Why do I need help breathing?

Letter from the Co-Founder

"Why do I need help breathing?"

Do you find yourself asking this question? Before I started Komuso, I was a skeptic too. I thought the same thing when I first started down this path.

Before I started Komuso with my wife Vanessa, I was sitting right where you are now.
I was at a crossroads, wondering what the hell am I doing. I had lost my way.
There was too much noise, I was too caught up in my head.

On the exterior, I keep everything calm and cool and collected. But on the inside, there was a lot of anxiety. And the more I tried to remain calm and collected—the more detached my exterior front was from my interior narrative—the more that anxiety built.

There’s a lot of worry that’s always been a part of me, since I was a kid. I worried about school, and then a job, and then the 401k and there was always that next thing to worry about.

It all came full circle after my dad died at a very young age.‍

I realized it was stress that killed him, that stress could do the same to me. And that’s why this journey is so personal.

My epiphany came from a fight I had with my wife.

It was a tough one, it was intense, we were really worked up. We stopped and asked each other to take a deep breath. And we stood together, breathing, not talking, not thinking, just breathing. And recovering.

When we came down, we didn’t know it then exactly, but we both were aware of a break, a shift, a new understanding.

What we eventually came to realize was that if we can learn how to breathe better, we will understand how to be still and mindful. If we can learn how to be still and mindful, we will understand how to be present and peaceful. If we can learn how to be present and peaceful, we will understand how to be grateful.

I’m not a monk. I’ve always wanted to meditate, but struggled with clearing my head and focusing. Vanessa and I are everyday people that found a really simple solution. And that solution changed everything.

I hope you’ll give the Shift a chance. I’ve personally experienced a transformation that all started with this simple and effective breathing tool. And this change in my life has continued to blossom in ways I couldn’t imagine possible.