9D Breathwork By Breath By Design, A Dallas Community Healing Experience at Gallery DeFi

Right now, more than ever, people are craving something deeper.

Not more information.
Not more content.
Not more things to do.

But real connection.

A space where they can exhale.
A space where they can feel safe in their body.
A space where they can be seen without having to explain everything they are carrying.

Because the truth is, we are living in a time where people are more connected digitally than ever before… but more disconnected emotionally than they have ever felt.

And that disconnection doesn’t just live in the mind.
It lives in the nervous system.
It lives in the body.

We see it every day, anxiety, burnout, emotional overwhelm, people feeling like they have to hold everything together on their own.

And for a long time, healing has been approached as something we do alone.

In sessions.
In silence.
Behind closed doors.

And while those spaces are important, they are not the only way.

Because humans were never designed to heal in isolation.

We are wired for connection.
For co-regulation.
For shared experiences that remind us we are not alone in what we feel.

And that is really where this story begins.

When Mama Lisa and I first started Breath by Design, everything centered around the breath. That was the entry point, that was the experience, that was the transformation. Two-hour journey experience, sound healing layered in, people coming in, going inward, releasing, and then slowly stepping back into their lives. And we loved that, we still love that. Our classes, our private sessions, and our workshops are deeply intentional spaces where people can regulate their nervous system, process emotion, and reconnect with themselves in a way that feels safe and supported. That work will always be the foundation of everything we do.

But over time, something started to stand out, something we didn’t expect but couldn’t ignore. People didn’t want to leave. They stayed after sessions, they talked longer than expected, they opened up to people they had just met, and what we began to notice, both as facilitators and from a therapeutic lens, was this: the healing wasn’t just happening during the breathwork, it was continuing in the connection after. It was happening in the shared experience of being seen, heard, and understood by someone who, just hours before, was a stranger.

That realization shifted everything for us.

Before this evolution, we began building out more intentional support around the breathwork itself. We created pre- and post-integration experiences for each experience, giving clients space to prepare their nervous systems before the journey and process what came up afterward. We offered workshops for deeper integration and 1:1 private coaching for those who needed more personalized support. We understand that breathwork opens something, but integration is what allows it to land and create lasting change.

But even with all of that in place, there was still something missing.

There wasn’t a space that allowed people to come together in community, to connect, to explore, to support small businesses, to discover different healing modalities, and then share a powerful breathwork experience, all in one night. I have never had many friends growing up and never fit into spaces and so I thought… why not build your own.

And that is where the idea for these nights began to form.

When we partnered with Gallery DeFi in Dallas in October of 2025, we didn’t just change locations; we expanded the entire container. Gallery DeFi is not your typical wellness space; it is immersive, creative, expressive, a place where art, culture, and energy all exist together, and its entire mission is rooted in the idea that “we are more than an art gallery.” When you walk into that space, you feel that immediately. It is not just walls with art, it is a full sensory experience, a fusion of creativity, music, culture, and storytelling that invites people to feel something deeper, not just observe something.

And there is something I’ve come to believe deeply: when artists create with love, the space itself becomes wrapped in that love. And when you place healing inside of a space like that, it amplifies everything. There is less pressure, more permission, more space to simply be human.

But the biggest shift for us was not just the space, it was how we began to structure the experience inside of it. Instead of people walking in and immediately lying down to go inward, we created space for connection first. Guests arrive and walk the room, they meet vendors, they talk to small business owners, they explore different healing modalities, they have conversations, and something important happens in that window. Walls start to come down, the nervous system begins to settle, people begin to feel safe without even realizing it.

From a therapist’s perspective, this matters more than people think, because the body does not open in environments where it does not feel safe, and safety is not always created in silence. Sometimes safety is created through connection, through eye contact, through conversation, through shared presence.

So by the time we all come together, we are no longer walking in as strangers.

We lay down together, often 80+ people in a room, all coming from different backgrounds, different stories, different seasons of life, but now slightly more connected than when they walked in, and that changes everything. Because when the breathwork begins, it is no longer just an individual experience; it becomes a shared one.

You can feel it, the room softens together, the energy shifts together, the nervous systems begin to regulate together. As a therapist, I have seen how powerful co-regulation is, how the presence of others can help the body feel safe enough to release, how simply not being alone in an experience can allow someone to go deeper than they ever have before. And that is exactly what happens in these rooms.

We have seen people walk in carrying years of stress, anxiety, grief, or emotional weight they did not even have words for, and leave lighter. We have seen first-time attendees come in unsure, nervous, even hesitant, and by the end of the night, they are hugging people they just met, exchanging numbers, and already planning to come back. We have seen real breakthroughs, people releasing years of stored emotion during the breathwork and then having the space afterward to actually talk about it with someone who understands, people recognizing patterns in their relationships for the first time, people finding practitioners, energy healers, and tools through our vendors that they now work with regularly.

And this is where another layer of intention comes in, the businesses.

