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When was the last time you took a deep breath that wasn’t just about surviving the day?
In this week’s episode of the Hot + Brave podcast, we’re exploring how breathwork helps us reconnect with our wombs, shift cultural shame, and come back into our bodies in a way that feels nourishing, sacred, and powerful. Bianca sat down with somatic healer and trauma-informed breathwork facilitator Jillian Marchand from Exploring Embodiment, and what unfolded was a deep dive into what it really means to heal from the inside out.
Jillian’s story mirrors the path so many birth doulas and healing practitioners walk. She began her work not by accident, but by necessity…her own body called her home. Through burnout, physical pain, and emotional overwhelm, she followed the breath and found not just relief, but purpose. Her story is a reminder that the journey to become a doula or a healing practitioner often starts with our own unraveling.
Why Breathwork Belongs in Every Birth Doula’s Toolkit
Breathwork is more than a wellness trend, it’s an ancient, accessible practice that reconnects us to our body’s wisdom. For doulas, integrating breathwork into your practice offers a way to support clients through labor, trauma recovery, and menstrual challenges. It’s also a powerful way to regulate your own nervous system while holding space for others.
Jillian breaks down how breath supports the womb, especially for those who carry trauma, shame, or cultural disconnect in their pelvic space. She explains how intentional breathing increases blood flow, softens the fascia, moves lymph, and invites the womb to take up space again, all things that a certified doula can apply when supporting clients through reproductive health journeys.
Disconnection from the Womb Isn’t Personal. It’s Systemic.
One of the most impactful parts of our conversation was about how many of us were taught to fear, resent, or ignore our womb. Whether it was hiding tampons in our sleeves, ignoring our cyclical needs, or shaming ourselves for having “bad periods,” this disconnection is a systemic tool that keeps us away from our power.
We see this play out in our doula training programs again and again. Birth doulas and clients alike carry deep wounds around menstruation, fertility, miscarriage, (and Bianca talked about her hysterectomy) – and they often show up in the body long before they show up in words.
As Jillian shared, when we begin to breathe intentionally into the womb space, we begin to rewrite those stories. We give our bodies permission to feel, to remember, and eventually, to soften. This is womb work. This is breathwork. This is birthwork.
How to Gently Begin Breathwork
If you’re new to breathwork, Jillian suggests starting slow and soft. You don’t need to dive into intense patterns or push past your limits. Instead, place your hands on your womb, breathe in through the nose and out through the nose, and allow yourself to notice what arises – without needing to fix or force it.
This practice can be especially supportive for folks recovering from birth trauma, abortion, medical harm, or surgical interventions like hysterectomy. As Jillian says, “The womb still exists energetically. Even when it’s been removed physically, there’s still wisdom there.”
For Doulas and Those Becoming Doulas
Whether you’re already a certified doula or exploring how to become a doula, this episode is a reminder of the importance of returning to the body – your body and your clients’ bodies. Breath is free, it’s always available, and it’s one of the most powerful tools a birth doula can use.
If you’re ready to dive deeper into this work, early bird registration for our Maternal Support Practitioner (MSP) doula training is now open. Use the code birthbird for a huge savings – it works on payment plans too. This is our full-spectrum doula certification that includes birth doula skills, trauma-informed care, and embodied practice tools like the ones we explored in this episode.
Breathe Into What’s Next
This conversation isn’t just for doulas. It’s for anyone in a body who’s ever felt disconnected, disrespected, or dismissed. It’s for those learning to listen to their womb and those learning to heal it. It’s for everyone finding their way back…one breath at a time.
If you’re ready to become a doula, breathe deeper into your current practice, or explore somatic healing through a trauma-informed lens, Jillian’s work and the breath itself are beautiful places to begin.
Want to become a doula? Start your journey with our certified doula training program at bebomia.com
Follow Jillian Marchand on Social Media
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