Phone Consultation (Free)
Please feel free to call or email me with any questions. In a confidential phone consultation, we can discuss your particular circumstances and what type of service is right for you. If you’re ready to schedule your first session, the process begins with a phone call, or email if you prefer.
One-on-One Breathwork Session
A standard session lasts 1½ to 2 hours. If you are new to advanced breathwork, it is highly recommended that you commit to a series of at least three sessions. This allows you time to learn the technique and grow accustomed to the sensations that arise. A commitment to three sessions also allows space and continuity to work on deeper issues, enables more integration and awareness of benefits and progress, and helps to overcome resistance that might arise due to the nature of our habitual defenses.
Beyond the first three, the total number of sessions depends on your unique situation, goals, and needs. Some people find all they sought within three sessions, while others choose to explore more deeply in regular or periodic sessions. After ten to twenty sessions, most people have become well-established in the process and can then also benefit from using related breathing exercises at home on their own.
Sessions are typically spaced one to two weeks apart to allow time for integration, but this is only a general guideline. In some circumstances, a short series of daily sessions may be appropriate.
For those with certain medical or psychological conditions, a very gentle style of breathwork may be more appropriate. These sessions last 2-3 hours because the energy cycle is a bit slower. If you are not sure which style or service would be best for you, call me and we can discuss.
The process begins with a free phone consultation during which we will discuss any questions you have and your current circumstances. Please let me know if you require any accessibility accommodations (e.g., location without stairs, chair-based session, ASL or other language interpreter, etc.). Occasionally, I do virtual sessions and home visits if necessary, but office visits are preferable.
Because I wish to make the healing breath accessible to anyone who seeks it, I offer sessions on a sliding scale, as follows:
- $150 – For those whose income comfortably exceeds their essential expenses
- $120 – My standard rate
- $60 – Need-based rate, for those whose income does not comfortably exceed essential expenses (suggested amount only, or talk with me about another rate)
These rates are for the full 1½- to 2-hour session (the first session may be up to 3 hours). Talk wiht me if you’d like to pay at a different rate than suggested. You can change the rate you pay as your circumstances change. In addition, I’m open to bartering for goods or services. For community organizers and activists who already give a lot of time and energy for the greater good, I usually provide sessions pro bono, especially for movement care needs. Let’s talk about how to make breathwork accessible for you.
Why a sliding scale or barter? Nearly 50% of Americans in 2023 have $1,000 or less in savings. That’s not enough to cover emergencies, and puts “affordability” into stark perspective. I would like to offer breathwork to more people, both by expanding scheduling (making it my primary livelihood) and making it more affordable to the majority of people. A sliding scale and barter are two approaches for accomplishing this.
Decision Processing Stand-Alone Session
Decision processing is a complementary coaching technique we sometimes do, if appropriate and time allows, at the end of a breathing session. It can also be a powerful stand-alone technique. Some cases where we might schedule a stand-alone session could be between breathwork sessions, as an alternative to a full session, or virtually when you or I are out of town. For decision processing, I will guide you in gentle circular breathing for 10 minutes to open the breath body without becoming overly activated. Then I will guide you through a process to explore the early decisions made in childhood that still determine your behaviors as an adult, often unconsciously. This facilitates the release of limiting patterns.
These stand-alone sessions last 1 hour and can be done in person or virtually (Zoom or Skype). The standard rate is $80 (talk to me about need-based sliding scale).
Spiritual Counseling/Chaplaincy (Free/donation)
The pandemic made us aware, if we weren’t already, that we face a large-scale mental health crisis. Behavioral health services are over-strained nearly everywhere. I am not a psychotherapist; to help alleviate this burden in another way, I offer spiritual counseling. You might think of this as going to your imam, rabbi, pastor, or spiritual friend for a confidential talk to lay down some of the burdens of your heart and mind. I am also available to be present with groups in times of crisis, loss, or celebration.
Besides breathwork facilitation, my preparation for chaplaincy includes:
- a unit of clinical pastoral education (CPE) training in interfaith hospital chaplaincy
- five years of living and training in Theravada Buddhist monasteries
- three years of teacher training with my local Buddhist group
- teaching Buddhism and meditation as a volunteer in state prisons
My faith is Buddhist. I am trained in interfaith chaplaincy and feel comfortable meeting you across any spiritual tradition, or none. See about for more about me and my commitments. In keeping with Theravada Buddhist tradition, I offer spiritual counseling/chaplaincy freely as time allows. Donations are welcome, not required.
New! Guided Group Breathwork (Free/donation)
I now offer group breathwork on (most) first and third Sundays of each month from 6-7:30. Upcoming sessions are 9/3, 10/1, and 10/15.
NOTE: There is NO group session on 9/17.
Group breathwork is a very different experience from one-on-one sessions. Each has different benefits. Since I can’t give everyone the same witnessing attention as in one-on-one, and your subconscious knows it, we won’t go as deeply into difficult emotions. We use a gentler pace of connected nasal breathing, supported by guidance and music, to activate the energy body at a milder level. We intersperse gentle connected breathing with breath holds (letting out the breath and suspending for a short time) to get a stronger sensation of the activated breath and to experience the peace of suspension. Sometimes emotions will still surface, though more often gentle ones. I will be there to support when this happens, and groups will be limited in size to enable that support.
The overall experience will be a little different for everyone, but is often beautifully refreshing, opening, and even inspiring. The breathing portion will last about 30-45 minutes, leaving us plenty of time to talk over breathwork and learn a variety of supportive breathing techniques you can use on your own. We can also begin building a warm, welcoming community among those of us excited about the connected, healing breath.
Group breathwork is offered free, with donations gladly accepted. Adults 18 and older are eligible. If you have any of the following conditions, please call or email me first to discuss if group breathwork is right for you: pregnancy, recent surgeries, recent fractures, recent head injuries, cardiac conditions, emphysema, asthma, severe hypertension, epilepsy, glaucoma or retinal detachment, osteoporosis, or serious mental illness. If you currently have an infectious airborne disease (e.g., flu, cold, COVID-19, etc.), please wait until you’re fully recovered and join us at a later date. Please be aware that you will be in an enclosed space breathing with others, and so there will be some risk of COVID transmission.
The good folks at Huron Valley Aikikai are sharing their friendly dojo space with us. Please register through the Huron Valley Aikikai website and check there for the most up-to-date calendar. Follow these steps:
- Register for an online account with the dojo.
- Navigate to the dojo’s calendar, find the Sunday breathwork you want to attend, and click the link to register for that class.
If you have any trouble signing up, feel free to reach out to me. Note that once you’ve registered with the dojo (or if you already take classes there), you can go directly to step 2.
The dojo is located on Ann Arbor’s west side at 1904 Federal Blvd. at the intersection with Stadium Blvd. (behind Kolossos printing and near the post office and Big George’s). There is a small parking lot, and a big “AIKIDO” sign. The dojo floor is covered with mats for padding. Please bring your own BLANKET and comfortable clothing for lying down and breathing. If you require extra props for physical support like pillows, bolsters, backjack chair, etc., please bring what you need. I look forward to seeing you there!