We are very intentional about who we invite into these spaces. We don’t just look for vendors, we look for people. Heart-led, family-oriented, purpose-driven individuals who are building something not just for profit, but for impact. People who are in service to others, who care about what they are offering, and who are aligned in their mission to create something that truly supports the mind, body, and soul.

We personally reach out, connect, and curate these businesses because we want the experience to feel aligned from every angle. We want people walking into the room to know that everything around them was chosen with intention.

And through that, we’ve been able to bring together such a wide range of holistic offerings, from Reiki treatments, teas and tinctures, crystal jewelry, vegan supplements, essential oils, waist beads, activewear, aromatherapy, vegan eats and desserts, massage therapy, chiropractic and spinal energetics, neuromuscular therapy, hemp based non alcoholic drinks, IV hydration, and so much more.

Each of these businesses represents something bigger than a product or service. They represent people who are choosing to build with purpose, who are creating organic, conscious, and intentional offerings that support others in their healing journey. And we do this because we know that healing doesn’t stop at the end of a session. People need resources. They need tools. They need practitioners. They need options that align with how they want to live, whether that is organic, vegan, holistic, or simply more intentional.

We are building a space where people can discover those resources, support local businesses, and feel connected to something bigger than themselves. Especially in a time where connection is something we are all craving more than ever.

We have also seen something equally powerful happen within this space. Small businesses meet at these events and go on to collaborate, support each other, and grow together. Vendors are gaining new clients, new exposure, and real momentum. Creators feel seen, sometimes for the first time. Conversations turning into partnerships, and partnerships turning into growth.

We have now hosted over 60 small businesses, holistic vendors, creators, and practitioners within these events, and over 900 guests have walked through these doors. And what stands out the most is how many people come back, again and again, bringing friends, bringing family, because once you feel a space where you are seen, where you are safe, where you are not judged, you do not forget it.

We also began to realize that breathwork did not have to stand alone. We started asking ourselves what it would look like to create an entire ecosystem of healing in one space, not just breathwork, but connection, integration, support, and different modalities. Because healing is not just one tool, it is many. And now, within one night, someone can release through breathwork, talk to a practitioner, discover a new modality, connect with a small business, and feel supported on multiple levels.

These nights have become a space for so many different people. People new to the city looking for connection, people navigating anxiety, stress, or burnout, people deep in their healing journey, people trying breathwork for the first time, couples wanting to grow together, friends wanting something more meaningful, small business owners and creatives, healers, professionals, parents, individuals from all walks of life. And what they all have in common is that they are looking for something real.

There is something about being in a room with 80 plus people, all there for the same reason, to heal, to release, to connect, that allows the nervous system to soften in a way that is different than being alone. When you see someone else feeling, releasing, breathing through something, it gives your body permission to do the same, it normalizes the experience, it reminds you that you are not the only one carrying what you are carrying. Healing does not have to happen in isolation, and for many people, it actually happens deeper when it doesn’t.

We still love our classes. We still love our private sessions and our workshops. Those spaces will always matter deeply. But these community nights, they hold something different. This is where everything comes together: the breath, the people, the art, the energy, the connection, the support. This is where healing becomes shared.

And I think what makes this even more special is that this was never something we built alone. This was built with our community. With every person who showed up, every vendor who said yes, every conversation, every connection, every moment of vulnerability and openness. We are forever grateful to this community for helping us build something that feels so alive, so aligned, and so full of love.

Because anyone can facilitate breathwork. Anyone can guide a session. But there is something different when something aligned is created. When intention, space, people, and purpose all come together. That is when something shifts from being just an experience to something that feels almost unexplainable.

And we are just getting started. We have exciting news coming your way with some other amazing heart-led practitioners that we cannot wait to co-collborate with to make these events even more special and intentional. Thank you for being with us from the beginning, thank you for seeing the vision with us and being apart of it every step of the way. YOU are the reason we built them and can continue growing them. From one idea of a girl who didn’t fit in anywhere to being surrounded by like-minded individuals with the same purpose and intention, I’m forever thankful and blessed.

So keep checking those emails.

We cannot wait to continue growing this with you.

Our next gathering is April 11th from 12:00–4:00 PM, Letting Go & Moving On, a 9D Breathwork journey designed to help you release what you have been carrying and create space for what is next. This one feels especially powerful, a moment to truly reset, emotionally, mentally, and energetically, surrounded by a room that is there to do the same.

On May 3rd, we will be stepping into Healing Financial & Abundance, a journey focused on your relationship with money, worthiness, and receiving. This experience is designed to gently uncover and shift patterns that may be holding you back from expansion, while opening you up to a new level of alignment and flow.

And on June 14th, we will be introducing a brand new 9D journey, one we are still allowing to fully come through and land with intention. More details to come, but we can already feel that this will be something special.

Each of these gatherings will continue to build on what we are creating together, connection first, community always, and a space where you don’t have to do any of it alone.

We cannot wait to see you there.

Dr. Rachel Sims & Mama Lisa

Breath by Design x Gallery DeFi 🤍