Sometimes, words aren’t what you need.
Maybe you’ve talked about what’s bothering you. You’ve analyzed it, tried to understand it, and may even know what you need to do—but somehow, something inside you is still holding you back.
Sometimes, what we need isn’t more thinking. We need an opportunity to slow down, get out of our heads, and reconnect with what is happening inside us.
Breathwork offers an experiential way to do that. Guided by the breath, you can bring your attention inward and become curious about the emotions, sensations, and experiences that may be difficult to access through words alone.
Breathwork sessions are available both in person and virtually as a standalone service. You do not need to be a therapy client to participate.
Breathwork is an intentional practice of bringing awareness and attention to your breathing. While breathing happens naturally and mostly outside of our awareness, consciously working with the breath can help bring your attention out of your thoughts and back into your body.
During a guided breathwork session, the breath becomes a way to notice and explore physical sensations, emotions, thoughts, memories, and impulses that may be difficult to access through words alone.
You don’t have to make anything happen or force yourself to feel a particular emotion. Instead, you’re invited to breathe, notice, and become curious about what is already there.
For Marta, breathwork is ultimately about connection—to your body, your emotions, and the inner wisdom that can be harder to hear when life feels busy, stressful, or overwhelming.
Sometimes, understanding why you feel the way you do doesn’t necessarily change how you feel.
You may understand your situation very well and still feel stuck. Maybe you know you need to have a difficult conversation, but fear is holding you back. Maybe you know it’s time to move forward, but grief hasn’t caught up with you. Or perhaps you understand intellectually that something wasn’t your fault, but shame is still there.
Emotions don’t always respond to what we know or what we think we should feel. Sometimes they need enough space and safety to simply be noticed and experienced.
Breathwork can help create that space. Instead of trying to analyze or solve what you’re feeling, you can slow down, bring your attention inward, and become curious about what is happening in your body.
You don’t need to arrive with a specific problem to solve or an outcome you expect to achieve. Sometimes the intention is simply to breathe, become more present with yourself, and see what you notice.
A breathwork session is a guided experience that gives you time and space to turn your attention inward. A typical session lasts approximately 60 minutes and begins with a brief check-in and an opportunity to set an intention for your experience.
You’ll typically lie down somewhere comfortable while Marta guides you through the breathing practice, accompanied by a playlist she has prepared for the session. Before you begin, she’ll explain and demonstrate the breathing pattern so you can practice it together.
Depending on the session, you may be invited to breathe through your mouth or your nose and adjust the pace and depth of your breathing as the experience unfolds. The breathwork journey generally follows an arc, with the breathing gradually building during the first part of the session, followed by a slower, quieter period that allows you to settle into the experience.
As you breathe, you may notice physical sensations, emotions, thoughts, memories, images, movement, or unexpected insights. Or your experience may simply feel quiet and restorative. Every breathwork session is different, and there is no particular experience you are supposed to have.
Afterward, you’ll have time to slow down, notice what you experienced, and allow it to settle. You don’t have to leave the session with an answer or immediately understand what the experience meant.
Breathwork is not about pushing yourself through an experience or forcing something to happen. Although Marta will guide you throughout the session, you remain in control of how you breathe and how deeply you participate.
At any point, you can slow your breathing, change the breathing pattern, return to your natural breath, open your eyes, pause, or stop. If something feels too intense, you are encouraged to listen to your body and respond to what you need in that moment.
There is no “right” way to experience breathwork. Some sessions may feel powerful or emotional, while others may feel quiet or subtle. Your capacity may also be different from one session to another.
The goal is not to perform the practice perfectly or achieve a particular outcome. It is to become more aware of yourself and gradually build trust in your ability to notice and respond to your own internal signals.
At Marta Kem Therapy, breathwork is available as a standalone service—you do not need to be a therapy client or be interested in starting therapy to schedule a session.
Breathwork is offered as a separate, standalone service, both in person and virtually, for people who are interested in a more experiential way of connecting with themselves. You may come with something specific you want to explore, an intention you want to bring to the session, or simply curiosity about what it feels like to work with your breath in a guided setting.
While Marta brings her experience as a psychotherapist to the way she creates a supportive and attuned environment, a standalone breathwork session is not psychotherapy. The focus is on the breathwork experience itself and on giving you space to notice, explore, and respond to whatever arises for you.
Marta believes that each of us has a wise inner healer—the part of us that knows how to listen, respond, and move toward what we need. During periods of stress or disconnection, however, it can become difficult to hear or trust that inner wisdom.
Her role is not to tell you what your experience means or push you toward a particular outcome. Instead, she creates a supportive space where you can slow down, become curious about what you’re experiencing, and begin finding that connection in your own way.
Throughout a breathwork session, Marta guides and supports rather than directs the experience. She brings warmth, curiosity, and acceptance to the process while trusting your ability to listen to your body and determine what feels right for you.
Ultimately, the breath is yours, the experience is yours, and the connection you are building is with yourself.
Conscious connected breathing can be a powerful experience, and this particular form of breathwork may not be appropriate for everyone.
Conscious connected breathing is not recommended during pregnancy or for people with certain diagnosed conditions that are not being treated or adequately managed. These may include:
If you have one of these conditions, Marta can talk with you about whether breathwork is appropriate and whether the breathing practice can be safely modified.
Before your session, Marta will ask about anything that could affect your ability to participate safely. If you have a medical condition or are unsure whether breathwork is appropriate for you, you may be asked to consult with your healthcare provider before participating.
You don’t need to do much to prepare for a breathwork session. The most important thing is to create an environment where you can feel comfortable, minimize distractions, and give yourself permission to focus on the experience.
A few simple things can help you settle in:
There is no special way you need to prepare mentally. You can come with an intention for your session, or simply arrive curious about what the experience may bring.
You don’t need to know what you want to experience or arrive with a particular goal. You can bring an intention, something you’ve been carrying, or simply your curiosity.
You don’t have to figure everything out before you begin. You simply have to show up and breathe.
If you’re curious about what breathwork might offer you, reach out to learn more or schedule a standalone session with Marta.
May your breath take you exactly where you need to be.
