#18 Kelsey Rudzinsky

Kelsey Rudzinsky: [00:00:00] Throughout life, things happen to us. To all of us, right? We experience things and. The energy of those experiences, whether they happen to us personally or even if they've happened to our ancestors, right? These energies are in our bodies until we're able to move them. Hmm. And so breath work is. Using the breath in, and I call it work because it's hard, right?

Kelsey Rudzinsky: You have to focus on your breath while you're doing the active breathing, and the mind doesn't want to let go of control because that's what we perceive as safety. So the mind's like, no, no, no, no. Like we're not doing this. Let me think about this. Or Let me call this person. Or, this is so dumb, I'm not doing this person here.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: And then all of a sudden, Something switches.[00:01:00]

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Good afternoon. My name is Graham Durge, and I'm the founder and c e o of New Waters Recovery in Raleigh, North Carolina. Welcome to our weekly podcast, finding New Waters. Our goal in creating Finding New Waters is to provide a resource for families to help navigate the complexities of supporting a loved one struggling with substance use or mental health.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: When we find ourselves in crisis due to one of these issues, most people have no idea where to turn. We hope to shed some light onto what is off in the darkest hour for many

Justin Mclendon: families. Hey, doing guys. Thank you for joining us today on another episode of, uh, finding New Waters podcast. Uh, my name's Justin McClennan.

Justin Mclendon: I'm the executive director, also licensed therapist here at New Waters Recovery. And, uh, we are joined today. We have B Reeves, our director of uh, admissions and outreach with us and our [00:02:00] special guest on the show today is Kelsey Rudzinski, uh, certified breathwork facilitator. Uh, Kelsey also facilitates breath work here at New Waters twice a week for our clients.

Justin Mclendon: And, uh, I, I must say it's probably out of all of the things that we do, it's probably literally their best, their, their favorite thing that they get to do as they're, as they're here with us. So That's awesome. Mm-hmm. So, Kelsey, instead of trying to, uh, introduce you for you, I thought maybe we could open up and let you, uh, just talk a little bit about who you are and all that good stuff.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Sure, yeah. Yeah. Thanks for having me. Thank you. Um, So I am a registered nurse, a certified breathwork facilitator, and a reiki master practitioner. So I feel like I have a good balance of science and western medicine with, um, spirituality and a little bit more of the holistic space. And so I. Create, um, [00:03:00] classes, workshops, and guided experiences for people to experience the power of their breath.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: That's

Justin Mclendon: awesome. Yeah. That's very cool. Yeah. So, so we talked about maybe starting with like a cleansing

Kelsey Rudzinsky: breath. Yeah. So the way that I like to start every group, every day, um, as often as possible, you know, one of, um, My favorite authors, Eckert Toll, um, who wrote The Power Of Now? Yes. In his book, which is a wonderful book, um, in his book, A New Earth, he says that by taking a cleansing breath, you, we are creating space in the the incessant stream of thinking, right?

Kelsey Rudzinsky: We're always thinking. So even one breath creates space and a gap. So, If we could start with three cleansing breaths. So for the listeners, if you are somewhere where you can close your eyes, take a minute and just relax your body, straighten your spine, relax your [00:04:00] shoulders. I notice that right now my heart is racing pretty fast.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Um, I'm on this beautiful set and excited about this conversation, and so just noticing how you're feeling inside your body, and we're gonna inhale in through the nose and then exhaling out the mouth with a sigh. And so inhaling in and feeling yourself filled with oxygen. And then as you exhale, just feeling the tension release from your body.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: So inhaling in.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Ah,

Kelsey Rudzinsky: inhale in.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: And one more time, inhaling in and if it feels good in your body, exhaling with an audible sigh.[00:05:00]

Kelsey Rudzinsky: And just noticing here in this moment, after three breaths, if you feel more present, really noticing how you're feeling in this moment, coming fully into the present. And when you're ready, blinking your eyes open. And just noticing if there's a subtle shift. I do.

Justin Mclendon: Definitely. I definitely do.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Yeah. My, my heart rate is much more, yeah.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Calm. Yeah.

B. Reeves: I love that you, uh, mentioned that this is, uh, from, from a new Earth. I, I love Eckhart totally as well. I. And, um, I didn't know anything about him and somebody gave me a new Earth first. So I actually read that before, uh, the power of now, which I don't think is recommended, but I have that, that book changed my life.

