counselling and Breathwork : how conscious connected breathwork supports calm, clarity and emotional change

Integrating Conscious Connected Breathwork in Balham, Tooting and Streatham

Most of us are running around, doing too much, living stressed modern lives and staying constantly connected to our technology. Slower, conscious connected breathwork helped me step out of that rush. During my 400-hour breath training I practised what I call the dual process. I allowed the younger, feeling part of me to release long-held emotions and then stayed present as the adult to witness, soothe and integrate those feelings. These deep processing releases helped me experience grief, calm and acceptance in new ways.

After an injury, I began practising gentle, longer breathwork sessions and was struck by how deeply soothing they were. By breathing slowly and without pausing between the inhale and exhale, the body shifts into the parasympathetic nervous system, often known as the rest and digest mode, rather than staying in the fight or flight response of the sympathetic system. This physiological change encourages the release of calming hormones such as serotonin and oxytocin, while reducing adrenaline and cortisol. The result is a sense of calm and restoration that can feel almost like having had a full body massage.

I have completed over 400 hours of professional training in Conscious Connected Breathwork and hold full professional insurance. I also work under clinical supervision with a BACP-accredited supervisor and receive ongoing peer support. This framework of professional accountability ensures safety, reflection and high standards of care for my clients.

What is conscious connected breathwork?

Conscious connected breathwork is a simple yet powerful circular breathing technique where the inhale flows seamlessly into the exhale without pause. This rhythmic breathing increases oxygen flow, supports emotional release, and helps regulate the nervous system. Practised gently and safely, it creates the conditions for awareness, regulation and transformation.

In a trauma-informed setting, breathwork helps the body regulate and can offer a safe way to feel emotions that may have been held for years. It complements counselling beautifully because the breath allows unconscious material to surface, and the therapy afterwards gives space to make sense of what arose.

Why combine breathwork and integrative counselling?

As an integrative counsellor, I draw on different approaches to suit each client’s needs. Combining integrative, person-centred counselling with conscious connected breathwork allows for both embodied and reflective processing.

• Breathwork helps calm the body, regulate the nervous system and move stuck emotion.

• Counselling provides a reflective, compassionate space where we can process what came up and make meaning of it.

• Together, these two approaches offer both the release and the integration that lead to lasting change.

In my sessions, I often integrate counselling after breathwork so that anything that surfaced during the practice can be explored and processed with empathy and understanding. This ensures that clients leave grounded, supported and emotionally integrated.

The dual process

One of the most profound movements I’ve experienced and witnessed in clients is what I call the dual process. This is when the younger, feeling self expresses emotion or vulnerability while the adult self observes, soothes and integrates that experience. It is a moment of self-reunion — where emotion and understanding meet.

After these sessions, we explore the experience together in therapy, helping the adult self stay connected, compassionate and in charge. This process can be deeply healing, bringing new levels of insight, safety and calm.

My role as a guide

I see myself as a guide, supporting you to explore your own breath. Your body and breath take the journey, and I’m here to hold space, offer gentle guidance, and help you process whatever arises. You have the autonomy to follow where your breath wants to take you, and you remain in control at all times. We always begin with a short screening and intention setting, and you can slow down or stop whenever you wish. This approach keeps the experience safe, empowering, and centred on your own inner process.

What a session looks like

Each session is tailored to you and begins with a short check-in to ensure safety and set an intention. We will discuss the breathwork, your goals, and how the practice works. You can ask any questions, and I’ll give a demonstration so you know what to expect, including possible physical sensations and emotional responses.

We then move into conscious connected breathwork, a continuous breathing practice where your body and breath lead the process. The experience may be gentle and reflective, or it may involve a deeper release — each session is unique, and you remain in control at all times while I provide guidance and support in a safe, compassionate space. Afterwards, we take time for integration, using counselling techniques to explore what arose and how it connects to your life. This combination of breath and therapy supports emotional processing, self-awareness, and self-trust.

Who might benefit

Breathwork integrated with counselling can help if you want to:

• Move through emotions that feel stuck or overwhelming.

• Learn how to calm anxiety and reduce stress through the body.

• Reconnect with your body after injury or tension.

• Combine experiential and reflective ways of processing.

If you have complex trauma, recent surgery, or certain medical conditions, we will adapt the work together. Safety and containment always come first.

Practical information and what’s coming next

I’m currently integrating breathwork into one-to-one counselling sessions in South London and online. In the New Year, I’ll be offering group sessions, both online and in person, providing more affordable ways to experience this work. Some groups will include elements of group therapy, while others will focus purely on breath practice in a supportive, facilitated space.

If you are looking for integrative counselling and breathwork in Balham, Tooting or Streatham, you can book a session through talktoevolve.com or visit my dedicated breathwork site breathetoevolve.com.

Safety, integration and aftercare

After a breathwork session you may feel calm, reflective or emotionally open. I encourage gentle aftercare — journalling, resting, or light movement — to support integration. Each session is followed by therapeutic reflection so that what arises is understood and anchored in your day-to-day life. The aim is not just to release emotion, but to integrate change safely into your whole system.

Final reflections

Conscious connected breathwork has become a deeply meaningful part of my therapeutic practice. It has helped me process grief, connect with my body and experience the power of the dual process — where the child feels and the adult soothes. Professionally, I’ve seen clients find calm, clarity and new self-connection through this work.

If you’re curious about how integrative counselling and breathwork could support your own healing, please reach out. Sessions are available in Balham, Tooting, Streatham, and online.

I'm really looking foward to breathing with you!