Guided breathwork on Bainbridge Island
Breathe. Look inward. Come home to yourself.
I offer private, semi-private, and group in-person breathwork ceremonies on Bainbridge Island and in Kitsap County. Private sessions can be part of an arc that includes preparation and integration coaching or booked as a one-off experience.
Breathwork is a simple, powerful tool for coming back into the body. Conscious breathing helps soften and strengthen the nervous system, builds our capacity to feel and meet what's there, and assists us in developing greater presence, authenticity, and joy in our daily lives.
For some people, breathwork provides grounding and stress relief; for others, it opens deeper emotional release or expanded states of consciousness. There's no "right" experience and we go at the pace that's actually available to you in the moment.
The intentional, ceremonial integration of cannabis with my breathwork practice can amplify the experience and is offered when it is safe and permissible.
I’m now offering 90-minute breathwork sessions in the peaceful Salt Room at Melt Massage and Spa on Bainbridge Island. Sessions are $200, or $250 when you bring a partner. To book, call Melt at (206) 451-4304.
For a private session with me outside the Salt Room, or to explore hosting a group ceremony, email me at kristine@solpurpose.net.
What to expect
My sessions begin with co-creating safety, belonging, and trust before we ever start breathing together. We'll check in, I'll walk you through the flow of the practice and what you may or may not experience, we'll talk about consent and agreements, and we'll set an intention.
From there, gentle movement and connected breathing help us ground into the body and soften the nervous system. I'll then guide an activation phase with diaphragmatic and conscious connected breathing that builds energy, experimenting with depth, pace, and visualization.
After activation, we rest, inviting the body into a new degree of relaxation, softening, self-acceptance, and love.
To close, I bring the ceremony to a gentle end and invite you to share whatever reflections want to be shared.
Why work with me
My learning path has been largely experiential, logging 480+ hours of daily personal practice over the past two years, in addition to individual study and guided practice.
My guides, teachers, and inspiration include Mar Berdejo of True Nature Collective, Collette Elosha, The Presence Process by Michael Brown, the Vijnana Bhairava (an ancient manual for reaching expanded states through breath and visualization), The Polyvagal Theory Workbook for Trauma by Arielle Schwartz, PhD, The Breathwork Handbook by Martha Havenith, PhD and Abdel Nemri, PhD, and others.
Alongside breathwork practice and study, I've undergone formal training to develop skill in holding sacred, safe ceremonial space, learning about nervous system regulation, consent-based facilitation, and non-ordinary states of consciousness. That container-holding experience is what I bring most directly into this work: creating a space where you feel safe enough to let go and explore your inner realms.
Breathwork has completely transformed the way I experience my life and my ability to manage the inevitable ups and downs. It has helped me find my true self and my soul’s purpose. My hope isn’t just to guide you once, it’s to help you build a breathwork practice of your own that builds embodied knowing and deep trust in yourself and in life.
Kristine brings compassion, wisdom, attention, and intention to providing clients with the support and guidance needed for their journey.
— Adam (breathwork client)
Frequently asked questions
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Good question! It’s complicated. It’s an unregulated field and the term is used to describe a variety of practices. In the context of what I offer, you can think of it as a workout for your nervous system within a safe, compassionate, joyful container co-created to allow you to explore your inner depths.
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In my practice, we first deepen and slow our breathing. This type of slow breathing can help reduce anxiety and stress biomarkers and increase a sense of grounding and wellbeing.
Then we move into an activation phase where we practice continuous diaphragmatic breathing techniques. We eliminate the pause between the inhale and exhale and increase the depth and pace of our breath. This increases the oxygen levels in our bloodstream, which has a cascading impact within our body and brain. There is evidence to suggest this kind of breathing quiets the default mode network, increasing access to emotional processing, embodiment, transcendence, and altered states of consciousness.
I also incorporate breath holds in my practice, which may increase CO2 tolerance, improve muscle oxygenation, and slow breathing rate — all benefits for athletic performance.
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My private sessions are an hour and half. We spend about 10 minutes checking in, 5 minutes getting into our bodies with gentle movement, 20 minutes slow breathing, 30 minutes in conscious connected breathing, 20 minutes of guided relaxation, and 5 minutes for closing.
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Breathwork is generally safe. However, it is contraindicated for people who are pregnant, have certain heart or neurological conditions, epilepsy or seizure disorders, glaucoma or detached retina, severe asthma or breathing conditions, recent surgeries, and psychotic disorders.
Physician clearance to participate is required for anyone with the above conditions.
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The specific nature of your experience can vary greatly based on a variety of factors, including your physical and mental state at the time and how deeply you engage with the practice.
That said, conscious connected breathing can induce sensations such as:
Lightheadedness, dizziness, tingling, or temporary muscle tightening or cramping in your hands, feet, or face (tetany)
Fluctuations in blood pressure, heart rate, or temperature
Intense emotions, including the processing of grief or anger, or feelings of love, compassion, and joy
Temporary altered states of consciousness or perception
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Cannabis is an amplifier and will intensify the effects of breathwork. It can be particularly useful for people who have difficulty letting go and dropping into a sober breathwork experience or who want to go deeper into somatic healing. With cannabis, the breathwork experience becomes much more like a brief psychedelic journey.
While a low to moderate dose of cannabis can be supportive, it is by no means required to have a profound breathwork experience.
There are many factors to consider before adding cannabis to a breathwork ceremony. Please feel free to contact me should you wish to explore this option.