's an honor to be here.
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My name is Sarah Jafar, and I am a somatic breathwork practitioner.
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I like to say I hold a safe space for people to be human.
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It's very important that people feel safe to be seen, to be heard, to be held in their healing.
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And basically, through the breathwork, we normalize the human experience.
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So we allow people to feel things they don't maybe allow themselves to feel on a day-to-day basis so that we aren't as stressed, anxious, and sick, and so on.
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Yeah.
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I love breathwork.
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I have been practicing and participating in it for years, but I haven't participated yet in somatic breathwork.
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So what is the difference between somatic and regular breathwork?
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Well, soma means of the body.
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Mm-hmm.
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So we're basically using the breath as a tool to tap into the intelligence of our body.
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Because whether we realize it or not, our body, keeps the score.
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Whether it's years of generational trauma, our own trauma, the day-to-day stresses, unfelt emotions get stored in there, and that's the things that can cause a lot of unease and eventually dis-ease in our body.
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So we use the breath to stir things up so that we can express through our sound and movement, and so we can release that from the body and walk away feeling much lighter, more clearer.
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A lot of clarity, is typically attained.
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And, there's a lot of aha moments that can come through as well.
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Oh, heck yeah.
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I have had so many aha moments in breathwork.
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I feel like I have traveled through...
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Sometimes I've had experiences where it's purely just my body releasing and feeling different things.
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I've had experiences where I've gone back to past lives.
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I've just...
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I've gone back in, my childhood.
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it's a magical, magical experience because you never know.
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And to your point, I think it...
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there is an intelligence to it, so it meets you wherever you are in that moment.
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And maybe you may have an intention going into it of like,"Oh, I wanna work on this," but I feel like, of course, it is gonna give you what you need, not always what you want.
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Beautifully said.
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Yes.
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A- exactly.
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So how long have you been doing this?
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That's a good question.
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I believe I became certified in 2024.
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Okay.
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I came across an Instagram profile, and the work spoke to me.
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I became a personal trainer in 2013 and a life coach in 2019, and I felt like there were the deep...
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Like, there was something missing, some deeper layers that we were not able to get to, my clients and I.
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And then when I came across this profile on Instagram, I was like,"That.
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I must do that." And I hadn't...
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Like, I was ready to jump into the training, and the small logical part of my brain was like,"You should at least experience a session before you jump into the work." So January of 2024, I experienced my own journey, and it was the confirmation of, yes, I must do this work.
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I fully believe in the depths of my soul how much this can help each and every one of us.
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So you mentioned that you were doing coaching for quite some time, and that there was something that seemed to be missing on some level.
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So what was it that you felt was missing that this breathwork provided?
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well, the breath, like I mentioned, the deeper layers.
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So a little part that I forgot to mention, in 2020 I moved from Southern California to Idaho, and I was training my clients online in my house.
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And I felt this desire to connect with other humans, in person, and I realized I couldn't necessarily do that from working on Zoom.
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And I worked at StretchLab for about six months, and I noticed in working with my clients at StretchLab that those that would breathe with me would get so much more out of their stretch.
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And now in hindsight, I realize those that breathed with me, their body felt safe to let go.
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So any tension, tightness they were feeling in the moment, as they would exhale, you could see and feel the body just relax into the stretch more.
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And it wasn't until a few years later that I found somatic breathwork, but whether I'm working with a personal training client or a coaching client or a breathwork client, the breath is such an integral part of not only being alive and being human, but getting to those deeper layers of ourselves that maybe we don't get to on a day-to-day basis or really ever.
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There's so much power in the pause.
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So when we're in a somatic breathwork journey, we're stopping.
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You know, we live in very demanding world these days.
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There's notifications and distractions and demands everywhere.
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So when we stop and actually listen to the small voice that's telling us what we need, and tap into what it is that we're carrying in our bodies, that's how we get to the deeper layers.
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Mm.
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I can feel that when you're saying it.
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And it reminds me, I was going through, a few years ago, I was going through a very challenging situation in my life, and I was working with a somatic...
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She was a somatic practitioner.
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she didn't necessarily do breathwork.
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But I remember her telling me that if I was holding my breath,'cause I was going through this really stressful thing.
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I was working with a custody evaluator'cause I was going through some big court process for my kids so I could move to Idaho.
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I was from Southern California as well.
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I would go to these meetings, and I could feel myself, tense up, and then I would have these huge migraines afterwards- and just be exhausted.
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And she said-"How are you breathing when you're in these situations?" And I remember thinking, I don't even know if I'm bre-" I'm, of course I was breathing- but I wasn't really breathing.
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And she said to me, moment that you kind of hold your breath and you start to brace, your body decides that it's gonna go into survival mode." Mm-hmm.
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"And then you're cut off from the neck down, from..." It's like you're, there's almost like a separation.
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And she's like,"And if you're trying to access really important information, your memories, your this, whatever it is, you need all of you." And so she's like,"You've got to find a way to breathe very deeply in that process so that you can stay with yourself." And I think that was the first time ever in my entire life that I realized how important it was to stay with myself, and that the breath was the invitation back into my body.
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The breath is the first thing we do when we enter this world, and the last thing we do before we leave this world.
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But what is the quality of our breath day to day, or in those stressful moments so that we can think clearly and make appropriate decisions?
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Or when we're extra stressed out and we find that we're snapping at our kids, or we have a little less patience with others, that's when we can really, ask ourself,"Am I breathing?
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Am I really breathing?" Because many of us are taking shallow breaths up here, and for some of us, it's learning to breathe.
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So it's very much a practice.
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And I think that when you said, pausing.
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Mm.
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Pausing and coming back to that small voice, and that the breath is a way to come back to that.
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Yeah.
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And I agree, because if I'm just in that mode of just, okay, I'm trying to get through everything, and I'm not stopping and really...
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I feel like the breath brings you back to the moment, and then you can start to kind of pay attention, like, okay, what's going on around me?
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'Cause so much of the time we're on autopilot.
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Mm-hmm.
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We're just like wake up, go through our day.
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And so I feel like just the breathing throughout the day is important, but what you're doing is taking people through a breathwork journey, right?
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And I love, I just have to say,'cause I also have been trained in breathwork, but, like, when people are in breathwork and they have these huge moments of release where their bodies are shaking.
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'Cause I...
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There's probably a bunch of our listeners that have never participited, participated in breathwork, and I think it's important to know,'cause if they're going into a room and they're experiencing it for the first time, there is that maybe somatic, physical shaking, and really sometimes there's people screaming or crying.
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And I think that it's so important that that is even a part of the conversation, because what you said is the, the breath is bringing people to safety, and then they're getting to have these beautiful experiences.
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So I'm curious, when you've been leading these breathworks, like, how do you facilitate that?
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How does that all kind of unfold?
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Well, somatic breathwork, specifically the first part of our journey, we are stirring things up.
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We are getting into our fight or flight in a safe, controlled environment.
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Mm.
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which is how we can tap into what exactly we're storing in our body.
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And then we're invited to express, like you said, maybe we're shaking, maybe we're, crying or screaming, or we're laughing or singing.
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It doesn't always have to be, I think a lot of people that maybe see this on social media or wherever they see it, maybe they see those moments, but there's also the joy.
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We can't just shut ourselves from feeling the negative emotions without also, muting some of the joy that's there, too.
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So I think that it's just important to feel all of it.
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I tell people,"Every part of you is welcome here." And as a facilitator, when people are going through it, maybe they're crying, I always say that, hands-on touch is optional.
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But for those people that have said yes, what comes up for me is the mother in me sees the hurt child in you, and I'm just here to love you through it.
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so there are some breath holds throughout the journey, and then the second half of the journey is when we calm things down, and we pull in how we want to feel moving forward.
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So we're clearing out everything that isn't serving us in the first half of the journey.
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In the second half of the journey, we're pulling in all the goodness, peace, love, joy, gratitude, whatever that is for you.
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And to your point that you spoke about earlier, many of us go into a journey with an intention, and we very much set an intention with a meditation before we go in.
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But I think staying open is really important because what you receive sometimes is that very thing, and sometimes it's something completely different.
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So I think staying open to whatever that is is such a beautiful thing because, you know, oftentimes we could be surprised.
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Heck yeah, because our minds like to intellectualize what we need to heal sometimes.