B. Reeves: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Um, and one thing about the breath work, Justin already touched on it being the For sure our most popular thing we do here. And, um, everybody [00:06:00] for the most part is terrified to do it. It's true. And don't, they don't want to do it. I had a. A personal friend who came into New Waters not that long ago.

B. Reeves: And the day that she arrived, it was a Monday and you were doing breath work that night. And she was like, nah, I think I'm just gonna go to my room. And I said, just, just trust me. Just, just try it. Don't knock until you try it. And she was blown away. Mm-hmm. And then, you know, was, went back Thursday. Wow. And so we, it's, people love it.

B. Reeves: Yeah. They absolutely

Kelsey Rudzinsky: do. Yeah. It's a really powerful practice of getting people out of their mind and into the body in a way that we don't often experience and. I love that most people come in and especially it seems like, you know, there's some buzz here about it because a lot of the staff has tried it.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Mm-hmm. So people come in like, I've heard this is gonna be powerful. And you know, I always say, I don't know, it might be right. And I really just try to create an environment where it's like, [00:07:00] Let's just be here. Mm-hmm. And see what happens. And if you wanna listen to my cues of what I'm suggesting, great.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: And if you just wanna lay there, that's great too. Yeah. And after, so in the Monday group, I do a specific breathing technique, which is what I'm certified to facilitate. And I was trained by David Elliot and. This technique after the first few minutes when the mind does let go. Right? Because we just, we live in our minds.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Mm-hmm. When people drop into the body and start feeling the sensation in their body and feeling their power, that's where Yeah. The magic starts to happen and I just, you know, am there to support and hold that space, but it's, It's really, really beautiful to witness. Yeah, it's very cool.

Justin Mclendon: Yeah, I, I did it myself.

Justin Mclendon: Uh, you [00:08:00] know, the first time you came in and did the, uh, before we decided to even move forward with having you come in, we did that kind of complimentary, uh, you know, for the staff. And that was the first, you know, I've done a lot of meditation in the past, but this was the first time that I'd ever engaged in like breath work like this.

Justin Mclendon: And, uh, I won't share my experience necessarily. Mm-hmm. But, It was very powerful. Very powerful. I mean, just that one time that I did it, it was really, really cool.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So you mentioned meditation. Mm-hmm. And for your listeners, we, we talked a little before mm-hmm. And like what is breath work?

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Sure. Right. So maybe we back up and even talk about that. Yeah, let's do that. Um, I define breath work as the intentional manipulation of the breath. Um, and, and some people call it pranayama, right? Okay. These are not new modalities. These are ancient eastern techniques that are making their way into our modern society again, because we need it.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Mm-hmm. Um, and so, Pranayama. So prana is [00:09:00] life force. Um, that's the translation. And then Yama, or iama means to control. So if we think of oxygen as life force, which it is, we are controlling the life force. And you know, there's a lot more awareness now around energy. Mm-hmm. And the energy within us and that.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Uh, throughout life, things happen to us. To all of us, right? We experience things and the energy of those experiences, whether they happen to us personally or even if they've happened to our ancestors, right? These energies are in our bodies until we're able to move them. Hmm. And so breath work is using the breath in.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: And I call it work because it's hard, right? You have to focus on your breath while you're doing the active breathing. Mm-hmm. And the mind [00:10:00] doesn't want to let go of control because that's what we perceive as safety. So the mind's like, no, no, no, no. Like we're not doing this. Let me think about this. Or let me call this person.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Or, this is so dumb, I'm not doing this right like this. Like who is this person here? And then all of a sudden, Something switches.

