The Intentional Breath
The Breath-Work that I teach has very specific intentions. It came from decades of self-practice, direct experience and scientific study.
My own journey into the power of ‘The Breath’ started in 1998. Then after decades of gentle enquiry it became a significant part of my daily ‘work’ on myself when I came across the Wim Hof Method in 2016.
I graduated the Wim Hof Method Academy as a certified instructor in 2017 but after a year or so thinking ‘THIS was IT’ I started to question a lot of what I had been taught due to the results I was getting both with myself and when sharing this method with others.
I left that organisation in 2019 and after years of being drawn to the information being shared by Patrick McKeown through his Oxygen Advantage and Dr Buteyko’s Buteyko Method, the stars lined up for me after a knee operation in 2020 and after some Divine intervention I spent 7 weeks whilst recovering from surgery, training under Patrick in The Oxygen Advantage system then a short while after become an Oxygen Advantage Instructor.
I also trained in the Buteyko Method with Patrick but have not yet completed the certification…( for a very specific reason…)…(My intention to do it with Patrick in person). All in good time…
Through the thousands of hours of study both under Patrick and my own research…We / ‘I’ can safely and scientifically- proven-say that EVERYTING GETS BETTER WHEN YOU LEARN HOW TO BREATHE WITH PROPER FORM AND FUNCTION…Everything!
The ability to influence every single cell and system within the human body including our nervous system, immune system, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, circulatory system, lymphatic system…on and on it goes, all 12 systems of the human body can be influenced positively… Everything gets better when we learn how to breathe how we are supposed to. Everything.
One of the most significant benefits is the ability to regulate and influence our nervous system and stress response in any situation depending on what’s required…and also how quickly we can make dramatic changes by just altering how we breathe. Being able to ‘switch off stress’ and move the body gently from sympathetic nervous system (fight and flight) into parasympathetic nervous system (rest and recover/digest) is perhaps the biggest benefit for most in these incredibly challenging times we are living.
The ability to ‘switch it off’, to give the body, mind and spirit a chance to recover between ‘life’ is invaluable. Also the ability if required to ‘switch on stress’ in a controlled way should not be left out. Sometimes a wee-dump of good stress can be just what’s needed in a particular situation. We benefit in many ways when we learn how to manage stress good and bad and when used as it was intended in the natural state is nothing short of a Super-Power Once you learn how IT works.
Another vital area where we can improve the quality of our lives is Sleep… and specifically the ability to sleep properly, at the correct level and in the correct side of our nervous system so we can heal, recover and regenerate is something that should be taught to every single one of us from the earliest age we can comprehend.
If you are not sleeping properly, if you are awake during the night, snoring, sleep apnea, up for the toilet, if you are waking up with a dry throat or mouth, tired and sluggish…with drool on the pillow… then learning the correct way that you breathe during the night is something that would help all of the above. Learning how to sleep properly is an absolute fundamental to ‘The (entire) Program’. It is not possible to be ‘flying’ day after day if your sleep is not on point. Everything is compromised.
The positive benefits to our physical health are beyond question and backed by scientific study and research, but it is in the field of mental health and mental wellbeing that interests me most. Anxiety, depression, ptsd, panic attacks, suicidal, burnout and breakdown…All not just made better but almost become a choice when we learn the power within The Functional Breath.
The Functional Breath
The Functional Breath is the place to start for anyone who would like to learn how to improve the quality of every area of their lives…no question.
Once you experience the almost instant relief that comes from learning to breathe correctly, the next step of this process on this evolving Journey is to go deep ‘inside’, beyond your thoughts and mind…transcend the intellect and your belief system…Back into our Hearts, Back into your Soul and Reconnect back To ‘The Self’…The ‘Authentic’, ‘Higher’, Divine part we carry within us. This part within The Program I call The Intentional Breath.
The Intentional Breath
The Intentional Breath is the next level up on ‘The Program’ once you learn to breathe with function. The Intentional Breath is unique and original to me and my work. Once you learn the basics, which I use to help you learn how the mind and body works it is my absolute intention once ALL THAT is switched off (Peace of Mind) to go deep into your Heart and Soul. Back into Spirit. Back into Full Alignment and Reconnection with All That You Are.
The breath is the bridge that allows us ‘in’… for anyone who is struggling to quiet the overthinking ‘monkey-mind’ that prevents access into the sacred space that is meditation. Without proper knowledge of how the breath works it can be almost impossible to quiet down the thoughts long enough to get anywhere with meditation. And this needs to change.
Meditation is something so misunderstood here in the western world. The intention with meditation is Union with ‘God’.
If the mind is overactive and compromised with years / a life time of chronic stress with no way to turn IT off then meditation and all of the miraculous benefits that come through this practice cannot and will not be experienced. Out of the head, body, mind, belief system and ego back into your Feelings, Emotions, Heart and Soul. That is what The Intentional Breath is all about for me. A bridge that enables access back into All That We Are.
Once You Experience ‘YOU’ again and how you are supposed to feel EVERYTHING gets better…And it happens fast.