Hey friends, do you know my newsletter? If you want to get weekly tips on breathwork and mindfulness, you should subscribe. I also hold regular live breathwork and Q&A sessions with my friendly readers.
You can subscribe here: kitarowaga.com/#weekly-newsletter
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What type of videos do you want me to create more of?
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3 Things I learned about breathwork I wished I knew sooner:
Most people know that breathwork is powerful… but the hardest part? Sticking to it.
You start strong, feel amazing, and then—life happens. You skip a session, lose motivation, and suddenly, breathwork is just another thing you used to do.
The key to making breathwork stick? Structure + Accountability.
There are three ways to learn breathwork:
1️⃣ Self-Guided – Practicing on your own.
2️⃣ Guided but Self-Paced – Following structured videos.
3️⃣ Live Coaching & Real-Time Feedback – Learning with direct guidance.
All three are important, but most people struggle because they try to do everything alone.
Focusing on too many things too soon is a sure way to feel overwhelmed and stop practicing. So, I like to use the framework:
🌱 Get Started / Going
🌳 Get Good
🧠 Get Smart
🚀 Transcend
➡️ Each step requires a different approach and focus. So, be sure to know where you are on your journey.
Breathwork Isn’t Just About Breathing
Most people think breathwork is just about inhaling and exhaling. But it’s so much more.
Breathwork has two main functions:
1️⃣ Training Proper Breathing Mechanics – If your foundational breathing is wrong, every breathwork technique will be less effective or even counterproductive. (Think: shallow chest breathing vs. deep diaphragmatic breathing.)
• You take roughly 20'000 breaths per day. How many of them are you aware of, and are you breathing excellently?
• How do you cultivate proper breathing and keep your diaphragm strong, your rib cage flexible, and your awareness sharp?
2️⃣ Using Breathwork for Specific Goals – Once your foundation is strong, you can apply breathwork for:
• Energy & focus(power breathing before exercise or work.)
• Stress relief & relaxation(slowing the breath to downregulate the nervous system.)
• Sleep improvement, performance, and recovery(using breathwork for deep rest and faster recovery.)
➡️ This leads to the realization that breathwork doesn't always feel good. If you're working on the fundamentals, breathwork can feel boring, hard, and even uncomfortable – and that's ok.
Here's how I can help you:
I created The Breathwork Library & Academy to take the guesswork out of breathwork, give you a system that works, and establish a long-lasting breathwork habit.
✔ 100+ guided breathwork sessions
✔ Weekly live breathwork sessions
✔ A supportive community for accountability
And if you want to go deeper, The Breathwork Academy adds:
🔥 Premium courses
🔥 Live training & coaching
🔥 A committed group to keep you on track
Ready to make breathwork a real habit? Try it risk-free.
kitarowaga.com/kitaros-breathwork-academy
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It's not easy to create a breathwork habit.
One strategy is to create momentum and make it easy. This was my goal when I created the 15-Day Breathwork Course. You will receive a short breathwork lesson and a guided breathwork video directly and conveniently in your inbox daily.
If you want to widen your breathwork toolbox, deepen your practice, or need a kickstart to create momentum for a healthy breathwork habit, then sign up here:
kitarowaga.kit.com/15-day-breathwork-course
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What do you struggle with the most in regard to breathwork?
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The first new guided breathing session just dropped on my Guided Breathwork channel, "Breathe with Kitaro."
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As many have requested a two-minute-plus breath-hold time for my latest guided breathing video, I made one and just published it. I do this regularly on my Breathwork Library platform, which is similar to Patreon. There, you find all my guided breathwork videos in one place, organized and structured for your convenience. You can bookmark your favorite videos, and everything is nicely embedded in a supportive community. Check it out. It helps to support this channel here 🧡
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I want to share some insights that I published today in my newsletter about stress:
Last Monday, I had a live session on my community platform, 'Breath Mind Body Academy,' where I talked a little bit about stress and recovery and how breathwork, mindfulness, and movement can help us manage our stress levels better.
