The open app for Breathwork makes it a lot less intimidating

“Breathing is one of the few functions of the body that occurs both automatically and on purpose. We define breathing as any practice that manipulates breathing,” said Raed Khawaja, CEO and co-founder of Open, a platform -digital wellness form that aims to provide inclusive, wellness practices, such as breathing. “By manipulating breathing through targeted breathing techniques, we can access a host of physiological and psychological benefits. Some have been studied in clinical settings, others are more anecdotal and occur on an emotional level.” Some of these benefits include reducing anxiety and promoting better sleep.

The first part of the course, marked by shortness of breath, made me question all the life decisions that led me to this precise moment, which I regretted at that time. But I continued, and then I felt it: the stillness and silence that people describe in meditation that I never seemed to be able to find. You know how when you start your computer the machine purrs to warm up, but then it stops and there is a beat before the screen turns back on? This is what I felt throughout the course, after getting over the shortness of breath from the warm-up exercises. And after class, I felt ready to break free, like I wanted to go hide in my room and sob, but in a good way.

“I believe mindfulness is the gateway to wellness,” says Khawaja. “I was brought up in a wonderful Muslim family and learned to pray from an early age. I wouldn’t have called it a “meditation practice” back then, but that’s exactly what it was to me. Every Friday I would join hundreds of people in my local mosque as we pray in unison with a billion other Muslims around the world. what community looks like, and it has been an inspiration to cultivate open community.

“We set out to create the feeling you get when you train with your friends and community in your local studio, a feeling a lot of us really missed last year.” —Raed Khawaja, CEO and co-founder of Open

Although Open was originally designed to be a physical studio (it hosted over 100 pop-ups in San Francisco in 2019 and was slated to open a permanent studio in 2020 before the pandemic), those plans have changed. At the onset of the pandemic, “we quickly strengthened our team and focused all of our resources and focused our efforts on translating the magic of the in-person experience into something you can access from anywhere,” said Khawaja. “We have invested a lot of resources to ensure we deliver the most immersive audiovisual experience for live broadcasts.” From there, the team looked at the features that would best allow users to engage with their community, which includes people from over 130 cities and 40 countries.

“People love that you can turn on your camera to get live commentary from teachers, chat with others in the class, and even connect at times ranging from birthdays to world events,” Khawaja said. “We set out to create the feeling you get when you train with your friends and community at your local studio, a feeling a lot of us really missed last year.”

The application offers courses in three modalities: breathe, move and meditate. (If you’re not sure where to start, there’s a Guided Survey that can point you in one direction based on your specific goals.) That said, each of the experiences on the app is “designed to meet you where you are,” Khawaja says. “Someone who has never meditated before can enter the same class as someone who has practiced for 10 years, and they will both benefit from reliable access to presence and a sense of community. “

You can also filter the courses by modality, course duration (there are courses from one minute to 60 minutes) and by instructor. Both on-demand and live courses are included in the subscription – which, after a two-week free trial, costs $ 20 per month or $ 10 per month with an annual subscription – and each course comes with notes on what you can expect to live. Instructors also point out contraindications, such as if you are pregnant, have asthma, or are prone to seizures, both in the app and during in-person classes to make sure everyone world is safe. Basically, if you’re looking for a Peloton-esque community for mindfulness, breathing, and meditation (along with Pilates and yoga), Open is your answer.

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