Session at Well Bath
Shamanic Breathwork
Breath as the way through
You lie on the mat. The music begins. Your breath finds a longer, more continuous rhythm than the day allows. Shamanic Breathwork is a longer, deeper session that uses conscious connected breath to move through what is held. Joe holds the container. Music is used to shape the arc of the session. What arrives is whatever the breath finds.
This is a full, active practice. People often report emotional release, insight, or a resetting of the nervous system after a session. It is a practice held for the day something is asking to be met, and it is for people who arrive with that specificity.
Duration
75 minutes
Price
£125
Available add-ons
You can extend the session on the booking page
- Treatment Extension £75 · +45 min For a longer, deeper session.
What people bring
Presentations commonly worked with
Shamanic Breathwork is a private, held session for people arriving with something specific asking to be met. It sits in its own register, between class and therapy.
- Grief that has moved from acute into background but has not resolved
- A life transition — divorce, bereavement, career shift, fatherhood
- Trauma that is not yet ready for talk therapy
- Creative work that has stalled and will not restart
- Recovery from burnout where the body still holds the alarm
- Curiosity about non-ordinary states, held in a private container
- A wish to move through something without needing to name it first
- Preparation before or integration after other deep work (retreats, plant medicine)
Sustained connected breathing is a real physiological event. Not booked without a conversation first if you have cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled high blood pressure, epilepsy, glaucoma or retinal detachment, are in the first trimester of pregnancy, or have been treated for a psychotic disorder. Joe will steer you honestly.
What a session is like
From arrival to the last breath in the room
A Shamanic Breathwork session with Joe runs about ninety minutes counting the conversation either side. This is the shape.
- 01
Intake conversation
Twenty minutes at the start. Joe asks what has brought you today, what has been asked of the body lately, and whether there is any material you would like the session to move toward. No script — an honest conversation.
- 02
Setting intention
You name (out loud or silently) what you want to bring, or explicitly nothing. Joe holds the intention alongside you and does not interpret it.
- 03
Positioning
You lie down on a mat with blankets and pillows. Eye pillow available. Joe positions himself close enough to hold, far enough to give you room.
- 04
Opening breath
Joe teaches the connected breathing pattern in real time. No pause between inhale and exhale, through the mouth. He stays with you as you learn it.
- 05
Sustained work
Forty-five to sixty minutes of sustained connected breathing at pace. Music, rattle, occasional live sound from Joe. He watches. He may cue you back if you drift. Emotional material can surface strongly here; he stays present through it.
- 06
Slowing and rest
The breath returns to natural pace. Music softens. Joe stays quiet while your system reorganises.
- 07
Integration conversation
Fifteen minutes at the end. Water, sometimes tea. A brief conversation — what came up, what stayed, what to watch for over the next few days.
My Shamanic Breathwork experience felt out of this world. It took me to places I didn't know were possible to travel to through simple, though not easy, breath control. Joe led it with the right degree of direction and openness which facilitated my incredible inner journeys.
Alex Robert Nichols, Shamanic Breathwork attendee
Weighing it up
Shamanic Breathwork versus Breath and Bhajans
Joe holds two closely-related pieces of work. If you are choosing, this is where they diverge.
| Shamanic Breathwork (1-2-1) | Breath and Bhajans (class) | |
|---|---|---|
| Container | Private session with Joe. | Group class of ten to twenty people. |
| Attention | Joe stays with you the whole session. | Joe reads the room; individual attention is lighter. |
| Sound | Music, rattle, occasional live voice. | Live music and devotional chant throughout. |
| Structure | Shaped to your specific material or intention. | Same arc for the whole room. |
| Length | About ninety minutes counting conversation. | Ninety minutes, class-shaped. |
| Best if you | Have specific material and want private holding. | Want a regular practice and the collective field. |
Many people do both — the class weekly, a one-to-one when something specific is asking for more room.
What the evidence says
Research and clinical literature
The physiological mechanisms of sustained connected breathing are the same as for Breath and Bhajans; the citations below are the same underlying literature.
-
Cyclical voluntary hyperventilation reliably elevates plasma epinephrine and can modulate immune response, providing a mechanistic anchor for intensive breathwork's felt effects.
-
Sustained hyperventilation reduces arterial CO2 and triggers cerebral vasoconstriction on the order of three to four percent per mmHg, which is the leading physiological explanation for altered states of consciousness reached in this kind of work.
American Journal of Physiology · Willie et al. · 2012
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A small pilot study on holotropic breathwork reported improvements in self-awareness and reductions in trait anxiety, with the authors calling for larger controlled trials.
Journal of Humanistic Psychology · Rhinewine and Williams · 2007
Questions people ask
Before you book
Is this therapy? +
Will Joe watch me the whole time? +
What if I cry, laugh, shake, or feel emotional pain? +
How often should I come? +
What do I wear or bring? +
Should I have done Breath and Bhajans first? +
What are the contraindications? +
Can I bring someone with me? +
Other work by the same hands
Also with these practitioners
Introductory Wellness Evaluation
A one-to-one conversation with Joe. Where you are, what might meet you, what to try first.
Yin Yoga
Ground-level, long-held postures. Restorative rather than active.
Tui Na in Bath
An ancient healing art, over 2000 years old. Joe trained under Errol Lynch.
Men's Fire Circle
A monthly gathering. Joe and Robby the fire keeper. A place to speak or to sit in silence.
Cupping in Bath
A traditional companion to Tui Na. Held by Joe.
Hot Stone Massage in Bath
Warm basalt stones held into the body. Held by Joe.
Prana Kriya Yoga
Joe's foundational class. Breath-led yoga in the Himalayan lineage.
Himalayan Hatha Yoga
Joe's traditional Hatha class. Steady, held, and grounded.
Breath and Bhajans
Joe's weekly class pairing breathwork with devotional chanting.
I Ching Consultation
Joe consults the ancient Book of Changes as an oracle in a one-to-one session.
Therapeutic Yoga 1-to-1
Joe's private yoga session tuned to the specific body in the room.
Classical Astrology Reading
A one-to-one classical astrology reading with Joe. Bring your date, time, and place of birth.
If you are arriving from
Shamanic Breathwork tends to be met by people carrying
Book
Book Shamanic Breathwork
Booking runs on Acuity, direct link below. If you are not sure whether shamanic breathwork is the right fit, reach out and we will help you find the right first door into the sanctuary.
Prefer to talk it through first? Call Joe on 07986 380327 · Joe will get back to you within 24 hours.
Silo of the sanctuary