I thought it would be wonderful to share some of these reflections with you.
Our bodies are fascinating systems, aren't they? They manage stress through the autonomic nervous system, which includes the sympathetic system for those "fight or flight" moments, and the parasympathetic, which helps us "rest and digest." Our "fight or flight" system is activated when we're stressed. Stress comes in the form of stressors, which can be psychological (think of an endless to-do list) or physical (think of a workout or a cold shower). Understanding this can help us manipulate our body’s reactions and enhance our overall well-being.
One powerful method we discussed is breathwork. Simply changing how we breathe—moving from fast, shallow breaths to slow, deep ones—can signal to our body that it's time to calm down. Have you tried coherence breathing yet? Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth to a count of six can truly be a game changer in stressful situations. Box breathing can also be very helpful in moments of stress. But how can a breathing technique like the Wim Hof Method be helpful in moments of stress? As many of you know, WHM breathing incorporates hyperventilation-like inhalations that engage our sympathetic nervous system – isn't this bad when stressed? Well, it can, in some cases, be too intense and cause anxiety, but with a gradual and intentional approach, it can serve as a reset button in our system. Short-term and acute stress is not bad, and it is actually quite good for promoting focus and energy in the body and brain. Most students know that a deadline or an exam (stress) increases productivity. Or if we take a cold shower (physical stressor), we feel more energetic and balanced afterward. Chronic and long-term stress is what we want to avoid. Short bursts of acute stress can help promote more balance.
Alongside breathing, staying present through mindfulness can disconnect us from overwhelming feelings and ground us in the moment. This practice isn't just about reducing stress; it's about enriching our daily experience so that we can enjoy more and worry less.
Movement, too, plays a crucial role. Whether it’s a session of yoga or just some light stretching, physical activity can help release endorphins and shift our focus away from (psychological) stressors. But I also try not to think of movement as an activity but as a way to move through this world. Think of how you can integrate more movement into your everyday life. Instead of using a chair to sit down, squat. Jump up the stairs instead of walking. In short, move like a kid, and you get the idea 😉.
It’s also fascinating to see how different cultures handle the idea of rest. Some cultures embrace midday naps or resting after meals, which highlights the natural need for rest in our hectic lives. Often, we think being tired or low on energy is a bad sign. Instead of labeling it as good or bad, accept your energy state as a natural occurrence that shifts throughout the day. Some people falsely think they should be motivated and highly energetic all day. Being aware of one's own rhythm is key here. I also often need to remind myself that our brain consumes about 20% of our total energy, which is insane compared to how small it is. Learning new things, problem-solving, and other cognitive tasks are metabolically expensive and consume a lot of energy. So it's quite normal for these things to feel unpleasant because of the metabolic cost that we pay. It's nothing bad, and it doesn't mean that I'm doing something wrong or that I have no energy or motivation. Maybe I just need to rest and relax, doing some mindfulness practice or breathing exercises. Incorporating some of these restful practices might offer us a fresh perspective on managing stress healthily.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Remember, managing stress isn't about avoiding it but learning to respond to it in healthier, more productive ways.
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Do you know my free 7-Day Breathwork Journey course? I recently updated the format so that you can now take the course through a daily email with a video or as an online course on my Academy platform.
If you have already taken this course, what would add even more value to it if you could improve one thing?
PS: Here's the link for the free course: kitarowaga.ck.page/seven-day-breathwork-journey
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Hey, friends from Zürich and nearby. I'm holding a Wim Hof Method Workshop (breathwork and ice bath) on January 13th. This workshop will be in German, but I plan to have another workshop in English soon.
Save your spot here: kitarowaga.ck.page/products/wim-hof-method-fundame…
I'm looking forward to seeing some of you 🧡
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Hey friends 👋, my name is Kitaro, and I teach people to breathe more fully, move more freely, think more clearly, connect more deeply, and feel more lively.
Thank you for your support and for tagging along on my journey.