Episode 58: How to Breathe Sensually (with Siedeh Foxie)
Are you breathing? Breathing is something that a lot of us do without thinking about it, but what happens when you bring intention to your breathing? It becomes a tool of liberation and healing. In this episode, Ev’Yan speaks with Siedeh Foxie—breathwork facilitator and intuitive guide—about the simple power of the breath and how to breathe in ways to connect you to your sensual body. Siedeh goes into depth about what breathwork is, its roots in indigenous healing, and how you can use breathwork to connect you not only to yourself but your pleasure.
“Breath awareness is simply sitting and asking yourself, 'What is the quality of my breath? Where is my breath in my body today? Where is my breath most present?’ and just seeing what the textural landscape of the breath is as it’s moving through you.” —Siedeh Foxie
Full transcription of this episode is below.
Also mentioned in this episode:
Parama Collective (coming soon)
Support Siedeh’s breathwork training and mentorship program for Black, Indigenous, and people of color
Siedeh Foxie is an intuitive guide and practitioner of the healing arts through ancient cultural traditions. Shaped by a rich ancestral lineage, her practice encompasses the ethical use of sacred earth medicines and energy healing through active touch. As a certified therapeutic breathwork facilitator, she focuses upon utilizing the spirit of breath as a catalyst for transpersonal shifts and self-actualization. Her work is embodied and trauma informed, centering people from the African diaspora, Indigenous people, people of color and underserved communities within those cultures.
Connect with Siedeh on Instagram and support her mission to help BIPOC breathe better.
Transcription:
Hey, welcome to Sensual Self. I'm Ev'Yan Whitney and this is a space for you to slow down, tune in, heal and feel the sensations and pleasures of your sensual body. Thank you for being here.
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I have a question. Are you breathing? If me asking that question prompted you to become more aware of your breath right now, then great. That's exactly why I asked that question. Of all the questions I have in my arsenal—and I have many, many questions in my arsenal, just check out my book, Sensual Self—”Are you breathing?” is one of my favorites to snap me back into presence with my sensual body. I don't know about you, but I am a chronic breath-holder. It's something that I do without thinking about and it was only recently that I started to notice just how often I do it. I've actually already had to check this habit a couple of times as I'm recording this, it happens so frequently. I didn't always have this awareness that I am a breath holder. I didn't even really notice when I was doing it. But one of the things that helped me notice this pattern and begin correcting it was breathwork.
Now, I don't want to assume, but I feel like people who are in these woo-woo, wellness, “let's raise our vibrations higher” type of communities have heard of breathwork before. I definitely see a lot more people talking about it today than I did say five years ago. But in case you don't know, breathwork is a practice of breathing in an intentional way to achieve altered states of consciousness and connect with yourself in a deep healing way. And baby, let me tell you, my first breathwork experience was a trip. I went into it not really knowing what to expect and I walked away feeling like I was high on some kind of psychedelic drug. It was powerful. It was a little scary. And it was really, really healing. I processed through more trauma and shame in that one hour than I had in the last five therapy sessions that I did. And the deeper I went into breathwork, the more I began to really embody this wisdom that I feel all of us know, on some kind of a level, which is that the breath is everything. And not just because the breath gives us life—which, thank you, breath—but because when we are intentional about it, it can bring us into the present moment into our bodies. It also brings us into our sensual selves. I've been in a lot of interviews lately talking about my soon-to-be-released book Sensual Self—which wait, by the way, have you pre-ordered yet? Because if not, you totally should.
Sensual Self is a self-guided journal that will help you connect to your body, your pleasure, your sensuality, through prompts and practices I've created for you to explore. And what's cool about this book is that it's meant to be written in. There's lines for you to explore your sensual self, at your own pace, in your own time. And one of the things that I believe about this book is that it will help you claim for yourself your innate and unique sensuality. If this sounds like your jam, and I imagine it does, because you're listening to this podcast, you should definitely snag a copy. Sensual Self won't be out for another month. But you can pre-order it by going to evyanwhitney.com/sensualself and what's cute is that everyone who pre-orders will get access to my book club where we can chat and hang and explore our sensual selves in real time. So again, you can go to EvYanWhitney.com/SensualSelf. Preorder my book Sensual Self. And let's get sensual. Or you know, you can click the link in the show notes.
So okay, I kind of got distracted. What was I talking about? Yes, interviews. That's right interviews. I've been doing a lot of interviews lately talking about my book. And one question that I get asked a lot is, “What is one practice you would recommend for people who want to explore their sensuality?” And I always say, breathing. Intentional breathing. And it's true. I mean, I believe that one of the biggest foundational pieces to sensuality is our capacity to breathe on purpose, to use our breath as a kind of tool to drop us into our senses and to regulate our nervous systems. And to talk about all things breathwork with me, I've invited my friend and breathwork teacher Siedeh Foxie to speak with us about what it looks like to breathe sensually.
Siedeh is someone whose roots and breathwork are really, really deep, not surface level. She has done an incredible amount of study, research, practice, and facilitation. And that really shows when you hear her speak about breathwork. For her, it's not some fad, it's not some wellness weirdness. It's a deeply spiritual, ancestral, indigenous practice that she has a lot of reverence for. And I feel really honored that I've been able to learn from her and work with her. We get into a lot of things here that I'm excited for you to dive into, like, what exactly is breathwork? How does one do it? And what is breathwork's connection to sensuality and pleasure. Siedeh also went into depth about what the science of trauma is, how it shows up in our bodies, physiologically, and how breathing is a beautiful way to bring healing to our trauma and our triggers.
So much good stuff is in here. Let's not waste any more time, let's just dive in. Oh, and I should probably mention, you will notice that the audio in this interview isn't the best. I don't know how it happened. But my mic wasn't turned on during this conversation. So it's not going to sound like what you're typically used to conversations sounding like around these parts. But the quality of the audio doesn't take away from the quality of this discussion, I think. So I hope you'll tune in and just ignore the way I sound like I'm broadcasting from a tin can.
Okay, enjoy!
. . .
Ev’Yan Whitney
Siedeh thank you so much for being on my podcast. I'm so happy to have you on sensual self.
Siedeh Foxie
Thank you so much for having me Ev'Yan. I'm a huge admirer of your work and just who you are. So I'm really happy. Happy to be here and connect and share all the delicious things of breath and sensuality.
