I had always lived life as if it were a constant race.
I learned early on that success mattered most, and believed deeply that academic achievement was the key to success. My youth was spent preparing to attend a prestigious university in Seoul, where I eventually completed my master's degree in English literature. While preparing for a Ph.D., I suddenly decided to pursue dentistry in Australia—a dramatic change in my path. I believed a new challenge would open the door to a completely new life.
Reality, however, turned out differently. In an unfamiliar country, I struggled immensely to enter dental school, a field I had never previously studied. Even after admission, anxiety and the fear of falling behind kept pushing me relentlessly forward. During this period, I experienced depression, anxiety disorders, and an eating disorder. Ultimately, one winter break I returned to Seoul and decided never to go back. I couldn't understand why life was so hard. Actually, I wasn't even aware that I was struggling. Having grown up hearing from my parents that "life is inherently tough and competitive," I never questioned my own suffering. I believed happiness in the present moment meant laziness and a loss of future opportunities. It was during this time that I discovered meditation and yoga.
The very first day I practiced meditation, for the first time, I was able to step back and observe my experiences from a distance. Peering into my own heart, I finally realized how much I had been struggling. Soon after, I began to practice yoga and traveled to India to deepen my meditation practice. From these experiences, I founded Breathing Whale. My purpose was clear—to offer yoga and meditation practices that help others, who share struggles similar to mine, form clearer and easier mental habits. Through this wisdom, I hoped to support others in creating freer, calmer, and more beautiful lives.
Since then, I have continued my learning journey, consistently engaging in advanced training and education worldwide in meditation and yoga, and sharing these insights with others. I gradually came to understand that many of my life's struggles—relationships, career uncertainty, low self-esteem, confusion, health problems—stemmed from a lack of self-understanding.
Studying and practicing meditation with renowned teachers around the world brought greater clarity. I personally experienced that as I began to understand my own mind more intimately, life naturally became smoother and more peaceful. The deeper my self-awareness grew, the more effortlessly I found success and improved relationships in my life. Whales navigate the vast ocean calmly and freely, unaffected by external conditions like weather changes. What makes this possible for whales is their essential habit of periodically surfacing to breathe deeply, to rest.
Breathing Whale is a space created to help people cultivate whale-like living in their daily lives. Since our beginnings in 2015 guiding yoga and meditation, and the opening of our first dedicated studio in Seoul, we've expanded to multiple locations in Seoul, Jeju, and Tokyo, guiding healthy rest and renewal through practice. We build safe, supportive communities where people can recover physically, mentally, and spiritually through yoga and meditation, navigating the expansive ocean of life with calm and freedom.
From 2025 onward, we're preparing to expand to various cities across Asia, beginning with Tokyo. Our goal is to create safe, nurturing spaces where modern city dwellers can care for themselves exactly as they are, without comparison or competition, growing at their own comfortable pace. Here, our practice isn't about achieving perfect yoga poses. Rather, it's about deeply observing ourselves, cultivating inner growth, achieving meaningful goals in daily life, and improving our relationships through mindful practice.
Everything begins with a first moment, including yoga and meditation. We encourage you to embrace the unfamiliarity of your first practices, acknowledge your efforts through continued practice, and respect your own pace. Together, we'll learn to gently bring attention back to ourselves, care for our bodies, notice our breath, and mindfully observe our emotional states. In the midst of busy lives and complex relationships, we hope Breathing Whale will become a safe place where you can tell yourself, "It's okay" and "You're doing well." We warmly welcome anyone who wishes to cultivate restful moments and healthy habits in their own unique way.
I had always lived life as if it were a constant race.
I learned early on that success mattered most, and believed deeply that academic achievement was the key to success. My youth was spent preparing to attend a prestigious university in Seoul, where I eventually completed my master's degree in English literature. While preparing for a Ph.D., I suddenly decided to pursue dentistry in Australia—a dramatic change in my path. I believed a new challenge would open the door to a completely new life.
Reality, however, turned out differently. In an unfamiliar country, I struggled immensely to enter dental school, a field I had never previously studied. Even after admission, anxiety and the fear of falling behind kept pushing me relentlessly forward. During this period, I experienced depression, anxiety disorders, and an eating disorder. Ultimately, one winter break I returned to Seoul and decided never to go back. I couldn't understand why life was so hard. Actually, I wasn't even aware that I was struggling. Having grown up hearing from my parents that "life is inherently tough and competitive," I never questioned my own suffering. I believed happiness in the present moment meant laziness and a loss of future opportunities. It was during this time that I discovered meditation and yoga.
The very first day I practiced meditation, for the first time, I was able to step back and observe my experiences from a distance. Peering into my own heart, I finally realized how much I had been struggling. Soon after, I began to practice yoga and traveled to India to deepen my meditation practice. From these experiences, I founded Breathing Whale. My purpose was clear—to offer yoga and meditation practices that help others, who share struggles similar to mine, form clearer and easier mental habits. Through this wisdom, I hoped to support others in creating freer, calmer, and more beautiful lives.
Since then, I have continued my learning journey, consistently engaging in advanced training and education worldwide in meditation and yoga, and sharing these insights with others. I gradually came to understand that many of my life's struggles—relationships, career uncertainty, low self-esteem, confusion, health problems—stemmed from a lack of self-understanding.
Studying and practicing meditation with renowned teachers around the world brought greater clarity. I personally experienced that as I began to understand my own mind more intimately, life naturally became smoother and more peaceful. The deeper my self-awareness grew, the more effortlessly I found success and improved relationships in my life. Whales navigate the vast ocean calmly and freely, unaffected by external conditions like weather changes. What makes this possible for whales is their essential habit of periodically surfacing to breathe deeply, to rest.
Breathing Whale is a space created to help people cultivate whale-like living in their daily lives. Since our beginnings in 2015 guiding yoga and meditation, and the opening of our first dedicated studio in Seoul, we've expanded to multiple locations in Seoul, Jeju, and Tokyo, guiding healthy rest and renewal through practice. We build safe, supportive communities where people can recover physically, mentally, and spiritually through yoga and meditation, navigating the expansive ocean of life with calm and freedom.
From 2025 onward, we're preparing to expand to various cities across Asia, beginning with Tokyo. Our goal is to create safe, nurturing spaces where modern city dwellers can care for themselves exactly as they are, without comparison or competition, growing at their own comfortable pace. Here, our practice isn't about achieving perfect yoga poses. Rather, it's about deeply observing ourselves, cultivating inner growth, achieving meaningful goals in daily life, and improving our relationships through mindful practice.
Everything begins with a first moment, including yoga and meditation. We encourage you to embrace the unfamiliarity of your first practices, acknowledge your efforts through continued practice, and respect your own pace. Together, we'll learn to gently bring attention back to ourselves, care for our bodies, notice our breath, and mindfully observe our emotional states. In the midst of busy lives and complex relationships, we hope Breathing Whale will become a safe place where you can tell yourself, "It's okay" and "You're doing well." We warmly welcome anyone who wishes to cultivate restful moments and healthy habits in their own unique way.