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Begin with Breath

Your Intro Class To Breathing Well because nobody ever taught you this in school.

When You Don’t Know What To Do, Or Where To Go

Begin with Breath is a 10-hour course offered live or online that teaches you how to calm your mind, regulate your emotions, and reset your nervous system.

Whether you’re completely new to breathing or a seasoned yoga teacher wanting a stronger foundation, this course gives you practical, powerful tools you can use anytime stress shows up. Calm becomes accessible, doable, and part of your everyday life.

Sign Up Now$

Calm Begins By Slowing Down Your Breath

As a therapist with 20 years of working in mental health, I can confidently tell you that calm is not something that you are born with, it is something that you practice (and it’s much easier than you think).

99.999999% of the people I work with who have been diagnosed with anxiety, burnout or depression are barely breathing and few of them know the consequences of short and shallow breathing on their mental health. Breathing well is literally one of the simplest and cheapest ways to positively influence your wellbeing 🙂

I created Begin with Breath for this reason.

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“Breathing is the most accessible, cost-effective, and immediate tool we have to manage stress and support our mental health.“

Your breath shapes your thoughts and emotions more than you realize. When you learn how to slow it down and work with it intentionally, you regain choice & control over what you focus on, how you respond, and how you feel in your body.

Breathing well isn’t just about “chilling out” (though it does that beautifully). It increases energy and focus, reduces anxiety and depression, supports heart and immune health, improves sleep, lowers inflammation, and helps regulate blood pressure, hormones, and digestion. Over time, it builds real emotional resilience—so stress doesn’t knock you over as easily.

And honestly?

Breathing well just makes you feel good. It brings clarity, calm, and (surprise!) really great people into your life.

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What You’ll Get With Begin With Breath

Classes & Materials

6 x 90-minute LIVE Zoom classes (recorded for replay)

Comprehensive course notes & Begin with Breath manual

30+ pre-recorded meditations & practices from the People of the Prana archives

2 months FREE access to WAKE UP & BREATHE (weekday morning breathing practice 6:30–7:00 am EST)

A chance to ask your questions and be supported by an awesome community (you don’t have to deal with this on your own!)

One discounted private session during the course

Start Practicing with us Today$

What You’ll Learn:

All the essential breathing techniques (deep breath, segmented breath, breath of fire, suspensions, alternate nostril breathing and much more) from the Kundalini Yoga Tradition, Hatha Yoga, and modern science/psychology

How to actually breathe — not just think about doing it (plenty of practice included in the curriculum)

The science behind why breathing is so powerful

Embodied experience through somatic & nervous system awareness (learn to listen deeply to your body & become familiar with muscles you never knew you had!)

How your breath directly impacts your thoughts, emotions, body, and stress levels AND breathing tools to rely on in those stressful situations

How to not take it all so seriously (Yes, laughter is in the curriculum and joy is part of the medicine)

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Who Begin With Breath Is For

Total beginners and seasoned breathers

People looking for natural ways to manage stress, develop resilience

Tired professionals, burned-out caregivers, parents, students

Therapists, coaches, yoga teachers, and educators for self care and to expand their therapeutic repertoire

Athletes, singers and musicians looking to improve their performance

Anyone in therapy or healing who wants tools to support emotional regulation and overwhelm

Humans with nervous systems (so, basically… everyone)

With consistent practice you build resilience to stress, so that you are able to literally breathe your way through anything.

Sign Up Now$

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Course Outline:
Peek Inside Begin with Breath

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Week 1: Long & Deep Breathing – or Why Breathe Now?

Get to know your natural breath and how it shapes your mental and emotional state

Reconnect to your body through sensation and presence

Learn the fundamentals of pranayama (posture, muscle use, technique) and its rich history

Practice breath awareness, long & deep breathing, explore your unique breath signature

Learn 8 breathing techniques & meditations to build your foundation

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Week 2: The Three Diaphragms

Awaken your body-brain through interoception — the inner art of sensing and knowing

Explore the three diaphragms that support your breath and voice

Learn how to apply the yogic locks (bandhas) and why they’re useful

Nose or mouth? Discover how your breathing route affects your nervous system

Explore how breath shapes thoughts and emotional states

Learn 7 breathing practices & meditations to deepen awareness

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Week 3: The Energetics of Breathing

Get intimate with your navel point and diaphragm (they’re your powerhouse!)

Learn Breath of Fire and feel its energizing effect

Understand prana (life force energy) and how it moves through you

Explore the connection between breath and creativity

Discover the vayus, nadis, and your electromagnetic field

Learn 8 new breathing practices & meditations to raise your vibration

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Week 4: Understanding Inspiration – Focus on the Inhale

What is awareness? What is consciousness? Let’s explore.

