By Crystal Harrell
Most people don’t give breathing a second thought, as it typically comes naturally and is as instinctual as your heartbeat. What many do not realize is that healthy breathing habits are the key to one’s overall well-being, and specialized breathwork can transform one’s life.
Susan Dunn was given the gift of being intuitive to the healing needs of others. She became a Licensed Body Worker in 1988. In 1991, she was one of the first frontrunners in providing on-site chair massage and wellness services to many corporations in the greater Los Angeles area. Some of her clients include Mattel, The Getty, Motion Picture Studios, Marsh McLennan, Xerox, Office Depot, Isuzu, Toyota, and Nissan.
After moving to the desert, she co-founded and created Kinetix Health and Performance Center in 2008, offering innovative programs and modalities. In 2020, Susan created Elements in the Desert, using her years of knowledge in the health care industry to provide a unique experience. She became a Breathwork Facilitator because, through her experience, she has found that approximately 90% of ailments are emotionally driven. Her goal is to create a ripple effect of healing. Through her integrative approach, she offers her work privately, in group settings and via zoom classes.
“I got introduced to breathwork over a year and a half ago. I went into a class, and it was so transformational. The results were undeniable, so when I came out of that session, I decided this is something I need to do. I had already been in the healthcare field for 35 years, and for me it was just like a curtain ripped open, like this is what I needed to do. I’ve never had that. So, I researched a lot of different practitioners and facilitators, and I found a person that I wanted to learn from. I’ve been certified for over a year now,” shared Dunn.
What can one expect during a breathwork session? The practice involves lying down in a comfortable position and breathing continuously and deeply for an extended time, approximately 45 minutes. Silent headphones are provided, giving an immersive healing experience as a certified facilitator guides and prompts participants on the technique: Two inhale breaths with a surrendering exhaled breath. This continuous circular pattern of deep breathing helps to release trapped emotions and open blocked energy channels in the body. It’s common for participants to laugh, cry or have an emotional experience during a session. Everyone is in full control for the entire session, and at any time it becomes too intense, they are free to return to a normal breathing pattern.
“It’s funny when we talk about breathwork, though, because it’s such a broad topic. It’s like an umbrella term, like fitness, because there’s all these different styles of fitness and there’s all these different styles of breathwork. The breathwork that I’m teaching is using the power of breath and a certain pattern to release trapped emotions that we suppress through our life. So, they might be from significant life events or from an injury because typically we move through life, and we’ll experience happy times and express ourselves when we’re happy and joyful. But when things aren’t so wonderful, and they’re negative experiences, sometimes we tend to suppress those because life is busy and we need to move forward,” explained Dunn.
Susan offers private, one-on-one breathwork sessions, zoom classes, group programs at Gather La Quinta in Old Town La Quinta and is available for private and corporate events. She has also just partnered with the Westin and Westin Rancho Mirage.
“I would say that my goal is for everybody to live a happy, healthy, authentic life,” concluded Dunn.
For more information, visit elementsinthedesert.com.
