Breathwork: The Superpower You Didn’t Know You Had

Sometimes, the most profound tools for healing are not found outside of us, but within. We spend so much time searching for answers in books, courses, and experts, yet we often overlook the incredible power we already carry inside our own bodies. What if the key to unlocking clarity, processing grief, and reconnecting with your intuition was as simple, and as vital, as your own breath?

Before breathwork became a central part of my work, it was the practice that found me when I needed it most. It became an anchor during one of the most turbulent and painful seasons of my life, guiding me back to myself when I felt completely lost.

In the fourth episode of the Shift with Beth podcast, I share the deeply personal story of how breathwork became my lifeline. This conversation is for you if you are navigating a difficult season, feeling disconnected from your inner knowing, or simply curious about how this simple practice can create such profound transformation.

My First Encounter with Breathwork

My journey with breathwork began in 2021. My marriage was ending, and I was navigating a summer of separation that felt devastating. In the midst of this chaos, I felt a strong intuitive pull to attend a holistic business retreat in Idyllwild, California. I knew no one there, but something told me I had to go.

On the first morning, we were guided through a Wim Hof breathwork session. I had no idea what to expect. Within minutes, I felt a visceral response in my body—my hands grew tight, my arms went stiff, and a tingling sensation washed over me. During the breath holds, tears streamed down my face, not from a specific thought or memory, but from a deep, cellular release. It felt as if my body was letting go of something it had been holding for years.

That experience planted a seed. It showed me that there was a way to access and release stored emotion that went beyond just talking or thinking my way through it.

A Lifeline Through Grief and Trauma

A few months later, my life was shattered by trauma. On January 3, 2022, I received a call that my older brother, Jim, had been shot and killed by police during a mental health crisis following a relapse after five years of sobriety. To say it was traumatic is an understatement. The grief was excruciating, and compounded with the complete collapse of my marriage, the stress my body was carrying felt enormous.

In the weeks that followed, I went to an in-person breathwork session, simply needing to get out of my head and survive. About 20 minutes into the breathing, during a breath hold, something happened that changed everything. I saw my brother, Jim. It wasn’t a memory; it was a connection. He was in the ocean, a place he loved, and he told me he was at peace. He said, “I couldn’t help you and support you on Earth, but I’m going to help you from the other side.”

At a time when I felt angry at the universe and disconnected from any sense of spirituality, this experience was a profound gift. It was real. Breathwork became a sacred space where I could connect with him, process my grief, and receive the guidance and courage I needed to choose myself when I felt I couldn’t do it alone.

How Breathwork Actually Works

Most of us live almost entirely in our thinking minds, disconnected from the wisdom held in our bodies. We have neural networks not just in our brain, but also in our heart and gut. Breathwork is a practice that helps you move out of your thinking brain and create coherence between your mind, heart, and body.

When you do this, you drop into a state where you can access your deeper knowing. This is where you receive what I call “downloads”—insights, clarity, and realizations. It’s a space where you can connect with different parts of yourself: your confident self, your higher self, and even your inner critic, allowing you to see that voice as just a part of you, not the whole of you.

This practice helps us heal our need for external validation by teaching us how to give ourselves what we need to hear. It creates a container where the body can finally feel safe enough to release what it has been holding onto.

Your Breath is Your Power

My journey led me to become a trauma-informed breathwork facilitator and to integrate somatic work into my coaching. It was not a random path; it was exactly what I needed to heal and, in turn, what my future clients would need as well.

What I love most about this work is its simplicity and power. It’s your own breath. You already have everything you need inside of you. Sometimes, you just need a guide to help you access it. This practice gave me back my intuition, helped me process immense pain, and allowed me to find courage when I felt completely broken.

It is a reminder that healing is always possible, and you hold the power to begin.

Listen to the Full Episode

This post only touches on the story I share in Episode 4. If you are ready to explore the transformative power of your own breath, I invite you to listen to the full episode.

You can tune in to the Shift with Beth podcast on Castos, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

“Your breath is the bridge between your conscious and subconscious mind. It is the most accessible tool you have for real-time transformation.” — Beth Schild

Thank you for being here and for allowing me to share this piece of my heart with you. In the next episode, I will guide you through a gentle breathwork experience so you can feel its power for yourself.