Breath, Body, and Stillness: Wisdom from Alan Goltl

Stillness isn’t something we have to chase—it’s something we can return to, moment by moment, through the simple act of breathing.

For Alan, a practitioner who works closely with the body, breath is the most direct path inward. “Bringing my awareness to my breath calms my nervous system and anchors me in the moment,” he shares. “It’s what takes me into stillness.”

But what if that stillness feels out of reach? Alan suggests starting with awareness. “When we’re anxious or stressed, we tend to breathe shallowly, without even realizing it. Just noticing how you’re breathing—and then gently deepening it—can shift your whole state.”

Beyond calming the mind, breath also works on a physiological level. “The lungs have a huge capacity to create internal movement,” Alan explains. “When we take fuller breaths, we help release tension in the fascia, the connective tissue that wraps around everything in the body. As that fascia softens, the body’s systems can function more freely. It’s like removing static from a signal—the body becomes clearer in its communication with itself.”

Fascial restriction, especially around the chest and lungs, can often contribute to feelings of anxiety or disconnection. “Some people I work with say it feels like they’ve forgotten how to breathe,” Alan says. “That’s usually a sign of restriction—something in the body limiting the breath. Working with the breath is a gentle way to start unwinding that.”

In a world full of noise and urgency, the breath is a quiet invitation—back to presence, back to self, back to stillness.

Alan Goltl is the founder of TankHouse Community and a MyoFascial Release (MFR) practitioner trained in the John F. Barnes approach. With over a decade of experience supporting the body’s natural healing intelligence, he offers one-on-one MFR sessions exclusively at TankHouse.