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It's like saying,"If I could just focus on this thing," or,"This is the issue in my life." And what I love about breathwork or different types of experiences like medicine journeys, you go in and you're just convinced that it's this very thing that is blocking you or needs to be, dealt with, and then you go through the experience and there's...
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The body's just opening up.
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And I always feel like one of my favorite parts about breathwork, is I like to think that when we're focusing on the breathing, then our mind has something to do.
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It's like it has a way that it's focused so that our spirit or our consciousness can really come alive and start to show us and activate our subconscious.
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And so that's where I think because the mind is focused and is not intellectualizing things, then there's this openness and this space for us to receive from our bodies, from the quantum field, what might be the very thing that we need to actually focus on.
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Exactly, yes.
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And for those that maybe find themselves struggling with meditation, this is why I love breathwork.
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it takes you from your mind and into your body.
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A lot of us are trying to think our way through things, and sometimes it's not a job for our mind.
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There's so many other pieces and parts to us that already have everything we need.
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If we're able to tap into that, we know at the end, like, everything I need is within me now.
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Sometimes it's just clearing out anything of the way, in the way of remembering it.
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That's beautifully said.
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And I love what you said also about how every part of us is welcome.
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Mm.
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Because I think there's this thought process that if something's a negative thought or it's bad, that we don't really wanna focus on it or be with it.
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And I'm not saying we need to ruminate about it, but sometimes that negative thought is there for a reason.
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And if you're creating a space for people where everything is welcome, then there's...
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That's the, that's the wholeness that we all are kind of looking for.
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And so I'm curious, what are some of the experiences you've noticed with some of your participants that have...
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I'm sure you have a lot of regulars that do breathwork.
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And what is some of the transformations that you've been able to, to witness through the breath?
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well, there's one in particular that comes up.
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I was honored to be part of, a retreat almost a year ago in September.
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We went to Fiji, and we landed in Fiji, and I was able to host a somatic breathwork journey right there next to the ocean.
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And one of our, participants coming out of it, she's like,"I'm, I'm gonna be honest, I thought this was absolute crap." And she is one of my...
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like, one of the biggest fans of breathwork now because she is able to see and feel the experience and the benefits of the breath.
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And she's finding, because she was in a horrible car accident, she's finding, like, through different doctor's appointments and different ailments that the breath is very much a part of the healing journey.
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And, there's another woman who actually came on my retreat in, in June.
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It was her first journey as well.
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And in the past, she has greatly struggled with mental health.
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And after experiencing her first journey in June, she has then brought her husband to multiple journeys, and now they do it together, and it's so cool.
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it's so cool to see them side by side just doing the work and coming out on the other side.
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people walk into the room a certain way, and they leave completely different.
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it's just really hard to put into words, but, I feel like there's...
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In my mind, there's two groups of people.
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There's people that have experienced the work, and they understand the benefits, and they understand, what exactly this is.
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And then I think there's people that may- they haven't done the work.
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Maybe they've heard about it, maybe not.
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But I sense some deep hesitation, and the story I tell myself is that the fear of the unknown, fear of,"What is this work?
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What could come up?
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What if I never stop crying?
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What if...
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You know, what if..." And I think that if you feel the fear and do it anyway and experience a session, you will become the part of the group that gets it, that does it, that also wants to share with the world.
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Because what really comes up for me is one person doing the work, the ripple effect of that, how that one person shows up differently in all of their relationships, in their community, in their family, at whatever they do for work.
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Like, it's exponential, the ripple effect.
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So if we can invite more and more people into this work, we begin to heal not only as a community, but as a world.
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So, I feel like this is the thing I've always been searching for in terms of how I can help people, and I don't think I could be any more passionate about it than I am.
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I can feel your passion, and it's palpable.
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And I really enjoy that because I think our passion is what other people feel when we're trying to transmit to them the energy of our love for what we're sharing, the modalities or the ways that we're sharing.
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And when you were talking about the two different camps of people, it made me think about something that I have thought about myself before I became a breathwork practitioner, and then also what I see sometimes when people come.
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And it's this vulnerability of being in a room with people, and if they've never done it before, they don't know how the breath is gonna move through their body.
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And they've shared with me They'll say stuff like,"Well, what if I cry?" Mm-hmm.
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"And what if I, what if I cry really loud in front of other people?" Or, It's almost like they're afraid they're gonna make some noise or do something that- is embarrassing.
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Mm-hmm And I remember thinking, that's interesting that we're afraid to be in a group of people and make the wrong noise or show that emotion- Mm-hmm that maybe we've been holding onto for months, and we're gonna show it or express it in a group of strangers, right?
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So it's like, have you heard that too?
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Absolutely, yeah.
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The vulnerability component is huge.
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because I think, most of us feel comfortable, and it is comfortable to, show up as your best self, your most shiny, happy self, whether we feel that inside or not.
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So it's letting yourself be seen.
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It's letting yourself be heard.
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It's letting yourself be witnessed, because healing happens in the presence of an empathetic witness.
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So as scary as it may be for people, at the end of the journey, there is a journal prompt, and there is partner sharing, and there is, if people feel open, they can share with the group.
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But that's where the magic happens.
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Because I also offer one-on-one work, but when you're able to do it in a group of people who are doing the work together, there's nothing more beautiful than that.
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And people just leave feeling more connected not only to themselves, but to this group of strangers that somehow become almost like a family, we're doing the work together.
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We're allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and show up exactly as we are," putting away that shiny, perfect self.
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Because I think a lot of this is unlearning.
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Many of us grew up being told,"Don't cry." So it's been ingrained in us to be quiet, sit down, shut things off, keep going.
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And so it's a practice.
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It's unlearning.
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It's, trusting ourselves, trusting our breath, trusting perfect strangers, trusting me.
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Like, whatever that entails, there's a lot of trust and vulnerability involved, but that's how healing and connection happens.
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It's how we heal in community.
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there's some magic to experiencing something together- that if you're just by yourself, you're not gonna get the same impact or effect.
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And when you were talking, you reminded me, I was going through a really challenging time in my life in 2021.
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I just left, a long-term relationship, and I was in Sedona of all places.
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And I was at a retreat.
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And this woman, Anahata, I believe her name is, and she led a breathwork experience.
00:19:51.272 --> 00:19:53.563
And I totally forgot about this until you were sharing.
00:19:54.182 --> 00:20:01.207
And- I was always kind of like a stoic, like in these- breathwork experiences when I participate.
00:20:01.217 --> 00:20:02.977
You know, I, I was always like,"I'm not gonna...
00:20:02.987 --> 00:20:12.297
I don't wanna like be the, the crazy one or be, be too loud- or be this." I really, was somewhat monitoring myself back in the day.
00:20:13.076 --> 00:20:19.787
And that time I let myself, I was like,"I'm not gonna do that silly game.
00:20:19.916 --> 00:20:24.277
I'm just gonna let myself have this experience, and I'm on a retreat.
00:20:24.277 --> 00:20:25.067
I paid for this.
00:20:25.067 --> 00:20:35.277
I'm gonna let myself be the participant." And I remember, because I guess I was holding so much at that time, crying like the biggest...
00:20:35.406 --> 00:20:37.096
I was just weeping.
00:20:37.727 --> 00:20:44.076
And I remember her coming up to me, and she came up and put her...
00:20:44.106 --> 00:20:53.836
I, I don't remember exactly, but she put her arms around me, and she whispered something like,"You're so loved," or- Mm-hmm It, it still, it actually makes me feel emotional thinking about it.
00:20:54.376 --> 00:21:01.737
It was, it was so deeply healing, and it touched me in a place, because I was already so vulnerable.
00:21:01.747 --> 00:21:04.207
I was- Yeah already opened up massively.
00:21:04.537 --> 00:21:13.717
And she just comes in and holds me- for a moment and embraced me and took care of me, and then some part of me had this like deep level of repair.
00:21:14.386 --> 00:21:23.067
But more than that, this tidal wave of emotion that I'd been holding in finally got released.
00:21:23.586 --> 00:21:42.277
And after that experience, I've never really thought about it, but I remember things flowed a lot easier in my life after that because I think I needed that permission to just- Yep be with myself in that way and not try and be stoic with my emotions and try and keep it all together.
