Experience the transformative benefits of Breathwork
Use your breath as a tool to optimize mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health.
What is Breathwork?
Breathwork is a transformative practice that empowers you to release stress, connect with your inner self, and create balance in your life.
In our busy lives, it’s easy to get caught up in shallow, automatic breathing, which can leave us feeling tense, disconnected, or overwhelmed. Breathwork is an intentional way to reconnect with your breath, unlocking its natural power to calm your nervous system, release stuck emotions, and invite clarity and energy.
Can breathwork improve mental health?
Breathwork can help you release stress, worry, anxiety, and experiences that may have felt beyond your control. While it may sound simple, breathwork—and other breathing exercises—are highly effective for this purpose. Certain techniques can also create clarity, balance, and help release inner limiting (often subconscious) patterns. Practicing breathwork over time allows you to feel grounded and safe in your body, teaching you how to navigate life’s challenges with greater inner calm.
Want to try a free Breathwork Session?
A few examples of breathwork techniques and what they involve:
Breathwork encompasses a variety of techniques, each offering unique benefits depending on the intention behind them. While meditation and breathwork can stand alone, some techniques combine the two into powerful active meditations—offering an energetic reset and emotional detox.
Breathwork Healing / Circular, Conscious Connected Breathing / Transformational Breathwork
This powerful active meditation goes beyond relaxation—guiding you deep into your subconscious mind. As you breathe, you unlock access to the hidden layers of old emotions, limiting beliefs, and patterns stored within your body. With each breath, you’re not only clearing stagnant energy and releasing stress, but also creating space to rewrite those narratives that no longer serve you.
This technique of Breathwork empowers you to reconnect with your inner power, transform blocks into breakthroughs, and align with your most authentic self. It’s more than a practice—it’s a gateway to profound healing and self-discovery. You can book Breathwork sessions in group or 1:1 here
Wim Hof Method
Designed to boost resilience and endurance, this method combines powerful breathwork with cold exposure techniques, like ice baths or cold showers. It’s a practice that strengthens both the body and mind, improving your ability to remain calm and focused under extreme conditions.
Box Breathing
A simple yet highly effective technique, box breathing involves structured, even breaths to calm the nervous system. Frequently used by professionals like military personnel and teachers, it’s a go-to method for quickly reducing stress and restoring focus.
4-7-8 Breathing
This deeply calming exercise helps quiet the mind and relax the body. By breathing in for 4 seconds, holding for 7, and exhaling for 8, you can ease anxiety, promote sleep, and create a sense of overall calm.
Alternate Nostril Breathing
Rooted in ancient yogic practices, this technique balances the body and mind. Whether through anulom vilom or nadi shodhana variations, alternate nostril breathing can lower heart rate, improve blood pressure, and enhance mental clarity.
Holotropic Breathwork
This immersive practice uses rapid and rhythmic breathing to reach altered states of consciousness. Often practiced in a group setting, it facilitates emotional release, deep healing, and connection to the subconscious, traditionally paired with creative expression like drawing mandalas.
Pursed Lip Breathing
Ideal for managing shortness of breath or reducing heart rate, this technique involves inhaling through the nose and exhaling slowly through pursed lips. It’s particularly beneficial for calming the body and aiding those with conditions like asthma.
Equal Breathing
This practice focuses on making your inhales and exhales equal in length, fostering balance and mental clarity. It’s an excellent tool for quieting a racing mind and finding stability in moments of stress.
Breath Focus
A deep breathing technique that uses imagery, affirmations, or specific words to anchor your mind, such as "peace," "release," or "calm." This method blends mindfulness with intentional breathing to cultivate inner stillness and relaxation.
What Science Tells Us About Breathwork
Your breath is one of the most powerful tools you have for self-regulation. With every inhale and exhale, you influence your nervous system, your brain, and even your emotional state. Stress often causes shallow, chest-based breathing, which can keep the body in a heightened state of alertness. Breathwork interrupts this cycle, inviting balance and restoration.