Ev'Yan Whitney
Yes, I'm so excited that we connected I stumbled across your work and actually, I don't think I have told you the story. But I stumbled across your work on Instagram someone was mentioning you and talking about breathwork and I had done breathwork before but my experiences with breathwork had been really hit or miss. And so I was really interested to learn more about you. And I really wanted to go to a breathwork class just to try you out as a facilitator. And then I saw something about like you doing a breathwork course and mentorship training and I was like yes, that's what I need to do so. And I'm so happy I'm just so happy to know you I'm so happy that you have been a teacher and a mentor to me as I am you know moving in this new round of somatics and embodiment and breath and trauma healing so yeah, I'm so excited to have you speak to all of us today.
Siedeh Foxie
Thank you. I always wonder how people find me and thank you for trusting me and trusting yourself to just dive in. I always find it really interesting and courageous when people are not familiar with my work or have not taken a class with me but it's a yes. So I'm always happy that people take that jump and that I can sort of be the parachute there in that landing. So thank you so much for affirming this work and for allowing this healing modality and just the power of the breath to you know, kind of weave itself into kind of like the, in my words that The collective experience the muscle memory that we're sort of building as a community.
Ev'Yan Whitney
Yeah, I have so many juicy questions. But before we get into everything I want to ask that you introduce yourself. Because I would love for you to just like, you know, in the best way that you can tell us who you are, what you do, and why you do what you do.
Siedeh Foxie
Thank you, I think this is always changing for me. In this moment, I'm a breathwork facilitator. I'm a breathwork trainer and educator. I work in a number of different healing modalities from different cultural traditions. A lot of my work centers, folks and people from the African diaspora and those from historically excluded communities, black and brown folks, folks from the LGBTQIA plus community. So a lot of my work is just making these tools accessible, these tools for liberation accessible, and being a space holder, to help facilitate this change facilitate these transformations is how I would best describe my work and my role in this craft and in this skill.
Ev'Yan Whitney
Beautiful, and how did you get into breathwork? Like, what was how did you make that journey into this healing modality? Because you could have picked anything else and so many people do. So yeah, what was the starting point?
Siedeh Foxie
I did pick other things. There were other things first that kept pointing to this. I was living in New York, I was in my late 20s, I was working in, you know, the nightlife and hospitality industry, which can be a very toxic environment for, for most people, I think running that circuit, and I worked pretty nonstop. And there's a lot of alcohol involved. And I think I was just looking for something more, I think it was around maybe age 29 or 30. Right when your Saturn Return starts to edge its way in. There was this kind of knowing this kind of light that got turned on where it was like something has to change and something needs to something needs to shift or change. And I don't know if it was more of a something needs to change or shift, or more of an acknowledgment that something is changing and shifting. And that was affirmed through strangers and people around me and these exchanges that would happen in which these latent abilities would come through and a lot of that involved breathing. I found breathwork just through a simple Google search. And it wasn't my first go to I went to Reiki first I got attuned with Reiki. And as I was studying, the more traditional, I'm studying more of the traditional teachings of Reiki, there's a component of the practice that involves the breath. And that was really fascinating to me. I went and I took a group breathwork class at a studio in Brooklyn and had a really cathartic, amazing, Big Bang experience. I don't think I've cried that much in my life, my body was shaking and tremoring. And I left that space feeling a little confused. Because while I had this amazing experience, there were some additional triggers of safety in the space that kind of were brought to my attention. And so that was my first introduction to breathwork. And I thought, wow, there's something here that's really potent. And that's really powerful.
And Spirit came through, to me very clearly that this is something that we need to explore more, and was really something I was doing for myself. People started to notice that I was different, I was less reactive. I just felt lighter. And I think when I think people tend to gravitate towards that with just anybody when you are radiating sort of this peace and ease people want to know how and why. This change was so sudden. And I started practicing Reiki and started using breathwork. And some big shifts were happening. I think in my life, something that's just natural to me is that I am a great space holder. I've been through a lot of very tumultuous traumatic events in my life that I kind of just normalized and I realized later much later on now in my 30s like oh yeah, all that stuff wasn't normal. But it was those experiences that made me a great space holder, an efficient space holder in that capacity. I went through a couple certifications and trainings and once again, many of them were led by white facilitators and where I was usually the only white person in space. Sorry, non-white person—I was the only non-white person in the space, which left me doing a lot of additional emotional labor for myself. So I started my own practice of, you know, my own self-study, to see, you know, how deep this could go to get more answers more, more, more, I would say, definite answers of why the breath works this way, how it works in the body that led me down a road of being of this practice being more trauma-informed. And as I started to offer one on one breathwork sessions, I realized the folks that were coming to me, were mostly black and brown folks. And it was similar lived experiences. So there was a lot of resonance there. And there were not enough spaces or places that I could see that were visible, that could create the container for us to sort of explore this.
So that's kind of how my practice started. It was just a desire for a safer space, and in seeing a need really a need for myself first, that this is something potent, important, potent, and important for my process of healing. And sort of people followed suit in that and started to ask me questions and wanted me to lead group experiences and, and that's how that kind of formed and started and I started teaching breathwork from my home in Bed Stuy. I left little flyers around. I mean, Instagram was around. But I think I'm just old school in that way where I left flyers I had flyers made and printed and left them at yoga studios and cafes in the neighborhood. Word of mouth got out through people I worked with, and I just held space in my home. And the sessions went for like three to four hours long, because that's how much time is needed. I felt, I felt like a 45 minute, hour-long session was just not enough to was just barely scratching the surface. So doing these, holding these breath reading experiences at my place, gave me the foundation to create the framework to explore deeper and to really, to really study. Study this in a more disciplined kind of way.
Ev'Yan Whitney
Yeah, I really appreciate hearing your backstory about this, because I've always wondered how you got into it. And I think I feel like breathwork is a thing that a lot of people are talking about. And I've seen it a lot more I don't know if there is like an insurgence because it's just becoming more popular, or it's just the next thing that people are kind of grabbing on to. But the one thing that really attracted me to your work in particular was that I felt like there was, like you weren't just talking about, here's some breathwork patterns, do these and you'll feel better, you know, and there was a lot of back history, at least when we were taking this mentorship program and course with you that like there was there was just the reverence that you have for this work is so apparent. And it was something that like, has made me feel, honestly has sort of set the standard for me in terms of what I look for in practitioners and facilitators because it's not enough. Like it's cool to know the breathing patterns, but to understand the why and to understand, like, not even just the why but like, I don't know why but it's just like the Why and like yes, do this and like, there's something about the work that you do that really just resonated with my body in a really different way. And so I'm just so glad that you heeded that call. And that you decided to do this, because it's really, really powerful. Like I've had a few other breathwork facilitators and I feel like I've had the most resonance with your work because it feels so grounded in not just the reality of this practice and like what it means and like, why to do it, but also just like the lineage and the history of it. Like that is really important. And I don't, I don't see a lot of people talking about that honoring piece of what the practice is.
