After the sudden death of his 42-year-old son, Brulé discovered that conscious breathing allowed him to work through immense emotional suffering
Grief has the power to halt life completely. For Dan Brulé—author, breathwork specialist, and creator of Breath Mastery—the loss of his 42-year-old son turned into a trial that challenged him in unforeseen ways and broadened his insight into how breathwork can assist individuals in navigating overwhelming feelings.
“Grief has the ability to be incapacitating, and I’ve lived through that pain after suddenly losing my son at just 42 years of age. The strength of breathwork helped guide me through that devastating heartbreak. When sadness feels too heavy, we often fight against experiencing its full extent. Yet by learning to direct emotions like grief, fear, and anger through the breath, we can move past them rather than becoming stuck, pushed, pulled, or frozen by them,” Brulé states.
Brulé’s viewpoint arrives as breathwork gains increasing attention as a method for exploring emotional states, including grief. Recent studies highlight how breathwork is being applied to ease grief.
For countless individuals, grief is an unavoidable aspect of life, yet its impact can stretch far beyond the original loss. A 2024 study published in JAMA Network Open revealed that 20.4% of bereaved U.S. adults surveyed met criteria for a presumptive diagnosis of prolonged grief disorder.
For Brulé, this topic is no abstraction. When he learned of his son’s death, he encountered what he calls the most severe emotional shock of his existence. His reaction, however, was instinctive and bodily.
“Upon hearing the news, my breath burst open, and I observed my body heaving with each inhalation. In a brief period, I was nearly free of the pain. I had waves of crying and breathing as I moved through four airports over the next 24 hours, and I was able to stay present, clearheaded, and supportive of his mother and brother,” Brulé explains.
Brulé notes that profound emotional experiences can sometimes feel too intense for the body and mind to handle, especially when people resist facing the complete depth of what they are undergoing. He teaches that conscious breathing offers a method to stay present with those emotions and channel the energy they generate.
“When we permit ourselves to fully experience deep sadness, it moves through us remarkably fast. And then we discover a sweetness within the sadness—hence the phrase ‘sweet sorrow,’” says Brulé.
This concept has become especially significant in how Brulé remembers his son.
Today, when he reflects on his son, Brulé may feel a brief moment of sadness, especially when he contemplates the time they could have shared. Yet the prevailing feelings are gratitude and affection as he recalls how amusing his son was and how completely he embraced life.
“Like a star, he burned brightly for a short time,” Brulé remarks.
For those interested in learning more about breathwork, Brulé shares his methods in his best-selling book, Just Breathe: Mastering Breathwork. He also offers courses and is currently touring internationally to share his techniques with practitioners worldwide.
“Breathwork is the most effective tool we have for managing powerful emotions and freeing ourselves from trauma and suffering,” Brulé concludes. “When we practice and train ourselves to breathe during moments of anger, fear, tension, or pain, that training kicks in and the breath automatically supports us when stress or trauma occurs. Additionally, sadness naturally shifts into gratitude over time.”
About Dan Brulé
Dan Brulé is a globally recognized breathwork pioneer, author, and the founder of Breath Mastery. With five decades of experience teaching conscious breathing, Brulé has trained people worldwide to use the breath as a pathway to greater awareness, emotional balance, resilience, and personal development. He is the author of Just Breathe: Mastering Breathwork and The Power of the Breath.
To learn more, please visit: https://breathmastery.com/
Dan Brulé is available for interviews.
Amanda Kent
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