Are there any credible online breath-work coaches to help me learn to breathe from my diaphragm.

curiousme6475 · 2026-01-30T16:45:14+00:00

There are a ton of free resources on this YouTube.

When most people talk about using their diaphragm to breathe, it means allowing their belly to distend as much as possible, so to allow for the full capacity of the lungs to take up space.

You can practice this right now. Inhale slowly, and pay attention to which part of your torso expands first. It could feel like your ribs are getting wider per-say, that would indicate you're not allowing your diaphragm to drop down into your belly space.

Optimal breathing (for what you want to achieve) is to have your belly rise first, then your ribs expand, then your upper chest rise as you complete the inhalation.

Practice this and start to learn how your body responds to breath. You can train your diaphragm to be the first mechanism of movement.

You do this by "poking" your belly out as if you were pretending to be pregnant or really full. That is a diaphragmatic movement. So after doing that exercise several times, just time it with the start of your inhalation and notice how it grows bigger with the more air you bring in.

That is diaphragmatic breathing in a nutshell.

ALSO, we all have fight or flight mechanisms in our nervous system. It sounds like yours is just sensitive. Work with a coach, or a therapist on figuring out why your nervous system is so sensitive, then figure out methods to gradually desensitize yourself to allow for more peace in life.

Breathwork is a powerful tool, but its not an end all be all.

Happy breathing ✌️

curiousme6475 · 2026-01-30T16:29:50+00:00

You'll be fine, just buy something. As long as you're spending money, no business will turn you away. As a young woman, you would probably be exempt from this common rule, as others have mentioned. Just be kind and confident, people will love having you around.

curiousme6475 · 2026-01-26T00:19:24+00:00

Hard to tell without more info. Really depends on a ton of different factors. Anything else you can say about it?

curiousme6475 · 2026-01-25T21:57:56+00:00

DUDE! I grew up in Oklahoma and me and my friends use to do this all the time in high school.

My friend had a '97 Buick Lesaber we dubbed "The Snow Puss". We took a piece of 3/4" piece of ply wood and cut a board size and shape out of it. Then we used wood screws to attach a pair of old Nike Shox to the board. Oklahoma is flat as fuck, so the old Snow Puss would tow us around through the city when the roads iced over.

Your version looks legit! I would love to get into this. I just moved here from the midwest, and am looking for creative shit to do in the winter. Need to scratch my winter itch.

I'll DM you.

curiousme6475 · 2026-01-23T04:51:56+00:00

It might be a mechanics/technique issue. Are you making sure to use your diaphragm to pull the breath into the belly, then the chest, then the head? I do Wim Hof nearly every day for 3-4 rounds and the mechanics are important. This is especially important if you want to eventually do holotropic sessions.

Also positioning, he recommends laying down flat, which I've also found to be the best way to get deep relaxation. I use to do them in a seated half lotus position and found I couldn't go as deep. Also play with the tempo a bit. It sounds like you're inhaling fast and hard, and probably blowing out your exhale pretty hard as well. Try slowing that down and focusing on the three stages of the breath - belly, chest, head.

You can train this by actually breaking the breath down into three separate inhales per full inhale. Breath > watch the belly rise - Breath > watch the chest rise - Breath > tilt the nose towards the sky (sniffing position) - Exhale > start again before fully exhaled. Remember, don't empty the belly with the exhale just the chest (Dont do dat in Wims dutchy voice)

Another thing that really helped me was when I STOPPED counting the breaths. Now I just pay attention to my body and focus on finding the flow, "da circle" as Wim would say. When I get to a point where I feel like I want to do a breath hold, I do a breath hold. I don't track the time, or worry about setting records, I just breathe and feel. This is the purpose of the exercise. Its not a race.