Siedeh Foxie
Thank you for that. Thank you for just the affirmation again of this work. And I do have a lot of reverence for this work. I don't take it lightly that people you know, are literally in a lot of ways putting their well being and their life in my care in that moment, and what's important to me... the key factor and you hit it on the head there was the why and the how, why? And how and what else is there? What else is there, right? And breathwork is becoming popular, which is great, because it's super accessible. It's something that is free. So you know, it's with us all the time. And I think even and this is me, giving humans really the benefit of the doubt and seeing us in the highest. I think that even if you know, none of this, none of what I offered and all of this additional information in regards to how to work with the breath, and how this can benefit you the most, even if this wasn't there, just the simple act of bringing awareness to the breath can really change your life. And so, so I don't want to gatekeep any of this because I see how powerful it is. And breathwork really does belong to the people.
When you look at so many different traditions of cultural traditions and indigenous practices of, of healing, the breath is in every component. And so it's important to honor that that indigenous peoples knew the power of the breath, the lifeforce energy to bring about healing on a spiritual level on a physical level on a mental and emotional level. And so it's important to honor that it's important to honor the original peoples of the land, wherever you are, for the medicine of the breath, and their wisdom and knowledge and in how to use the medicine of the breath. There is a lot of I think people because breathwork feels so universal. I think that there are some things that are getting mixed up, namely with pranayama. What you know what we mean, when we say breathwork as we come to, we've come to understand it now. And that getting pranayama sort of getting lumped into that mix of breathwork. But again, defining these things and understanding the meaning behind these practices. Pranayama is very different from the conscious accelerated breathwork, in which we're breathing in and out through the mouth. Pranayama is a very refined system of breathing, to help release blockages within the energy systems. And so while it has therapeutic benefits that we've come to find out now through science and research here and sort of the westernization of the practice, there is some things that get lost in translation with the practice. And so in the etymology of the word pranayama, and its doesn't necessarily mean breath control, that's the loose translation of it. And so pranayama is this is the meaning behind it is the expansion of the dimensions using the breath. So in pranayama prana does not translate to breath prana you know, prana is lifeforce energy, and the breath is the medium in which this lifeforce energy comes through. So there's a lot of confusion there that I think we've sort of created for ourselves. Because, again, we're just passing it down in the simplest terms and not giving, you know, not doing our due diligence and what these things mean, what these words and practices mean in the cultural context. So that's one of the things that I think in my work I want to honor sort of honor is like the roots of these practices and letting them be separate things. And that's okay.
I think I sort of learned I don't want to say I learned a lot through experience, there wasn't really a framework for what I was teaching, I would read about this in different books, different sort of self-help books, where they would allude to breathwork as a powerful tool for healing trauma, but no one would ever say why or how our, or a way of, you know, a sort of formula or blueprint and how to do it. So a lot of these things, I realized through my own practice and in holding space for others, but there was this one instance in the first times I was starting to lead breathwork at other studios at another studio, and they in the description when they advertised it, they called it pranayama they call the style of breathwork, I was doing pranayama. So about 40 people showed up to the studio to do breathwork, and a few people walked out once we got into the middle of it because it was not pranayama they were expecting you know, the breathing in and out through the nose, the sort of retention of the breath in certain ways. And a more I would say chill practice in general, not the kind of accelerated breathing where it sounds like I don't know, maybe an exorcism is happening. But so it's important. It's important to understand that these are different things they are they are using a similar medium, but that they are different things and it's important to honor that. So I think in a lot of this work, it's always in any work to do this with intention. That's enough. He in all of this work, no matter what you do, do it with intention. That's the difference between simply breathing and doing breathwork is that there is intention behind what it is we're doing that's the difference between, you know, doing something just on autopilot and doing something with intention is that the is that when we put our awareness into it, when we bring our energy into it, and we kind of prime the brain in the body with a specific prayer, or a specific wish, or desire, that helps everything else get into line. And that's how we can sort of recover these fragmented parts of ourselves in the experience is with simple intention. And so that's first and foremost, I think my approach to this work is that it's, it's, it's really intentional. And in that way, you can meet anybody where they're at, simply by asking them, What is your intention? And why?
Ev'Yan Whitney
Yeah, I was actually just about to ask, and you're like bringing this up really beautifully in the conversation, like, what is breathwork? Because I think that a lot of people have a sense of what it is. But as I've been practicing with my own practice, I've noticed that like, breathwork isn't just, you know, these really intense four hour-long sessions, like if you have if you bring that intention into your breathing, you're doing breathwork. So I just, I wonder, like, how do you define breathwork?
Siedeh Foxie
That's absolutely correct. It's done with intention, breathwork is the conscious manipulation of the breath from your natural breathing pattern, right. So it's just consciously bringing awareness and changing the natural pace in which we are breathing. And so what happens when we engage with the breath this way, is that there's this expansion of awareness, we reach and achieve these altered states. And it's in these altered states, that subconscious material comes up latent emotions, old memories, they come up for review, and from the perspective of, you know, working it in with this to heal trauma, this is all really helpful to recover these feelings and emotions for trauma recovery. So breathwork is in its simplest form, just the conscious manipulation of the breath. Breath awareness is simply sitting and asking yourself, what is the quality of my breath, whereas my breath in my body today, whereas my breath and most present, and just seeing what the textural landscape is of the breath, as it's moving through you, that in itself is a breathwork? Practice. So practices in general are simply bringing awareness and doing things with intention and doing this consistently. Over and over and over to see where you know, to see what's different and to unearth different things to discover, to explore. So that is my understanding of breathwork.
Ev'Yan Whitney
Can you talk a little bit about how the body holds on to trauma and how it is, how it is that the breath can help transmute the physical sensations, maybe even like the emotional memories of trauma? Like how does the breath how does the breath do that? But first, like, how does the body hold on to trauma?
