The Breath Isn’t Always Safe — But It Can Be a Bridge Back Home
By Šárka | Trauma-Sensitive Somatic Coach, Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, and Yoga Facilitator for Women
In the world of trauma recovery and nervous system healing, we often hear:
“Just breathe.”
But what if the breath itself doesn’t feel safe?
In my experience accompanying women through high stress, burnout, or trauma, I’ve seen how breathwork can be both a powerful ally — and, at times, too much.
For some, the very act of turning inward toward the breath can feel activating, even triggering.
Breath holds memory.
Breath is deeply connected to the body.
And for those who’ve experienced trauma — especially early developmental or complex trauma — tuning in too quickly can stir the very things we’ve learned to protect ourselves from.
It’s not that breathwork is bad or unsafe.
It’s that the timing, the method, and the container all matter.
What Trauma-Sensitive Breathwork Asks Of Us
In trauma-sensitive work, our role as practitioners isn’t to avoid every potential trigger (an impossible task).
It’s to create a space and relationship safe enough for the client to:
Communicate when something is too much
Feel met if something is stirred
Repair when rupture happens (like dissociation or overwhelm)
Learn to trust their own inner pacing
Overly forceful breath techniques — such as long retentions or intense hyperventilation — can override the body’s natural boundaries.
Even hyper-focusing on doing it right can bring stress, especially for those with perfectionistic parts or anxious tendencies.
That’s why, instead, I invite people to explore breath gently, in ways that meet them where they are.
Three Gentle Breath Techniques for Regulation
These are some of the simple, regulating techniques I often share in somatic coaching sessions:
1. Cleansing Breath
Inhale through the nose and exhale fully through the mouth — perhaps with a sigh or a whispered “hahhh.”
This breath invites release and letting go. You can imagine exhaling tension or the weight of the day.
It often creates a sense of immediate spaciousness.
2. Physiological Sigh
A two-part inhale through the nose — one full breath, then a little top-up — followed by a long, slow exhale through the mouth.
Just 1–3 rounds can help reset the nervous system and soften inner pressure.
3. Box Breath (Four-Square Breath)
Inhale for a count of 4 → Hold for 4 → Exhale for 4 → Pause for 4.
Repeat gently, without force. This breath can support grounding and presence, especially in moments of anxiety.
(And if the holds feel like too much, you can skip them — your body knows.)
Breath as Listening
In somatic coaching, breath isn’t a performance.
It’s a form of listening — a reintroduction to your body’s natural rhythm, at your own pace.
We don’t rush.
We don’t override.
We get curious.
And when the body is ready, we soften back into the breath as a source of support, not stress.
A Gentle Invitation
If this resonates with you —
or if you’ve struggled with breathwork in the past and want to explore it in a gentler, more attuned way —
I’m here.
Šárka is the heart behind Wildflower Somatics, space holder for women on the journey back to their bodies, their rhythm, and their truth.
As a trauma-informed somatic coach for women, trauma-sensitive yoga facilitator, and Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, she supports women in nervous system healing, embodied resilience, and soulful self-discovery — always honoring the wisdom of the body, the power of presence, and the courage it takes to feel. Her work weaves together somatics, mindfulness, and deep listening in service of sustainable inner change. With tenderness and depth, she holds space for women to root, rise, and bloom — in their own wild, gentle way.