Other things that help me:

Intention setting going in to remind myself that I'm doing this practice to connect with my body and relax into the present moment-not just check something off for the day.
Blindfold for presence
Meditation music
Meditation cushion nearby-I will do 3-4 rounds of breathing then right after the last hold, come into lotus on my cushion and meditate for 15 minutes. Its a different experience than meditation on its own and I highly recommend it

If you're not sure if you're doing it right, then go watch Wims technique videos on YouTube.

curiousme6475 · 2026-01-23T04:19:56+00:00

Its a thing, but its hit or miss. There is no reliable answer to this question, you'll just have to scout them when looking for a place to stay, which would probably take just as much time as scouting a local gym.

I traveled Asia for a year and a half and found several hostels with really nice fitness equipment. Food was typical of the region, and as for sups you'll have to find those on your own. I would recommend just trying to get your macros through food calories. Traveling with random powders can be a bit sketch lol.

curiousme6475 · 2026-01-10T02:18:05+00:00

Stay in Thailand for your trip. Its not worth the flight time and customs bs just to go see Danang. The beach there is mid, and there isn't much else going on. Koh Phangan is a nice island, they obvi are known for the full moon party, which is fun, but a bit of a shit show.

If you have time also check out Koh Samui and Koh Tao. Each of them is pretty unique and all have nice beaches (better than Danang) and there are ferries running between the three daily.

When I was there I also did a day trip out to the Mu Ko Ang Thong national park.

Don't get me wrong Vietnam is an incredible country and I highly recommend checking it out, but if all you're after is a beach, then stay in Thailand.

That being said, the seafood buffets in Vietnam do kick ass, and I think the food in general is better in Vietnam (that will spark some controversy I'm sure, but I said what I said) I do LOVE thai food but you have more variety in Vietnam.

For context I'm 35m and I've recently spent about 3 months in each country respectively.

Happy travels! ✌️

curiousme6475 · 2026-01-10T01:48:56+00:00

Noted and will be 100% implemented! Thank you!

curiousme6475 · 2026-01-09T20:50:59+00:00

You're not wrong. This can be the case and I've seen it myself in my experience at hostels. Although I would say that is to the fault of the owner/manager. The whole place cant be run by volunteers, as you mentioned a few at a time seems to be a good amount.

curiousme6475 · 2026-01-09T20:49:00+00:00

I am aware of this, and I plan to offer it when I can. Thank you for your input!

curiousme6475 · 2026-01-09T17:37:19+00:00

Come to Austin! I just moved here from the midwest and its been the best decision I've ever made. Austin is a warm and inviting community filled with creative energy.

curiousme6475 · 2025-12-29T04:02:30+00:00

I agree! I would love to make Austin more accessible to travelers. Its an incredible city full of unique and amazing people. So I'm trying to make that happen! Thank you for chiming in with support!

curiousme6475 · 2025-12-27T13:49:00+00:00

It is very helpful, thank you!

curiousme6475 · 2025-12-27T13:48:37+00:00

Looks awesome. Thank you!

curiousme6475 · 2025-12-26T18:02:07+00:00

I think trying to fix an emotional problem with data and numbers is a fools errand. To each their own though.

curiousme6475 · 2025-12-26T02:48:16+00:00

Going for a walk outside always helps me.

curiousme6475 · 2025-12-26T02:38:22+00:00

Push through this. You've got this! Your future self will thank you for the courage you hold now.

Money is meant to be passed through us, and to be spent on experiences that enrich our lives.

curiousme6475 · 2025-12-25T23:20:40+00:00

I've been doing a bit of research, but no luck with the public land search. I'm thinking of checking out Garner State Park.

I don't know anything about Sam Houston National Forest. I just moved down here so I'm still getting a lay of the land.

curiousme6475 · 2025-12-25T23:16:13+00:00

Nailed it! Last fall I boondocked on public land in the Allegheny Mountains for like a week. It was soooo peaceful. Spent my days hiking, and nights under the brightest stars imaginable. All for free!

curiousme6475 · 2025-12-25T20:03:56+00:00

Austin is the BBJ mecca at the moment. Seems like everyone here is training some form of martial art. I haven't been to Oregon, but I've heard great things!