00:21:42.356 --> 00:21:58.255
Yeah it does require a lot of trust And I like what you said about permission because that's another thing, I'll say in my intro before we go in is giving yourself permission to be the fullest expression of yourself, no matter what that looks like, no matter what that sounds like.
00:21:58.724 --> 00:22:10.295
And that even though we're in this room together, that we're all on our own journey, and that you might hear or feel someone else express, and know that that is theirs and yours is yours.
00:22:10.355 --> 00:22:13.204
you can use that as an invitation to also express.
00:22:13.684 --> 00:22:17.605
And know that, like, again, we're walking in our own journey, but we're doing it together.
00:22:18.394 --> 00:22:22.164
I love hearing about your experience, and there are so many things we have in common.
00:22:22.615 --> 00:22:26.265
'cause I also left an almost 20-year marriage around that same time.
00:22:26.275 --> 00:22:34.605
the breath has been such an integral part of coming back home to myself and, how I can show up better for others by doing that.
00:22:35.615 --> 00:22:40.115
I was gonna ask you, for you, how the breath has moved through your life.
00:22:40.125 --> 00:22:46.755
'Cause I always think that when we are facilitating something, there's some part of it that we're facilitating for ourselves as well.
00:22:46.755 --> 00:22:51.785
So when you said you left, that's a long time to be in a relationship, 20 years.
00:22:51.875 --> 00:22:54.315
And so is that why you moved from California to Idaho?
00:22:55.174 --> 00:22:55.654
Yes.
00:22:55.674 --> 00:22:59.805
In 2019, At the end of the year, I was turning 40.
00:23:00.134 --> 00:23:03.954
So I think there's something happens with women when we, once we enter 40.
00:23:04.335 --> 00:23:06.424
I reevaluated a lot of things in my life.
00:23:06.474 --> 00:23:12.615
And, I realized the reason I was staying was for the kids, ultimately, at the end of the day.
00:23:12.724 --> 00:23:14.924
And that was the reason I also had to leave.
00:23:14.954 --> 00:23:19.345
Because The example, the things we were modeling for our children was not what I wanted for them.
00:23:19.805 --> 00:23:36.785
So although, my husband at the time and myself were very proud of giving our children both a mother and a father because he and I grew up without a father, it was also so important that I showed them another way, like a deeper love, even if that meant being alone.
00:23:37.214 --> 00:23:43.865
so what I had discovered was at 39 turning 40 that I didn't really know, love, or trust myself.
00:23:44.394 --> 00:23:51.355
So that was the journey of, I think it was 2022, I say I took 2022 to fall madly in love with myself.
00:23:51.865 --> 00:24:03.585
And, I think once you cultivate the relationship you have with yourself, that's when you make decisions that also align with who you know that you are deep, deep within.
00:24:03.595 --> 00:24:08.775
And, you won't tolerate as much as maybe you would, before cultivating the relationship.
00:24:09.954 --> 00:24:15.684
I always like to say I have to be willing to break my own heart.
00:24:15.694 --> 00:24:19.414
'Cause I know in life we're gonna break others' hearts, but I had to be willing to break my own heart.
00:24:19.434 --> 00:24:31.934
I don't know what gender kids you have, but I have two girls, and I was At this point too where I was like,"Oh my gosh." I came from a broken family as well, and I was like,"I don't wanna do this to my girls.
00:24:31.934 --> 00:24:32.805
I don't wanna do this." Mm-hmm.
00:24:32.855 --> 00:24:57.894
But I had to be willing to break my own heart to say,"This is gonna hurt really bad, but I'm going to do this anyways," because I knew that a happy person, me being happy and being a mother that can support my kids and show them what it's like to be happy versus staying in something- Mm that was unhealthy, and I wasn't happy- Yes that it was more important to, to take that leap of faith.
00:24:57.984 --> 00:24:59.625
And so I did that as well.
00:24:59.625 --> 00:25:09.244
Mine was leaving in 2020, and then 2021 was my year of self-love and falling in love with myself too,'cause I, I literally said that to myself.
00:25:09.244 --> 00:25:25.224
I'm like,"Okay, 2021, it's my year." And I- went all in on myself and decided to, to meet myself in those places that I hadn't been able to meet myself before, because I'd been so busy holding up many different relationships over my life.
00:25:25.265 --> 00:25:39.795
And so- Yeah good for you, and g- good for both of us- Good for us yeah, that we had that time, because I don't think we can meet others, as deeply as we can unless we're willing to deeply meet ourselves.
00:25:40.305 --> 00:26:01.724
And that- Exactly is such a healer's initiation- Mm is to have to be with ourselves in such a way where we can be with the darkness or the ugly parts or whatever we wanna call it, so that when we're in a room holding space for other people, and their parts are coming out that need to be loved, it's no big thing.
00:26:01.734 --> 00:26:03.414
It's like,"Okay, yeah, I see you.
00:26:03.414 --> 00:26:05.734
I've been there myself." Yeah.
00:26:06.275 --> 00:26:07.765
Yeah, we need each other in this life.
00:26:08.944 --> 00:26:14.994
And the more that we can just normalize the human experience, like we're happy, we're sad, we're everything in between, and that's okay.
00:26:15.414 --> 00:26:16.684
it's okay to feel.
00:26:17.095 --> 00:26:19.674
And not only is it okay to feel, it's necessary.
00:26:20.224 --> 00:26:25.365
And when we don't allow ourselves to do- to feel, that's when things go awry.
00:26:25.494 --> 00:26:35.755
So I think the more that we can create these spaces, these safe spaces for people to be human, the more that we will be, more regulated, but not only that, more alive.
00:26:36.545 --> 00:26:37.644
That's the key, right?
00:26:37.654 --> 00:26:45.172
Is we get to be more- alive when we can hold more bandwidth for all the different feelings, we get to expand more and feel more.
00:26:45.192 --> 00:26:47.071
And so I wholeheartedly agree.
00:26:47.442 --> 00:26:50.281
I'm curious with the type of coaching you're doing.
00:26:50.281 --> 00:26:54.582
So you say you started off as a personal trainer, so you're very connected to the physical body.
00:26:54.642 --> 00:26:59.721
And then you started coaching, and then eventually it sounds like you've added the breathwork into your coaching.
00:26:59.721 --> 00:27:01.961
So what kind of coaching do you do?
00:27:03.082 --> 00:27:05.571
I wouldn't say I do any particular type of coaching.
00:27:05.771 --> 00:27:06.971
the word coaching, I don't know.
00:27:06.971 --> 00:27:08.821
It's an interesting concept.
00:27:09.551 --> 00:27:12.422
Basically, in my mind, as a coach, you're listening.
00:27:12.481 --> 00:27:13.491
You're holding space.
00:27:13.622 --> 00:27:20.362
You're asking deep questions that, pull out what you have inside of you, and it's just another way.
00:27:20.362 --> 00:27:24.521
It's another modality that's doing a similar thing, like the breathwork.
00:27:24.951 --> 00:27:30.832
I don't specialize in any type of coaching, but I did grow up dancing and lifting weights, and then personal training.
00:27:30.832 --> 00:27:44.061
And then once I got into the breathwork, I was like,"Oh, no wonder these things are so powerful," and I love these things so much because we're moving, we're breathing, and this is very much somatic breathwork, whether I realized it or not in the moment.
00:27:44.622 --> 00:27:48.211
Like expression, those things are so important as a human being.
00:27:48.551 --> 00:27:54.162
This life is not to just follow this line, and check these things off the boxes, and show up perfectly.
00:27:54.162 --> 00:28:03.321
Like, there's so much more to this life, and I think the more that we can lead by that example and invite other people to do that too, the bigger of an impact we can all have.
00:28:04.501 --> 00:28:06.402
Yeah, and I don't think we move enough.
00:28:06.451 --> 00:28:08.142
I know for me- I've been very active.
00:28:08.142 --> 00:28:09.741
I've worked out since I was in high school.
00:28:09.751 --> 00:28:11.501
But I wasn't necessarily a sporty...
00:28:11.511 --> 00:28:17.011
like, into sports and stuff, but I was always working out and doing some stuff for fun, like tennis.
00:28:17.041 --> 00:28:25.981
But I went through a couple periods in my life where I stopped, and I recognized how quickly I started to feel off.
