The article inquires into the role and significance of breath in the religious and life praxis of the Turkish Alevi. By reviewing some uses of the Turkish word for breath, i.e. nefes, and by placing breathing at the centre of Alevi ritual practice, the text offers some parallels with the thought of Luce Irigaray, who advocates the importance of breath cultivation in which women play an essential role. Some of the discovered characteristics of the Alevi breathing experiences are also recognised as fundamental elements of Irigaray’s culture of breath. These make the Alevi community a particularly favourable environment for developing favourable interpersonal relationships based on listening and acceptance and tolerant intercultural coexistence.
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