Ilse Middendorf, the originator of this work, began exploring the nature of breath in 1935. In 1965, she founded the Institute for the Perceptible Breath in Berlin. She died at the age of 98 and continued to teach until 4 months before her death in 2009.

In 1986, Ilse Middendorf and her close associate Juerg Roffler introduced Breathexperience to the United States. In 1991, Juerg Roffler established the Middendorf Institute for Breathexperience in the Bay Area. 

In 2011, Alisa Kort became the director and founder of MIBE Canada, offering classes and workshops at The Breath Space in Vancouver, British Columbia. In September 2016, Alisa was joined in partnership by Gayle Murphy, Linda Marie James and Valerie Galvin, forming Breathexperience Canada. 

The Breathexperience centres in Berlin, Berkeley and Vancouver, certify practitioners from a variety of disciplines – creative & performing arts, business, education, psychology and professional coaching – to name a few.