Justin Mclendon: So what? Switches And I, I wonder that myself. Like, what is that? Hmm.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: That's it. Um, well, speaking in a, in a more scientific way. Sure. Yeah. Right. So we're moving oxygen and when you get enough oxygen, so.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: I love that New Waters teaches about chakras because whenever clients come in and I first, you know, I have my oils that, um, I let people use and I say, you know, these have been specifically blended for the chakras. Does anybody know what the chakras are? And everyone's like, yeah, we just learned about that in a group, which is incredible.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Yeah. Right. Yeah. So the body has these chakras, which [00:11:00] are. Energy centers in the body. So they're essentially picture them as like small little hard drives in our body that have different functions. And some might see chakras as like esoteric, right. But they actually correlate with the ductless glands that are in our body.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Right. Interesting. So we have like the pituitary gland. The thyroid gland, the adrenal glands, right? So like we have these ductless glands that all have really specific functions that heavily impact the body mm-hmm. That are associated with chakras. And so as we're breathing and we get more oxygen moving in the body, Eventually the, uh, oxygen stimulates the hypothalamus gland, and that is where endorphins are released.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Right? And endorphins are the hormone, the feel-good hormones mm-hmm. That we experience when we eat something delicious or have sex or [00:12:00] maybe drink alcohol, right? So these hormones that help us feel more in the body, and so as those endorphins make their way down through the body, People start to experience a higher vibration, more sensation until and when it comes upon some sort of block.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Right. And this isn't a conscious process, so it's not like you're thinking about it. And that's where, you know, many people share after breathing. Like all of a sudden I just started crying. Mm-hmm. I don't know why I don't like, I just, and I haven't cried in years. Right. And so, What's really beautiful is it's not a conscious process.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Um, we're really getting in the body and yeah. That's very cool. Yeah, that's

very

Justin Mclendon: cool. It's super cool. So the blocks that come up is that, um, Like you said, it's not a conscious [00:13:00] process, but that could be, it sounds like that could be a thought or an emotion or something that's just kind of

Kelsey Rudzinsky: there. Yeah. It could be a thought pattern.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Mm-hmm. It could be a trauma that we experienced. Mm-hmm. Right. At some point in our lives, it could be from a physical injury that we've had and we have scar tissue in our body. Mm-hmm. Um, Have either of you ever read The Body Keeps the Score. I have, yeah. Yeah. So it's a great book. So working with that concept that like our body does hold onto what we experience, what we perceive around us, and a lot of what.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: My teacher bases his work around. And what really resonates with me is this idea of, um, we are primarily blocked in our sacral chakra, which is the second chakra. And, and this is as a collective, right? But also individually. And that's what deals with, um, power, sex, [00:14:00] money, safety, um, that's here. Right, and so using the breath work to really unblock the second chakra, to open the fourth chakra, which is the heart.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Mm-hmm. Yeah. That's cool. Yeah, I love that. Yeah.

Justin Mclendon: So what, uh, if you don't mind me asking, what kind of got you into, what piqued your interest, what kind of like initiated the this path for you?

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Yeah, sure. My own healing. Okay. Yeah. My own curiosities and. Um, specifically with, um, like my womb space and my feminine energy.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: I grew up in the states, which is, you know, we live in a very masculine society. That's like, go to school, go to college, get a job, work out, do all right, do all the things. And when we do that, I was just in this like, go, go, go state. And then I had realized, you know, like I wasn't getting a [00:15:00] period, I wasn't connected to my body.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: And so on my own quest, um, I had been on birth control, like 98% of American women are at some point. Mm-hmm. I had been on it for 15 years. And what we're learning now about birth control is that it completely alters the way the entire body is functioning. Mm. Um, and so I realized that I didn't even know how my body worked or what it was, and so I was at the time living on St.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Okay. As one does, and, um, was connected with. A womb healer, which I didn't know what that was either at the time. Um, and she introduced me to this breathing practice, and the first time I did it felt like, And, and I had been doing work before that of like meditation and journaling and a lot of [00:16:00] self-inquiry.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: So I had sort of been on the path of like, what is going on Sure. In life, right? Yeah. Like what is this? Um, what am I doing here? Who am I? And so doing a lot of that work I think, prepared me for this so that when I first tried the breath work, It felt like a coming home to my body that I had never experienced.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Mm. And as I continued doing, it was really able to, one, get my period back. Okay. Which was like, what? Like some, right, because it was this tangible result of like, can I swear on here? Yeah. Okay. Like, holy, I, no, yeah, just go for it. Holy shit. Okay. Yes. Yeah. Like, holy shit, right? Like, Whoa, this, you know, and then starting as I continued to breathe, having these experiences of things, of memories coming up.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Yeah. That I didn't think of these things, right. [00:17:00] Like a car accident that I got in when I was eight years old, that. I don't think about, oh wow. And all of a sudden in breath work, I'm back as that little girl in that space and now in the safe space being held by somebody who's encouraging me to feel what you're feeling and, and what is that sensation to.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: To feel what I wasn't able to feel at the time. Wow. And that is so much of what we experience, right? That at the time when something happens, whether we're young or whether we're just at a space in life where like we gotta just keep going. We're not able to feel these things and. In order to clear and move this energy, we have to feel it.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: That's amazing. Yeah. And so I continued practicing and working with this teacher and just felt like more people need to experience this. [00:18:00] So I, um, went to the healer training and deepened my own practice and yeah, just feel really grateful and honored to be able to share it and. It's like every time I get to witness somebody experience this in themselves, it it's incredible.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: That's cool. Yeah. That's very cool. Yeah.

