What to Expect from a Beginners' Breathwork Course

The most common question I am asked before someone begins is not about breathing at all.

It is some version of: what will be expected of me?

Underneath it sits a reasonable fear. That you will be asked to feel something on cue and won't be able to. That you will be the only one in the room who doesn't get it. That there is a right way to do this and you will get it wrong in front of other people.

Let me put your mind at ease and talk you through what a first week class looks like on my beginner's six-week breathwork course.

What a session actually feels like

Sessions run for forty-five minutes, online, once a week (8pm BST).

We begin with movement, five minutes of it, gentle and seated. Nothing that requires flexibility or fitness. The purpose is simply to loosen the places that hold tension: the ribcage, the shoulders, the sides of the body. A ribcage that has spent all week held tight cannot expand properly, and there is no point asking it to breathe deeply until we have made some room.

Then we settle. A few minutes of steady, guided breathing to bring your attention into the body and out of the day you have just had. Most people arrive still holding a meeting, a school run, a difficult email. This is where you put it down.

The remaining half hour is the practice itself.

I will guide you through a small number of breathing techniques, explaining each one as we go; what it does, why we are doing it, and what you might notice. You do not need to know anything in advance. You do not need to remember anything afterwards. My job is to hold the structure so that you can simply follow.

What you might feel and what is normal

In your first session, you may feel very little beyond a mild sense of calm. That is entirely normal and not a sign that anything has gone wrong.

You may also feel tingling in the hands or face, a warmth through the chest, or a heaviness in the limbs. All common. All harmless.

Some people become unexpectedly emotional. Others become very sleepy. Occasionally someone feels slightly lightheaded, in which case the instruction is always the same: stop, return to an easy breathe, and rejoin when you are ready. Nothing in this practice requires you to push through discomfort.

What you will not be asked to do is share, explain, perform, or arrive at any particular emotional state.

How the six weeks build

The first two weeks are about awareness. Noticing what your breath is actually doing, which for most people is a genuine surprise. Learning to slow it. Learning, in particular, to exhale properly, something almost nobody does well, and which turns out to matter enormously.

By weeks three and four, we begin working with the breath more deliberately. You will learn techniques that generate energy and clarity, and others that cool and quieten the system. This is the point at which most students say something shifts: the realisation that you can change how you feel, in a few minutes, using nothing but your own breath.

Weeks five and six go deeper and quieter. The practices become more subtle. The silences get longer. And by the final session, you will have a small daily practice you can do in about ten minutes, which is really the whole point.

Six weeks is enough to change your relationship with your own nervous system. It is not enough to finish - nobody finishes - but it is enough to begin properly, with a foundation you can build on for the rest of your life.

Practical questions students often ask:

What should I wear?

Something loose and comfortable, particularly around the ribs and waist. Avoid anything with a tight waistband, you will be surprised how much you notice it. Layers are useful, because the body cools during the final stillness.

Do I need to sit cross-legged on the floor?

No. A chair is completely fine and for many people it is the better choice. What matters is that your spine can be tall and your shoulders can be soft. If you are gripping to hold a position, the breathing will suffer. You can sit cross-legged if that is accessible to you, or straddling a yoga bolster.

What do I need to have with me?

A cushion or folded blanket if you are sitting on the floor. A glass of water. A tissue (nasal breathing can sometimes make you sniff). And perhaps something to put over you for the last few minutes (a blanket or shawl), because it is genuinely lovely and most people forget.

Do I need any experience?

None. No yoga, no meditation, no previous breathwork. The course is designed for people starting from nothing.

Do I have to practise between sessions?

It helps, but it is not compulsory and I would rather you did five minutes honestly than thirty minutes dutifully. Everything you need is covered in the sessions themselves. You will have a recording of each week's class the day after, so if you want to repeat the class you can.

What if I miss a week?

You will have the class recording, so you can catch up in your own time.

Beginning

The Beginners Pranayama six-week course runs online, forty-five minutes a week, and is Yoga Alliance accredited. If you'd like more details about our next course intake, email lydia@thepeacefulpowermethod.com to register.

The six-week course costs £59, payable on booking.