Siedeh Foxie
This is where I'm probably going to nerd out a little bit.
Ev'Yan Whitney
My year has been spent thinking about trauma, the nervous system, so like, please nerd out.
Siedeh Foxie
So I love this convergence of science and spirit, right? So we've been working with the breath, you know, since the beginning of time to help elicit change, and we know it works. We know we can achieve altered states, we can, you know, we can travel into the spirit plane. And then there's this beautiful aspect of, you know, science coming into the room and saying like, hey, yeah, all these things, all these things check out and here's why. So what it's important to first understand like how trauma affects the brain and even in defining trauma. What that means, what that can look like, right? So there's, there's so many, it's really hard to define trauma because it's different from person to person. But so when the body experiences a stressor, when it's overloaded with information, what happens is, you know, the area of the brain that governs memory that governs emotions, the amygdala becomes hijacked. So the body is just responding from the nervous system this flight or fight response, but when these stressors become overwhelming, that fighter fight response gets shut down. And then sort of the energetic imprint of that event gets locked and held within the tissues, the muscles, the fascia, the surrounding organs if you will. And when it gets locked there, the body sort of blocks off the memory blocks off those memories. So this is when we start to this is where we can start to dissociate, or this is also where these memories go into, you know, the subconscious, and they become suppressed.
So, the beautiful thing about breathwork is when we are doing these accelerated breathing patterns when we're breathing through the mouth, the mouth, which is where we're taking in larger amounts of oxygen, where you know, we might have more carbon dioxide in the body. So what's happening here is that there's the area of the brain that becomes activated is the same as the area of the brain that gets activated when you're experiencing that kind of stressor overload, right. So the amygdala, the hippocampus, the limbic system, in general, that's what lights up when we're doing breathwork. So there's this conscious understanding, while we're in the breathwork experience lying down that, okay, I'm safe. We know in our conscious, we're in a safe space, that we're in a protected space. And so in that way, as this part of the brain is becoming activated, these memories become unlocked. And all of that starts to come up for review.
When oxygen comes into the body, those feelings and sensations are all information that is becoming unlocked from the traumatic event, things we've been holding in the tissue, those memories, those memories come into our awareness as feelings and sensations. And then the brain and the body start to connect the dots. They make the meaning; meaning-making comes through it. So it's two components here that happen within breathwork. It’s the recovery of the information. And then it's the release of it. And through the recovery and the release. Now all of this material is at the surface. And we can finally identify a name of the thing that's been holding us in this trauma response, the state of anxiety, the state of ever-present fear within the body, and we can name it. And that kind of eases a lot of tension in the body. And so one of the key components, and maybe you've come to understand this in your practice, it's really powerful to have this experience with someone who can hold space for you. Yeah, there's that facilitator, or a friend or a family member that can be there as the empathetic witness to affirm the lived experience. And to sort of be the active listener, as we're recounting all of this information. And so, post breathwork, there's still a lot of things that are working, it's not that like breathwork just happens in that 45 minutes to an hour. And then that's it, there's a lot of things that the body is continuing to release, as it's going back into, you know, as it's trying to achieve homeostasis, once again, balancing out carbon dioxide and oxygen. So the body's still doing its thing, even though we're just going about our day-to-day after the experience is over. And so things will still continue to come into our awareness. And so it's not like breathwork just happens. And that event, you know, that just in that event, in that experience, it has a domino effect of, of just bringing us into the state of awareness. Or as these memories are starting to flow into our conscious mind, we can start to ask the questions of why and how later on right.
So that is why this work is so powerful. And, and it's one of the safest ways in which we can recover the subconscious material to help us, you know, transform that energy and transmute that energy. And again, once one of the most important things is to do this with intention to do this, from that place of the heart, and from a place of non-judgment of simply just witnessing what is happening. And the body is so smart. But we're so hardwired for healing. Yeah, the body wants to heal. Yeah, it's like, no, no, we got this, we can do this. And so the body is hardwired for healing. And that's what's fantastic. And I love this idea to have this idea that came from my practice of Reiki is this, this idea of entrainment, so it's really wonderful when you can have a space holder, the empathetic witness who is there and that is grounded. And in a certain vibrational frequency, that our bodies naturally harmonize with other stable and grounded, and present bodies. And so that's a really wonderful experience to understand and know, not only are we hardwired for healing, but we're hardwired for connection and connection with each other and with other living beings, you know, whether that's a human being or an animal. So this is the wonderful thing about this work, it opens up our capacity for more understanding that we're not alone. And we're meant to be connected to others.
Ev'Yan Whitney
Yes, yes, thank you so much for explaining what breathwork is. I mean, you already know that I know but for everyone who's listening, you know, I really wanted for them to hear your telling of it. In particular, because you have such reverence for this work, and you are just so well-read. I also, like, wanted to talk a little bit about like, one of the reasons why I came to breathwork, which I have been in therapy since I was like 15 years old. And so this concept of like, you heal yourself by talking about what you need to heal within yourself, been there, done that, but it wasn't really, I don't wanna say wasn't working, I don't think that it was unlocking everything that it needed to unlock, there was still a lot of things that my body was holding. And I came to breathwork from this place of wanting to really like talk to the body, and like, let the body have a space to express to feel to release to just process in ways that I don't think that my analytical mind can do. I mean, you can't really think yourself into healing you have. And the more that I study about trauma, it really is a visceral physical experience, you know, it does happen in the mind, but it happens as well in the body. And so, I have found so much catharsis and so much healing through breathwork, because I'm allowing my body to also get involved in the healing, like, it's not just this, the mind rules all I think this is I don't know, if it's just a western concept that we have, but because I think everyone is sort of universal, but I feel like the West really like nails down in us that like the mind is superior, the body is just here for the ride. And so my work is looked like what does it look like to like put the body as superior and like to put the mind on like a bottom tier, not to say, you know, not to not to demote them necessarily, but to sort of deprioritize the mind, which is something that I've been using, really regularly within my healing practice. And it's scary. I mean, I'll be honest, breathwork is not fun, it's not easy. And I think I think that's why people don't go there. Because it's a lot easier. You feel a lot more in control if you're just accessing your healing from an intellectual space, but to actually give your body the space and the time to speak to you and to reveal to you like, what else needs to be released and reconciled like that. That's it's really overwhelming.
