ג׳ שבט ה׳תשפ״ו | January 20, 2026
‘Breathwork’ Is Not About Breathing
Longtime cult-buster Rabbi Shea Hecht challenges the recent interest in “Breathwork,” a practice rooted in Eastern religions, that is now being marketed to stressed-out Jews as a solution for anxiety, “stored trauma”, and even spiritual emptiness.
By Rabbi Shea Hecht
Breathing is free. Breathwork isn’t. That alone should make us stop and think.
Now, let me be clear before anyone gets defensive: I like breathing. Breathing is not the issue. The issue is that Breathwork is not a health practice, but a form of New Age indoctrination rooted in Eastern religions, now being marketed to stressed-out Jews as a solution for anxiety, “stored trauma”, and even spiritual emptiness.
If breathwork were simply about health, you would learn the technique and move on. That’s not how it works. Instead, you’re invited into a “journey,” guided by practitioners who have supposedly “gone deeper.” One of the most basic human functions suddenly requires ongoing, paid supervision.
This structure matters. Because it creates dependence.
The deeper you go, the more invested you become, both financially and emotionally. What starts as a session leads to retreats, training, certifications and, eventually, membership in a highly curated community. Somewhere along the way, all of the exit ramps disappear, and dependence is redubbed as “growth”. Joining is cheap. Progressing is not. And no matter the question, the answer is always more breathwork.
We’ve heard this song before.
In the 60s and 70s, it was gurus and cults, Transcendental Meditation, Hare Krishnas, the Moonies. All of them promised relief, meaning, and belonging. In return, you must stay enlightened, stay guided, stay inside the system. Many intelligent Jews were drawn in—not because they were foolish, but because they were searching. Breathwork is simply the latest version, dressed up as “wellness”.
Yiddishkeit does not promise comfort, and Chabad Chassidus certainly does not offer shortcuts. Challenge is not a flaw in our way of life; it’s actually the point. Growth requires effort, but not dependence on New Age systems or outside communities. We already have what we need: Mashpiim, Farbrengens, and a real community built on Ahavas Yisroel and Emunah.
So, here’s the real question: do we honestly believe that the answer to our struggles is paying to learn the right way to breathe? This constant search for relief may not help us heal at all but keep us from the work that actually changes us.
COMMENTS
Rabbi Shea Hecht,
I think you should try breathwork if you haven’t already. It might change your mind.
Do you have any other solutions?
If some basic breathing techniques help people who are suffering with anxiety and other sorts of issues, helps them let go of previous traumas and move on in life instead of being “Stuck” – Then what’s thy problem with that?
If it can change your nervous system and make you an all round better person, someone who’s more calm, more present more happy and more real, isn’t that what torah wants? – and like you said yourself, “breathing is free” and its been around since day one.
There’s nothing new about it, that should make you look at it as a cult of some sort, just better techniques on how to breath to help regulate your emotional state and make you feel better overall.
Please answer me Rabbi Shea Hecht
I could not agree more this must be spread further and further! There are hundreds of Yidden being swindled by this extremism and cult like mentality
If we already have what we need, why are people seeking out these methods?
Clearly there is a lack that they are trying to fill.
Breath work is not the issue.
It’s the lack of emotional health and honesty that unfortunately exists in so many frum families.
Instead of finding problems with potentially problematic ways of healing trauma, why not focus on addressing the reason that so many people in our community have trauma in the first place?
Teach young parents how to raise children in an emotionally healthy way, and then the children won’t search for ways to heal themselves.
Bombshell….
Inner work is important. If breathworks help people who are suffering with anxiety, they can do breath work too.
Breath work alone, has not worked for me. But when I went for therapy and coaching, this helped me heal allot.
If breath work comes as a supplement to the therapy then maybe it can be helpful. This is my experience, but everyone is different.
It seems like the Crown Heights Rabbanim endorsed breath work courses in crown heights recently so now I’m confused about this article. Is this article specifically writing against that?
They claim that “Crown Heights Rabbonim” have endorsed them. Which Rov? Which methods did he endorse? For whom?
Show it to me in writing and then I’ll believe you.
Breathwork is not endorsed. The specific people giving the modalities are endorsed. Who they learned from and where the sources of their knowledge is from.
Just because one practitioner is given a hechsher for breathwork does not mean another will receive the same hechsher.
People have been doing this for years in crown heights. Now bh there is a central place with a rav overseeing it. Thank people who see missing pieces and do something about it instead of trying to destroy them!
Thank you Rabbi Hecht!
From ‘primal therapy’ of the 70’s which had you cry & scream to relive your journey through the birth canal, to hypnotherapy & new-age yoga meditation, to crystal healing, to the new breath-work craze, … the fads all come & go.
Sadly, some frum yidden (and even Chabad chassidim) jump on the bandwagon; believing the promises every new “wellness trend” offers.
Your article remind us all where the promise for growth & wellness really lies – our authentic unadulterated Torah.
Rabbi Hecht, you mentioned “ Challenge is not a flaw in our way of life; it’s actually the point” – yes challenges makes a person grow – that’s how anyone gets bigger and better. But speaking from personal experience. the medication and therapy and farbrengens and my mashpia giving me a derech in avodas hashem I felt I was missing something, I always felt different. Apart. Nothing can fill that hole. No maamer, No niggun. Untill I went to breathwork and I saw what I was missing- My connection with my Neshama. I am a Chelek alokai. Everything in this world is like fire – it can be used for good or for bad. It’s the person choice what to do with it.
