Breathing Foundations: The Valsalva Method
20 founding member spots ·
Cohort begins September 13th.
Enrollment closes September 6th.
If you are here, you've probably been struggling with Valsalva for awhile.
You’ve worked on your breathing, adjusted your technique, and practiced more slowly and more intentionally.
And you’ve made progress!
But time and time again, you keep falling apart under pressure, or your progress halts, and you keep ending up back at square one.
This is a common experience and a sign that the approach has started in the wrong place.
70%+
of surveyed players had been dealing with Valsalva symptoms for 2 or more years
87%
described symptoms as moderately or significantly limiting their playing
75%
named attacks (hesitations, blocking, explosiveness) as their primary symptom
The Hidden Pattern
What makes this problem especially isolating is that it tends to stay hidden.
You find workarounds.
You develop and improve your air attacks.
You time your entrances and breaths differently.
You finally learn to manage it well enough to function, and from the outside, no one knows.
But you know. And things still feel like they could fall apart.
And the longer it goes on, the more it starts to feel like something is fundamentally wrong with you, not just with your technique, but with your body.
This is a common experience, and you are not alone.
Survey respondents described their experience as debilitating, terrifying, and demoralizing. One professional horn player described dreading practicing alone, finding it increasingly difficult to show up at all.
A graduate student said they wanted to quit for a long time, while another described developing a deep resentment toward playing, ultimately choosing another profession.
These are not people who gave up. These are dedicated, trained musicians who spent years fighting a system problem with technical solutions.
When Valsalva is No Longer a Technique Issue
If this has been going on for more than a year, chances are the Valsalva Maneuver doesn't start when you pick up your horn. Many survey participants reported common symptoms away from their instrument that are linked to their overall system's ability to manage pressure.
Here are a few examples:
1. Your abs feel "on" even when you're sitting still
Not soreness, but a low-level grip that doesn't turn off away from the instrument. Nearly half of the surveyed players reported this at rest.
2. You hold your breath in everyday situations
Before a difficult email. Standing up from a chair. Walking into a room where you'll be evaluated. The bracing the instrument amplifies is running through your whole day.
3. Your jaw, neck, or shoulders are already tight before you've played a note
Nearly 60% of surveyed players reported TMJ issues alongside their playing symptoms, including jaw clenching, popping, and limited mouth opening. Most symptoms reported were present before they ever touched their horn. Players also reported tension headaches and chronic neck or upper-trap tightness that shows up on non-playing days.
4. Your low back or pelvic floor never fully lets go
Several respondents reported pelvic floor tightness, bloating, GERD, and hernia history alongside their playing symptoms, correlating with a full-body pattern running from the jaw all the way down. These aren't separate problems. They're the same pressure system, expressed across the body.
4. You can't fully relax or downregulate your nervous system
Nearly half of surveyed players reported difficulty relaxing at rest, not before a performance, but at home. The body has been in this pattern long enough that it no longer knows what neutral feels like, and it has also been reported to affect post-concert down-regulation, ultimately negatively impacting sleep quantity, quality, and overall recovery.
If any of this sounds familiar away from the instrument, your technique isn't the only thing at play. There's a system underneath it holding that pattern in place.
Who is this Program for?
This program is for musicians who:
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Play a brass or wind instrument and are serious about your health and craft
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Deal with hesitations, locked air, or bracing that shows up beyond the instrument, such as jaw tension, neck or shoulder tightness, low back stiffness, or a body that is chronically braced, tight, or stiff.
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Have already tried traditional ways to repattern your breath, including breathing exercises, technique fixes, or lessons, and still feel something underneath hasn't shifted
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Are ready to work at the level of the system, not just find another workaround
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Are ready to build a body that can hold up under pressure, not just manage around it
Who is this Program Not For?
This program is not for musicians who:
✓ Are looking for a quick fix or something that "solves valsalva"
✓ Aren't willing to show up for themselves and put in 10-15 minutes/day to the process
✓ Have an isolated technique issue with no signs of tension, bracing, or symptoms showing up anywhere else in the body
✓ Aren't open to a different approach or way of thinking about the problem
✓ Those who are confusing an occasional, intentional Valsalva with a chronic, involuntary bracing pattern. This program is for the latter
Program Roadmap
The goal isn't just less tension; it's a system that can actually hold up when you layer playing and repatterning back on top of it.
This program gets you there as you progress block by block: first reducing tension, then rebuilding your body's ability to create and manage pressure, and finally training your ability to maintain those changes under stress.
This gives you a physical foundation you can layer playing technique, repatterning, and relearning onto. Because it's built block by block, your progress stays incremental, reliable, and built to last.
Block 1-2
Reduce tension and decompress the system
The first few weeks focus on positional breathing drills and myofascial release exercises to relieve overactive musculature and calm the nervous system, creating the conditions in which everything else becomes possible.
Block 3
Restore and rebuild pressure management capacity
Now we start rebuilding pressure management, including targeted work through your core, pelvic floor, and feet, tailored to your own structure. This is where your body relearns how to create and release pressure through various movements and active drills, rather than rely on bracing by default.
Block 4
Train that capacity under stress, then bring it to the instrument
The final stretch brings everything into motion, using active movement and breathing warm-ups that train your system to hold up under real stress.
This is also where your expertise comes in, as you will take these concepts and apply them to your daily warm-up routine (if you do not have one, that is okay).
Founding Cohort - What's Included
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8 weeks of structured, block-by-block programming
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Weekly live Zoom coaching calls with Austin, 7 pm EST every Sunday, starting on 9/13/26 (recorded if you can't make it live)
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Private community for Q&A and direct access to Austin between calls
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High level of accountability to help you integrate habits into your daily routine
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Lifetime access to all program materials and call recordings
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Your feedback shapes future versions of the program
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$297 one-time price: founding cohort pricing, locked in permanently
Need a payment plan? Please reach out to thefunctionalmusician@gmail.com
20 spots. One cohort. September 13th.
If this problem has made you dread first notes, lose trust in your body, or question whether you still want to play, that's not weakness. That's what happens when a capable, dedicated musician spends years fighting a system problem with technique solutions.
The problem was never your commitment. It was the starting point.
Join the Founding Cohort - $297