Siedeh Foxie
Yeah, breathwork is scary. And I think I think part of that. Part of that is because we go into these experiences, group experiences, in particular, where you're just given this tool and probably just want this one style of breathing in particular, for breathwork that people are very familiar with. It's an effective breathing pattern, it is a powerful breathing pattern. But when you just send somebody off afterwards, it can be really jarring because there's a lot of stuff that is still in process post-breathwork. And so the breathwork techniques that I shared with you on the program are just as powerful but they feel more natural to the body, and then give the body a chance to have some choice in what feels good and comfortable for you in that moment. And much to what you were saying about talk therapy. I think talk therapy is fantastic. I think more people I wish more people had access to it. Talk therapy is fantastic when you have a good therapist that you can relate to and they can relate to you. But it's the top-down method of healing where you're intellectualizing, you know, what the trauma is, what the trauma response is, and you identifying them. But it's not necessarily doing the thing to release the trauma, right to release the trigger, you know, to to transmute that energy and so, these bottom-up methods of, of healing or therapy need to be considered as well because trauma just didn't happen in your mind. It happened while you were living, you know in this body while you were in In this body, so from a spiritual perspective, also, there's this idea of Soul Retrieval where the soul becomes fragmented during moments of shock. And so when we experience trauma, a part of our, they say a part of the soul becomes fragmented and leaves the body.
So part of the process from a spiritual standpoint of breathwork is saying to that, you know, that part of the soul and going to retrieve it is saying, hey, it's so it's safe, it's okay for us to be in this body. Pay for us to be here. And it's okay for us to feel it's important because trauma doesn't just happen in the brain, it happens in the body. And that, you know, that tissue memory is holding on to the information from the traumatic event, it's important to understand the body has a lot of say in how it wants to heal, and when it wants to heal. Yeah, right. So the two methods of therapy top-down and bottom-up are really powerful. And so this is why in the way that I share breathwork. And the way that we've done breathwork is to help the receiver the breather, navigate the inner terrain, by asking navigational questions by asking body-based questions, tapping into the felt sense, to see what's there to keep them present in the body. Because most of the time when we've experienced trauma, whether that's physical, emotional, mental, part of our instinct is just to leave our body, right? Right to shut down that protective mechanism of us to go into that freeze state.
So there's the flight or fight, but in the middle, there's that freeze state, where we're overwhelmed, and we just shut down because we can't get away from the stressor or the threat. And so we just freeze, to conserve our energy. And so what's really fantastic is that with a facilitator, somebody's holding space for you with a practitioner there, they can guide you and ask you those questions where the brain and the body arms or the brain is always involved, where the mind and the body are involved. And they're working together, you know, you're connecting the dots, the dots, they're in real time. And, again, the body is so intelligent that these things will just come as a sudden knowing an inner knowing. And it's in that moment that things become rewired and refired in the brain. And this is how we change our habits, this is how we change so that we are not reacting to the trigger. We're responding and that energy shifts. And so that's such a powerful component of I think, healing, healing from trauma is that the body has to be involved there as well. There's all these components that have to be involved, and then even more, so spirit needs to be involved as well. I think that's one of the things that I think maybe only as of the last, like 20, 30 years or so where the spiritual component of us as human beings is really an important factor in healing, healing. From an allopathic standpoint, a holistic standpoint is that the spirit needs to be considered as well. So mind, body, mind and body and then that, like that trifecta of spirit, there is where you know, we can really find deep understanding and more compassion for ourselves. And that radiates outwards and frees us. It's really just liberating. When every component is on board. It's like, it's a whole, it's a game-changer. On how we approach this work.
Ev'Yan Whitney
It really is. I mean, I've been doing breathwork consistently for the last few months. And I have I mean, you mentioned before that like when you got started, folks, were picking up on the fact that like, you were more calm or peaceful, you weren't as reactive. And I've absolutely been feeling that as well. And I've been trying to pinpoint why that is. And I think it's because with breathwork, I've been able to really identify and get very clear about what my trauma is, where it lives in my body, what triggers me and then I am able to use my breath to like, slow my body down and to just like come into the moment. Like my breath right now is almost like it's I'm using it almost like a tool to like bring myself back into focus. Because sometimes because of being traumatized things can just start to like sort of pan out and get blurry. And yeah, the breath for me is an anchor to bring me back into my body and to also remind me, you're okay, you're safe. You have this response. This is a learned pattern of reaction, and it's okay that you have it. But you're okay, you're safe. Now, what do you need to do in this moment in order to soften until like, open for me it's like, and we've talked about this in our work before but like, I have so much tension and so much protection armoring in my chest. And so a lot of my work has been being more heart forward and reminding myself like you are safe, and it's okay for you to open to love in this moment, it's okay for you to open your love and receive it from yourself and to also receive it from others. And I just, I know, I'm sure that there are other modalities and techniques to get you there. But for me, breathwork has been such a profound addition to all the other work that I'm doing, because it invites me to think about my body in ways like I mean, you talked about how breathwork is free. I mean, we're all breathing. And so if we can access our breath from a place of intention to help us heal, I mean, that's like, that's really like the best thing, you know. Yeah.
Siedeh Foxie
And I think it's something like 70, 80% of the population is shallow breathing. . .
Ev'Yan Whitney
I was just about to mention that about like, holding your breath while you breathe, because it came up while we were working together, like, oh, shit, I'm a chronic breath holder. And like, yeah, where does that come from? And how do you change it, you know?