Justin Mclendon: So it sounds like you get, you get a lot of, there's a lot of meaning. There's a lot

Kelsey Rudzinsky: of, uh, totally. Yeah. And, and I find that the deeper that I am able to go within myself and the more disciplined I am with, with my work. By far because it's energy, right? Sure. We're working with energy.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: The more that people feel safe to do the same within themselves. Do you ever

B. Reeves: see people who kinda go within themselves and then they uncover something like you said this when you're eight something you don't remember, but something's super horrible. Then they, it comes out and [00:19:00] then they're don't know what to do with that.

B. Reeves: Especially in, you know, in early when they're in detox. Has that happened?

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Totally. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Um, yeah, and that's where. Having that support, having someone hold the space to be there, to witness that and to offer the space after to process, to share, and then also highly encouraging using support systems.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Mm-hmm. Right. Like I think therapy and breath work together is like, Like, it's so good, right? Because we're able to, to talk about these things and get them out and then move that energy through the body or the other way around.

B. Reeves: That's cool. Why do you think, uh, it's a meditation. Easter meditation seems to be more of a thing acceptable, but I didn't know anything about breath work really until I found myself in recovery, but still didn't know anything really about it until you came in.

B. Reeves: So why do you think that [00:20:00] it's, it's so powerful. Everybody loves it. Why is it, why does it take so long? Just because it's Eastern.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: I think a lot of the best things have been hidden. Covered up. Lost. Yeah. Right? Mm-hmm. And, and they are making their way back by the people who are feeling called to share and lead, and.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Yeah, and be brave enough to put it out there because it is new and it is. I also think that your question about people uncovering something really big and not knowing what to do with it is so important, and that's where. Truly creating a space that feels supported and knowing that I would never leave somebody who, who needs help.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Right. And, and my background as a registered nurse, I worked in mental health for six years. Mm-hmm. So [00:21:00] I feel like I can only speak for myself. Sure. But because I've. Learned and seen how to hold some of those deeper, more tender spaces. I feel safe doing it, but I do think it's really important that people that are holding these spaces for people to go deep, need to need to know what they're doing.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Right. I also feel like something that is also really cool about the breath that I've experienced. And why I feel comfortable coming into a space like this where it's like you have people from all different walks of life mm-hmm. With all backgrounds and all awareness, all different types of awareness, of healing modalities coming in.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: And I'm saying like, all right, you have no idea what, what room you just walked into and let's go in there. The reason that I feel comfortable to do that is because the breath. I [00:22:00] find really meets people where they're at. So it won't take you further than you're ready to go. Like when I uncovered that memory, I was ready.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Mm-hmm. And that's where, and, and another, um, another concept that my teacher David Elliot talks about is this pyramid of, um, The layers of being human. Right? And the first is the physical. And that's the foundational and that's, um, caring for our physical body and physical energy. And that's where most people spend most of our lives, right?

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Like, um, and that includes, A physical disability disease, chronic disease, an obsession with the body. Mm-hmm. Over exercising, eating disorders, poisoning the body with substances and sugar and cigarettes and things like that. Right. And then above that, the next layer is the emotional layer, [00:23:00] and then above that is the mental layer and above that is spiritual, right?

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Mm-hmm. And they all build upon each other. And so I. Find that a lot of people, especially here, right, that have probably spent decades, In the physical layer. Right. Whether that is, I mean, most of us do. Mm-hmm. With the obsession of our bodies and how we look or consuming substances and numbing out. And so then when they come into breath work, all of a sudden this emotional layer sort of opens.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Mm-hmm. And these people are able to. Let go a little bit and tap into that deeper layer, which is part of why, you know the Monday group is called Releasing Through Breath, because I really encourage people, if you start to feel something, let it flow, let it

B. Reeves: go. What's the difference between what you do on Mondays and Thursdays?

Kelsey Rudzinsky: So Mondays is a guided [00:24:00] experience through. With the breathing technique, um, that I've been talking about. Thursdays is a functional breathing group. So something that I've found as I've been sharing breath work is, and I'm like, let's, let's do the deep work. Like let's get in there. But most people. Don't even know how to breathe.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Mm-hmm. So Thursday is a functional breathing group where we go over four different breathing techniques, when to use them, how to use them, and then offering time for people to really practice them and notice within their body the subtle changes of, of how they feel.