00:28:25.991 --> 00:28:52.612
And every time I've had breaks, whether it was from an injury or, whatever it may be, I couldn't quite understand until a little bit, just in the last 10 years, that the movement and the breath was the thing that was keeping me moving and flowing in my- Mm-hmm with myself, and how important physical movement is to our ability to heal, and I don't think people always recognize that.
00:28:53.311 --> 00:28:54.432
Yeah, absolutely.
00:28:54.701 --> 00:28:56.432
As they say, movement is medicine.
00:28:56.541 --> 00:29:03.882
And, when I, when I worked as a personal trainer in Southern California, we did specialize in working with folks with Parkinson's disease.
00:29:04.211 --> 00:29:08.001
And through my training, that was very much the message, movement is medicine.
00:29:08.432 --> 00:29:12.402
And so you don't have to have Parkinson's to receive the benefits of movement.
00:29:12.751 --> 00:29:13.811
Breath is medicine.
00:29:13.821 --> 00:29:14.821
Sunshine is medicine.
00:29:14.832 --> 00:29:15.971
Connection is medicine.
00:29:16.142 --> 00:29:25.832
We need to get back to these things in this fast-paced AI world that we live in now, like getting back to the things that really help us as human beings.
00:29:26.301 --> 00:29:30.771
Like- the way things used to be, you know, in the'80s, but also allowing ourselves to feel.
00:29:30.821 --> 00:29:47.132
That's the part that we missed in the'80s, So when you're talking about the feeling and people learning how to feel, so obviously there's the tools like the breathwork- and the movement, but when you're connecting with somebody, what are some of the ways that you invite people into feeling?
00:29:47.132 --> 00:29:51.961
I ask that question because I think so many people go,"Okay, I have to feel more.
00:29:52.321 --> 00:29:56.971
What does that mean, and why do I wanna feel more?" And they don't even know where to begin.
00:29:57.750 --> 00:30:04.490
well this is where the somatic breathwork comes in because the breath will, if you actually breathe, because I find that some people have a hard time breathing.
00:30:05.140 --> 00:30:10.819
So understanding that it's a practice, that's a new way of breathing, but the breath will take you there if you allow it to.
00:30:10.869 --> 00:30:25.440
And then like you mentioned about your experience, sometimes I can see people really still resisting, and you'd be surprised, just a gentle touch or a whisper in the ear, people let go and whatever expression starts to come out.
00:30:25.980 --> 00:30:33.019
even other breathwork practitioners, like even those of us that know, sometimes we just need someone to be with us and say that it's okay.
00:30:33.019 --> 00:30:36.019
It's okay to feel, it's okay to let go, and I'm here with you.
00:30:36.569 --> 00:30:44.569
So that's my invitation, whether it's the breathwork or a little touch or a whisper in the ear that,"Hey, you're not alone.
00:30:44.660 --> 00:30:45.359
I see you.
00:30:45.940 --> 00:30:46.559
I got you.
00:30:47.099 --> 00:30:50.109
You're safe." That definitely helps open people up.
00:30:50.160 --> 00:30:57.200
And I think the more that people get reassured that it's safe to do so through that touch, because I think touch is so important.
00:30:57.230 --> 00:30:59.970
We don't get it as- much as maybe we need.
00:31:00.019 --> 00:31:06.650
And these containers really provide that beautiful consent of like,"Okay, I'm gonna come by."'Cause I always...
00:31:06.680 --> 00:31:13.390
I know you said it earlier, like some people- you probably give them an option of like,"If you don't want to be touched, then you don't have to be." Absolutely.
00:31:13.390 --> 00:31:20.859
But I think that is such an incredible way to get people to just open up, because that's something that I've...
00:31:20.990 --> 00:31:29.109
I, I have worked with women for years, and they literally say to me sometimes,"How?
00:31:29.130 --> 00:31:31.029
How do I start to feel more?
00:31:31.089 --> 00:31:40.809
How do I do that- Mm-hmm when I'm, I'm going through this crazy busy day, and I have kids?" And it's like they're almost, like, compartmentalizing their feelings so that they can make it through the day.
00:31:41.230 --> 00:31:41.369
Yeah.
00:31:41.380 --> 00:31:46.440
And that's part of the problem, is that they're not- Exactly allowing themselves to feel on a deeper level.
00:31:46.950 --> 00:31:47.380
Yeah.
00:31:47.430 --> 00:31:50.869
And as women, whether we're mothers or not, we're making the world go around.
00:31:50.890 --> 00:31:55.430
We're taking care of everyone and everything, and sometimes we're last on the list if we're even on the list.
00:31:55.440 --> 00:32:03.900
So it's really important to come into these spaces to put yourself on the list to al- allow that, whatever needs to come through to come through.
00:32:04.000 --> 00:32:11.019
And, it's also, raising your hand and saying,"Help me." Like, I, I, you know, we need each other, like I said.
00:32:11.019 --> 00:32:16.210
So it's such a beautiful thing to hold a space for people that hold space for others.
00:32:16.210 --> 00:32:24.240
And women specifically, I know men do it too, but I am a woman, so I can only speak from my own experience that, we're managing a lot day to day.
00:32:24.420 --> 00:32:32.220
And it's important to, also hold that space for ourselves to create a space where we can also be held and taken care of.
00:32:32.849 --> 00:32:33.309
Yes.
00:32:33.339 --> 00:32:34.400
it's vitally important.
00:32:34.400 --> 00:32:41.799
And I think that that is, for me, a part of my self-love routine is to not shame myself.
00:32:41.809 --> 00:32:44.480
'Cause I have big emotions and big feelings.
00:32:44.490 --> 00:32:44.509
Yeah.
00:32:44.829 --> 00:32:49.311
And I used to be Kinda like, well, is this normal?
00:32:49.321 --> 00:32:53.491
Because I'd be around other people that wouldn't feel as deeply, and- Yeah it makes sense.
00:32:53.511 --> 00:32:54.301
I'm really intuitive.
00:32:54.352 --> 00:32:57.872
That's, I do intuitive work for a living, and so I have to be in touch with my feelings.
00:32:57.872 --> 00:33:00.761
But I used to try and keep them really tidy.
00:33:00.771 --> 00:33:01.172
Mm-hmm.
00:33:01.321 --> 00:33:04.071
And not let them be as- Yes you know, sometimes they're messy.
00:33:04.092 --> 00:33:05.692
Sometimes they don't always fit in.
00:33:05.771 --> 00:33:11.001
And so- giving myself that permission as an act of self-love.
00:33:11.001 --> 00:33:29.832
Now, I try and not let it get in the way of, like, if I have an appointment to show up to, if I'm feeling emotional, I'm not gonna just say,"Okay, I'm feeling so emotional today, I can't do this thing." I try and work with it in a way,'cause I know a lot of women business owners will say,"I'm just not feeling it today," you know?
00:33:29.852 --> 00:33:32.721
I might, it's not the right vibe for me today," or something like that.
00:33:32.721 --> 00:33:36.961
And I'm like, oh, no, no, I still have to show up and do what I need to do.
00:33:37.231 --> 00:33:39.321
But I am with myself.
00:33:39.321 --> 00:33:42.342
I'm not abandoning myself- in my emotions.
00:33:42.342 --> 00:33:44.241
And I think that's a learned practice.
00:33:44.571 --> 00:33:51.511
To still have the feelings and the emotions and be there and be grounded with it, but also to show up for my responsibilities that I have.
00:33:52.221 --> 00:33:52.711
Yeah.
00:33:52.892 --> 00:33:56.221
Having, knowing what those boundaries are and what makes sense in the moment.
00:33:56.271 --> 00:34:01.362
And I do hear what you're saying, and I, again, relate,'cause I've always had very big emotions.
00:34:01.362 --> 00:34:06.561
I'm, I'm a big empath, and- Mm-hmm I think that our gift can also be our curse if it's not honed.
00:34:06.951 --> 00:34:22.135
So I learned, probably more recently, that it's not helpful for me to jump into the rabbit hole with my clients and feel everything they're feeling and- It's, yeah, I have to stay on solid ground and allow them to feel so that I can, hold that safe space for them.
00:34:22.155 --> 00:34:26.596
I very much know growing up, it was almost embarrassing to feel as deeply as I did.
00:34:26.596 --> 00:34:32.195
And I think it's scary for people, too, when they see somebody that can feel so deeply.
00:34:32.206 --> 00:34:33.186
that can be scary.