Siedeh Foxie
Yeah. So it's this idea that, like, it's this thing we've been doing since we've been born, it's the first thing we do, right. And we're never taught how to regulate our nervous systems, simply through breathing deeper. And so one of the first things we do when, when somebody comes to me for like, Hey, I don't know how to breathe, we assess the breath. And we kind of just simply do that by bringing awareness into the body. And, and I love what you said about the armoring in the heart and being more heart forward and that it is okay to be more heart forward and calling that awareness and as we're breathing. And a lot of the reason that we are holding our breath is because we're holding some sort of tension in our body. And that tension usually feels or feels like anxiety. And then when we ask ourselves, what is the root of this anxiety, okay, maybe worry, self doubt. But at the end of the day, anxiety can be rooted in fear. And sometimes that is an ever-present fear when we've experienced, like, complex trauma, compound trauma, when we're still you know, living in what I lovingly call trauma dome, nowadays, with everything going on, literally, the thing you have is your breath. And the breath will allow you to soften and to release that tension. And then when you can sync the breath with the body and ask the simple question of like, okay, what is the body want to do here, and it's usually some form of movement, or shaking, or even just like shrugging the shoulders or releasing with sound, on the exhale to help kind of break up that tension that can feel so much better. And so the one thing that I can say to anybody who wants to get started with a practice of breathwork is just take moments throughout the day to just check like, what is the quality of my breath in this moment? How's my heart in this moment? What is the quality of my breath, and just asking the body what it wants to do from there. And I say I'm a breath worker, but really, I say a breath worker. I'm a breathwork. Facilitator. But truly, that's just like the jump off for all of this work, right? It really is. The breath is in everything. The breath is in everything. This is the lifeforce energy that animates us, the breath is in everything. And so it's important, you know, for me, in my practice, in anything I'm sharing is like, okay, we can start there. And then what is the intention of the work? And how can we build from there and use all of our tools to help you know, to help benefit us in the highest in this experience?
Ev'Yan Whitney
Yeah, breath, breath work, for me has been one of the best ways for me to become more literate in the language of my body. And I'm finding that that literacy, and that mindfulness, that awareness of like, what my body is doing, how my body is like contracting or responding or not even responding, reacting to a situation, that mindfulness helps me to slow down, which is awesome. And then in that softening, I'm able to experience more pleasure because one of my things is like I think the shallow breathing or the holding the breath comes from hypervigilance, like what came through really big in our work together, was I like even when I think that I'm not doing it. I'm like on edge waiting for something bad to happen or waiting for the other shoe to drop and so that hypervigilance lives in my body, it lives in my chest. And when I can drop that hypervigilance I'm not perfect at it, but I think I'm doing a pretty damn good job up to this point, but When I can drop that hypervigilance and when I can soften into my body, suddenly I notice like, oh, wow, look at how beautiful the sun is. Look at how like warm I feel, look at how like, oh, the I feel my feet being supported by the ground underneath me. And suddenly I'm able to really tap into all the senses and the sensations that are coming into my body, which you know, are always the most pleasurable because like, you know, being stuck in traffic isn't fun, but I can at least find a piece to connect me to the present moment and also connect me to my body's ability to feel something else other than hypervigilance, anxiety, like there's pleasure all around, if only you just like slow down and give your body enough space to be open and receptive to it.
Siedeh Foxie
Isn't that just brilliant? How our bodies and our minds are that we are experiencing all of these emotions at once. Yeah, all it takes is a shift in our perspective, yes, that like in the present moment, we can be feeling so many things. And it's, you know, we can make the deliberate choice to shift the focus into another space, then everything sort of becomes easeful. Everything can be, then in that moment, we can find what's enjoyable. So contrast, is a really beautiful compass, right? Yeah. So when you're trauma, trauma, trauma, everything's trapped with drama, when you're doing the shadow work, right? All of it so uncomfortable, it's really important to have your anchors to keep you in those places, and states of feeling good of feeling pleasure to know that it is possible that at the same time, while we can feel discomfort, we can also feel joy, and we can also feel ecstasy, right. So there's that beautiful dance, and that that weaving that we can become that is available to us. But it just takes a little shift. And that's, that's why you know, a one-off practice of breathwork is great. But if we can have a sustainable practice, in which we're just checking in with ourselves, we open up ourselves to more possibilities of what our existence and what our being can look like. And so that's what I think is so lovely that when you begin to tune in with the breath more when you begin to be in communication with the body more these triggers, you know, the reactive sort of state, emotionally reactive state that happens when we are triggered? They don't last as long because we're able to catch ourselves because now this has just become muscle memory of like, right? am I breathing? Oh, I'm not. So let me breathe for a little bit, and just tap into what I'm feeling. Okay, I'm feeling scared. I'm feeling anxious and feeling hyper-vigilant. Can I trust myself in this moment? If I don't trust the environment? Can I trust myself in this moment? Can I trust what feels good to me and pleasurable to me right now? Can I notice a place in my body that feels grounded? Can I notice a place in my body that feels useful? You know, so it's always important to give yourself the opportunity for a better and positive experience. Right. And while not denying the more painful and just, you know, discomfort of the certain situations, and how your body is responding to it. So just existing, existing in the president kind of nonduality, if you will, but also, you know, recognizing and honoring everything that's coming up for you.
Ev'Yan Whitney
Yeah, it takes so much work. I mean, for me, this is a part of the practice of sensuality for me, like it's it's breathing, it's grounding. It's checking in with myself. It's breath awareness, its body awareness. I think all of those things are easily more opened up when there is that invitation that you're, you're asking your body to be brought along that process like to be activated and I know that that can be scary for some people. And I know it's scary for me because I breathwork. I've said so many times that it's not fun because of the stuff it brings up. I mean, it's like when you really sit down and you take those moments to pause and to breathe, shit will come up and it's not comfortable. But even in that space, I've been trying to just trust my body more and to just trust that like, yes, there are unpleasant things that are coming up. But you know, you know what to do, like, trust and if you don't know what to do, the body knows What to do. So just get out of the way, let it move you. And just trust, you know,
Siedeh Foxie
I, I find the kind of muscle memory that I have now. And maybe this is because I've been practicing for longer now is that in that moment where things feel scary, and things still really hard, and I don't want to do it, I allow myself to feel that. And then I commit to not abandoning myself in that moment to kind of hype myself up, like, we got this, we've been through this. And we're here to really, we're here to feel it and to release it. And then the sort of like knee-jerk muscle memory fuel now is gratitude. Like, why I've come so far, and just taking stock of the life I've created for myself to be able to do this, but also gratitude for the resilience of my body gratitude for my intuition for always guiding me to maybe not, not like the best situations, but to doing what it needed to do for us to be safe and Okay. And so, in that I find, I'll find joy in my experiences. And that's how I can start to shift the experience for myself a little bit. And I guess I have I have a question for you—
Ev'Yan Whitney
Oh, a question for me!
