Breathe into Balance

Hi, I’m Michèle, your Breathwork Coach for the next week. I’m super excited to share the power of breath with you. I designed this journey for you to explore tools that will help you to feel less stressed, more balanced and more energised. 

What can you expect each day? 

📖 A short daily insight (1-min read)
🎧 A guided breathwork audio

You will get foundational information and simple and effective breathwork practices you can use right away, designed to easily fit into your daily life. Everything is bite-sized and practical, not another thing on your to-do list. And of course, I am curious to hear how you’re doing and support you with any questions that might come up. 

🎧 How to prepare?

No special prep needed. 

Just bring curiosity and a little kindness towards yourself. You’re welcome to repeat the practices as often as you like during the program.  

🧘🏼‍♀️ Where to sit or practice?

You can either sit on a chair with your feet connected to the ground or on the floor with a cushion or a yoga block to elevate the hips for extra comfort. 

If you get distracted easily I recommend finding a quiet spot where you won’t be disturbed, so you can fully relax and focus on your breath.

Breathwork came into my life 8 years ago—and it became a game-changer for how I feel in my body and how I move through life, and I love for you to explore it too.

Much love,
Michèle 💜

Welcome to your breathwork journey!
I’m so happy to start this with you.

Today is all about the basics:

✨ Why breathwork is a powerful tool for stress relief
✨ How it supports your nervous system
✨ Practice the most healthy way of breathing
✨ Learning to observe, not just do

💨 What is breathwork? 

Breathwork involves consciously controlling and regulating your breath. My approach blends ancient wisdom with the science of functional breathing, offering simple, effective tools that fit into your day.

In the next 5 days you will explore how with just a few minutes of practice, you can:

• Reduce stress
• Regulate your nervous system
• Feel more balanced in your body and mind
• Sleep better
• Refresh your energy

💡Fun fact:

Most adults breathe 12–20 times per minute, often in a shallow, rushed way. But when we slow it down to 5–6 breaths per minute, we enter a rhythm called coherent breathing—scientifically shown to be one of the healthiest breathing patterns. It supports emotional balance, lowers cortisol, and helps your body shift out of stress mode.

🔑 Here’s the key:

Your breath is directly connected to your autonomic nervous system—the system that controls your stress response, energy, and emotional state.

When we’re stressed, our breath becomes short and shallow, keeping the body in “alert” mode and raising cortisol.
By slowing down our breath we send a signal to the body: you’re safe.
This physiological shift is called downregulation—and most of us need more of it.

🎧 Today’s practice is all about this:

Exploring and observing your breath to sharpen your self-awareness and practising the most healthy way of breathing.  

Sit upright with a relaxed posture, feet grounded, and shoulders soft.

Let’s begin ▶️

Welcome to Day 2 of your breathwork journey.
Today is all about building balance in your body and mind—through a simple breathing pattern you can return to again and again. We’re building on the way of breathing we introduced yesterday. 

💡 An easy rule to remember: 

The nose is for breathing. The mouth is for enjoying your delicious Eat by Alex food.

Breathing through your nose naturally slows your breath, calms your nervous system and improves oxygen flow. It makes your body feel safe and helps with mitigation of increased cortisol levels. It also filters, warms, and humidifies the air—making it the most healthy way of breathing.

🔑 The key to sustainable shifts is consistency. 

Your breath is always with you—but how you use it matters. Even though you get an immediate benefit through breathwork, it works best when you practice it regularly, not just in stressful moments. 

Breathwork is like brushing your teeth—but for your nervous system.

🎧 Today’s focus

We’re exploring two techniques that help you reset your energy and regulate your nervous system—whether you’re feeling too activated or low on energy.

Sighing out – a natural nervous system reset
Box breathing – to create calm & focus

Enjoy exploring your breath with today’s audio. Repeat this practice if you need it—and remember, it doesn’t need to be perfect, just follow along. 

🌸 If you’re on your period, skip the breath holds or soften them. Always listen to your body.

You’re doing beautifully. Let’s build balance—one breath at a time.

