community spotlight
Breathe Meditation and Wellness by Sheila Julson
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Breathe offers group helsey Charbemeditation classes, sound neau and Jenn meditation with singing Moulaison, bowls and gongs, audioco-founders of Breathe guided meditation and virtual Meditation and Wellness, classes. In addition, Charbehad both worked in highneau has created meditation pressure jobs—Charbeteacher training certification neau at a Los Angelesprograms and workshops. based investment firm, To date, she has trained 125 and Moulaison in the Chelsey Charbeneau and people in the Dallas area. New York fashion indusJenn Moulaison All of Breathe’s services try. They soon felt the have a meditation component to them. physical and mental effects of stress. Complementary services include halotheraSeeking relief, Charbeneau began practicpy (salt booths), magnetic resonance therapy, ing meditation and yoga and was enthralled crystal bed therapy, tarot reading, reiki, Thai by the therapeutic benefits. This led her to yoga massage, therapeutic yoga and vibrabecome a certified yoga therapist and meditional sound therapy. tation guide. From there she formed Just B, While more people are becoming aware of a meditation studio in Santa Monica, before meditation, there is still some confusion surrelocating to Dallas. rounding the practice. Charbeneau and MouIn 2011, Moulaison’s work brought her laison strive to make it approachable with to Dallas, but soon she parted ways with simple, inviting aesthetics that are genderthe fashion industry and reexamined how neutral, calming and non-secular. Instructors she could take better care of herself. Bedesign classes with beginners in mind. ing a fast-paced person, she wasn’t sure if meditation was for her, but she eventually Meditation and Breathwork for decided to take classes. “I found meditaPhysical Health tion was something I could do. The teacher “We named the studio Breathe because was very relatable and somebody I could the one thing we share and have in common talk to—and that teacher was Chelsey,” is that we all breathe,” Charbeneau says. “If Moulaison recalls. you just focus on this non-religious, nonMoulaison completed 300-hour meditaphilosophical component that is part of our tion teacher training and decided to open a daily life every second of every day, you can studio. She knew the ideal person to help focus and drop into the present moment and her run it. “Chelsey is the programmer, the trainer, the visionary and authentic person behind what I wanted,” she says. Breathe Meditation and Wellness opened in February 2020. Despite the pandemic shutdown soon after, which allowed Charbeneau and Moulaison time to fine-tune the business and build a virtual platform, the studio is filling a void by providing an array of meditation and complementary wellness services.
find tools that will help you.” Charbeneau emphasizes that the way in which we breathe has an immediate impact on our mood, energy levels and sleep patterns. “Proper breathing, which includes nose and diaphragmatic breathing, helps calm the vagus nerve which runs from the brain to the gut,” she explains. “When we are breathing improperly, we can have excess carbon dioxide, and that can make us feel more pain or fatigued.” Charbeneau adds that many people breath through the mouth, which causes snoring and other issues. Being conscious of breathing through the nose allows the body to use its natural filtration system, the nostrils. Moulaison notes that before learning meditation and breathwork, she was primarily a chest-breather rather than deeply inhaling with the diaphragm. “Stress and anxiousness can make you breathe just at the top of your chest and never bring air down through the body,” she says.
Supporting the Dallas Community and Beyond
Charbeneau and Moulaison are expanding their virtual community to reach more people outside of Dallas. They will also dive deeper into different types of breathwork training. Youth meditation and breathwork programs halted during the pandemic are expected to return. Breathe offers an in-person and online “conscious consumerism” retail component with wellness products like candles, oils, homeware and gifts crafted by local businesses, many of which are owned by women and minorities. Charbeneau notes the Breathe team has personally vetted the ethics and social responsibility of each business whose items they carry. In addition, they partner with charitable organizations and will donate to breast cancer awareness causes during October. To help make meditation and breathwork accessible for everyone, Breathe’s teachersin-training offer Community Classes for $5 and donation-based virtual classes. Breathe Meditation and Wellness is located at 4131 Lomo Alto Dr., in Dallas. For more information, call 972-850-9894 or visit BreatheMeditationandWellness.com. See ad, page 31. September 2021
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