A year ago I wrote about the moment grief snacked me in the face at Christmas. I was standing in a supermarket aisle, listening to a family going about planning their Xmas and something inside me broke wide open. And the grief poured out right there in that aisle. (I had lost my mum the year before).
Read MoreMany of us get a stuffy nose in winter. Cold air, central heating and seasonal colds make nasal congestion common, which in turn pushes people toward mouth breathing, poorer sleep and less efficient oxygen use. Before reaching for sprays, there is a simple, non pharmaceutical technique used in breathwork training that can help open the nasal passages quickly by using your own breath. This nose unblocking exercise is used in Oxygen Advantage teaching and is a safe, effective first step for many people.
Read MoreThis is the month when people tell me, “I just can’t catch my breath.”
And it’s no surprise — the days are darker, the pace is faster, and we’re all trying to fit more into less time. The breath is often the first thing to go when life gets full. It becomes shallow and quick, shoulders rise, and before you know it, your body is running on stress.
As the air turns colder, our bodies instinctively tighten up. We hunch our shoulders, breathe a bit higher in the chest, and feel that drop in warmth and energy.
Breathwork can do more than calm the mind — the way you breathe actually influences how warm and alive your body feels.
Conscious connected breathing is a deep, intentional form of breathwork that helps you access more clarity, emotional release, and energetic balance in the body. Unlike regular day-to-day breathing, which is often shallow or automatic, conscious connected breathing encourages a continuous, connected flow of breath, often through both inhalation and exhalation without pauses. This sustained, conscious breathing allows your body and mind to enter states of deep relaxation and heightened awareness.
Read MoreIf you have been exploring breathwork, you might have typed into Google: “Is conscious connected breathing dangerous?” It is a question I hear often and it deserves a thoughtful answer.
Read MoreThis blog is inspired by a recent deep dive breathwork session that left me completely in awe. A client experienced such profound fascial release in the neck and shoulder area that the surrounding tissues visibly shifted, even though she didn’t consciously feel it. Watching it unfold was extraordinary, a reminder of how responsive our bodies are and how much they can let go when we breathe deeply and consciously. It was one of those moments where the body’s intelligence is undeniable, moving and releasing in ways that the mind cannot always perceive.
Read MoreIf you’ve ever been nudged awake by a frustrated partner, or startled yourself with your own snoring, you’re not alone.
Snoring affects nearly half of all men and about a quarter of women.
Snoring happens when airflow becomes partially blocked during sleep, causing the soft tissues in the airway to vibrate. In simple terms, your body is working harder than it should to push air through narrowed passages.
Read MoreI want to share something that might surprise you: breathwork isn't about staying calm all the time.
I know, I know. That probably sounds contradictory coming from someone who teaches breathing techniques. But stick with me here, because this shift in perspective could change everything about how you approach your emotional wellbeing.
Read MoreSitting all day—whether at school or work—can lead to poor posture, which disrupts healthy breathing. Slouching compresses the diaphragm, encourages mouth breathing, and weakens vagus nerve function, leading to symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, and shallow breathing. Poor tongue posture adds to the problem by restricting airways.
As a certified breath coach, I help identify and retrain dysfunctional breathing patterns caused by long-term sitting. With the right techniques, you can restore proper breathing, improve posture, boost energy, and feel better than you even realised was possible.
Read MoreMouth breathing may be a hidden contributor to ADHD-like symptoms such as inattention, restlessness, and mental fog. Research shows it can reduce oxygen flow to the brain and disrupt sleep, both of which impact cognitive function and behaviour. Breathing coach Patrick McKeown's method—focusing on nasal breathing, CO₂ balance, and retraining breathing patterns—offers a science-backed approach to improving focus, sleep, and overall brain performance. The good news: breathing habits can be changed, offering a promising, non-pharmaceutical way to support ADHD management.
