Can Breathwork Heal Your Nervous System? What You Need to Know Before You Try It | Megan Ashton (Episode 31)
What if you understand exactly why you're stressed, anxious, or triggered, but your body still reacts anyway? In this episode, Stephanie sits down with Megan Ashton, founder of Unity Breathwork and advocate for trauma-informed breathwork, to explore conscious connected breathwork, nervous system regulation, trauma, and the role the body may play in healing. Together, they discuss why awareness alone doesn't always change our physical responses, how breathwork differs from traditional calming techniques, why emotional release and integration matter, and how to safely explore somatic practices without getting caught in the cycle of constantly chasing the next wellness tool.
This Episode Is For You If:
- You understand your triggers intellectually but still feel them strongly in your body.
- You experience chronic stress, anxiety, emotional reactivity, or feel like your nervous system is always "on.”
- You're curious about breathwork, somatic healing, nervous system regulation, or how to choose a safe practitioner.
Ready to try the daily 5-minute rest-and-relaxation breathing practice that Megan recommends in the episode? Download it for free on Patreon now: https://www.patreon.com/TheInnerScript/posts/167049777/
Connect with Stephanie Baubie, NP:
- Learn more: https://www.stephaniebaubie.com
- Join the Patreon community (for FREE): https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheInnerScript
- Share your thoughts, questions, or story with Stephanie. Follow along on Instagram at @theinnerscriptpod: https://www.instagram.com/theinnerscriptpod/#
Timestamps
(00:00) What is conscious connected breathwork?
(05:51) Inside a breathwork session
(09:32) Megan’s own healing journey
(13:24) How the body releases emotion
(18:42) How trauma shows up in breathwork
(25:48) Breathwork versus plant medicine
(29:24) When talk therapy isn't enough
(31:35) Why breathwork safety matters
(36:30) Your nervous system's stress bucket
(40:36) Stop chasing every wellness tool
Megan Ashton is the founder of Unity Breathwork and a leading advocate for raising safety standards in the breathwork industry. Her own healing journey through trauma, bulimia, and alcohol dependence brought her to Conscious Connected Breathwork and showed her firsthand its transformative power for trauma and grief processing, addiction recovery, and deep nervous system healing. After years of collaborating with international breathwork schools and witnessing the gaps in facilitator training and safety culture, Megan became a vocal advocate for trauma-informed practice, facilitator competency, and public education around the real risks of altered states work, so people can make informed decisions about who they choose to work with. Today, she leads healing-focused retreats in Mexico and directs Unity Breathwork's GPBA-certified facilitator training, one of the most comprehensive trauma-informed breathwork certification programs available.
Connect with Megan:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unitybreathwork/
Breathwork Facilitator Training: https://unitybreathwork.com/breathwork-facilitator-training/
Website: https://unitybreathwork.com/
Disclaimer: Everything shared here is for educational purposes and personal reflection only. Not medical advice. Always work with your own healthcare provider for individual care.
Podcast production by Jamie Brooke.