Siedeh Foxie
Because I hear you say, I'm like, Oh, we're doing this, this podcast and you're telling us it's not fun, but we're gonna do. A lot of people say breathwork is not fun, but I'm gonna go back and do it. I'm like, Wow, are we all just masochists? Maybe it was just this like a new age trendy spiritual masochism. But what have you found moments of joy in your practice of breathwork? What is that? What has that felt like? And what has that looked like for you, in an experience, even after the practice, you know, after you end your practice?
Ev'Yan Whitney
Yeah, I'm so glad that you asked this question because what I'm noticing is coming up for me, as I'm talking about breathwork is that I'm viewing it in the same way as I view—and this is something that I'm trying to change—in the same way that I view going to therapy, you know. Like, I don't know anyone who gets excited to go to see their therapist, because they know they're going to have to do work. And they know that she's going to come up, they're going to cry, they're going to feel vulnerable. And those have been a lot of the emotions and sensations that I've associated breathwork with, I just feel really raw, I feel really vulnerable. But I think that what I'm trying to sort of, I don't want to say reprogram I'm trying to bring more intention to is that there is joy, even in those moments when it's hard.
Like, I love that you talked about gratitude, because that's something that and the reason why I keep coming back to breathwork is because of how I feel after I mean, I may feel tired, and I may feel just really raw. And I may have like snot all over the place. But I feel so grateful that I was guided to this practice. And I feel so grateful that I was held by not just the facilitator, not just the home that I'm in that's doing where I'm doing this work, but also the ancestors, the spirit guides, you are guiding me in this process and holding me in this little healing sanctuary that I've created for myself for 45 minutes. I've also been trying to look at breathwork not as these like one hour long purging exorcisms, you know, which came really nice. I mean, I'm now that I'm like, doing breathwork like facilitating breathwork it's been really interesting to hear feedback from clients who are like, Wow, that feels like a colonic, I think my partner said it's like a spiritual colonic or some Yeah. So like, it feels good. But also I'm trying to take, I'm trying to see breathwork is not just like an hour experience. But also like breathwork is what I do when I'm bringing attention to my breath every single day, every moment of every day.
And those are those sweet spots where when I can feel myself hardening or I can feel myself speeding up or I can feel myself reacting to something and I slow down enough and I breathe into my low belly. And I can feel just like that loosening and that softening in my body that feels so good. Like that, that feels like actual pleasure for me. And so those are the parts of the practice that I actually practice more because it's so much more accessible. You know, it's a lot harder to devote an entire hour a day to breath work, especially if you're like you're super busy. But if you can, like, just have many breathwork sessions throughout the day, which is what I've been doing, they just offer so much sweetness and so much softness that allows me to feel into my body. And then that's, it's like a domino effect immediately. I am more present to my work, I'm more present to my partner, and we're able to like really connect in a deeper, intimate way, because I'm not so guarded, I'm able to taste my food better. So I don't want anybody to get it twisted when I say like breathwork is hard. I mean, it is, but it is. But it's it's also very beautiful in what it can give you. Even during even when it is hard, it's still really beautiful.
Siedeh Foxie
Yeah, that the joy is existing there with the pain. Yeah, and that there's a freedom in in meaning the thing that's like that has trapped you or has made you feel trapped. And I love what you said about you know, the smaller chunks throughout the day, the mini chunks, because consistency is is how we create these longer forming habits, right? So consistency of just like 10 minutes here, 15 minutes here throughout the day will help us reframe our understanding of, of why we feel the way we feel in certain situations, or just even the reframing of, of the experience of breathwork. The shorter practices are just as valuable as the longer ones because it's, it's telling the body, Hey, it's okay and safe for us to be here and do this. We've done this a number of times now. And we know that we're safer to do this. And so there's more of an opening for us to experience a range of emotions are range of memories, a range of possibilities. So yeah, I always I always say to anybody who is beginning their practice of breathwork or is finding that they are hitting a wall in their practice, where there's a lot of stuff coming up that feels just not enjoyable to find that place of gratitude, and movement, especially movement and dance. Again, like tapping into the senses, like breathwork is such a sensory experience, guess. And so it's not just happening in your mind. It's happening in your body. And there's all of these sensations coming up. So when, when memories or emotions feel difficult to see where we can guide ourselves into the places that, you know, feel good, that are activated in a good way. Yeah,
Ev'Yan Whitney
I wanted to ask you, since we're in this space of talking about practices, like what could you share with us a, a doable practice for those who are wanting to get into breathwork, who maybe have never done it, or maybe they might want to try to bring more intention or more pleasure into their practice?
Siedeh Foxie
Yeah, you know, the number one thing I'll say about breathwork is you have to commit to making space for yourself. So if that's 10 minutes, or 15 minutes, make sure that 10 to 15 minutes is yours, and it's undisturbed. So that's the first component, just picking and finding a place where you can just be in with yourself for 10 to 15 minutes. And while some might say breathing through the map is incorrect for the purpose of releasing and feeling the feelings and, and reaching these altered states in a short amount of time. We're going to breathe through the mouth. And so something that happens when we breathe through the mouth as we relax the jaw and you're relaxing that masseter muscle, the cranial area of the spine becomes activated and it activates the nervous system that rest and digest response. So this is one of the beautiful things what happens when we're breathing through the mouth, right. So finding a comfortable place where you can sit, breathing in and out through the mouth and bringing your awareness into the low belly and just finding your natural pace of breath, breathing in and out through the mouth, deep belly breathing and placing the hand one hand on the heart and one hand on the belly. So one of the things that you know we talked about a lot was the body and being connected to the body and that the breath is there as his first form of nutrition will touch is a really important component. The healing process as well of self-soothing. So placing a hand on the belly, placing a hand on the heart, breathing in and out through the mouth, and it could feel good I know in you know, some people say the proper way to sit during meditation is to sit with your legs crossed and your spine straight, which is great because this helps with the flow of prana but it can also feel really nice to lean against a wall or to have a cushion or a pillow in that mid space in the upper erratic between the shoulder blades to just let the body know it's okay to rest. And so finding that place where where we are supported, and then finding an even inhale and exhale, breathing through the mouth. And then after a minute or so begin to accelerate the breath at a faster than normal pace. And just do this until it naturally tapers off, allow yourself to rest. The body knows when to do this, because it's really smart. And then let the thoughts flow and whatever comes to mind, simply witness it, and just do this commit to this for 10 minutes. So this is the exploration of the breath and the exploration of the body. And for some of us, it's hard to just sit there and breathe, or to just sit there and let our minds be quiet. But the more we accelerate the breath, the more that thinking mind that little chatterbox kind of voice in our head that is there because it wants to protect us, the faster we breathe, the quieter that voice gets to sitting there in a supported space, allowing yourself to breathe and to let you know, let the breath guide you let the Spirit guide you the spirit of breath guide you to say, Okay, we're going to breathe a little faster than normal after the breath.