Justin Mclendon: That's awesome. So cool. Yeah, it's

B. Reeves: very cool.

B. Reeves: Yeah, I, I mean, I've, without ever, unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to take your class, but I'm, or come to one of your sessions, but I will. Yeah. But I've picked up a little bit of here and there over just for breath breathing techniques of even, you know, [00:25:00] YouTube them. I mean, in my, when I was in my first few years of, of sobriety, I mean, I was a basket case and I would be, you know, get some news that I couldn't handle, whether it was relationship or work related.

B. Reeves: And I would just breathe for a little while. And it's amazing how much, you know, I'm sure I was doing it wrong and it still helped me tremendously. You can't do it wrong, but, you know, I just, well, that's, thank you. Yeah, I need to hear that. Yeah, because, you know, I still, you know, I still like to feel good, but I just don't have drugs and alcohol to make that happen.

B. Reeves: So I, uh, I look forward to. Investigating further into breath work.

Justin Mclendon: Yeah. If something comes up When you were talking about that B, because I think, so as a, as a therapist, I've worked with many people in the past, and I think there's this kind of like, uh, I'm not the only person that's experienced this, right?

Justin Mclendon: But, so there's the, this kind of, uh, reoccurring situation, right? Where you're, you're meeting with a client, maybe it's like session number one or two or something like that. And the topic of like fear, anxiety, like that type of content starts to come up and. [00:26:00] At least for myself, a lot of times I will introduce like, you know, a breathing technique, right?

Justin Mclendon: Like, hey, you know, let's, let's try this. Let's practice it here and maybe you can start to try and utilize this when it makes sense when you think of it and see if it makes a difference. And it's really funny to me how many times people are like, oh my God, here's another therapist telling me to like breathe again.

Justin Mclendon: And they just push it off. But it's so funny that like, Something just as small as being able to like stop and focus on your breath and control your breath for a minute, it really can be very impactful. Mm-hmm. Uh, but it's still, I don't know, I just find it almost laughable that, uh, it's almost every time that I bring it up, somebody's like, oh my God, here we go again.

Justin Mclendon: And that's totally, you know, don't knock it till you try.

B. Reeves: Well, I mean, and literally everything, if I, before I got sober, Everything that I do now, if I knew it existed, I thought it was ridiculous. Like prayer and meditation, right? Yep. Breath work. Yeah. I didn't really know much about it then, but I would've scoffed that too.

B. Reeves: Sure. Um, but every single tool that anybody's ever presented to me has worked. Yeah.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: [00:27:00] Yeah. And that's where it's like, I, people need to be ready. Yeah. And you meet, you really meet people where they're at. Right. Um, and I like to think of it as, um, You know, people know about the nervous system. Mm-hmm. That's something that does get taught in school, right.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: And that we have these two sides of the nervous system and then we have the vagus nerve. Right. And I think of the vagus nerve as like a highway that goes down our body. And when you think about breath work as a tool, to me breath work is the gear shift. Between the parasympathetic and the sympathetic nervous system.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Interesting. Okay. Right. And like you're saying, or, or using the breath in general. Mm-hmm. Is a way to quickly switch from a sympathetic fight or flight feeling of anxiety to a much more calm, rest and digest state. Absolutely.

Justin Mclendon: Yeah. Yeah. And it's right there at [00:28:00] our fingertips. I mean, we can literally do it at any time, right?

Justin Mclendon: Yeah,

Kelsey Rudzinsky: yeah. But we live in such a fast-paced world, right? Absolutely. And we live in a world that is constantly pulling us. Externally pulling us outside of ourselves to do this and go there and make your food, and order your coffee supplement and write like all of these different things that we have to do.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Take the kids to practice. Yeah. Go on vacation, go to your meeting. Like these are all things that we're just constantly being pulled outside of ourself. Mm-hmm. And the breath is an invitation. To come back in. And I think when people get to a point, whether that's just through their own curiosity, or most times it is when you know something tragic happens or they get some sort of diagnosis or go into detox, right?

