Offsite Somatic Breathwork Journeys

with Jennifer Winn

What is Somatic Breathwork?

Somatic Breathwork is a powerful, active meditation practice that provides a pathway to expanded awareness and a deeper connection with your authentic self. Through a facilitated process of conscious, connected breathing, you are gently guided out of the thinking mind and into a felt connection with your body, emotions, and inner wisdom.

Sessions typically last 90 minutes to 2 hours and offer a safe, supportive space for insight, emotional release, and spiritual connection. Many people report feeling lighter and more aligned afterward, as if they’ve reconnected with something essential inside themselves. At its core, this practice invites a deeper relationship with yourself, your body, and the quiet inner knowing that so often goes unrecognized.

Flow of a Session:

  1. Orientation: We start with a brief orientation to outline what to expect and introduce the breathing technique.

  2. Breathwork Journey: Next, we transition into the breathwork journey itself, which lasts about an hour. Participants lie down on individual mats with eye shades and a blanket, while a carefully curated music playlist helps guide their experience inward. Throughout, the facilitator offers gentle guidance, verbal cueing, and optional hands-on support. The journey concludes by easing participants back into a natural breathing rhythm and a grounded, waking state.

  3. Integration: The session ends with time for reflection and optional sharing. This closing circle helps participants process what arose during their journey, integrate insights, and experience a sense of connection and belonging with the group.

Potential Benefits and Common Experiences

Somatic Breathwork works on many levels — physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual — often touching places we don’t, or can’t, access in our day-to-day lives. Each session is unique, but below are commonly reported benefits and experiences:

Physical Well-Being
Breathwork can help the body release stress and tension, boosting circulation, stimulating detoxification, supporting digestion, and improving lung and immune function. People often leave feeling lighter, more energized, and physically refreshed.

Emotional Release & Healing
The breath opens a pathway for unprocessed emotions and memories to surface safely. Participants describe releasing long-held grief, softening old wounds, and feeling a deep sense of calm and emotional resilience.

Mental Clarity & Focus
Breathwork quiets the racing mind and clears mental “noise,” creating space for sharper focus and more presence. Habitual overthinking can soften, leaving you clearer and better able to access your own inner guidance.

Spiritual Connection
For many, breathwork is a gateway to something larger — whether that’s a felt connection to spirit, nature, or your own higher self. It can bring profound insights, a renewed sense of purpose, and moments of deep stillness or transcendence.

Other common experiences include:

  • Heightened body awareness and powerful energetic shifts — feeling sensations or energy moving through the body in new ways

  • Spontaneous movements or sounds — shaking, laughing, crying, or vocalizing — as the body expresses what has been held inside

  • Encounters with inner parts or aspects of yourself needing to be heard

  • The surfacing of vivid memories or powerful symbolic imagery

  • A sense of connection with loved ones who have passed, spiritual guides, or other felt presences

  • Insights into one’s life path and purpose

  • Processing grief related to the loss — or anticipated loss — of a loved one

  • A deepened capacity for self‑compassion and acceptance

  • Timeless states of unity or peace

How to Prepare & What to Bring

  • Dress comfortably. Loose, non-restrictive clothing is best, and layers work well as your body temperature may shift during the session.

  • Bring a cushioned pad. A single-size camping or tri-fold mat is ideal. A folded blanket can work, but yoga mats are usually too thin. (No pillow is needed — breathwork is done lying flat.)

  • Bring a blanket. You’ll want something to put over yourself, as temperatures often fluctuate while breathing.

  • Bring a water bottle. A water bottle with a screw-on top is best.

  • Optional: lip balm or Vaseline. Your lips can get dry during breathwork, so this can be helpful.

  • Eat lightly beforehand. Try not to have a heavy meal for a few hours before the session.

Health Considerations & Contraindications

Breathwork is generally safe for most people, but there are some conditions where it may not be appropriate or should only be done with medical guidance. Please avoid active breathwork if you have:

  • Cardiovascular or neurological conditions: uncontrolled high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease (including prior heart attack), history of strokes, TIAs, seizures, or aneurysms in your immediate family

  • Eye conditions: a detached retina or glaucoma

  • Other medical factors: epilepsy, recent surgery or significant injury, or pregnancy

  • Certain mental health diagnoses: manic disorder, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia

Note: If you have asthma, you may still participate — just bring your inhaler.

If you’re unsure whether breathwork is safe for you, consult your trusted medical provider and get their approval before attending.

Sample Testimonials from Clients

  • “This experience was truly life-changing. I felt supported, seen, and guided into a deeper connection with myself.”

  • “Jennifer is gifted at creating a safe, compassionate space for deep inner work. Her guidance opened doors to insights I hadn’t reached through traditional therapy.”

  • “Every detail was meticulously planned to ensure safety, depth, and true integration. Her work is unlike anything I’ve experienced.”

  • “Jennifer’s presence is both comforting and respectful. Her intuition and wisdom made it easy for me to relax, trust, and open to the process.”

  • “I had the most powerful healing I've had in 20 years. My body, mind, and heart released so much that I’d been carrying – and I left feeling a deep sense of connection to the universe.”

About Jennifer Winn

Jennifer is an IFS practitioner, certified breathwork facilitator, and credentialed guide in expanded states of awareness, specializing in conscious cannabis work and related modalities. Drawing on more than 30 years as an executive consultant and coach, she brings a rich toolkit and deep expertise to her work with individuals seeking to explore consciousness through various psychospiritual practices. Her work supports clients in fostering a deeper connection to their own inner wisdom, and she’s dedicated to facilitating transformative experiences that invite authentic connection — with others in community and with all aspects of oneself.

To learn more about Jennifer Winn and Wisdom Within, visit https://www.wisdomwithin.org/about

Frequently Asked Questions

Is breathwork hard to do?