I'm using the voice to explore to feel to find the textural quality of the breath, to tap into the sensations that are coming up in the body to simply just be a witness for those 10 minutes to see where we can release judgment to see where we can release meaning making. And just to allow these memories, these information, these emotions to come up to simply be witness. That is where I will guide anyone first and foremost in a solo breathwork experience. It's just to sit with yourself, sit with yourself and breathe. And just notice what comes up. I think we tend to overcomplicate it because we expect things that are so powerful and so effective to be very hard. So we think that it's harder than it actually is. And it is hard to sit there and be with yourself and to like be with your own thoughts, right? I get tired of hearing my damn self so tired. Again. So to sit there with yourself and just give yourself the gift of 15 minutes of time to sit and breathe is is is going to be a really great framework for any any practice, really for any practice. And then build from there where it feels good. You know, the beautiful thing about the breath is that the body knows what it needs to do. So if you can trust yourself more in these experiences, there are more possibilities, more pathways and opportunities, we can go down for healing.
Ev'Yan Whitney
Thank you, thank you so much for offering that as a practice and like, it just sounds. That just sounds so yummy. And also just so doable. You know, yeah, I think like what you said is true about how like we expect something that's going to be profound to be really hard and long and arduous. But it doesn't have to be it can just be as easy as bringing intention and attention to your breath for 10 minutes a day. Yes. And I have absolutely noticed a difference. Which is one of the reasons why I keep coming back is because I noticed I know when I haven't done my breathwork in the morning, like I can feel it throughout the day. It resonates, the day resonates in a different way. And so I'm just so appreciative of your time and your artistry with this work. And yeah, and just thank you for giving us that practice. Because I think that it's small, but it's mighty, you know.
Siedeh Foxie
It's small, it's free. And the possibilities are endless, you know,
Ev'Yan Whitney
and that's what I love about breathwork in particular, because one of my philosophies and like ethos about the work that I do is that like you are the expert of your own experience. Like you are the expert of your own body, you are the expert of your own experience. And by doing breathwork, you're basically just like giving your body permission to work its magic on you. And like now it takes a long time to find trust in your body, especially if you've had experiences that have cut you off from your body. But what a beautiful adventure it has been at least for me to like slowly but surely come home to my body through the breath and I'm just I am so grateful for you as my teacher and my mentor and just like someone who has like you have like held space for me in ways regarding this work that have been just so I keep using the word profound, but it's all that I've got just profound. Well, I'm just so grateful and so honored that you came onto my podcast and we talked about breath today.
Siedeh Foxie
I'm so grateful. And I really do mean this. Thank you for seeing me and for and for affirming this work and making me a better facilitator, a teacher, I'm excited for you to go out in the world and share your gifts and your magic through breath and, and see what other offerings and what other magic comes through for you and how that resonates and radiates out with the into the community. So thank you so much.
Ev'Yan Whitney
Thank you. Yeah, this is only the beginning. And you know, we'll be talking so. Okay, so before I let you go, can you please tell everyone where they can find you if they want to book a session with you tell us everything.
Siedeh Foxie
Yeah, so you can find me on Instagram @St.Foxie. And my website that has all of the amazing offerings that I share, it’s stfoxie.com. And soon in the fall, we'll be starting larger breathwork experiences to connect on a community level through Parama Collective. That will be coming out in the fall officially. And if you would like to have more information about breathwork, if you want to have information about how we can work together, you can email me at info@StFoxie.com.
Ev'Yan Whitney
Beatiful. Thank you so much, Siedeh.
Siedeh Foxie
Thank you, everyone, for having me. This has been so beautiful and wonderful.
. . .
Ev'Yan Whitney
So I'm curious, how's your breath feeling now, after learning about breathwork for the last hour. I know my breath feels more alive right now. I feel like I have more of a capacity to slow down and tune into my breath. And I also feel like I've been able to breathe deeper because of listening to this conversation. And I noticed that my body feels much more grounded when it's being consistently oxygenated in this way, which is delicious. Because that grounding sensation, that experience of being fully in our bodies, is one of the biggest pieces of sensuality. I'm so grateful for the space that Siedeh inspires us all to breathe into. And as someone who has gotten off track with their breathwork practice, this conversation was an invitation for me to get back into it again. So thank you Siedeh.
So I was about to go on, and on and on about your essential practice this week. But then, Siedeh beautifully offered and demoed a breathwork practice for us in this conversation. So let's just go with that. I mean, this episode is long enough. And honestly, I just want you all to begin exploring breathwork with your own body. And as you do, see if you can tune your awareness to what happens in your body. When you are breathing mindfully. Notice what sensations come up, notice what thoughts or images begin to rise. And notice how differently you feel afterward. Notice the shift in your focus. Notice the way you feel into your body, when you give your breath the time of day.
And see if you can feel into that space of gratitude that Siedeh was talking about, not just for your breath, but for your entire body. The fact that your body is so wise and intuitively knows how to heal itself. The fact that your body has a built-in modality to repair and remember itself, the fact that your body never leaves you even when you sometimes leave it yourself. If nothing else, if doing 10 minutes of intentional breathing in and out through your mouth doesn't feel accessible to you right now. Taking a deep breath through your nose, filling the low belly, and exhale, slow and steady out the mouth with a sigh, and with that sigh with that inhalation and exhalation give your body gratitude for the ways it keeps you alive to the best of its ability.
All right, go breathe and have fun.
. . .
Sensual Self is created and hosted by me, Ev'Yan Whitney. It is edited and produced by Tribble. Music is by Melodiesinfonie from his song, Just Healing. For everything you want to know about this podcast, including previous episodes, show notes, transcripts, and resources. Go to evyanwhitney.com/podcasts. You can also follow the show on Instagram @sensual.self.
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And please check out my book, Sensual Self: Prompts and Practices for Getting in Touch With Your Sensual Body to preorder go to evyanwhitney.com/sensualself. Thanks so much for being here and for creating the space for yourself. I'll see you in the next one.