The Science & Practice Of Breathwork. Module 1, Breath Awareness - by Dr. Inge Wolsink

COURSE

The Science & Practice Of Breathwork. Module 1, Breath Awareness

With Dr. Inge Wolsink

Breathwork is one of the most practical ways to influence your nervous system, stress response, energy, sleep, focus, and emotional regulation. But breathwork is not one single practice. Some breathing exercises are calming, some are energizing, some support anxiety and panic, some improve focus or sleep, and others are used for athletic performance or CO₂ tolerance. The key is learning which breathing technique is right for your body, your nervous system, and your needs. In The Science & Practice of Breathwork, you will learn how breathing works in the body, how different breathing practices affect your nervous system, and how to build a safe and effective breathwork routine. This course combines science, breathing mechanics, nervous system regulation, yoga-based pranayama, and practical guided breathing exercises. In Module 1: How We Breathe, you will explore your natural breathing pattern, the role of the diaphragm, the connection between breathing and stress, and the foundations of conscious breathwork practice. This module is the starting point for the full course, which continues with slow and nasal breathing, fast breathing and breath holds, and specific breathwork tools for stress relief, anxiety, energy, sleep, focus, and performance. Welcome to The Science & Practice of Breathwork: Module 1, How We Breathe.

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Meet your Teacher

Dr. Inge Wolsink
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Inge Wolsink is a former psychological scientist, breathwork teacher, yoga teacher, IFS-informed stress coach, and founder of Whole Body Coaching. Her work focuses on the connection between breathing, stress physiology, nervous system regulation, emotional patterns, movement, and behavior change. With a background in psychological science and years of experience teaching yoga, meditation, breathwork, and Internal Family Systems-informed coaching, Inge brings a clear and grounded approach to breathing practices. She is especially interested in helping people understand not only how to practice breathwork, but also why different techniques can have such different effects on the body, mind, and nervous system. Her teaching combines scientific explanation with embodied practice. She draws from breathing science, yoga-based pranayama, nervous system physiology, stress research, IFS-informed self-awareness, and practical habit formation to help people use breathwork in a way that is safe, personal, and effective. Inge’s breathwork courses are designed for people who want more than a single breathing technique. They are for students who want to understand the wider landscape of breathwork, including breath awareness, nasal breathing, slow breathing, fast breathing, breath holds, anxiety tools, energizing practices, and performance-based techniques. Her approach is practical, compassionate, and science-informed, with a strong emphasis on adapting each practice to the needs and capacity of the individual body. She helps students explore breathwork not as something to perform perfectly, but as a way to listen more closely to the body, work with stress patterns, and build a more supportive relationship with themselves.

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11 Days

8.1k students

4.9 stars

13 min / day

Happiness

English

Lesson 1

Breathing: The Silent Force Within You

I started my breathing journey on a trek deep into the Nepalese Himalayas. Without being aware of it then, I discovered the silent power of breath, and I have been fascinated with breathing ever since. This introduction tells the story of my own journey that led me to create this course for you.

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Lesson 2

Theory: The Story Of Breathing

The science and practice of breathwork goes thousands of years back, to when the first written texts were discovered. This theory session takes you through how breathwork has moved across continents through the ages, and ends with how we, as modern humans, have forgotten how to use the superpower of our breath. This session was inspired by James Nestor’s Book: Breath, and has been fueled by Christopher Wallis, Taj Geet Kaur, Bryan Gandevia, William J. Broad, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Eknath Easwaran, Aleksandra Hallmann-Mikolajczak, and Lee holden.

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Lesson 3

Practice: Become Aware Of Your Breathing Patterns

In your first practice session, we will assess your current breathing pattern. You will notice how your body breathes currently, so you have a subjective starting point from which to start your breathing journey. This session was inspired by Patrick McKeown’s book: “The Breathing Cure”.

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Lesson 4

Practice: Test Your Body Oxygen Levels (& Read the Contra Indications)

