Holotropic Breathworks and the Healing Science & Spirit of the Breath in a Resonant Coherent State
- Brainz Magazine
- Aug 19
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 4
Maria Akela is a transformative healer, connector, and catalyst who has formed a holistic treatment & coaching concept that helps guide and connect people to their own inner wisdom and assists in trauma release on both physical, mental & spiritual levels.
The breath is the most faithful companion we have. It is with us in the first cry of birth and in the last exhale of life. And yet, in the rush of everyday existence, we forget that it is far more than a mere biological reflex; it is a living bridge between body, mind, and spirit.
Holotropic breathwork is a practice that invites us to remember. The word holotropic means “moving toward wholeness.” Developed by psychiatrists Christina and Stanislav Grof in 1974. Where the simple, primal act of breathing is used to unlock states of healing, deep self-knowing, and expanded awareness and insight. It is a journey of return to the body’s own intelligence, to the unprocessed emotions we’ve buried, and to the higher states of consciousness we often seek outside ourselves.
In every moment, your breath is carrying an invisible language, a dialogue between your body, your mind, and the vast field of life around you. Holotropic breathwork is more than a breathing technique; it is a deliberate act of tuning your entire being into a resonant, coherent state, where physiological harmony meets expanded consciousness. In this space, healing is not forced; it naturally unfolds.
The physical science: Oxygen as a catalyst
When we breathe in a continuous, deep rhythm, we flood the bloodstream with oxygen while lowering carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels. This shift, called respiratory alkalosis, temporarily changes the pH of the blood, making it more alkaline.
At the cellular level, this alkalinity alters how oxygen binds to hemoglobin. Normally, CO₂ helps release oxygen into tissues; when CO₂ drops, oxygen delivery becomes more selective, sending high doses to certain tissues, often those under stress or with higher metabolic needs. The result is:
Mitochondrial boost: increases both oxygenation and circulation, bringing nourishment and energy to every cell
Detoxification: Oxygen-rich environments help break down waste molecules more efficiently.
Inflammation reduction: High oxygen availability suppresses inflammatory pathways, giving organs space to repair.
DMT and the pineal’s inner light
In some breathwork states, participants experience vivid visions, timelessness, or unity with all life. This is thought to be linked to the activation of endogenous DMT, the naturally occurring compound produced in the pineal gland and other brain regions.
Deep, rhythmic breathing affects the brain’s electrical patterns and the pressure/flow of cerebrospinal fluid, which may stimulate the pineal gland’s crystalline structures. This activation can lead to transient releases of DMT, opening what many describe as the “inner eye,” the sense of traveling beyond the physical self while remaining completely sober.
Why does the body tingle, tremble, or cramp
During intense oxygenation, calcium and magnesium ions shift within muscle tissue, altering nerve signal thresholds. This, combined with changes in blood pH, can trigger tetany, a temporary tightening or cramping of mostly the hands, feet, or face, but could also occur anywhere in the body.
While it can feel strange, tetany is usually harmless in a guided session. Many facilitators see it as a sign of energy discharge, the physical body releasing stored tension and trauma patterns. When we keep breathing through those tensions, eventually the muscles relax, and a tingling or carbonated feeling usually occurs and is often replaced by natural flow and lightness, as if a weight was lifted from you.
The vibrational dimension & spirit of coherent creation
While science measures heart rate, blood chemistry, and brainwaves, the spirit of holotropic breathwork measures something far more subtle: the feeling of coming home. A state of remembering.
A resonant coherent state is not just a bodily event; it is a re-alignment of your inner field with the greater universal field. In this state, your body becomes like a perfectly tuned instrument, allowing life-force energy to flow without distortion. This opens gateways to:
Expanded awareness: The mind moves beyond ordinary perception, accessing symbolic visions, deep memories, and archetypal wisdom.
Emotional alchemy: Unresolved emotions surface not to overwhelm you, but to be transmuted in the safe container of breath.
Unity consciousness: Many experience the dissolution of boundaries, feeling deeply connected to the earth, humanity, and the cosmos.
Intuitive clarity: With mental noise quieted, guidance comes through more effortlessly and authentically.
The evolutionary key: Heart-brain connection
We live in a time where human evolution is no longer about physical survival; it’s about coherence.
And the bridge to that coherence is the heart-brain connection.
The heart is not just a pump; it’s an intelligent sensory organ, generating the strongest electromagnetic field in the body. When its rhythm falls into harmony, smooth, wave-like patterns, it communicates directly with the brain, synchronizing emotional states, mental clarity, and physiological balance.
When the heart and brain are in coherence:
We access higher-order thinking, moving beyond fear-driven survival modes.
Intuition strengthens, guiding choices that serve both personal well-being and collective harmony.
Emotional reactivity softens, replaced by grounded responsiveness.
The body becomes a stable container for higher-frequency states of consciousness.
From an evolutionary perspective, this matters because humanity’s next step is not about becoming faster, stronger, or more efficient; it’s about becoming resonant beings.
In a coherent heart-brain state, our personal electromagnetic field strengthens and interacts more harmoniously with the planetary and cosmic fields. Together, we anchor higher states of awareness, compassion, and creativity on Earth.
Holotropic breathwork is a direct gateway into this state. The breath synchronizes the heart’s rhythm, the heart guides the brain, and the two together awaken a new template for human potential.
This is not just self-healing, it’s evolutionary alignment.
The meeting point of science and spirit
What makes holotropic breathwork unique is that its effects are not purely spiritual nor purely physical; they are both, simultaneously. The resonance achieved in breathwork sessions is measurable in heart-brain synchronization, yet also felt as a profound inner stillness or visionary state.
In modern terms, this is a bio-psycho-spiritual feedback loop:
The body’s coherent rhythms support an expanded state of consciousness.
Expanded consciousness feeds back into the body, deepening the coherent state.
This is why practitioners often leave a session feeling both deeply relaxed and cosmically inspired, as if the breath has re-written both their cellular memory and their soul’s orientation.
Integration: Where the real healing takes root
The breathwork journey doesn’t end when the breathing stops. In the hours and days after, the body and psyche continue integrating the shifts. Grounding practices, such as drinking water, resting, journaling, or spending time in nature, help solidify the healing.
Holotropic and rebirthing breathwork are not just “experiences.” They are re-patternings a deep cellular and energetic reset that makes us more whole, more aware, and more present. By engaging in this practice, you are not merely taking in air; you are participating in a universal rhythm that has been here since the first dawn. You are rejoining the song of coherence, the heartbeat of life itself.
Breath is both the first and last medicine. In the conscious act of breathing fully, we are reborn not as someone new, but as who we truly are, beneath the noise, the tension, and the forgetting.
Read more from Maria Akela
Maria Akela, Intuitive Holistic Practitioner & Coach
Maria Akela, with over two decades of experience, is a transformative healer, connector, and catalyst that assists in both physical, mental & spiritual trauma release. Her mission is rooted in seeing past the illusion of expectations and instead going into the deeper wisdom of what you are really meant to do. With an international community and track record of transformative treatments, Maria Akela wants to inspire you to regain your own natural flow and listen to your own inner wisdom.