Bh
Rabbi Osdoba and Rabbi Braun both met extensively with Neshamos and the rav they appointed to oversee “breathwork” support groups and other modalities in the healing center. It’s not Breathwork’s that’s the problem, it’s who the practitioners learned from and where their sources are from. How does one make statements like this without speaking to the rabbanim of the community?
Secondly unfortunately it’s come to a point where we need to offer “kosher healing” because so much out there is problematic. The people fighting it are clearly not receiving the calls of pain, hopelessness, and frustration of a system that’s is not helping their situation. We are not meant to remain in challenge, we are meant to DO to over come challenge. And kosher healing is one way. Lchaim to those in pain may Moshiach come and there be no more!!
I think Rabbi Hecht has a point but it is only looking at one side.
Here are some other things to consider:
1. Anything could be used as avodah Zara literally. Also figuratively when a person is not guided by Hashem in their healing (like not having a mashpia or proper values or blind trust in humans instead of Hashem) but it doesn’t mean breathwork is bad. It depends how it’s used
2. Just like the Rebbe urged professionals to create a kosher version of meditation, I see breathwork as the same
3. It has help many people, especially when integrated into daily living (like practicing how to take deep breaths or focus on breathing so that it can be done under stress)
4. In last week’s Parsha (Shemos), Rashi speaks about the yidden not breathing properly. It’s worth checking out. Everybody who is breathing is able to do it but it doesn’t mean they’re doing it right
5. Sometimes a person can use guidance how to enhance their physical well-being so they are more healthy to serve Hashem. This is especially when a person’s nervous system is not healthy (which is unfortunately very common nowadays with many people who were raised by caregivers who were not emotionally healthy)
6. Just like everything, a method needs to be used in moderation and if a person becomes obsessed with it, it’s probably not being used properly
Rabbi Hecht, thank you for your clarity and courage.
You’re not dismissing people’s pain or the value of regulation. You’re questioning systems that quietly create dependence and replace Torah, mashpiim, and real community with paid “journeys.” That distinction is critical and often ignored.
Your perspective comes from decades of watching movements evolve, not theory. In a time when everything is repackaged as wellness, your voice is an important anchor for our community.
Thank you for your continued leadership and vigilance.
when there is no (or not enough) healthy socialization and community and connection,. a place where people can candidly share with each oter whats on their heart, where people can be challenged and grow then people fall for this cult like stuff that offers community and connection.
In תשל”ט the Rebbe called on psychiatrists to extend their knowledge in the use of
meditation (only in a manner permitted by the Torah) in order to help thousands of Jews who need this therapy (but now become involved in
other approaches to meditation that may border on heathenism, yet, if they would know of meditation approved by the Torah, would seek it
from doctors who practice it).
[This is printed in the old Hayom Yom by Kehos on page A29 about the Rebbe’s genealogy] I don’t know why the new blue Hayom Yom didn’t include the Rebbe’s genealogy from SIE.
That’s for people who unfortunately really need it. Otherwise for the most part almost all spiritual ills can be cured by our very own holy Torah. As Rabbi Braun elaborated on so profoundly in this article. The video is at the bottom.
https://anash.org/dont-fall-for-new-age-therapies-its-all-in-chassidus/
All Rashi says is that under stress, people breathe differently. He doesn’t say that through breathing differently, you can regulate your emotions.
To be clear, I’m not saying breathwork doesn’t work. All I’m saying is, Rashi doesn’t say it. I don’t like it when people read their shitos into things. Have your shitos, don’t blame them on Rashi
The author of the article writer that breathing is free but Rashi clearly says that under stress, a person doesn’t breathe properly. You can learn from it however you wish but Rashi doesn’t agree with the author about breathing and that everyone does it the same always
I started suffering from panic waves and panic attacks as a side effect of medication, basically ANXIETY. Being that it was drug-induced, it was even worse. DEEP BREATHING got me back my life, after much suffering. Deep breathe, through the nose, to fill up slowly and then slowly exhale through the mouth, blowing gently. Do this ten times one after the other.I did this ten times a day for one day. The next day, i was relaxed, anxiety and panic-free, it was b”h unbelievable. Free of charge, did it by myself; basically you reset the body into its calm state, which is induced by the deep breathing. this is NOT breathwork at all!! Any time, the anxiety sets in, I use this method and b”h always works!!
Breath work is powerful and there is a place for it when necessary.
For a large population who haven’t properly integrated Moach Shalit it is truly life changing.
I’d suggest you read these articles by Rus Devorah Wallen who has researched the topic.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-rebbe-saved-me-three-times-part-2-wallen-lcsw-pc
In תשל”ט the Rebbe called on psychiatrists to extend their knowledge in the use of
meditation (only in a manner permitted by the Torah) in order to help thousands of Jews who need this therapy (but now become involved in
other approaches to meditation that may border on heathenism, yet, if they would know of meditation approved by the Torah, would seek it
from doctors who practice it).
[This is printed in the old Hayom Yom by Kehos on page A29 about the Rebbe’s genealogy] I don’t know why the new blue Hayom Yom didn’t include the Rebbe’s genealogy from SIE.
That’s for people who unfortunately really need it. Otherwise for the most part almost all spiritual ills can be cured by our very own holy Torah. As Rabbi Braun elaborated on so profoundly in this article. The video is at the bottom.
https://anash.org/dont-fall-for-new-age-therapies-its-all-in-chassidus/
how do i contact you Rabbi Shea Hecht?