The nervous system plays a central role here:
The Sympathetic Nervous System fuels energy, action, and response.
The Parasympathetic Nervous System supports rest, recovery, and relaxation.
Both systems are essential, and they both need regulation from time to other. Prolonged stress can keep the sympathetic system overactive, but working consciously in the sympathetic nervous system can help the body manage stress in a better way. It is important to work with the switch in between, learning the body to activate the parasympathetic system when in need, allowing your body and mind to reset and repair.
“Breathwork provides a way to gently process and release what no longer serves you”
— Kia Agerhem
Why Breathwork Matters for Mind, Body, and Spirit
Your body stores and holds onto everything—stress, emotions, memories, even trauma, and we do so mainly subconsciously. Over time, these can manifest as tension, fatigue, or emotional overwhelm. Our breath works directly with our nervous system and the parts of our brain that manage the subconscious programming and emotions. Breathwork works therapeutically on a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual level and bridges the divide between your conscious and subconscious realities.
Physical Benefits
Breathing deeply engages the diaphragm, improving oxygen flow, circulation, and energy production. Studies show that diaphragmatic breathing enhances your body’s ability to switch from stress mode to relaxation mode, benefiting digestion, sleep, and overall vitality.
Mental Clarity
Focusing on your breath creates space in your mind. It’s like hitting pause on racing thoughts, helping you think more clearly and stay grounded.
Emotional Release
Breathwork allows you to tap into emotions stored in your body, helping you release anger, sadness, or fear in a safe and supportive way.
Spiritual Connection
For those seeking deeper meaning or alignment, breathwork can open the door to self-discovery. It’s a way to listen to your inner voice and connect with the world around you in a meaningful way.
17 benefits of Breathwork - read here
Is Breathwork for You?
Whether you’re looking to manage stress, enhance your performance, or deepen your self-awareness, breathwork offers tools to support your journey. From beginners to seasoned practitioners, anyone can benefit from this versatile practice.
At Shape Your Vibe, Kia Agerhem—a trusted Breathwork guide, meditation teacher, and coach—helps individuals and groups explore the transformative power of breath. With a unique blend of science and holistic practices, Kia creates safe spaces for growth, healing, and empowerment.
Are you ready to experience the impact of breathwork for yourself?
Want to work 1:1 with Kia?
If you’re ready to rediscover your direction and gain sustainable tools to prioritize your well-being by working individually over time - fill in the application form to see if we’d be a good fit.
1:1 Program Application (only 2 spots available)
Breathwork Sessions
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Connect, explore and find your flow
Experience a deep and profound breathwork session in a supportive group setting to release stress, anxiety, and nervous system blockages.
Give yourself time to connect with your body, breath in a transformative breathwork session where we'll explore what awaits us.
The best way to discover its power is to come and experience it for yourself. It can be somewhat of a ride - leaving you feeling lighter and empowered.
Breathwork Group sessions are available in Stockholm (Döbelnsgatan 12) & Online. Kia also holds classes regularly at Moumo & YogaYama.
The online sessions are via Zoom and are just as powerful, and for some, even easier than in-person Breathwork sessions. You can relax in the comfort of your home, enjoy a longer integration phase, and have me guiding you through headphones or speakers.
Plus, there's no need to drive or go anywhere after the session, making it harder to find excuses not to breathe. This also includes a non-downloadable replay of the Breathwork class to be revisited afterwards for 7 days.
You find upcoming sessions under “book a session”
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Breathwork and support in a personalized 1:1 session
NEW!! 6 weeks Breathwork Immersion
This session combines an active Breathwork technique that will connect you with your body to consciously move through and release energetic or physical blockages, creating an emotional detox, promoting clarity, creativity and a greater sense of self. A supportive, coaching conversation will enfold our session together.
Available Online under “book a session”
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You set the intention, and then we breathe
A Breathwork duo session together with your partner, friend, parent/child has the power to deepen your connection, move through a conflict, reignite that flame, heal old wounds or simply just create a tighter bond. We breathe and have a conversation together according to your needs, intention or purpose.
