HUMAN EMOTIONAL LIBERATION BY DESIGN
HELD
A Somatic Experience for Regulation, Recovery & Connection
HELD combines guided breathwork, somatic awareness, music, and integration to help people step out of sustained stress, reconnect with the body, and experience greater regulation, recovery, and presence.
THE HELD METHODOLOGY
More Than Breathwork
HELD is a structured somatic experience built around three stages.
01
PREPARE
Before breathwork begins, participants are guided through attention, body awareness, visualization, meditation, and somatic practices designed to help them arrive, settle, and feel greater choice and ease.
02
EXPERIENCE
Participants move through the HELD breathwork sequence. The framework remains consistent while pacing and intensity respond to the individual or group in real time.
03
INTEGRATE
Music, guided awareness, and grounding practices help participants transition from active breathing and integrate the experience into daily life.
“The intention is not simply to give people time away from pressure. It is to give them an experience of changing their relationship to it.”
CORE HELD LANGUAGE
Capacity begins in the body.
REGULATE
Develop greater awareness of stress activation and experience tools that support nervous system regulation.
RECOVER
Create space to downshift from sustained mental and physical demand.
RECONNECT
Return with greater presence, awareness, and connection to yourself and the people around you.
TWO WAYS TO EXPERIENCE HELD
The context changes. The method holds.
HELD FOR INDIVIDUALS
Personal work, held with intention.
Private sessions and intentionally intimate experiences for people seeking deeper somatic awareness, emotional regulation, reconnection, and personal exploration.
Explore Individual Experiences
HELD FOR ORGANIZATIONS
A methodology for people under pressure.
Experiential wellbeing programs for organizations and teams seeking regulation, recovery, resilience under pressure, connection, and sustainable performance.
Explore Corporate Programs
HELD FOR ORGANIZATIONS
Designed for People Operating Under Pressure
HELD gives participants an experiential opportunity to practice regulation and recovery rather than simply learning intellectually about wellbeing.
REGULATE
Recognize and influence stress activation.
RECOVER
Create capacity for genuine downshifting and restoration.
RECONNECT
Support presence, awareness, and connection within teams.
HELD is facilitated as a wellbeing experience, not therapy. Participation is voluntary, no personal disclosure is required, and participants remain in control of their level of participation throughout the experience.
FOUNDER, HELD
Michael Pereira
Michael Pereira is the founder of HELD and a somatic breathwork facilitator whose work spans corporate, wellness, private, and large-group settings. His approach combines breathwork, somatic awareness, meditation, music, and integration.
His background in both somatic work and the performing arts informs his ability to read a room, work responsively with groups, and create experiences that feel both structured and deeply human.
WHAT PARTICIPANTS NOTICE
A shift you can feel in the room.
5.0 ★★★★★ Google Reviews
“Michael demonstrated exceptional skill in holding a large group, intuitively reading the room, and adapting his facilitation in real time. We observed a clear and tangible shift in the energy, openness, and cohesion of our team as a direct result of the session.”
Susan Holland
Executive Director, Cancer Schmancer
“My experience with Michael was powerful and profound.”
Ezra Frech
Two-Time Paris 2024 Paralympic Gold Medalist
“He holds space with a steadiness, sensitivity, and intuitive awareness. I leave each session feeling more aligned, open, and connected to myself.”
Susie Toczek, LMFT
Participant
THE RIGHT CONTAINER FOR THE ROOM
Intimacy when it matters. Structure when it scales.
HELD is adapted to the context in which it is delivered. Private and small-group experiences preserve intimacy and individual attention, while organizational programs are structured specifically for larger groups and professional environments.
BEGIN A CONVERSATION
Experience HELD.
For private sessions, group experiences, and organizational programs, begin with a conversation.