Read MoreAre you struggling with that familiar midday mental haze? That feeling where your thoughts feel stuck in molasses and simple tasks seem impossibly difficult? If you're a woman navigating perimenopause or menopause, you're not alone. Brain fog affects up to 60% of women during this transition, but there's a surprisingly simple tool that can help: conscious breath holds.
Read MoreLast week, I found myself standing in the kitchen after my youngest came home from school, fighting back tears. He'd had another difficult day, and that familiar voice in my head was getting louder: "You're supposed to be the breath coach. Your children should be thriving. What kind of example are you setting? This must be your fault."
It's ironic, isn't it? Here I am, teaching others how to use their breath to navigate life's challenges, yet when my own child struggles, I immediately turn that judgment inward.
Read MoreEver found yourself puffing halfway up the stairs or breathless after a gentle hill walk and thought, “Wow, I’m so unfit!”?
Before you sign up for bootcamp or blame your age — let’s hit pause. That breathlessness might not be a sign you’re out of shape. It might be a sign of dysfunctional breathing patterns.
Yep, I said it. The real culprit could be… your breath.
Read More"The way you meet your own anger is the way you'll meet your child's."
It sounds simple, but when you're in the thick of it—when your child is shouting, slamming doors, or storming off with a face full of fire—this truth can feel impossibly hard to hold.
I work with a lot of parents who come to breathwork feeling confused and even ashamed of their emotional responses. They tell me things like:
“Why do I get so mad when my child gets mad? I know they’re just overwhelmed, but something in me snaps.”
If you’ve ever felt this, you’re not alone. Not even close.
Read MoreHave you ever felt truly stuck?
Not just in a situation — but in a repeating story, a belief, or an emotional loop you can’t seem to move through?
Maybe you find yourself blaming others. Maybe you blame yourself. Maybe both. And no matter how much you think about it, something inside just won't budge. You feel frozen, frustrated, or tangled in the same cycle again and again.
That’s where Conscious Connected Breathwork offers a gentle, embodied way forward — not through fixing or forcing — but by softening into the body, listening, and allowing space for stuck parts of us to feel safe, seen, and supported.
Read MoreAs a breath coach — and a mum to a daughter currently preparing for her GCSEs — I’m feeling this exam season just as much as many of you. Whether your child is facing SATs, GCSEs, or A-levels, it can feel like a pressure cooker of expectation, comparison, and overwhelm. As parents and carers, we want to support them in every way possible, but sometimes, the best thing we can offer is something surprisingly simple: their breath.
When used intentionally, the breath becomes a powerful, science-backed tool to manage anxiety, focus the mind, and return the body to calm — even in the most stressful situations like an exam hall.
Here are three breathing techniques I recommend as both a professional and a parent — tried and tested with teens and younger children alike.By simply switching to nasal breathing, you can unlock a wide range of health benefits, from reducing stress to improving oxygen intake and cognitive performance. Let’s explore why your nose is the key to better health.
Read MoreWe often take breathing for granted, but did you know your nose performs 31 essential functions that support your health, brain function, and overall well-being? Beyond its role in smell, the nose is crucial for filtering air, regulating breathing, supporting immunity, enhancing brain function, and improving sleep quality.
By simply switching to nasal breathing, you can unlock a wide range of health benefits, from reducing stress to improving oxygen intake and cognitive performance. Let’s explore why your nose is the key to better health.
Read MoreWhen was the last time you really thought about your breath? We take around 20,000 breaths a day, yet few of us pay attention to how we breathe—let alone consider how it affects something as essential as digestion.
Read MoreBreathwork is a bridge between the body and mind, influencing everything from energy levels to stress resilience. One particularly effective technique is the HA Breath, a practice that combines breath, sound, and movement to activate the nervous system, release stored tension, and increase lung power.
This breathwork exercise isn’t just about breathing—it’s about moving energy through the body, strengthening the respiratory system, and cultivating a deeper connection between breath and movement.
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