00:34:33.186 --> 00:34:39.755
So I think honing that gift has been very much a part of my journey more recently, so I hear you.
00:34:40.365 --> 00:34:40.715
Yeah.
00:34:41.115 --> 00:34:43.025
It sounds like we have a lot in common, Sarah.
00:34:43.235 --> 00:34:43.635
Absolutely.
00:34:43.635 --> 00:34:46.786
And so I'm curious, once you moved to Idaho and you...
00:34:46.806 --> 00:34:50.456
I know that you are doing all sorts of cool stuff here.
00:34:50.456 --> 00:34:54.516
I know you do, breathwork journeys, and I've seen your stuff, and I really wanna go to one soon.
00:34:54.956 --> 00:35:03.146
And how has your life shifted from really doing all of this work?
00:35:03.155 --> 00:35:07.686
'Cause I, I, I think as healers, we have to walk the path.
00:35:07.715 --> 00:35:21.275
Actually, I, I'm gonna s- wanna say we don't have to, but if we are being initiated and we're following the call, oftentimes- Mm-hmm we're going first into something- Yes and then we're helping others with it.
00:35:21.306 --> 00:35:26.876
And so I'm curious how your life has evolved since that point where you left California and had to start over.
00:35:27.936 --> 00:35:42.755
Well, as we can all recall, 2020 was when COVID hit, and living in Southern California, it's like I went from moving at a very fast pace to stop, and that was a major, l- like, whiplash.
00:35:43.175 --> 00:35:55.226
So every minute of every day being scheduled and waking up and alr- already feeling behind, and then it was just a repetitive cycle that I didn't realize was so unhealthy until I got out of it.
00:35:55.695 --> 00:36:02.925
So I'm grateful for the pause and the shift, because I can't even imagine where I'd be now.
00:36:02.976 --> 00:36:07.936
I mean, there are components that I miss from the life I left behind, so to speak.
00:36:08.315 --> 00:36:17.166
but I'm so grateful, because now my life is a lot more intentional and it's a lot slower, and the pace of life, quality of life has shifted dramatically.
00:36:17.175 --> 00:36:23.467
From living in Southern California to living in Boise, Idaho, it's a lot more, sustainable.
00:36:24.036 --> 00:36:32.556
And, I don't think I realized, like, the pollution, whether it's noise or the air quality or just the traffic and the...
00:36:32.737 --> 00:36:34.567
There's just so much going on all the time.
00:36:34.967 --> 00:36:44.697
so I'm grateful to have moved here, but then also to have found this work and realized, like, wow, not only has my life shifted dramatically, but obviously my kids as well.
00:36:44.697 --> 00:36:53.996
But then finding this work and allowing, other people, inviting them into this work as well, it's been life-changing, to say the least.
00:36:55.119 --> 00:37:03.719
and I can look back at my childhood and I remember people saying,"Take a deep breath," or,"Count to 10." And I'm like, oh, that's...
00:37:04.389 --> 00:37:08.418
Well, that's l- it makes a lot of sense now having found breathwork.
00:37:08.429 --> 00:37:10.929
It's like we need to stop and breathe sometimes.
00:37:10.929 --> 00:37:16.498
Just like let me take a few breaths and then move forward or, and then make a decision.
00:37:17.059 --> 00:37:22.608
I just think stopping and reevaluating, like how am I living day to day?
00:37:22.619 --> 00:37:24.228
Is this sustainable longterm?
00:37:24.278 --> 00:37:26.768
Is this the life I wanna live?
00:37:27.179 --> 00:37:32.659
Because although there are a lot of things out of our control, there are a lot of things in our control.
00:37:32.719 --> 00:37:45.398
And if we're choosing to be intentional with our time, energy, and attention, which it's now more important than ever, I think that's how we take our power back and really, again, come back to ourselves and, like, tune in.
00:37:45.398 --> 00:37:46.208
What do I need?
00:37:46.958 --> 00:37:50.568
Because I think, especially as women, we're handling everybody else's needs.
00:37:50.568 --> 00:37:52.108
But, like, our needs matter, too.
00:37:52.568 --> 00:38:02.449
And what you were saying about in the pause in 2020 and how we all had to stop, and you realized that your life was so...
00:38:03.108 --> 00:38:09.219
Sounds like it was very busy and organized and thing to thing to thing, and then it went, came to a big halt.
00:38:09.228 --> 00:38:09.248
Yeah.
00:38:09.278 --> 00:38:12.518
And I think that was one of the biggest gifts for me, too.
00:38:12.528 --> 00:38:12.559
Mm-hmm.
00:38:13.298 --> 00:38:17.148
Was realizing there's so much that happened for me that year.
00:38:17.188 --> 00:38:22.389
I always look back and I think that was one of the hardest years, but one of the most eye-opening.
00:38:22.628 --> 00:38:22.728
Mm.
00:38:22.909 --> 00:38:39.878
Because I realized, too, where I had been just on this program of living my life a certain way, and then it was pause, and then I decided, okay, after this I get to start over and I don't have to go back to doing it the way I was before.
00:38:39.889 --> 00:38:39.909
Yeah.
00:38:40.199 --> 00:38:51.222
But what I love about what you're saying- is you also took that energy and you started a whole new life where it sounds like when you moved to Boise.
00:38:51.222 --> 00:38:54.233
'Cause truth be told, where in Southern California are you from?
00:38:54.952 --> 00:38:57.182
well, I'm from Pocatello, Idaho originally.
00:38:57.222 --> 00:38:57.253
Oh, okay.
00:38:57.253 --> 00:39:00.722
And I moved to LA in, like, 2001 I should say.
00:39:00.753 --> 00:39:02.592
2001, or 2002.
00:39:03.222 --> 00:39:06.833
And I lived in Downey, which is like- 30 minutes from Long Beach, more inland.
00:39:06.862 --> 00:39:16.483
But, Yeah and then I moved back to Pocatello just for a couple months, and then I moved to Meridian because I feel like the Treasure Valley, is a good balance between LA and Pocatello.
00:39:17.242 --> 00:39:19.722
I don't know if you've ever been to Pocatello, but- I've never been there.
00:39:19.722 --> 00:39:21.043
But I heard It's kind of small.
00:39:21.052 --> 00:39:23.373
And so, yeah, I haven't, haven't stopped there yet.
00:39:23.373 --> 00:39:28.742
But to your point, Southern California, like especially LA, Long Beach area, it is...
00:39:29.123 --> 00:39:32.172
There is such a pace to it, and all the traffic and all the things.
00:39:32.233 --> 00:39:37.333
And for you to catch your breath and to move to Boise and really...
00:39:38.012 --> 00:39:42.572
It sounds like you embodied what you're teaching.
00:39:42.612 --> 00:39:44.552
You're like,"Okay, I'm gonna catch my breath.
00:39:44.552 --> 00:39:50.083
I'm gonna live my life a little bit differently." And there's so much more spaciousness here.
00:39:50.143 --> 00:39:54.282
And I do think that it's easier to raise kids here.
00:39:54.733 --> 00:39:56.922
Because it's, it's a slower pace.
00:39:57.003 --> 00:40:06.512
And as mothers, when we're trying to- Mm-hmm I really feel like it's a little bit easier in places where it's not as busy and crazy.
00:40:07.193 --> 00:40:07.583
Yeah.
00:40:07.632 --> 00:40:09.222
Cleaner, safer, slower pace.
00:40:09.262 --> 00:40:09.282
Yeah.
00:40:09.672 --> 00:40:15.583
it was kind of like living in survival mode without realizing I was living in survival mode until I was...
00:40:16.302 --> 00:40:19.822
till I stopped and reevaluated and then moved forward with more intention.
00:40:20.443 --> 00:40:25.443
But yeah, it's just, it's crazy to like look back at the path of what's led us here.
00:40:25.913 --> 00:40:31.492
And even though some of it's very heartbreaking and very, very, very hard, and nobody would wanna do it again, it's...
00:40:32.163 --> 00:40:33.583
I'm- I'm grateful for the journey.
00:40:34.873 --> 00:40:38.452
I think that's such a good point, Sarah, is that it's not always easy.
00:40:38.503 --> 00:40:53.532
being on a healing journey has very difficult moments, but when we look back and realize when we actually move through it and get to the other side- Mm-hmm that's when it's like there's some sort of, I don't know what you feel, but I feel content or peacefulness.
