Are you feeling overwhelmed, tense, or constantly in your head during your PhD?

You're not alone. The PhD journey can be mentally demanding, emotionally challenging, and physically draining. Many researchers experience chronic stress without realizing how deeply it affects their body, focus, and wellbeing. This one-day pilot intensive offers you a new approach: a deep dive into your body, your breath, and your stress patterns.

No prior experience with breathwork needed – just openness.

What to expect

Morning – Understanding Stress in Your System with Kick Moors

• Learn how your nervous system reacts under pressure
• Identify your own patterns of coping, freezing, or pushing through
• Reflect on how stress shows up in your academic life
• Get practical, science-based tools to increase inner safety and resilience

Afternoon – Breathwork Session with Livia Benders

A guided breathwork experience that helps you release tension, restore calm, and reconnect with your body’s wisdom. This is not a lecture – it’s a full-body experience that supports deep integration and personal insight.

Please be aware that this can be an intense experience. There are some contraindications including:

• Severe cardiovascular conditions
• Severe respiratory issues
• Epilepsy or history of seizures.
• Glaucoma or retinal detachment
• Recent major surgery or physical trauma.
• Pregnancy
• Severe psychiatric conditions

If you are in doubt whether it is safe for you to join, please contact Suzan Kommers (s.kommers@bb.leidenuniv.nl) to discuss further.

This day is part of the transferable skills program and counts towards your PhD training hours. Above all, it’s an invitation to slow down, listen inward, and strengthen the foundation from which you move through your PhD and beyond.