Childhood and beyond

As a young child I was hospitalised several times for my asthma symptoms, and as a young adult I became physically and psychologically dependent on asthma medication – with all the side effects that entailed.

 

Unsatisfied with the situation, and the lack of improvement as I grew older, I explored a variety of non-medical approaches – acupuncture, homeopathy, fasting among them – in the hope of finding something that would help. None of them did.

 

Buteyko

Then 30 years ago a friend told me about a breathing method that seemed to be helping people with asthma. Developed by a Russian doctor named Buteyko, it attributed many asthmatic symptoms to ‘overbreathing’ or ‘chronic hyperventilation’. This being the early 1990s, I got onto the early internet, joined the only Buteyko newsgroup that existed and devoured every detail I could get my hands on.

 

To counteract this habitual tendency to breathe more than necessary, the method focuses on retraining the asthmatic to breathe less. The exercises emphasise reduced breathing, nasal breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, and breath holds.

 

Given our cultural fixation on the idea that big breaths are healthy, good and necessary, this idea took a bit of getting used to. It was utterly new to me, and totally counterintuitive. But I was desperate, so I gave it a go.

 

Dependence and empowerment

In my case, the results were quick and dramatic. Within a week or two, I had reduced my bronchodilator use by about 50 per cent. I was also far better able to breathe through my nose (and smell properly!) and to be more physically active.

 

In the following years of breath practice, I significantly reduced my medication even further. Today I am all-but medication-free, something I could not have even imagined in my younger years.

 

Beyond these physiological benefits, I experienced multiple positive side-effects that I had not foreseen. I began to feel happier, calmer, and better able to think about what was best for me. Rather than simply responding to external stimuli, I could plan ahead. In other words, I felt better able to take control of my life. It was empowering .

 

Time and again, when working with my clients, I see them experiencing comparable benefits, some similar, some new and unexpected.

​

Broader breath horizons

Gaining so much from Buteyko exercises inspired me to explore breathing more broadly and to experiment with multiple methods I discovered along the way – pranayama, Oxygen Advantage, systema, connected breathing, freediving techniques, and so many more. I found that, each in their own way, these and many other forms of breathing exercises could positively affect so many aspects of my physical, mental, and emotional health.

 

I encountered techniques that could lower the heart rate, activate the vagus nerve and parasympathetic nervous system, settle the mind, improve mood, and even create the space for new insights.

​

From the sidelines to the mainstream

Throughout these years, I noticed how breathing exercises were moving from the ‘alternative’ or ‘esoteric’ domains into the mainstream, increasingly backed by scientific research and clinical trials.

 

Now breathwork is gaining growing acceptance in the medical domain as part of a healthy lifestyle. Based on that dynamic and my own experience as a breath coach, I believe it won’t be long before tailored breathwork is fully recognised as an essential component in a healthy lifestyle, in much the same way as physical exercise and a healthy diet are today. (None of these things are ‘cures’, as such, but they are all key to a healthy and well-balanced life.)

 

 

My breath coaching practice

Now, I love teaching people with a wide variety of psychological, physiological, and emotional health issues how to improve their breathing. I draw on everything I’ve learned about breathing over the last 30 years to tailor my sessions to my clients' needs and wishes.

 

As a breath trainer, I find great fulfilment in working with my clients: learning from them, sharing my knowledge and experience, and equipping them with tools that will support them for the rest of their lives.