How My Relationship with Breathwork Changed After YFFR Instructor School

Written by JoAnn Geiger, LPC

Trainee of YFFR Instructor School Class 037

“How we breathe influences nearly every system in our body—our heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, mental clarity, and emotional balance.”— James Nestor, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

Editor’s Note

At Yoga For First Responders®, breathwork is more than a calming technique—it’s a tactical tool for regulating the nervous system, building resilience, and enhancing performance under pressure. In this reflection, JoAnn Geiger, LPC, shares how her experience at YFFR Instructor School transformed her understanding of breath from a helpful grounding skill into a life-changing practice that now anchors both her personal and professional life.

A New Understanding of Breath

After completing YFFR Instructor School, my relationship with breathwork completely changed.

Before training, I understood breathing as a helpful grounding skill—something to bring calm and focus—but now, I see it as the foundation for nervous system regulation, resilience, and overall performance. It’s no longer just a technique I recommend to others; it’s something I live and rely on daily.

Experiencing the Shift

During training, there were two moments that profoundly shifted my perspective—times when I experienced what’s known as an amygdala hijack. My body and brain went into full stress response: heart racing, muscles tense, tunnel vision.

In those moments, I consciously turned to the tactical breathing skills we had practiced earlier in the week. I slowed down, focused on nasal breathing, and allowed my exhale to lengthen. And it worked. My body began to calm, my mind became clearer, and I regained control.

That moment was pivotal. Breathwork was no longer theoretical—it was personal. I experienced firsthand how something as simple and accessible as breath could interrupt panic, restore balance, and re-engage the thinking brain. For me, that single experience solidified why YFFR is such a powerful tool for first responders and those who support them.

Integrating Breath Into My Work

After returning home, I noticed something different in my work with clients. Many of the first responders and community members I serve weren’t breathing in a way that supported regulation. They often held their breath, breathed too shallowly, or gave up when they didn’t immediately feel calmer.

I began to recognize that same pattern of frustration I had once felt—the disbelief that something so simple could make a difference. But now, I had lived through it. I could meet them in that space with empathy and confidence.

Having personally experienced the effectiveness of tactical breathing, I could now encourage my clients with a different kind of authority. I could say, “I’ve been there. I’ve felt that panic. And I’ve seen how breath can bring you back.”

Through the YFFR framework, I gained the structure to teach breath in a practical, job-specific way—helping clients use it in moments of stress, anxiety, or emotional overload.

The Science and the Practice

Reflecting on this reminded me of James Nestor’s description of breathing as “a missing pillar of health”—something essential yet often overlooked. That phrase deeply resonates with me now.

Through YFFR, I’ve experienced how breath can reconnect the mind and body in ways that traditional talk therapy alone sometimes cannot. Nestor’s research shows that most people today are under-breathing—taking shallow breaths that keep the body in a low-level state of stress.

Intentional, slow, nasal breathing helps balance oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, activate the parasympathetic nervous system, and return the body to equilibrium. This scientific understanding mirrors what we practiced in YFFR and what I now teach to clients: breath is physiology in motion. It is always available and always capable of bringing us back to center.

Living the Practice

The more I integrate these lessons, the more I see breath as both a personal practice and a professional tool. It grounds me before client sessions, centers me during difficult conversations, and helps me recover after emotionally heavy days.

YFFR hasn’t just changed how I view breathwork—it’s changed how I experience it. Breath has become my anchor and my guide. It’s shown me that resilience begins in the simplest of places: one conscious inhale and one intentional exhale.

Today, I approach my work with deeper confidence and connection, knowing I can help others discover the same power. Breathwork is no longer a background practice—it’s the heartbeat of what I do, both personally and professionally.

Bring These Tools Home and Beyond

If JoAnn’s story resonates with you, take the next step: Join the YFFR Family Challenge to learn how to integrate simple, science-based breathing tools with your family before the holidays. Or apply for a YFFR Instructor School Scholarship to learn how to teach the same evidence-based techniques in your department or community.