Dive deeper into prana as a force of vitality and clarity

Connect emotion with breath—feel your feelings through the inhale

Learn how to receive the breath with trust and presence

Practice breath suspensions on the inhale and segmented breathing techniques

Learn 5 breathing techniques & meditations

Week 5: Letting Go – Focus on the Exhale

Meet apana, the downward-flowing force that supports release

Practice breath suspensions on the exhale for grounding and clearing

Discover shunniya — the meditative state of deep silence and emptiness

Use the breath as a healing tool to release patterns and emotions

Deepen your experience of meditation, stillness, and embodiment

Learn 5 breathing techniques & meditations

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Week 6: Integration – Your Breath is Your Medicine

Review and revisit highlights from the past five weeks

Explore how breath helps you love yourself and others more fully

Ask your questions and get support with developing a personal practice

Build your own breath medicine ‘chest’—a custom toolkit for everyday life

What People Are Saying

A Word From Esther

“Your breath is a gift.
I have been teaching these practices for over 20 years now with kids as young as 5 to people well into the 80’s in the context of my clinical practice. What I come back to again and again is how important, how utterly fundamental breath is to all aspects of our lives (physical, mental, emotional, & spiritual).

Learning to breathe is not a luxury, it is a necessity — especially during these stressful times on the planet. My mission is to make conscious breathing available to as many people as possible, so that it is taught regularly in schools, workplaces, hospitals, and beyond.

I am so honoured and excited to share these transformative and healing practices with you.”

– With gratitude and love, Esther Kalaba

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How to Take the Course

Live Online: Offered 4 times a year via Zoom
OR
Weekend Retreat: In-person at the SEED Lodge (spring & autumn)

Sign Up Now For Begin With Breath$

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need any experience with yoga or breathwork to join?

Nope. This course is perfect for total beginners and equally valuable for experienced breathers who want to deepen their practice. Everything is explained step-by-step. Many people have taken this course numerous times to integrate the practices even deeper. Learning to breathe is a life long practice. Each class is adjusted to the level of the students and there is plenty of opportunity to ask your questions.

What if I can’t attend the live classes?

No problem. All classes are recorded and uploaded so you can watch (and re-breathe) on your own time. Many people take the course entirely on replay and still get the full benefit.

What kind of approach do you use?

This course combines techniques from Kundalini yoga, Hatha yoga & Sat Nam Rasayan, as well as principles from somatic therapy, trauma-informed practice, and Western psychology. It’s a down-to-earth, practical approach to the science and experience of breathing well designed for you to integrate into daily life. Embodied practice is encouraged as this is how to truly learn the material.

What does a typical class look like?

Each week you will learn anywhere from 5-8 breathing techniques, some theory behind it and have a chance to practice. At the end of the 6-week course you will have learned just over 30 different breathing practices and know when to use them. It’s like having a medicine chest (no pun intended) right in your own body.

How is this different from just watching breathwork videos on YouTube?

This isn’t just follow-along breathing. It’s a structured, cumulative course that teaches you how breath affects your nervous system, your emotions, and your mind — and how to apply it to real-life situations. You also get direct feedback, an opportunity to ask questions and access to a supportive community.
“So many issues can be bypassed through simply changing your breathing pattern.” – Esther Kalaba

What if I have anxiety, trauma, or a mental health diagnosis?

This course is designed with mental health in mind, and taught by a registered psychotherapist. Many people take it as a support to therapy or as part of their healing process. If you have specific concerns, feel free to email us at breathe@peopleoftheprana.com. This course might also be eligible for insurance coverage if you are a resident of Ontario or Quebec. For a more specific course about your nervous system and trauma please visit the Nervous System First Aid Kit.

Can I take this as a wellness professional or yoga teacher?

Yes! This is a great foundational course for yoga teachers, therapists, social workers, coaches, educators, and health care professionals. It gives you the tools to confidently introduce breathwork into your sessions or classes.

Is it weird that I don’t know how to breathe properly?

Not at all. Most people breathe in a way that’s shallow, rushed, or dysregulated — especially when they’re stressed. That’s exactly why this course exists. You’re not behind. You’re right on time.

Is breathing safe?

All the practices taught in this course are safe and suitable for all people. In fact it’s probably more dangerous for you and your health to not do this course. We do ask that you let us know at the beginning if you have any conditions such as high blood pressure, or are pregnant as there are certain practices we will ask you not to do. We also do not recommend practicing in water, while driving, or operating any tools or machinery.

Will there be homework?

We recommend 5–10 minutes of practice a day to allow you to experience the teachings. We’ll guide you each week with a short routine to help integrate what you’ve learned — like brushing your teeth, but think of it like hygiene for your nervous system. We also have included a course manual, course notes, pre-recorded meditations that you can practice with, and you will have access to the WAKE UP & BREATHE morning sessions for FREE for 2 months.

How is this course offered?

Begin with Breath is offered live ONLINE 4 times/year and as a weekend retreat @ the SEED Lodge every spring and autumn (link to the Art Of Breath). Please be sure to sign up to our mailing list to be the first to find out. In the meantime download your free audio track of box breath and start breathing with us.

Begin with Breath

When You Don’t Know What To Do, Or Where To Go