00:40:53.773 --> 00:40:53.793
Mm-hmm.
00:40:53.802 --> 00:41:03.043
Not a content of like, just like,"Okay, this is fine," but just like a real sense of, oh, peace, that I was able to move through the difficult things.
00:41:03.083 --> 00:41:06.152
Because in those difficult moments is when I actually found myself.
00:41:06.172 --> 00:41:08.952
It's never been when my life is, like, at the all-time high.
00:41:08.952 --> 00:41:19.043
Like, I love those- Yeah moments where, like, everything's clicking and everything is, awesome, but it's not in those moments where I discover what I'm actually made of.
00:41:19.043 --> 00:41:24.992
It's when I'm at the bottom trying to figure things out that I'm like,"Okay, what now?" Mm-hmm.
00:41:25.492 --> 00:41:26.222
What now?
00:41:26.512 --> 00:41:26.733
Yeah.
00:41:26.733 --> 00:41:28.032
And who am I now?
00:41:28.032 --> 00:41:29.182
What do I need now?
00:41:29.853 --> 00:41:30.393
Mm-hmm.
00:41:30.452 --> 00:41:32.112
Because it's ever-changing and evolving.
00:41:32.733 --> 00:41:33.262
Yeah.
00:41:33.742 --> 00:41:42.003
I am curious, because I know a lot of people have compared breathwork to, medicine work, mm-hmm.
00:41:42.152 --> 00:41:49.273
and I don't know if they would say ayahuasca, but similar to receiving visions or- maybe like a psilocybin journey.
00:41:49.282 --> 00:41:49.342
Mm-hmm.
00:41:49.342 --> 00:41:50.782
And I'm just curious your thoughts on that.
00:41:51.603 --> 00:41:51.983
Yeah.
00:41:52.052 --> 00:41:56.342
I haven't yet experienced my own journey, whether it's psilocybin or ayahuasca.
00:41:56.733 --> 00:42:02.353
but I have had many participants that have experienced that or even those that lead those journeys.
00:42:02.382 --> 00:42:03.813
And people are...
00:42:03.842 --> 00:42:04.862
Their minds are blown.
00:42:05.202 --> 00:42:08.902
They walk away like,"Holy moly," like,"I went somewhere else.
00:42:08.932 --> 00:42:10.072
I don't even know what happened.
00:42:10.072 --> 00:42:10.793
That was awesome.
00:42:10.793 --> 00:42:16.913
I've never felt this calm." Lot of different comments, but all in the realm of, like,"What just happened?
00:42:17.603 --> 00:42:20.663
that was really cool." And to each his own, you know.
00:42:20.702 --> 00:42:37.233
I just think that it's really, really cool, and it is mind-blowing that we have this tool within us now, that we can tap into our breath, that we can go deep and come out like,"Wow, I just feel like I was on this drug or medicine," and, and I wasn't.
00:42:37.233 --> 00:42:38.472
It was my breath.
00:42:39.072 --> 00:42:40.452
Does the breathwork release...
00:42:40.543 --> 00:42:44.483
Doesn't it release a little bit of DMT through na- the natural breath?
00:42:44.483 --> 00:42:46.862
I think it does, but I could be incorrect about that.
00:42:47.123 --> 00:42:48.702
That's something I'm definitely gonna Google, Yeah, me too.
00:42:49.273 --> 00:42:50.402
I've had some- This is something to Google.
00:42:50.402 --> 00:43:11.931
But I feel like I've heard that it naturally can release a little bit of it, through- Just the way we're breathing and the way we're holding the breath and all that kind of stuff, I think the awesome part about breathwork compared to medicine journeys,'cause I've done medicine journeys before, I've facilitated them for clients and I've participated myself, is that it is a nice container of time.
00:43:11.940 --> 00:43:17.621
It's like you start, and maybe it goes for like a, an, Let's say the whole experience is an hour, hour and a half, something like that.
00:43:17.621 --> 00:43:17.740
Mm-hmm.
00:43:18.001 --> 00:43:19.041
And you're done.
00:43:19.471 --> 00:43:22.300
With journeys, I mean, we're talking hours.
00:43:22.300 --> 00:43:22.610
Mm-hmm.
00:43:22.610 --> 00:43:25.001
Hours, and it's really, really hard work.
00:43:25.001 --> 00:43:31.940
And so I love the fact that breathwork is, you get a similar effect sometimes where you get to see visions and experience things.
00:43:32.320 --> 00:43:32.530
Yeah.
00:43:33.610 --> 00:43:44.320
But there's a nice time where it completes and you can go back to life, and it's very repeatable because it's- Yes it's a simple process versus, like, the journeys where it's so much.
00:43:44.380 --> 00:43:44.701
Yeah.
00:43:44.701 --> 00:44:01.456
I, I have a client and, and friend in particular who explained, she's done many, many medicine journeys, but she's, she shared like,"It's so hard on my body." She said that multiple times,"It is so hard on my body." And- Again, I've not experienced that yet.
00:44:01.547 --> 00:44:07.637
but coming out of a somatic breathwork journey, I know the first one I did, The next day, I did have TMI.
00:44:08.166 --> 00:44:10.567
I did have diarrhea, and I had a migraine.
00:44:10.577 --> 00:44:15.516
But, I was very much able to just go back to my life as I continued to process.
00:44:15.516 --> 00:44:21.847
I think the integration is an important component to not only do, but, that's an important part of the process.
00:44:21.847 --> 00:44:33.527
it's one thing to have a powerful experience and just go back to life, but it's important to journal, move your body, share about your experience, maybe reach out for help, whatever your integration needs to be.
00:44:33.556 --> 00:44:45.297
But, to know that it's extremely accessible in terms of, whether you're pushing play on YouTube or a recorded audio and you're at home, or you're going, to a live journey with others.
00:44:45.706 --> 00:44:53.657
There's so many ways that we can tap into our breath, and there's no, I don't know what you would call that, if there's, like, a hangover, so to speak.
00:44:53.677 --> 00:45:00.467
But- you can walk away and get back to life when it's necessary, and it's not as hard on your body.
00:45:01.556 --> 00:45:07.097
I remember the last time I journeyed was in 2020, right before the world shut down.
00:45:07.387 --> 00:45:07.646
Oh.
00:45:07.666 --> 00:45:12.476
And I was on the second night of the ayahuasca journey.
00:45:12.487 --> 00:45:12.717
Mm.
00:45:13.036 --> 00:45:23.266
And I remember thinking to myself, I'm like,"My body is really having a challenge with this." And I asked on the medicine, because I felt like I was called to it.
00:45:23.266 --> 00:45:26.396
I never do medicine unless I feel called to it, and I was called.
00:45:26.996 --> 00:45:32.047
And I said,"My body is having a really tough time." I'm asking, kind of communing with the medicine.
00:45:32.047 --> 00:45:35.806
And I said,"Is it possible that this second night is my last night?
00:45:35.867 --> 00:45:39.376
Because I, I wanna receive all the wisdom that I need." Mm-hmm.
00:45:39.376 --> 00:45:45.447
"And I also need to honor the relationship I have with my body and my sleep."'Cause you wouldn't go to bed till, like, 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning.
00:45:45.447 --> 00:45:46.036
And then you get up...
00:45:46.266 --> 00:45:49.876
You know, I would always just naturally wake up at, like, 7:00 or 8:00 just'cause that's h- how I am.
00:45:50.376 --> 00:45:53.686
And I felt like the message was is like,"Take care of your body.
00:45:53.717 --> 00:45:55.257
Like, definitely take care of your body." Mm-hmm.
00:45:55.266 --> 00:46:01.717
And so I did, but to your point, yeah, there might be a little bit of integration after a breathwork.
00:46:01.717 --> 00:46:06.737
And I'm curious when you said that, that you felt a little sick the next day after your first experience.
00:46:06.746 --> 00:46:06.757
Mm.
00:46:07.077 --> 00:46:13.297
Do you think that's because your body was still moving some of the, the trauma pieces or just- Yeah integration?
00:46:13.297 --> 00:46:13.556
Yeah.
00:46:13.586 --> 00:46:14.786
I do think that's part of it.
00:46:14.806 --> 00:46:17.536
The, the process continues.
00:46:17.797 --> 00:46:19.556
You know, e- every journey is different.
