What is Shamanic Breathwork?
Shamanic Breathwork is a group process of accelerated breathing, evocative music, ritual structure and creative integration, designed to bring about non-ordinary states of consciousness. Participants usually lie on mats in a held circle and breathe deeply and continuously for an extended session, often one to three hours. They work with a stated intention and are supported by trained facilitators and sitters. The method was developed by the American teacher Linda Star Wolf, who founded Venus Rising Association for Transformation. It builds on Holotropic Breathwork, which Stanislav and Christina Grof created, and adds elements drawn from shamanic traditions. Anyone asking what shamanic breathwork is, or about its meaning, will find that it is best understood as a modern, syncretic psychospiritual practice. It is not a single ancient lineage.
Origins & lineage
The technical root of the practice is Holotropic Breathwork. Stanislav Grof, a Czech-born psychiatrist, developed it with his wife Christina at the Esalen Institute in California in the mid-1970s. They began after Grof’s earlier clinical research with LSD became legally impossible. Grof described the method in works such as The Adventure of Self-Discovery (1988) and Holotropic Breathwork (2010, with Christina Grof). Linda Star Wolf trained in this tradition, and she later integrated practices from shamanic and Indigenous-inspired ceremonial forms. These include working with the four directions, the medicine wheel, ritual opening and closing of sacred space, and the idea of a soul journey. She developed the result into a distinct method and formed a facilitator training programme through Venus Rising in the 1990s.
The best-known published account is Shamanic Breathwork: Journeying Beyond the Limits of the Self (Bear & Company, 2009), co-authored by Linda Star Wolf and Ya’Acov Darling Khan. The word “shaman” comes from the Evenki šaman of Siberia, and it entered European languages through Russian. The scholar Mircea Eliade made it a general category in Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy (1951). Many anthropologists argue that using the term for a Western, non-lineage practice is loose. This is a live debate, and practitioners usually say they draw on shamanic principles and do not claim to transmit any specific Indigenous tradition.
How it’s practiced
A typical session has a clear sequence. It opens with a circle, in which the facilitator explains the process, discusses safety and invites participants to set an intention. Participants then pair up as breather and sitter. During the breathing phase, the breather lies down and breathes faster and deeper than usual, without pauses between inhale and exhale. Music is chosen to build, peak and resolve over the session. It often combines drumming, world music and ambient or classical pieces.
Experiences vary widely. They include strong emotion, bodily sensations such as tingling, tension or trembling, spontaneous movement or sound, vivid imagery, memories, and feelings of expanded awareness. Facilitators may offer supportive touch or other support, usually with consent. The session moves to a quiet integration phase, followed by drawing a mandala and sharing in a closing circle, which helps participants put words and images to what occurred.
Shamanic Breathwork today
Seekers usually meet the method through weekend workshops, retreats, and regular local group sessions led by facilitators trained through Venus Rising or in related lineages. Some facilitators also offer online sessions, which many practitioners treat as a weaker substitute for in-person support. Recorded music journeys are available, but a recording lacks the structure of a held group. Facilitator training is offered in modules over many months and covers technique, ritual structure, ethics and sitting. There is no government licensing. Standards depend on the training organisation and the individual facilitator.
Common misconceptions
Shamanic Breathwork is not an ancient Indigenous practice handed down intact. It dates from the late twentieth century. It is also not identical to Holotropic Breathwork, which has its own certification and structure, and the Grof organisation distinguishes its trademarked method from derivatives. It is not psychotherapy, although it is sometimes used alongside therapy, and facilitators are not automatically clinicians. It does not use psychoactive substances. The strong effects come from sustained hyperventilation and the setting, and any claim of healing should be treated cautiously. Controlled research on this specific method is scarce. The related research on Holotropic Breathwork is small and mixed.
It is not suitable for everyone. Holotropic-style guidance generally lists contraindications such as serious cardiovascular conditions, a history of seizures, pregnancy, glaucoma or retinal detachment, recent surgery or injury, and certain psychiatric conditions, including psychosis. Anyone with such a condition should consult a physician and discuss it with the facilitator in advance. Critics also raise concerns about unprepared facilitators and about the cultural borrowing noted above.
How to begin
For shamanic breathwork for beginners, a sound first step is to read Shamanic Breathwork: Journeying Beyond the Limits of the Self. The next step is to attend a single in-person introductory session or workshop with an experienced, trained facilitator. Before booking, ask about the facilitator’s training, the sitter-to-breather ratio, screening for health conditions, and how they handle difficult experiences. Plan for a quiet day afterwards. To compare approaches, you can also look at Holotropic Breathwork, rebirthing, and other breathwork methods.