In your second practice session, we will assess your BOLT score. BOLT stands for Body Oxygen Level Test, and it gives you effective feedback on how functional your breathing is, and how good your exercise tolerance and fitness level is at this moment. We measure the BOLT so you have an objective starting point from which to start your breathing journey, and to measure your progress throughout the course. This session was inspired by Patrick McKeown’s book: “The Breathing Cure”. CONTRA INDICATIONS Safety first. Take good care to read before and while you practice. Double check with each new chapter, and re-read when you feel a practice isn’t working for you or you feel your body telling you to stop. Different breathing practices will have different effects on you, and the purpose of this course is to help you find the practice that works for you. • This course is built in modules that will build up in complexity and intensity. It will start very mellow, and build up in complexity of practices. Generally, if you are a healthy individual, you should be able to do all the practices in this course safely. • The breathing practices in this course have health benefits for those who suffer from mental and physical illness, such as anxiety, panic disorder, burn-out, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, respiratory diseases, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and autoimmune disease. However, these conditions will also put you at a risk of pushing yourself too fast too far. Be mindful to listen to the science sessions so you understand what a breathwork practice does in your body before you practice, it will help you to understand how your body responds. Take it very slow, and preferably consult a medical doctor or breathwork expert before and while you do this course, to keep an eye on how you are progressing. • Some general guidelines to be aware of (for everyone): • (very) slow breathing and breath-holding lowers blood oxygen levels. Be aware of this and never push yourself beyond the instructions in this course, or beyond what your body tells you to comfortably do, especially when you are pregnant, or suffer from the above-mentioned conditions. • (very) fast breathing lowers carbon dioxide levels which triggers stress to your body. Be aware of this and never push yourself beyond the instructions in this course, or beyond what your body tells you to comfortably do, especially when you are pregnant, or suffer from the above-mentioned conditions. • Never practice breath holds after hyperventilation (breathing hard and fast) in or near water. If you hold your breath too long after hyperventilation, there is a risk of blacking out. • Generally: only practice breathing methods as instructed. You should not attempt to spend longer than necessary in a state of unbalanced oxygen or carbon dioxide levels. • Generally: listen to your own body. If your body tells you to stop, listen to your body rather than to me. • Pregnancy is not the time to try out advance mixed breathing protocols or long breath holds. Breath holding to achieve hypoxia (low blood oxygen) could harm your unborn baby, and cyclic hyperventilation (breathing fast) can cause acute stress. There is not enough research yet to support that this is a safe practice while pregnant. • If you experience anxiety, panic attacks or fear of suffocation, you may find that hyperventilation and prolonged breath holds trigger your symptoms. In people with high general levels of anxiety, respiratory rate increases much faster when a stressor appears, and their depth of breath is smaller. This could be driven by sensitivity to CO2 levels that is usually present in people with panic and anxiety disorder. Be aware of this before you start, make sure you have practiced the gentler practices in this course several times before starting with any advanced protocol towards the end of the course, and stop and slow down your breathing if you feel overwhelmed. To remember: if you are on your own, the best way to reduce anxiety and panic fast, is to slow down your breathing. • If you suffer from any chronic illness (respiratory, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune disease, cancer, or something I haven’t mentioned), really take your time with the gentler practices in modules 1 and 2, and make sure you are very comfortable in them before you try out any mixed methods towards the end of the course. Make sure you listen to the science sessions carefully so you understand what happens in your body prior to practicing. We don’t try a backflip on ice-skates before we have properly learned how to ice skate, and have properly learned how to do backflip on a soft mattress. Master the particulars first, then combine the practice.

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Lesson 5

Theory: The Mechanics Of Breathing

In this theory session, I will explain the beautiful mechanics of your breathing, from the start and finish at your nostrils. Specifically, we will discuss the respiratory system of the nose, the lungs, and the primary breathing muscles: the diaphragm, and intercostal muscles of the ribs.

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Lesson 6

Practice: Mindful Breathing Visualization

This practice session is about Mindful Breathing. One of the most important steps in a healthy breathing practice, is to become, and to stay aware of your breathing. First becoming aware in your breath practice, and later, as you learn to apply this awareness more broadly, becoming aware during the rest of your day.

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Lesson 7

Theory: The Biochemistry Of Breathing.

This theory session about the biochemistry of breathing takes you through the delicate interplay between oxygen and carbon dioxide, and explains why it is so important to keep them balanced for optimal breathing, and what will go wrong if this balance is compromised by poor breathing habits.

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Lesson 8

Practice: Your Journal Protocol

The end-goal of this course, is to have a fully personalized breathwork plan for you that fits your needs, abilities, and rhythm. To do this, you need a journal protocol to keep track of how each breathing practice affects you. In this practice session, I outline a few questions you can ask yourself before and after each session to further your understanding of what is going on in your body when you practice.

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Lesson 9

Practice: Creating A Breathing Routine

This practice session is about setting up a breathing routine. I will share with you the most important highlights from my course on habit formation (Becoming - Building Sustainable Habits) so you can optimize your practice. This session was inspired by James Clear and BJ Fogg.

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Lesson 10

Theory: The Mind-Body Connection, Breathing And The Nervous System.