00:46:19.567 --> 00:46:21.186
Every person experiences it different.
00:46:21.186 --> 00:46:26.456
But you definitely reach, an altered state of consciousness, and what needs to move will move.
00:46:26.487 --> 00:46:30.927
you will not be given more than you are ready to receive, and that looks and feels different for everyone.
00:46:30.927 --> 00:46:37.577
I've had a couple of people that, they did feel nausea or they did actually vomit, during a session.
00:46:37.577 --> 00:46:42.786
But I was not aware that that could happen until I started guiding the journeys.
00:46:42.786 --> 00:46:49.186
But I do think that, you know, our bodies are going to move things and process things differently.
00:46:49.516 --> 00:47:01.806
And, being gentle and kind with ourselves and allowing space on the back end, not just getting right back to appointments or getting right back to a busy schedule is really important to allow space on the back end, too.
00:47:02.347 --> 00:47:07.467
but I think that we can bounce back a lot quicker than some of the medicine journeys it sounds like.
00:47:07.907 --> 00:47:09.106
Oh, yeah, for sure.
00:47:09.586 --> 00:47:31.717
And I have this question that is controversial in nature,'cause I read one time on social media how people say sometimes putting people into breathwork is like putting them into this nervous system response where- Mm it like really activates them and gets them kind of like in that f- you know, fight or flight.
00:47:32.496 --> 00:47:39.777
And I'm just so curious, in your thoughts on that, because I know you said that like part of it is to kind of- Mm-hmm get them there so they can start to release.
00:47:40.427 --> 00:47:49.976
And I think the whole point of the post was like saying,"Oh, it's not healthy to do that," or,"It's like stirring people up unnecessarily," or something like that.
00:47:49.987 --> 00:47:50.666
Mm-hmm.
00:47:50.666 --> 00:47:52.286
So I'm so curious your thoughts on that.
00:47:52.967 --> 00:47:54.327
I think I've seen a bit of that, too.
00:47:54.336 --> 00:47:54.356
Yeah.
00:47:54.367 --> 00:47:57.197
But like anything can be controversial these days, right?
00:47:57.637 --> 00:47:57.657
Yeah.
00:47:57.777 --> 00:48:03.947
so obviously this work is not recommended for pregnant women or if you're somebody that has seizures or, you know, there are some contraindications.
00:48:03.947 --> 00:48:05.286
and you gotta check in with yourself.
00:48:05.306 --> 00:48:09.157
Is this something that makes sense for me right now in this season of life?
00:48:09.686 --> 00:48:15.186
but like we both said, you are guided safely into a fight or flight state.
00:48:15.626 --> 00:48:20.387
Only for maybe six to seven minutes before we do a breath hold and go back in.
00:48:20.396 --> 00:48:24.606
There's like three rounds of the activated moments.
00:48:24.996 --> 00:48:27.286
But ask, asking for help is okay too.
00:48:27.286 --> 00:48:34.766
But I think that, you know, it's not, a substitution for, counseling or psychiatric help or things of that nature.
00:48:34.766 --> 00:48:44.556
Like, if you feel like you're somebody that's very fragile, or maybe you're struggling with substances, there's probably some people out there that this wouldn't maybe be the right time to enter a journey.
00:48:44.617 --> 00:49:01.407
But I'd say for the mass majority, it is a safe environment to come and get things stirred up so we can find out what it is that we're holding onto so that we can clear that out of our body and move away feeling much, much lighter and more at peace.
00:49:01.947 --> 00:49:04.286
And sometimes we're holding on to other people's stuff.
00:49:04.327 --> 00:49:11.467
I mean, there's all sorts of stuff that we hold in our bodies, whether we realize it or not, There's definitely holding other people's energies, especially as empaths.
00:49:11.947 --> 00:49:21.525
And just being in a collective soup where there's just so much stuff going on in our world, sometimes we're not even aware that we're- wearing like a layer of that.
00:49:21.574 --> 00:49:25.704
And so it's so beautiful to like release all that, get to the truth of who- Mm-hmm we are.
00:49:26.164 --> 00:49:34.414
And to your point, Sarah, I think the- that's the reason you go through training as a facilitator is to learn how to hold space.
00:49:34.445 --> 00:49:36.445
It- Mm it's a controlled environment.
00:49:36.474 --> 00:49:42.465
It's not like a wild environment where you're just trying to trigger people for the heck of it, and it's like, okay, and then- And then walk away.
00:49:42.545 --> 00:49:43.724
It's, it's...
00:49:43.775 --> 00:49:48.094
When I, when I read that post, I was like, well, that's, it's- it's not like that.
00:49:48.164 --> 00:49:51.394
It's, it's- Sure there is a controlled way that this happens.
00:49:51.494 --> 00:50:00.005
And I think if somebody is fragile, most likely they're not gonna be called to wanna do something like this at that point.
00:50:00.005 --> 00:50:15.914
They're, that's the key with all of these healing modalities- Mm-hmm is discernment, is listening- Yes to your body and going,"Okay, is this the right time for me to do this or that?" And especially even if somebody's in a fragile state and they're like,"I don't wanna be around people," well then maybe any type of group healing modality might not be the right time for you.
00:50:15.914 --> 00:50:16.045
Mm-hmm.
00:50:16.545 --> 00:50:19.005
So it's also listening and tuning into ourselves.
00:50:19.005 --> 00:50:23.675
But I love your explanation, because when I saw that, I was like, well...
00:50:24.434 --> 00:50:27.875
'Cause it made me think twice,'cause I was like- Mm-hmm gosh, I do this at all my retreats.
00:50:27.875 --> 00:50:31.824
I do this at all my, you know, all the workshop type things I do.
00:50:31.824 --> 00:50:34.264
I was like, that's an interesting thought.
00:50:34.545 --> 00:50:41.204
I love to be, Curious provoked in a way to really think through what I'm doing- and what I'm- providing.
00:50:41.204 --> 00:50:43.155
But I was like, no, this is a safe space.
00:50:43.155 --> 00:50:56.074
If I was ever gonna release trauma, I would wanna do it with somebody with my or your level of expertise to hold space and- do it in a really safe, gentle way where you're being held, energetically speaking.
00:50:56.485 --> 00:51:03.164
And there are those people that do request, they do understand like a one-on-one journey is what's best for me right now.
00:51:03.215 --> 00:51:05.684
maybe they've just gone through loss there's so many things.
00:51:06.054 --> 00:51:11.635
but I would understand a little bit more if we were just putting people in fight or flight and then walking away.
00:51:12.034 --> 00:51:17.304
But we bring them back down, and that's when sometimes people even fall asleep.
00:51:17.635 --> 00:51:21.925
And I was taught in my training like,"Don't, don't be offended if someone falls asleep.
00:51:21.925 --> 00:51:25.755
It might be the first time they've felt safe and they've let go enough to fall asleep.
00:51:25.994 --> 00:51:40.414
It might be the first time they've slept in a very long time." So when I hear someone snoring or we kind of have to wake them up afterwards, I'm like so honored like that they felt so safe that they let go to that, that degree of falling asleep during a journey.
00:51:40.414 --> 00:51:42.210
So- Yeah.
00:51:42.260 --> 00:51:46.360
I think anything can be controversial if there's not a lot of care and intention behind it.
00:51:46.820 --> 00:51:50.170
But like I said, if we were just stirring people up and then like,"Good luck.
00:51:50.170 --> 00:51:53.190
See you later," like that's not the case though.
00:51:53.201 --> 00:51:53.221
Yeah.
00:51:53.260 --> 00:52:01.300
And then I always make sure to follow up with people the next day, whether it's an email or a text And then letting people know at the end of the journey, like ways that they can support themselves.
00:52:01.311 --> 00:52:08.851
So it's very important for me that people know that they are supported and that I'm always here, whatever that looks like.
00:52:08.871 --> 00:52:19.460
But they are given all the tools, all the tools to know like this is not only, you know, going into the journey, this is what you can expect, but then also on the back end too.
00:52:19.831 --> 00:52:22.190
And what you're saying is so important, is integration.
00:52:22.661 --> 00:52:28.300
I feel like every time I speak to a healer that, is looking at the totality of their practice, integration is a big piece of it.
