What is IFS-informed breathwork?
IFS-informed breathwork combines rhythmic breathing and breath holds with the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model of the mind. The breath brings up what the body is holding, and the pauses of the breath holds create space to notice it. The IFS lens gives you a way to understand it and meet it with curiosity, instead of fighting it or forcing it out.
What is Internal Family Systems (IFS)?
Internal Family Systems is a model of the mind developed by Dr Richard Schwartz. Its starting idea is simple: we are not one single voice inside. We are made of parts, and each part has a job.
- Protectors are the parts that keep you safe. They may show up as the inner critic, the perfectionist, the one who keeps everyone happy, or the one who switches off.
- Exiled parts hold the older pain, such as shame, fear or loneliness, that the protectors are working to keep out of sight.
- Self is the calm, curious, compassionate presence in each of us. IFS holds that it is never damaged, and that it can lead once the parts trust it.
Instead of treating a difficult pattern as something to eliminate, IFS asks what that part is protecting, and what it needs.
What is breathwork?
Breathwork is a broad name for practices that use the breath on purpose. The style I work in moves between rhythmic breathing, set to music, and breath holds.
The rhythmic breathing brings your attention into the body, where a lot of what we carry is held, often before we have words for it. The breath holds are the pauses, and I use them to create space: room to feel what's there, and to connect with the emotions and parts that come up. I go into more detail in what are breath holds in breathwork, and there's a plain-language guide to parts in IFS parts work: what it actually feels like.
How do IFS and breathwork work together?
They reach the same place from two directions. IFS works with the mind's map of you. Breathwork works with the body's. In a private session the two run side by side.
- Parts show up in the breath. A tight chest, a shallow inhale or a pull to stop is often a protector doing its job. We let it speak before we ask it to soften.
- The pauses create space. In a breath hold there's room to feel what's there, and to connect with a part and understand what it needs.
- Nothing is forced. Some breathwork pushes through resistance to force a release. This does not. A protective part is met, thanked and given a choice.
- You are witnessed. The presence I hold in the session is the same quality of calm attention that IFS calls Self, held for you until you can hold it yourself.
A protective part is met, thanked and given a choice.
What happens in a session?
A private session is held online, one to one, and runs 90 minutes to two hours. For the full walk-through, read what to expect in an online breathwork session.
- The inquiry. We begin with a conversation about where you are, what feels heavy and what you are longing for. Your own words guide the breath.
- The breath. Rhythmic breathing, set to music, and breath holds, shaped by what you shared. The holds create space to connect with what comes up.
- The integration. Time to land, share what moved and anchor what shifted.
You do not need any experience of breathwork or IFS, and you do not need to prepare anything to say.
An honest note
IFS-informed breathwork is not IFS therapy, and I am not a licensed clinician. This work is not a substitute for therapy or medical care. Please speak to your doctor first if you are pregnant, have a cardiovascular condition or a breathing condition such as asthma, have had recent surgery, or have a history of severe psychiatric difficulty. If breathwork is not right for you at this time, I will tell you.
Questions people ask
Is IFS-informed breathwork the same as IFS therapy?
No. IFS therapy is delivered by a licensed clinician trained in the model. IFS-informed breathwork borrows the IFS way of understanding the mind as a system of parts and applies it in a breathwork and coaching setting. I am not a licensed clinician, and this work is not a substitute for therapy or medical care.
Do I need to know anything about IFS before a session?
No. The session is guided by your own words and your breath. I bring the IFS lens, so you do not need any prior knowledge or vocabulary.
Is IFS-informed breathwork done online?
Yes. Every session is held online, one to one, so you can take part from somewhere private and comfortable.
What are breath holds, and what are they for?
A breath hold is a pause in the breath. In my sessions we hold after both the inhale and the exhale, and a hold can last up to three or four minutes. To make it longer, we take small sips of air, exhale fully again, and keep holding. These pauses create space within the session, so you can notice what's there and connect with the emotions and parts that come up. I guide you into and out of each hold, and you can always stop.
Who should check with a doctor before trying breathwork?
Anyone who is pregnant, has a cardiovascular condition or a breathing condition such as asthma, has had recent surgery, or has a history of severe psychiatric difficulty should speak to their doctor first.
Ready to try it, or not sure yet?
A private session is the simplest way in. If you would rather talk first, that is welcome too.