Lauren Chelec Cafritz - Author, "Breath LOVE", Speaker and Breathwork Teacher
Lauren Chelec Cafritz
Lauren Chelec Cafritz is an internationally known breathwork teacher, speaker and the author of Breath LOVE. She is also the founder of Experience Breath.
Lauren is trained and certified in Integrative Breathwork and Transformational Breath® and has studied many other breathing modalities. She facilitates breathwork for executive teams, nonprofits, government agencies, corporations, and schools and also hosts breath retreats and workshops across the country. She is the national representative for the International Breathwork Foundation and is a member of the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance.
Lauren brings a wealth of experience to her breathwork practice. She is trained and certified in Integrative Breathwork and Transformational Breath® and has studied many other breathing modalities. Lauren’s journey into breathwork began after her son was born and she was unable to move her neck. Through working with a breathwork teacher, she was able to release the tension and pain with specific breathing patterns. And she felt more than that – she also felt a renewed sense of energy and spiritual connection. Now she works to share that rejuvenation and joy with others.
I’m so excited for you guys to connect with Lauren, check out her work and her new book, and follow along as she continues to bring breath work to everyone in a fun and accessible way, and empower people to see that anything is possible when they connect to their breath.
I'd love it if you'd introduce yourself, what you do, and what you're working on.
My name is Lauren Chelec Cafritz. I am a breathwork teacher, speaker and author of Breath LOVE. I’m also the founder of Experience Breath. I am passionate about helping people find the power of their own breath. Launching my book has allowed me to reach many more people. I’m currently on a book tour, traveling around the country talk about the benefits of breathwork and to conduct workshops for people. So far, I’ve been at Politics and Prose in Washington, DC and at Barnes & Noble in Philadelphia. I am going to New York in October to meet with members of the media and then am headed to Charlotte, NC; Columbia, MO; and then to the west coast. From April 29-May 3, 2020, I am also hosting a retreat in magical Sedona, Arizona.
How did you get started?
It all started with a pain in my neck. When my son was about nine months old, my neck really started to bother me. The pain got so intense that I couldn’t turn my neck and could barely hold my son. I tried everything from massage to yoga to western medicine. A spine specialist told me not to look up and that I would need surgery. My friend dragged me to a breathworker - I remember thinking: How could breathing help my pain? I was blown away from the experience, and I’ve never turned back. Like many people who start breathwork - I went for one reason and discovered so many more gifts.
What inspired the work that you're doing?
As I continued on my own breathwork journey, I kept getting stronger and healthier - mentally, physically, and emotionally. Then I had a spiritual healing, and I wanted to know even more! I just kept exploring and taking different classes. I soon realized that I want to do this as my life’s work. I wanted to find a way to open up breathwork to everybody.
What is your biggest passion? Do you feel like you're living your passion and purpose?
My biggest passion is helping people get to wellness and wholeness through as many natural ways as possible. The way you breathe is how you live your life. Breath is your best friend – it’s powerful. I want people to feel empowered to live their best life. The breath does so many things for you. It’s the calm in the storm. It connects you to your intuition and your inner wisdom. It brings healing. It lets you know that everything is going to be okay. With the breath, you are never alone - you are whole.
What is your joy blueprint? What lights you up, brings you joy, and makes you feel the most alive?
So many things bring me joy. My family brings me great joy. Breathing brings me joy. I also love to paint - it just pours from me. Each canvas is a chance to explore with color, movement, light, and energy. To me, they become a visual breath session and can shift energy, get flow moving. Anything in nature also brings me joy - sun, trees, the ocean. It’s all so magical.
How do you live intentionally? Are there tools/resources/practices that you rely on to help you stay mindful and grounded?
Breath by breath. Present moment awareness allows me to live intentionally. I often refer back to my Emergency Toolkit, and it’s something I share with all of my clients. These four things will work to get you calm, cool and present again:
Connect your breath.
Drink water.
Move your body.
Go outside in nature.
What would your younger self think about what you're doing now?
My younger self would be amazed by my capacity to go so deep with people. She would be happy that she found a way to use her emotions and sensitivities to help others. And, I think she would be proud that she found a tool like breathwork to help her gain emotional mastery.
Do you have a go-to mantra or affirmation?
I use intentions all the time! Words are powerful. What we think is what we create. I start every class or workshop I teach by having everyone create an intention. I personally use many intentions, depending on what is happening in my life. Sometimes, if I’m feeling anxious, I use ‘I am calm’ or ‘I am grounded.’ Sometimes, I use ‘I am joyful’ or ‘I am energetic.’ I also love “I am soft,’ ‘I am open and flowing,’ ‘I am Essence and I am being.’
What is your biggest dream?
My biggest dream is to live and work in a world where the oceans are free of trash and dolphins can freely swim. Where the air we breathe is so clean that it nourishes our body. A place where the soil actually becomes rich and healthy again so that the food we eat becomes healthy. I dream that a school system is created so that each individual student is nourished in the way that they need to be. I dream that our hospitals become wellness centers where aromatherapy greets you and eastern and western medicine work together. I dream of finding a way to run this world on clean energy. When we treat the planet well, we treat ourselves well.
To learn more about Lauren, breath work, and her events visit www.breathlove.com and www.LaurenChelecCafritz.com and on instagram @laurencheleccafritz and on Facebook @LaurenChelecCafritzOfficial and Breath LOVE can be found on Amazon
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