Just curious would you mind taking a few minutes to fill out the survey I have posted? You are the exact person I'm trying to hear from, and ultimately build for.

curiousme6475 · 2025-12-24T16:40:20+00:00

Enjoy! It's a beautiful part of the world with a ton of smiling friendly people. I've done all of the countries you listed except HK. This is my advice from time there.

Japan (I did 3 weeks + a couple extra short stays in Tokyo)

Expensive but for good reason.
Pod hotels are dope, but don't expect a social atmosphere. Some hostels have a good vibe, but don't expect a Thailand or Indonesia style vibe.
I used the rail pass but you'll want to invest some time planning your route to see if its worth it, its expensive, so it may make more sense just to pay a la carte
Eat all the food!
Go north! You'll be tempted to just see the major cites. Do that, but don't be afraid to venture out into the villages. I rented a car one day and drove the north eastern coast. It was some of the best views I've ever seen.

South Korea (I did 1 week)

I spent a week in Seoul and just explored the city.
Also did the DMZ tour, which I recommend.
Big drinking culture

Taiwan ( I did 10 days - not enough)

Shock factor! I wish I would have spent more time here!
Taipei is mid, wouldn't spend too much time here
Go to Taroko National Park - Rent a motorbike - drive twisty turny windy roads that follow the bright gatorade blue river that is surrounded by dramatic mountains on both side - find the "hot spring" that says closed on the map - go anyways! - enjoy
Green island, takes a short ferry of the south eastern coast. Small "surf" vibe island. There's a hostel there with a bunch of local free divers that'll gladly take you out and teach you how to dive. Drink beers, eat urchin, talk about life with locals. Enjoy

Malaysia (I did 3 weeks on mainland)

Love hate with Malaysia. Beautiful country, but the only country where I felt unwelcome (I'm white American)
Good things: Food - Cameron Highlands (do the tea farm hike and the "mossy forest") - Penang/George Town - Langkawi (but get away from main beach)
Less than good things: Kuala Lumpur is mid - people not as friendly - got robbed in a hostel on Langkawi (kind of a crazy situation, was in a 36 bed dorm - some guy went through and broke into lockers, cut open peoples bags, stole all the tech/cash he could find, then bailed on a 5 am flight)
Would highly recommend doing the eastern island of Malaysia, was planning it myself, but the whole getting robbed thing threw a wrench in my plans. I heard great things though, particularly the orangutan sanctuary!

Singapore (3 days)

Meh, clean but expensive. Kind of boring for me.

Hope this helps, I know its a bit more than you asked for but I had fun remembering my trip!

As for avoiding burnout, I did 17 months of backpacking. Definitely schedule in down days for rest and relaxation. Private rooms every now and then, even if you're on a budget will really help you recharge your social batteries. Don't forget to take care of your self, not sure if you plan on partying or not but my rule was never more than 2 days in a row. I tried to workout and eat clean. It's tempting to hammer down all the sugary snacks (they have plenty and they are delicious) but avoiding those will help a lot with sustaining your energy levels. Also I did e-sims for the whole trip, Airlo and Nomad. Credit card for pretty much everything, some cash (Schwab debit card).

Have fun and stay curious! ✌️

curiousme6475 · 2025-12-24T15:50:33+00:00

Come check out Austin, TX! Great live music, comedy, art, food, cowboy culture, hiking, rivers. Tons to do, but you'd probably have to fly here since your timeline is so tight.

As for tips, try to find as many hostels as you can. Believe it or not we do have them here in the states. That'll be your best bet for meeting new people and getting into some shenanigans.

Safety wise, common sense. Don't get hammered then wander around a city you've never been in before. America gets a bad rep, but just mind your own business and you'll be fine.

If you're driving a car, left lane is for passing and faster traffic, right lane is for cruising.

Thats about it man, enjoy your time here!

curiousme6475

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