Kelsey Rudzinsky: That they start wondering who am I? Mm-hmm. And this is a way to really, I mean, my work is all based on [00:29:00] helping people. Come back to who they truly are.

B. Reeves: What percentage of people you work with or you see using breath work are in recovery for of some, some sort?

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Everyone. Everyone. Okay. I mean, I think we're all in recovery, right?

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Whether that's, I would agree from like program childhood programming, um, abuse in the home, drugs and alcohol. Right? I think. We are living in a time and, and come from a history where we all have experienced trauma, whether we are the perpetrators, ancestrally, or we've been on the receiving end of it. We are in a time where we can't deny that anymore, and the more that we are able to unravel that and admit it, that's where the unity.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Comes back, right? Yeah. We, [00:30:00] because the more that we try to deny it, we're just continuing the division. Mm-hmm. And that's where people are finding themselves feeling more disconnected, more lonely than ever, and more confused and overwhelmed than ever. Yeah. So I think everyone. Yeah.

Justin Mclendon: I mean, I would agree with that.

Justin Mclendon: Good answer. Yeah, great answer because I agree with that. True. I think we're all kind of, you know, whether it's conscious or not. Right. I think we're all in recovery for something. Right. Or even if, again, if we're completely unaware of that, like there's still a longing or level of dissatisfaction

Kelsey Rudzinsky: something.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Yeah. Or noticing the patterns, the mental loops that we find ourself in, whether it's recovering from self-doubt. Mm-hmm. Self-consciousness. Right. Eating disorders. Yeah. I think our, my relationship with food is something that I continue to notice and work on, and so it's just all of these different coping mechanisms that maybe we picked up at some point [00:31:00] in our lives because we needed them.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Yeah. And they helped us get where we are and now we're able to, to look at and unravel if those are serving us anymore. Yeah,

Justin Mclendon: absolutely. So, um, So you do breath work here. Mm-hmm. And people love it. Mm-hmm. Uh, you, I know you also have kind of your own private practice and things like that. Maybe spend a few minutes if you could, talking about, um, what other type of services, you know, what kind of, uh, you know, for anybody that's listening, you know, how could they, and we'll put some information in the, in the, in the, uh, podcast notes and things like that on how to contact you and stuff.

Justin Mclendon: But, but if somebody wanted to do some breath breath work, like what do you do and all that

Kelsey Rudzinsky: stuff. Sure. Yeah. Thanks for asking. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Um, so I have a website that. Um, I post different events that I'm doing in the area. I don't have a dedicated space, so usually I will, um, rent a space or collaborate with somebody who has a space.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Um, I primarily do group work. I [00:32:00] really love group work. I feel like. Its just like how, you know, one person has a consciousness, a group has a consciousness, and, and feeling that amplified energy of people breathing and opening together. I. Is so magical. So most of what I do is group work. Okay. Um, I do a virtual breathing group every Tuesday evening on Zoom from eight to 9:00 PM Oh cool.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Eastern Standard time. Okay. Yeah. Um, and that's just a really beautiful space to. Come in, you know, during your week, it's called Return to your Breath. And it is a space to show up and share what's alive for you, share an intention for what you're breathing into, and then together breathe from the comfort of your own home.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: That's very cool. Yeah, so I do that. Um, right now I'm doing breathing groups for a [00:33:00] summer camp for kids, um, which is amazing. And. I feel really, really grateful to have been asked to do that. Um, and then I do day retreats, so eventually I would like to do some longer retreats. Okay. Um, destination, eventually I'm gonna do a retreat in St.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Thomas. Oh, cool. Um, yeah. Where, you know, a combination of different modalities because, Of course I'm biased about breath work and it is incredibly powerful, but like anything else, it's a tool. Mm-hmm. Right? It's one tool and we need so many different tools and exercise and yoga and eating healthy and healthy relationships.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: So I love collaborating with different people to create these immersive experiences for people to just again, come back to their most authentic self. That's cool.