Available in Stockholm or Online - both options available under “book a session”
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Unlock Your Inner Power: Private Breathwork Sessions with Personalized Conversations
In these private sessions, we can plan thematic inquiries or group settings to make the most of your session tailored to your specific needs.
It's an amazing experience to share with friends, family, book clubs, networks… Let us unlock your inner power together.
To book this service, enquire here
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If you are interested in Breathwork and Corporate Wellness, read under the tab Corporate Breathwork
These sessions come highly recommended!!
FAQ’s
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Well, the breathwork meant here is a different technique from the pranayama (breath control) one might experience in for example a yoga class. Both are highly beneficial practices, but this potent method allows one to do deep healing work. The best way to discover its power is to come and experience it for yourself. It can be somewhat of a ride.
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The parasympathetic and the sympathetic nervous system are both part of our autonomic nervous system. The parasympathetic is meant to calm and restore, and the sympathetic is our more fight & flight mode. Both are necessary, but if we get caught in our sympathetic mode over time it can affect our overall well-being. However, when we are working consciously in our sympathetic nervous system, for a shorter time, we can create a release and almost build up resilience.
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You will be guided through a breathing pattern, to carefully curated music, enabling you to dive deep into your body and clear out stagnant energy, limiting beliefs and releasing emotional blockages or old patterns within.
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For Breathwork sessions online you will receive tips with your booking confirmation on how to set up your space and what to think of, prior session. If we meet in person you will get the address and guidance to the location. But most important, be in a space where you feel comfortable and you won’t be disrupted. For Breathwork it might be nice to not have eaten a very big meal just before.
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The group sessions for Breathwork are recorded and you have access to a replay för 7 days.
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This style of Breathwork is a very active one. Sometimes referred to as 2-part breath, trauma releasing Breathwork, Breathwork Healing, Transformational Breathwork but sometimes I just call it Breakthrough Breathwork or Barrier Breaking Breathwork. We breathe into our sympathetic nervous system, and it actually enables us to tap into the subconscious, creating possibilities for the release of energetic blockages and creating an emotional detox of body, mind and soul.
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Physically, it is about the same heart rate as a light workout or run. However, we might come in contact with our emotional body and that could cause higher distress. I would love for you to reach out and have a conversation with me before, so please email me, just so you feel calm. But you can be assured I will hold your space dearly for the both of you.
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Well, Breathwork can as well as plant medicine and psychedelics alter states of consciousness. With Breathwork you surrender to your breath, but you are in full control of the length of the experience, and you actively produce the benefits by sustaining the breath pattern. You can gain Therapeutic benefits, Induce synesthesia, and experience a feeling of wholeness, oneness and clarity. It can help to relieve anxiety, stress, depression and PTSD.
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To prepare for your online breathwork session, here are some tips to make sure you have a comfortable and uninterrupted experience. First, download Zoom on your device and set it up next to your space. Headphones are a great option if you'll be doing the session solo. Make sure to choose a cosy and calm space where you feel comfortable, and if you'd like to use essential oils or other scents, feel free to do so. While it's great for the practitioner to see you, turning on your camera is optional. Finally, if possible, it's best to keep any curious animal companions outside the space.
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If you experience cramping, curling, or stiffness in your hands or around your mouth during active breathwork, this is known as tetany or "lobster claw" hands. This is a common occurrence in styles of breathwork such as holotropic, rebirthing, transformational, Wim Hof Method, and 2-part breathwork. The causes of tetany can be related to holding onto emotional or mental tension, as well as a scientific imbalance between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body. During breathwork, hyperventilation or forceful breathing can eliminate more CO2 than the body can produce, causing involuntary muscle contractions. If you have underlying mineral imbalances, you may be more prone to tetany. To release the tension, it is recommended to slow down your breathing, move lightly, tap your body, or breathe softly through your nose. The final integration phase of breathwork can also help to release any remaining tension.