I Went to a Breathwork Class and Left Transformed

Once inside the black door, I paid the $47 class fee, relinquished my phone in a magnetically sealed pouch and headed to a dim back room. About 10 of us, split evenly by gender, were greeted by Eleonora, a smiling young Hungarian woman dressed in white linen and colorful beads. She was warm and welcoming and went out of her way to make each of us feel like we belonged there. 

Breathwork facilitator Eleonora Berenyi teaches at meditation center Official Ritual in New York City.

Courtesy Eleonora Berenyi

She invited us to set an intention. A young man wanted to heal from heartbreak. I simply said I wanted to let go of anything that no longer served me.

Eleonora demonstrated the three-part breathing technique: Inhale into the belly, then into the chest, and exhale through the mouth. “Breath is the portal,” she explained. “When you override the analytical mind by focusing on the rhythm of your breath, you drop into the subconscious, where your true power lives. That’s where real manifestation begins — not with thought, but with presence.”

Was this the same thing as hyperventilating? Isn’t that something I should avoid doing? What if I pass out? I was about to find out.

With our eye masks on, we lay on foam mats arranged head-to-head. Intense tribal beats and chanting streamed from the speakers. Over the next 30 minutes, Eleonora asked us to visualize chakra colors, our spirit animals, our inner child and Mother Earth. 

My mouth went dry from the rigorous breathing. My hands tingled — a side effect, Eleonora had warned us, of shifts in oxygen intake. The floor vibrated. (Later I learned that she was using a large tuning fork on the ground.)

Then things started to get weird. The left side of my face twitched uncontrollably. I drifted into a dreamlike state, aware that I was dreaming. In my vision, I was in a go-kart led by pandas that turned into skulls, guiding me through a tunnel of bones. I remained calm, observing. I silently asked that my gifts be used to help others in this lifetime. 

Eventually Eleonora brought us back. We sat up and drank tea to ground ourselves. A young woman across from me placed her palms flat on the floor, as if to keep from floating away.

“Wow,” I said, slipping off my eye mask. I felt like I was suddenly awake after an overnight flight.

Strange as it sounds, breathwork isn’t just for spiritual seekers. According to a New York Times article, elite athletes including NBA star Steph Curry and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers use focused breathing to boost performance and manage stress.

 “Your breath is the only tool that’s free, always with you, and scientifically proven to shift your biochemistry,” Eleonora said.

Feeling both exhausted and excited, I wanted to delve deeper. The next day I signed up for another workshop: the Summer Solstice Ancestral Healing Breathwork Ceremony. The three-hour class promised to harness the longest day of the year to release what no longer serves us and to welcome expansion, light and clarity. Eleonora described it as a sacred time to connect with our ancestors and rewire old emotional patterns. We would breathe with intention, call in divine guidance and offer healing not just for ourselves but for the generations that came before and after us.

Little did I know that I was about to be given a life-changing treasure.

AARP essays share a point of view in the author’s voice, drawn from expertise or experience, and do not necessarily reflect the views of AARP.