Justin Mclendon: Yeah, that's very cool. You'll also do some kind of [00:34:00] individual one-on-one stuff too, is that correct? I

Kelsey Rudzinsky: do. Yeah. So I. I, I will work with individuals, um, especially if there's something specific that people are wanting to go into.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Mm-hmm. I work with couples. It's really powerful to breathe with a partner. Um, and just the energetics of the relationship are really present because again, and if some people are like, oh, no, no, no. Remembering that it's not a conscious process. Right. So this isn't like, Couples therapy where we're talking about, and we're going back and forth.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: This is like, let's not talk, let's go in and see what comes up on both ends. It's really powerful. That's cool. Yeah, and I do the same with families. Um, it's, it's really, really beautiful to see a family. Um, Breathing together in this space and allowing whatever comes up to be present. Because we know that family dynamics are really complicated.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: They are

Justin Mclendon: definitely, I mean, we see [00:35:00] that

Kelsey Rudzinsky: every day. Sure. Right. Sure. Yeah. Yeah,

Justin Mclendon: we definitely do. Well, that's great. Um, I had another question and it slipped my mind, unfortunately. That's okay. Um, v anything?

B. Reeves: No, just I'm, it's a breath of fresh air actually to there, to, to somebody on the podcast that's, you know, not just, you know, standard talking about, you know, drugs and alcohol.

B. Reeves: So, and we, and I just wanna reiterate that our clients absolutely love, love it. Mm-hmm.

Justin Mclendon: I really do. So keep coming

Kelsey Rudzinsky: back. Thank you. Yeah. It feels it's really important work and. It's not about me, right? It's about the people that are ready to experience it, having the opportunity to do that. Yeah.

Justin Mclendon: So, you know, and I'll comment on that just from, I mean, again, so I've done it.

Justin Mclendon: I've had the opportunity to do it. I would actually love to do more of it because I had a very powerful experience when I did it. Um, [00:36:00] What I think with the clients, um, you know, we do so much stuff, right? Talk therapy. We also had to do a lot of other holistic things. So they are getting massages. They get to, uh, engage in like yoga and there's other like, holistic things that are not kind of like verbally based, if you will.

Justin Mclendon: But there is a lot of, there's a lot of group therapy, there's a lot of individual conversations that take place. They're communicating with peers, with the doctors, with the nurses. There's a lot of this kind of. Talking through things and staying in this kind of like, Conscious plane of trying to understand like what are they thinking, what are they feeling, uh, you know, taking ownership of past behaviors, making plans for the future.

Justin Mclendon: And it's just really cool. Like you have, have mentioned, um, when they go into this space where like there's not really a lot of talking and, and how much power and insight and just experience that people can, can, uh, get out of, out of doing the breath work. And there's not really any words that are spoken [00:37:00] and, and.

Justin Mclendon: I see that as something that's very powerful and very cool, and, and I see a lot of clients taking that kind of, um, that, that away from that experience too, is that so much happened and there were not a whole lot of words that were used, you know, so. Mm-hmm. I don't know. It's just an observation, I guess.

Justin Mclendon: Right?

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Totally. Yeah. And that's one of the things I love about it. I mean, the human intellect. Mm-hmm. It's one of our, it is our greatest advantage as a species, but it also like, We need some space from it. Yeah. And yeah, after a breathing session, as I'm bringing people back and, and people are starting to come back and be like, whoa.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Mm-hmm. I really encourage them like, don't try to make sense of what you just experienced. Right. Yeah. Right. If you are somebody that journals get out your journal and just allow the stream of consciousness to flow of how you're feeling and what came up. But like, It's okay to not have any idea what or why you experienced what you [00:38:00] did.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Yeah.

Justin Mclendon: That's cool. Yeah. That's very cool. Yeah. So what would be kind of like, uh, if you had one takeaway that anybody that's listening or watching the podcast, like what would be like one thing, like a call to action, if you will, like, if somebody's interested in breath work, like, you know, what would you, what would you want them to take away from this?

Justin Mclendon: Hmm.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: The call to action would be to come back to your breath. Mm-hmm. To recognize that there are these really powerful, deep ways to use the breath, like what I offer, and please come to one of my groups, come to one of my classes, retreats, would love to have you. Mm-hmm. And this is something that. We all have access to, it's free, right?