00:52:28.300 --> 00:52:45.710
And I love that you're saying,"Hey, some tools," or,"Here's some things that you can do." Because I think that's what kind of seals up the container for them once they walk away is like,"Oh, I can take this with me, all the things that I've received, and I can, you know, journal about it more," or whatever you say.
00:52:45.710 --> 00:52:46.081
Yeah.
00:52:46.141 --> 00:52:55.661
I just think that's a really full experience, and it makes it really rich because then they feel very held in that space.
00:52:56.041 --> 00:53:09.541
Now I'm curious, Sarah, just like with what you have experienced in, the realms of healing and all that kind of stuff and what you're up to, what do you think or what do you see is the future of healing moving forward?
00:53:09.561 --> 00:53:16.650
I always like to ask healers like,"What do you see?""What do you think is next in, in healing?" Whether it's for you or for your people or just the collective.
00:53:17.630 --> 00:53:20.900
That's a really good question, and one I will probably sit with for quite a while.
00:53:20.900 --> 00:53:34.690
But what comes up first and foremost is, You know, something I've talked about in this conversation is that, this world is getting s- taking us farther and farther away from ourselves, whether it's technology or social media or just, like, there's just so much going on.
00:53:35.050 --> 00:53:38.610
S- the information that's coming at us, like drinking from a fire hose.
00:53:38.630 --> 00:53:42.221
We were not meant as human beings to take in this much information.
00:53:42.510 --> 00:53:44.190
So we don't have a lack of information.
00:53:44.550 --> 00:53:47.780
It's sometimes the action or getting support around that.
00:53:47.780 --> 00:53:56.800
But I think that more and more people over time will find their way to this work or any type of healing modality, because we're gonna need it now more than ever.
00:53:56.811 --> 00:54:04.610
Like, those things that can bring us back to ourselves and each other, because we're gonna need that more and more as each day goes on.
00:54:05.041 --> 00:54:12.860
We need to be connected to ourselves, and we need each other to move forward in this life in a healthy, connected way.
00:54:12.860 --> 00:54:18.541
Like, if you look at the centenarians, connection and community is such a huge part of them living into their 100s.
00:54:19.050 --> 00:54:20.601
And so keeping that alive.
00:54:20.971 --> 00:54:22.731
But we can't have connection, like you said.
00:54:22.871 --> 00:54:26.431
We can only meet people a- as deeply as we've met ourselves.
00:54:26.490 --> 00:54:37.760
So those are very, like, such an integral part of the, the process, is, continuing to cultivate relationship with self so that we can expand and have deeper connection with others as well.
00:54:38.550 --> 00:54:39.121
Yeah.
00:54:39.141 --> 00:54:42.998
There's so much- at our fingertips with AI.
00:54:43.579 --> 00:54:46.039
I mean, you can look up anything nowadays.
00:54:46.039 --> 00:54:58.358
I, I know so many people that are using Chat or maybe Claude as their therapist, which I think- Yeah is scary in and of itself because I'm like, you do realize that it's programmed to reaffirm you.
00:54:58.438 --> 00:55:12.708
And so it's never gonna- Mm-hmm like really push back too hard or be like a true mirror that is gonna tell you- Yeah the absolute truth because it's, it's programmed to tell you things a, a certain way.
00:55:12.708 --> 00:55:14.929
So that's a whole nother topic.
00:55:14.929 --> 00:55:31.778
But the- Yeah point I'm making is nowadays there's more available to us, and yet I think people might feel more alone if they really continue down those rabbit holes because- Yeah we do need to be in community.
00:55:32.039 --> 00:55:39.119
We do need to keep coming back to ourselves, and these modalities are the very things that are the doorways.
00:55:39.349 --> 00:55:42.119
they're literal doors that say,"Hey, come into your heart.
00:55:42.128 --> 00:55:56.778
Come back into your body." Not necessarily back into your head'cause, you know, we can be in our head when we're looking at social media and all these things, but it's like our bodies, they're like these amazing portals of information, and they're the very thing...
00:55:57.139 --> 00:55:59.088
That's why those people, the Centenarians.
00:55:59.219 --> 00:56:01.369
the Blue Zone people that are- living.
00:56:01.369 --> 00:56:06.978
They have purpose and they have meaning, and they're exercising- walking up hills.
00:56:06.978 --> 00:56:08.239
They're eating healthy.
00:56:08.239 --> 00:56:11.239
They're doing all these things, and they're living long.
00:56:11.438 --> 00:56:15.458
And I really believe it's because they're in connection and they're doing all these things.
00:56:15.458 --> 00:56:21.748
But it's like they d- they are not the ones that were like connected to AI and asking and doing all these things.
00:56:21.759 --> 00:56:22.028
Sure.
00:56:22.048 --> 00:56:23.298
They didn't have all that information.
00:56:23.559 --> 00:56:27.498
But now- Yeah we are in a, in a time where we get to...
00:56:27.528 --> 00:56:28.498
I do love tech.
00:56:28.518 --> 00:56:29.768
I'm not saying I don't use.
00:56:29.798 --> 00:56:30.688
I use AI.
00:56:30.728 --> 00:56:32.298
It helps me edit the podcast.
00:56:32.838 --> 00:56:37.208
But we do have to come back to ourselves and to our body, so I love that answer.
00:56:37.208 --> 00:56:39.068
I think that's really, really beautiful.
00:56:40.248 --> 00:56:40.889
Thank you.
00:56:40.889 --> 00:56:41.759
And yeah.
00:56:41.809 --> 00:56:44.778
And I'm curious, Sarah, where can people find you?
00:56:44.789 --> 00:56:46.378
How can they work with you?
00:56:47.170 --> 00:56:52.050
well, I'm on Instagram, sarajafar.somaticbreathwork, or sarajafar.com is my website.
00:56:52.451 --> 00:57:02.971
I do a lot of different work, like I mentioned, one-on-one in person, online, and then there's different group offerings throughout the month, and I hosted a couple different retreats this year.
00:57:02.981 --> 00:57:11.510
So it's always, been a calling from a very young age to help people, and I've just slowly but surely found my way of how.
00:57:12.041 --> 00:57:19.661
So, it's an honor to be able to do this work, and it's not lost on me that it takes a lot of courage and vulnerability to step into it.
00:57:20.061 --> 00:57:27.110
So, my hope is that people just feel seen, and that they're held with so much care when they are working with me.
00:57:27.121 --> 00:57:33.710
Or I collaborate with others, too, so, there's a lot of, intention behind the work that we do.
00:57:34.101 --> 00:57:41.411
yeah, if you're somebody that has any questions whatsoever, I'm always open to, a phone call or whether it's messaging.
00:57:41.420 --> 00:57:51.380
I love people that are curious because, you know, looking back on my relationship, I remember my husband at the time like,"You just need to heal.
00:57:51.380 --> 00:57:54.510
You just need to heal." And I kept thinking,"Well, how do I do that?
00:57:54.570 --> 00:57:58.891
I don't even know how to do that." And it wasn't until many years later that I found my way.
00:57:58.920 --> 00:58:04.530
But I think there's things that we set out to do but we don't really know like, well, how do I even begin?
00:58:05.150 --> 00:58:21.050
So I think opening the door for conversation of like maybe walking people through what a journey would look like or what would make more sense to them, whether it's, Zoom in the comfort of their own home, whether it's a one-on-one in person or inviting them into a group journey.
00:58:21.360 --> 00:58:26.891
I just want people to know that I'm here for all the questions and I'm here to support them in any way I can.
00:58:27.371 --> 00:58:32.960
I love your authenticity, Sarah, and I've been lucky enough to meet you in person and it's real.
00:58:32.990 --> 00:58:41.820
I know that just from being in proximity to you that what you say you mean and that you actually have a huge heart of service.
00:58:41.900 --> 00:58:48.070
so thank you so much for being on the podcast and sharing so much about your modality Thank you so much for having me.
00:58:48.380 --> 00:58:49.541
I so appreciate you.
00:58:50.041 --> 00:58:56.360
Thank you for being here and for being a part of a movement that's revolutionizing what's possible with healing.
00:58:56.971 --> 00:58:58.710
You being here matters.
00:58:59.161 --> 00:59:01.061
Share this episode with someone who's ready.
00:59:01.451 --> 00:59:06.621
Subscribe so you never miss what's next, and come find your people at all within.com.
00:59:07.110 --> 00:59:10.681
Until then, stay curious and trust what's unfolding