Let’s begin ▶️

Welcome to Day 3.
Today is about using your breath to soothe stress and support deeper rest and sleep.

🛏️ Your breath and your sleep are deeply connected.

Quality rest is super important to help our body repair and restore. When we’re stressed, the breath becomes fast and shallow—keeping the nervous system in alert mode (hello, restless nights).
But when we slow down the breath—especially the exhale—we tell the body:
You’re safe. It’s okay to rest. This is one of the simplest, most powerful ways to prepare for sleep or unwind after a long day. Helping the body and the mind to shift into a deeper restful state.

💤 Today’s calming breathwork is all about:

Extended exhale – Breathe in for 4, out for 6 or 8
Legs up the wall – A gentle posture to calm your whole system

💡 Bonus tip:

Use nose strips to support more restful sleep.

Nose strips gently open your nasal passages so you can breathe more easily through your nose while sleeping.
Nasal breathing = calmer heart rate, deeper rest, better recovery.
Give it a try if you tend to breathe through your mouth at night.

🎧 Find a quiet moment this evening or anytime you feel your system needs to soften. If you want, you can do this in your bed, lying down right when you’re ready to sleep. 

Let’s begin ▶️

Welcome to Day 4.

Until now, we’ve focused on slowing down.

But stress relief isn’t only about being calm. It’s also about feeling alive, clear and grounded in your energy and building resilience. 

🌬️ Today’s focus: building inner strength through movement and breath

Breathwork is a tool for your day-to-day. It doesn’t need to be practised seated and in stillness. The real magic happens when your practice blends seamlessly with your lifestyle.

Today I have a walking breathwork practice for you to switch things up. It’s designed to build resilience, improve oxygen efficiency, and connect you more deeply to your body.

We’ll gently play with the breath—pacing it with your steps and even holding it for a moment after the exhale. This strengthens your nervous system and builds tolerance to daily stress in a safe, natural way.

🧠 Why does this matter?

How you breathe while moving mirrors how you show up under pressure. Most of us become unconscious of our breathing and switch to mouth breathing when we move or are under pressure. And when you learn to stay steady in your breath, you show yourself that you can stay steady in life, too.

🎧 All you need for today’s audio is a walk, a little curiosity—and your breath.

Let’s begin ▶️

You made it to Day 5.

And we’re closing this breathwork journey with one of my absolute favourite techniques.

Today’s practice is energising, uplifting, and grounding at the same time.
Think of it as a little espresso shot—but for your nervous system.
It clears mental fog, sharpens focus, and leaves you feeling more alive and centered.

✨ Why this matters?

Stress doesn’t only make us tired—it makes us disconnected.
Breathwork brings you back into your body, your energy, and your presence.

This technique is perfect for:

⚡️ That midday dip
🧠 When your mind feels foggy
🌿 Or anytime you want to reset without caffeine or a full break

It’s short, powerful, and something you can come back to again and again.

🎧 The audio will guide you—just follow your breath and feel what shifts.

Let’s begin ▶️

💜 As we wrap up this 5-day journey, I hope you’ve felt how small, simple moments of breath can shift your entire day.

🧘🏼‍♀️This isn’t just for your wellness week, it’s a valuable resource for your real life.
A way to reduce stress, stay balanced, and feel more like yourself in the middle of everything.

This is just the beginning. We’ve just scratched the surface of what’s possible for you. I’m so glad you joined us.

Remember, you can come back to all these practices as often as you like.

✨ As a bonus, check the message for Day 6 to support your integration of all you’ve learned and practised this week.

Congratulations! You completed the 5-day breathwork journey.
How are you feeling today?

Even a few days of conscious breathing can shift how we show up in our body, our energy, and our mind.

To integrate the beautiful work you've done this week I invite you to take a moment to reflect: 

✨Which practice made the biggest difference for you?

✨Where did you feel the most resistance—or the most ease?

✨How might you bring just one of these tools into your regular day-to-day?

This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about creating something sustainable—a way to return to yourself, again and again.

Your breath is always with you.
Now you know how to use it.

I'm so glad you were here 💜

Much love,
Michèle