This theory session explains how breathing creates a connection between mind and body through your nervous system. We dive into the workings of the autonomous nervous system, and learn how breathing can help you to relax, and help you stress, and you learn why both of these effects can be useful for you depending om the context. This session was inspired by Andrew Huberman

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Lesson 11

Practice: Heartbeat Breath, Sensing Your Nervous System

In this practice, you will visualize and experience the beautiful interplay between your breath, your vagus nerve, and your heartbeat. You will learn to sense your heart rate variability through checking in with your breath and heartbeat, and develop an intuitive measure for your vagal tone.

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4.9 (590)

Recent Reviews

DeLane

June 11, 2026

This course was good enough that I'm looking forward to the next one. This is also the first review I've written on Insight Timer after using it for nearly a year, so it is one of the better courses I've taken, and folks should definitely look into it.

Elise

June 9, 2026

Really an unbelievable experience. I started this module right after installing the app for the first time. I really didn't had any expectation just an open mind. But holy moly what an ride this has been. I would 100% recommend this course. I'm holding myself not to jump in module 2. Thank you so, so much for sharing your knowledge in such a clear way. Dankjewel!

Limandes

May 31, 2026

Really great course! As well the content - it is brilliant and so comprehensive - as the way, it is

Susan

May 26, 2026

Teachers voice is so soothing. Very clear explanations. Love the calming, non- judgmental instructions. The right balance between theory and practice. Thank you

Sofie

May 13, 2026

Lugn bra och grundläggande kurs om andningen. Namaste.

Jule

April 22, 2026

What a rare gift! Deep science of breathing clearly explained with helpful analogies (the train station in our lungs) coupled with an outstanding teaching approach (I’m an instructional designer, so I’m highly critical), and a warm, empathic delivery. Wonderful!

Omar

April 21, 2026

Thank you ☺️

Taj

April 6, 2026

I am so pleased that I found this course in my search for a comprehensive breathwork course. It is free of new age fluff and drawn from authentic breathwork traditions and grounded in current research into the benefits of breathwork.

Catherine

April 1, 2026

This course is an absolute must! A huge thank you, dear Inge, for this first module. I’ve taken the time to listen to some of the lessons several times, as the content is so rich and comprehensive. Your voice and the pace are perfect. This module has enabled me to expand my theoretical knowledge of breathing and put it into practice in my daily life. I’m very grateful to you and I’m looking forward to continuing with the next modules.

Frank

March 30, 2026

I really enjoyed this course and am looking forward to the next one. I’ve learned a lot and am excited to learn even more about breath work. I suffer from high blood pressure and occasional hypertension, which creates anxiety. Meditation and breathing are my prescription, as blood pressure medications only create more problems for me. Thank you!

Maria

March 24, 2026

Thank you for the course, Inge! I will share it with my friends and family. It helps me to understand that my heart is beating more intensely at night.

Maya

March 21, 2026

This course taught me how to breath properly for the first time in my life. Truly eye opening!

Ype

February 26, 2026

At 90 plus I may not be in your target audience but neuroscience and meditation have been on my daily diet for the last 10 years or so. You may be familiar with the Ozi expression “I would not be dead for quids “ but this how it feels like when sitting with your stuff. Mijn Hartelijk dank! Ype ☸️

Enas

February 9, 2026

Thank you for sharing this information. I feel like I learned a lot of new things about breathing. In all aspects. I’m more aware of my breathing, how I fill my self, my belly and lungs and mind with oxygen and how I pause it and release it. Of course there’s more to discover and notice and learn.. the first module helped me a lot to understand the why and the how. Thank you again

Marsivilu

February 3, 2026

This is truly premium content

Ajay

January 17, 2026

Simple and awesome course on breathwork. Easy to follow. Knowing concepts help to do the practices better. Thank you for this wonderful course. Looking forward for more.

Margaret

December 29, 2025

This was very interesting and informative. I am looking forward to the next module.

Tatyana

December 28, 2025

Wonderful course on the mechanics and chemistry of the breath . Much love and gratitude for sharing this wisdom about the process of breathing and the connection between the breath, the mind and the nervous systems of the body . Looking forward to learning more with you ❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏

sandra

December 25, 2025

Thank you! This has been one of the most comprehensive and accessible course on the fundamentals of breathing. Cannot wait to continue and share with as many people as I possibly can! 🙏🏽

Bill

December 20, 2025

Really good. Thank you for putting this course together. The practice sessions and theory sessions help me a great deal. I highly recommend this course to anyone who is interested in breath work.

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