For centuries, the simple act of taking a few deep breaths has been called upon to calm us down, hype us up, or endure emotional and physical pain with grace. 

Though our natural rhythm of breath is a constantly ticking force accompanying each thought and action, breathing as a practice or strategy requires discipline, focus and open-mindedness.

With ancient and modern variations of the practice existing across a range of cultures, it’s easy to see why so many people are drawn to the simple mindfulness exercises, using them to evoke, control or overcome all kinds of grievances.

The breathwork duo changing the game

Now, the founders of Owaken Breathwork, Hellè Weston and Lukis Mac, share with Body+Soul why the power of breathwork has the potential to change everything – even in the bedroom.

Both born and raised in West Aukland, the pair met over 17 years ago, connecting over a shared obsession with self-help, personal development, and spirituality. Their common interests drove Weston and Mac to step away from their careers, choosing to follow their passion. After 10 years of personal development, the pair launched their company, Owaken. 

“Owaken focuses on the mind-body connection, recognising that our bodies hold onto experiences, memories, and emotions from the past. We use specific breathing techniques, visualisation, toning, tapping, and touch to activate our body's innate healing intelligence and guide individuals through a direct experience of transformation and healing,” Weston says. 

“After forming our company, we began travelling, leading events, and working one-on-one with clients in their private practice.”

Who is breathwork for?

All of Mac and Weston’s curated techniques are based on scientific research and real-life experience. Some breathing techniques have been specifically designed to evoke calmness and restoration for clients, while others to energise and uplift. 

“Addressing [clients’] collective emotional struggles requires a multifaceted approach, including somatic therapies like Owaken Breathwork professional therapy or counselling, lifestyle changes, and societal shifts that prioritise mental health and emotional well-being,” explains Mac. “It's essential for individuals to cultivate self-awareness, resilience, and compassion to navigate these challenges and foster emotional growth and healing.”

With that said, the pair has worked successfully with a range of clients, from high performers looking to sharpen their personal development to everyday people looking to expand their mindfulness.

Some of Hollywood’s biggest names have celebrated their groundbreaking breathwork sessions, such as Megan Fox, the Kid Laroi, Machine Gun Kelly, and recently hitched couple Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian Barker. 

And as you’re probably thinking, for a celebrity couple so defined by their overt (and constant) PDA, endorsing the benefits of anything touch-free is a pretty big deal. 

“I’ve supported Travis Barker to fly again. Travis experienced a horrific plane accident in 2008 and was the only survivor of the accident. Travis spent months in the hospital recovering from 65 per cent of his body being burned, and he struggled with his mental health afterwards,” Mac explains.

“He had a strong fear of flying after the accident and vowed never to fly again. When he met Kourtney, she wanted to travel, and Travis was finally ready to put the past behind him and overcome his fear. I worked with Travis over a series of sessions, supporting him to process the unexpressed emotions and trauma from the accident and find a sense of safety and peace with his experience.”

A typical Owaken therapeutic session

So, what exactly does harnessing the power of your breath look like? And why are so many benefits linked to the practice?

“During a typical therapeutic session, we spend 60 to 90 minutes talking through everything, establishing a felt sense of co-regulation and safety, exploring what the individual wants to work on, and get out of the experience,” explains Weston.

“We teach the client specific techniques from Breathwork, Toning, Tapping, Touch, Visualization, journaling etc., and from there, we get the client to set their own intentions,” she continues. “We use a combination of activation and restorative breathing techniques, combined with music, sound healing, and specific guidance from a trauma-informed facilitator.”

Once each breathwork session is complete, individuals are guided through a range of post-session practices, such as journaling, group discussions and grounding exercises, “Every single person is unique, so our approach to support people is also very unique based on what the client needs and feels ready for moment to moment.”

How can breathwork improve our intimate relationships?

Given breathwork has been linked to countless personal benefits such as greater self-awareness, emotional intelligence and empathy, its ability to positively influence a person’s romantic or social relationships is an added – yet no less valued – bonus. 

“Many of us carry disempowering and limiting beliefs into our relationships and don’t realise that we are overlaying the past onto the present as a way of protecting ourselves and feeling in control,” the pair explain.

“If we’ve had negative experiences in the past that haven’t been processed (whether that’s from past relationships or childhood experiences), this can contribute to unhealthy attachment styles and an inability to self-regulate when stress comes up,” says Weston. 

“We’ve worked with countless clients who have described an increased sense of mind-body connection, ease in expressing their true feelings and joy in intimacy from practising Owaken Breathwork.”

Unpacking the  ‘touch-free orgasm’

Finding a greater sense of mind-body connection is just the tip of the iceberg for those who regularly practice Owaken breathwork, it seems, with some claiming the practice enables them to achieve a ‘touch-free’ orgasm.

“Many people are experiencing physical and emotional numbness and they don’t even know it,” Westons says. “It’s very common for people to suppress joy when on some level they don’t feel comfortable or safe to express excitement, joy or happiness around others.”

“The body is pretty amazing in what it can do! When we unlock frozen energy, the body can go through huge surges of emotional, physical and energetic release that can feel orgasmic, blissful, hilarious and so liberating,” Mac adds. “This euphoria can last for days after the session and go on to fundamentally change how a person feels and operates in the world.”

“When joy comes up to be felt, some people will uncontrollably laugh out loud until they are crying tears of joy, others will describe feeling waves of bliss or like their brain is having an orgasm.”