Kelsey Rudzinsky: So, and, and I challenge my, um, campers with this every week. Like, give yourself a two minute breathing challenge. Every day. Set a timer on your phone for two minutes and just breathe deep in your [00:39:00] breath. Notice how you feel. Let the breath expand in your body. Allow your exhales to release some of the tension you may be holding, and just notice from there what you experience.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: I love it. Yeah, because I, I feel like. I, because we're always breathing and because breathing happens automatically, most people think I know how to breathe like I'm doing it. And really most people are breathing super shallow. Yeah. And so if we go back to the beginning talking about what even is breath and this life force, that is what is feeding ourselves.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Our organs, the more you can expand that breath in your body, think of it as feeding your body, hydrating your body, nourishing your body, so the deeper that you can expand the breath. And what's cool is our bodies are so incredible and so adaptive that even at the [00:40:00] beginning, if you feel like I'm scared of my breath, right?

Kelsey Rudzinsky: A lot of people. And that's something that people here have really illuminated for me is that they've shared, you know, when I have a panic attack or when I'm feeling super anxious mm-hmm. It is my breath, right? That feels like I can't catch my breath, right? So when they start breathing, that fear can come up and come back to them.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: And so this is a reminder that the breath is safe and the body adapts to that. That's really cool. Yeah, I love that. And I guess one other tip. Sure. If you're gonna open up, brilliant. Go for it. Breath work tips. I can't open myself is to breathe through your nose. Okay. So we have two different ways to breathe right through our nose and through our mouth.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: And as we're walking around our everyday lives, we really wanna be breathing through our nose. Mm-hmm. Because, The function of the nose is to breathe. So I think of it as like our built-in air purifier. It moistens the air, it warms [00:41:00] the air. So breathe through your nose, okay? And allow that breath to expand in your body.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Very

Justin Mclendon: cool. Awesome. I mean, that's some tips I could probably use for myself. Yeah. I'm gonna

B. Reeves: go set my timer in my office right now. Yeah. I promise. You

Justin Mclendon: know what's so funny is I, I use an, um, an Apple watch and, uh, every evening about the same time it like dings and it's like, Hey, take a moment and like da da da da da.

Justin Mclendon: And like I never do it. I just like dismiss and I just move on. Yeah. So I'm sitting here think, listening to you, and I'm like, you know what? Maybe I should just start taking that opportunity. Right? Yeah.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Take a minute. Yeah. And just take five deep breaths and just know that. Everything that's going on around you and the busyness, it's still gonna be there.

Kelsey Rudzinsky: Mm-hmm. So just the more that we can feel centered and calm in our body, the better able we are to show up in our lives for our obligations and for the people that we love.

Justin Mclendon: Absolutely. Well, Kelsey, thank you. Thank you, Kelsey. We really appreciate it. Yeah, thanks for, it's been a lot of fun. Thank you

B. Reeves: for all you do here, and thank you for being here today.

B. Reeves: [00:42:00] Mm-hmm.

Justin Mclendon: Thank you. Yeah, absolutely. We'll have to have you back again sometime. Yeah, yeah, for sure. Awesome. Thank you so much. Thank you.

In this insightful episode of the "Finding New Waters" podcast, we delve into the transformative power of breath work with our special guest, Kelsey Rudzinsky. Kelsey, a breathwork facilitator and a yoga instructor, enlightens us on how this practice can help those on their journey to recovery.

Kelsey takes us on a deep dive into the world of breathwork, detailing its origins, her own unique approach, and the profound impact it can have on both individuals and groups. We learn about the correlation between breathwork and trauma release, and how breath work's silent space helps in processing emotions, healing family dynamics, and fostering personal growth.

The conversation also explores the role of breathwork in different contexts including couples therapy and family dynamics, and its importance in holistic treatment plans that incorporate yoga, massage, and other non-verbal modalities. Kelsey discusses the empowering and therapeutic effects of breath work on her clients at the treatment center, and challenges listeners to embrace breathwork in their daily lives.

A departure from our regular discussions on drugs and alcohol, this episode offers a refreshing and alternative perspective on recovery strategies. For anyone seeking a new approach to healing, Kelsey's expertise on breathwork serves as a compelling call to action. Join us as we uncover the power and potential of our own breath in the road to recovery.

Don't miss out on this fascinating conversation on the transformative power of breathwork in the realm of recovery! Tune in now to this enlightening episode of the "Finding New Waters" podcast.

Kelsey's Links:

Podcast Website: ⁠https://www.findingnewwaters.com

New Waters Recovery Website: ⁠https://newwatersrecovery.com

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