My Journey into Breath, Embodiment & Movement

Somewhere along the way, my body had enough. I had to retire from volleyball, which left me in the middle of a huge identity crisis.

A series of events led me to discover freediving, and that became the foundation for my inner dive. I learned to quiet the mind between breaths and to find comfort inside the discomfort of the breath hold. Freediving taught me that strength does not always come from force and that there is real power in softness.

But I knew that I had to go a bit deeper than that as I could not maintain that feeling in my everyday life. Outside the pool, I was still living in my head, disconnected from my emotions, always doing just to avoid looking deeper.

Talk therapy helped me to highly intellectualise the belief systems I had built as walls to keep myself safe. But I could not bring myself to look behind those walls and feel what was really there as I had to feel it and feeling for me was terrifying.

That is when breathwork entered my life and things started to shift.

Breathwork gave me access to parts of myself I could not think my way into. It helped me to find safety first and foremost, to face wounds I had been avoiding, release trauma, heal from PTSD, regulate my nervous system, find ease in difficult moments, feel my emotions, and eventually, learn how to nurture and love myself. It showed me what it feels like to be at peace with what is, and what letting go really means.

I released layers I had been carrying my entire life, including patterns and imprints from early developmental stages. Because when something happens that is too much, too soon, or too fast, it does not just disappear. It gets stored in the body until it is given space and safety to be witnessed and released. Until then, we carry it through life, often without even realising it.

I get it. It can feel intimidating to even consider unpacking all of that. I used to cringe when someone told me to slow down. How boring, I thought. But breathwork taught me something else. Slowing down is actually cool.

Walking this path did not make me abandon my goals. It simply changed how I move towards them.

It opened the door to a different kind of life, one that feels lighter, steadier and more spacious. A life not ruled by stress, pressure or emotional weight. One where rest, joy and fulfilment are not things I have to earn. Where I do not need to prove my worth to deserve care, comfort or connection.

And yes, I can still live fully and go after what I want. Climb the ladder. Build the body. Master the craft. Chase the vision. Lead the room. Break my own limits. I learnt that I do not have to sacrifice myself to succeed. There is another way.

That is what breathwork gave me and that is what I want others to know is possible too.