Well, there’s a reason it’s called breathwork — it does take some conscious, sustained effort, especially at the beginning. But most people find their body and breath adjust within minutes, and the process begins to feel more natural. Many even describe a shift into “the breath breathing the body,” a state where the breath seems to carry them — and the rewards can feel both immediate and profound.

 

Is it possible to participate if I have any of the contraindications listed above?

If you have any of the conditions listed above, you’re welcome to reach out and discuss your situation with us. In many cases, you can still attend the session without doing the active breathing — instead using the time for meditation and inward reflection within the supportive group environment. The music, facilitation, and shared space can still offer a meaningful and restorative experience, even without the breathwork component.

 

Why is this process called “somatic” breathwork?

It's called somatic breathwork because this is a practice that focuses on the breath and body, which helps participants “get out of their head.” The body holds memories and is the keeper of great wisdom if we’re able to quiet our mind and open ourselves to its guidance. While some participants remain quite still during the breathing process, it’s common for participants to actively move, shake, tremble, laugh, cry or any combination throughout the journey. Many report feeling noticeably lighter, clearer and freer after the session.

How is this similar, or not, to other expanded states of consciousness and psychedelic medicine work?

Breathwork does facilitate an expanded state of consciousness, and the experience can feel similar to other psychedelic modalities. The key difference is that participants maintain agency throughout — you can slow or even stop the breathing process at any time if it starts to feel too intense.

It also reveals how accessible these states truly are without ingesting anything. In psychedelic work, people sometimes assume the medicine is the “magic” doing all the work. Breathwork powerfully reinforces the reality that the “magic” lies solidly within each of us.

Finally, breathwork can be a powerful companion to psychedelic work. It can help “clear the path” before a medicine session, or support integration afterward by helping resolve or complete processes that didn’t fully finish during the medicine experience itself.

Why do this work in a group rather than individually? Do people in the group interact with each other during the session?

A personal journey in a shared space. Each session is an individual experience held within a safe, supportive group container. For those with significant unresolved trauma, a private session may be a better starting point — reach out if you’re unsure which setting is best for you.

The quiet power of community. There’s no talking during the breathwork itself, yet people often describe feeling a profound, wordless connection with others in the room — even with those they’ve just met. Experiencing something so deep side by side creates a sense of shared humanity and belonging that’s difficult to find in a solo experience.

Shared experience brings validation. Breathwork can stir insights and feelings that are hard to explain afterward. Being among others who’ve traveled their own inner landscapes can be grounding and affirming, helping you trust that what you experienced was real — and reminding you that you’re not alone in the journey.

 

How often can one safely do breathwork?

Breathwork can be done as often as you like, provided you allow enough time to integrate each session before moving on to the next. Like other forms of meditation, breathwork works best as an ongoing practice rather than a one‑time event. Many people find they’re able to “drop in” more quickly and deeply when they engage in sessions on a regular basis.

 

Couldn’t I just do breathwork on my own?

Yes, you absolutely can, and solo breathwork can be deeply beneficial. You’ll find plenty of “breathwork playlists” on Spotify and other free resources online. That said, most people find it much harder to go as deep in a solo session. Being held in a safe, supportive space—where you’re witnessed, encouraged, and gently guided—can make all the difference in accessing the deepest layers of healing and insight.

 

Are you a therapist? Are you trauma informed?

No, I’m not a therapist. My background is in executive coaching where, for over 30 years, I’ve supported clients through intensive personal growth and development processes. Along the way, I’ve trained extensively in approaches often used in therapeutic settings — including Internal Family Systems (IFS)/parts work, Immunity to Change, NLP, and numerous somatic practices. I’ve also pursued significant training in trauma awareness and response, and I bring a trauma‑informed perspective to all of my work.

 

Is this work therapy?

No, this work is not therapy. However, it can complement therapeutic work beautifully. Breathwork and related modalities often help surface memories and experiences that aren’t accessible cognitively—such as pre-verbal events or those too complex to be expressed in words. For anyone with a history of unresolved trauma, it’s essential to be actively working with a licensed therapist before engaging in breathwork or similar practices.

Informed Consent & Waiver

By choosing to participate in a Somatic Breathwork session, you acknowledge and agree to the following:

  • Voluntary participation. I understand I am voluntarily engaging in a Wisdom Within experience facilitated by Jennifer Winn. I recognize that this work may include meditative, somatic, or psychologically activating practices that can occasionally be physically, emotionally, or mentally challenging.

  • Assumption of risk. I acknowledge that I am participating at my own risk and take full responsibility for my well-being. I accept responsibility for any known or unknown risks, including — but not limited to — physical injury, emotional or psychological effects, loss, property damage, or, however unlikely, death.

  • Medical disclosure. I affirm that I have disclosed any relevant medical or psychiatric conditions that could affect my participation and have consulted with a healthcare provider if needed. This includes any medications, mood-altering substances, or supplements I am currently taking.

  • Not a substitute for treatment. I understand that Wisdom Within experiences are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any medical or psychological condition, and I will seek appropriate professional care if needed.

  • Media release. I understand that sessions may sometimes be filmed, recorded, or photographed for educational and promotional purposes aligned with Wisdom Within’s mission. I grant Jennifer Winn full rights to use such media without compensation, and I waive any right to review, approve, or limit their use. I agree not to record any sessions myself in any form without explicit permission.

  • Liability release. I release and hold harmless Jennifer Winn, Wisdom Within, Winn Performance Partners LLC, the event location hosts, and any assisting staff or facilitators from any liability, injury, loss, or damage that may occur during or as a result of my participation.

  • Dispute resolution. I agree to resolve any disputes through direct or mediated communication rather than litigation, and waive the right to pursue legal claims against any parties listed above in connection with these experiences.