Learn more about Michael Jorge
I first became interested in the healing power of breath in college at NYU as a philosophy major studying Taoism. When Lao Tzu wrote that the perfect man breathes as if he’s not breathing, I didn’t fully understand the words but intuitively they felt true. After college, I became a gunsmith and began building custom rifles. Gunsmithing gave me an opportunity to follow my breathing and turn my craft into a meditation.
However, after nearly a decade, I became bored with firearm mechanisms and simultaneously I became fascinated with the most complex mechanism in the known universe, the human body.
In researching the body, I came across another mechanist who grew disillusioned with machines and turned his attention to the body: Konstantin Buteyko. After discovering that all chronic pain, suffering and diseases are caused from lack of oxygen at the cell level, I knew Patrick McKeown was right when he said that quieting the breath is the best thing that he’s ever done. It is also the best thing that I’ve ever done and I love teaching others how to quieten their breathing.
I am also a certified peer support specialist, helping to support people struggling with mental illness and substance use disorder.As someone with a bipolar diagnosis I’m particularly interested in helping people who struggle with mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
I also created a Substack called The Stronghold, where I teach and write about mental systems based on ancient wisdom.
At the core of his work is the understanding that many people today live in a constant state of mental overstimulation, stress, distraction, and physiological tension. Through subtle breathing practices, meditation, and mindful reflection, sessions are designed to help individuals slow down mentally and physically while reconnecting with a deeper sense of presence.
About Michael's Approach to Breathwork
Michael teaches a subtle breathing techniques based on ancient Taoist and Yogic practices, and informed by a modern scientific approach, the Buteyko Method; all of these traditions are based on increasing our tolerance for carbon dioxide, which helps the cells of our body absorb more life-giving oxygen.
Subtle breathing helps to reduce the over-breathing patterns we may have, and helps bring awareness to being more conscious of how our breath affects our mind, body and spirit.
Key Principals:
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Nasal Breathing – Breathe through the nose, even during exercise and sleep.
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Reduced Breathing Volume – Breathe lightly and shallowly to avoid over-breathing (hyperventilation).
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Control Pause Test – Measures breath-holding time after exhaling to assess breathing efficiency.
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Relaxation & Awareness – Focus on slow, controlled breathing to maintain balance in oxygen and CO2 levels.
Some of Many Benefits:
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Helps manage asthma and reduces the need for inhalers.
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Improves symptoms of sleep apnea and snoring.
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Can reduce anxiety and panic attacks by calming the nervous system.
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Supports better endurance and stamina in athletes.
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Creates the conditions for clarity and inner listening
Breath-Anchored Meditation
Meditation, particularly reduced breathing meditation, can help balance the mind/body connection, easing suffering and healing the mind and body. By focusing on the physiological cause of the uncontrolled thinking that creates anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions, which is a lack of oxygen in the brain, meditators can make rapid progress into understanding the nature of the mind.
Since this oxygen deficiency is caused by loss of carbon dioxide due to over-breathing, my goal is to teach my clients techniques designed to reprogram the brain to automatically breathe more subtly. Subtle breathing increases carbon dioxide levels, which enables more oxygen to be delivered to the cells of the brain, which greatly reduces the volume and intensity of thoughts.
Increasing oxygen at the cellular level is essential because this addresses the root cause of uncontrolled thinking: the random and asynchronous firing of cortical neurons due to lack of oxygen in the brain. In simpler terms, when your brain lacks oxygen, thoughts are completely uncontrolled. The properly oxygenated brain enters a state of effortless mindfulness, and can choose to think what it wants, when it wants, or it can choose to remain free from thought.
My teaching approach is based on the fact that your natural state is to be free from anxiety, and this has just been covered up by layers of mental noise, caused by poor breathing habits. When the brain is trained to breath subtly, anxiety fades away and you will find that you already possess all the wisdom you need inside yourself.
Coaching Sessions:
One-on-one Sessions
These one-on-one sessions are tailored to what you most need, whether it’s nervous system regulation, relief from anxiety, spiritual support, or enhanced performance and focus. You’ll be gently supported through breath-based practices that anchor you back into your body and your clarity.
In a Session: We will start the session with a casual conversation about your situation or what your goals are. We briefly talk about the science of breath, followed by a guided meditation where you can lay down on the comfortable massage table and experience the subtle breathwork practice. It is very relaxing and many clients have expressed that they "felt calm and did not think" for the first time in a very long time.
Sessions may include:
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Buteyko-style breath retraining
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Grounding meditations & body awareness
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Tools to build focus, resilience, and calm
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Education on the science of subtle breathing and a guided meditation incorporating the gentle breathing technique
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Support through spiritual emergence. Michael offers help for those struggling with a spiritual emergency, internal psycho-spiritual conflicts or questions, and more.
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Ask follow-up questions via text or email any time
This is more than breathwork, it's guided presence, inner alignment, and a return to your true self. Sessions are 60 minutes.
For most people, one or two sessions will be enough to set you on the path to better health, but ongoing consultation is also available for those who wish to go deeper in their practice.
Michael also teaches groups in workshop settings across the Triangle area including yoga studios, wellness facilities, corporate events and more. Feel free to reach out for more information.
Thank you!