More About Our Founder

Kathleen Barratt is a seasoned breathwork pioneer whose work bridges the ancient wisdom of Eastern breath meditation with Eastern subtle energy practices. Her journey began in the early 1980s with a deep dive into breathwork methods rooted in hyperventilation and emotional catharsis. Yet over time, her path evolved—guided by a calling toward the more refined and transformative realms of the subtle breath.

For over two decades, she has studied and practiced bioenergy healing under Mietek and Margaret Wirkus, which laid the foundation for her development of Restorative Breathwork®—a meditative system of breath that honors the breath’s innate intelligence and leads us into deep states of stillness, balance, and inner illumination. Restorative Breathwork is both a subtle energy healing art and a spiritual practice—what Kathleen describes as a “sophisticated system of breath meditation” that gently reattunes the body, mind, and soul.

Her approach offers a building-block progression that begins with regulating the nervous system, then deepens into chakra purification and the rebalancing of the pranic field—awakening the breath’s potential to open the gateway to the spiritual dimensions of the Self. At its core, this work is a sacred return to the True Self, where breath becomes not a tool of control but a teacher and guide—leading us toward the still point within. Her teachings are rooted in reverence, deep listening, and the yin principles of surrender, receptivity, and attunement.

Since 1993, Kathleen has led thousands through immersive breathwork trainings, spiritual retreats, and private practice sessions. As the founder of the Barratt Breath Institute, she continues to guide yoga professionals, mind-body practitioners, and spiritual seekers into the healing currents of the breath—offering a path of renewal, inner harmony, and spiritual awakening.

Her work has been featured at institutions such as Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E. and the ISSSEEM Conference and includes participation in the Elizabeth Targ Research Project on subtle energy healing for AIDS patients at the California Pacific Medical Center. Across decades of teaching, Kathleen has remained devoted to one essential truth: within the breath lies a sacred intelligence—a bridge between form and formlessness, body and soul.