My name is Wendy and I live in North Yorkshire and am the founder of Breathe in Yorkshire.
My story to finding Breath-work
A few years ago now, I started to notice my mind had become overwhelmed and I struggled to keep control of my emotions and my health and especially my sleep started to really suffer. I had always found walking, running and wild swimming helped to calm and connect me, but now there was a missing link. In that moment of panic or stressful situation I needed something in that moment to help me focus and calm me down. During a late night Google I came across Patrick McKeown’s podcasts which had input from leading experts/scientists from around the world, delving deep into the way we breathe and the effects it can have on our health. After watching some of his YouTube videos/tutorials I started to see benefits in my own health, realising this was the missing link to a more balanced life. The way we breathe has a profound effect on our bodies both mentally and physically and I was eager to learn more and see how I could improve other parts of my life.
This was the start of my personal journey to better health and the reason for training to be an Instructor. The first thing I noticed was an improvement to my sleep, had control over my mind, better focus and concentration. Physically, my fitness improved, I recovered faster, my digestion improved, I had more energy and my lower back pain improved. I felt like I was me again! I have found that there is always more we can learn if we are willing to be open to different/new ideas.
The benefits of cold water therapy
I have been a cold water swimmer for 16 years now, having learnt from various leaders in this field. Now I understood the synergy cold and breathing played in our mental and physical well-being.
The cold water is a shock to the system, you learn to control your breathing, the nervous system and focus the mind. The more I studied the breath, the more I realised how misunderstood its importance on our health truly is. Working with the cold and breath benefits sleep, concentration, performance, inflammation, blood pressure, heart rate, reduces stress, anxiety as well as a myriad of other benefits.
Now a qualified, Buteyko and Oxygen Advantage Advanced Instructor my journey had begun to help others live a happier and healthier life, working on both mental and physical well-being.
I work with individuals treating specific conditions such as anxiety, stress, inflammation, trauma, insomnia and ways to increase your fitness through breath-work or a combination of breath-work and cold water therapy. I also work with small groups to teach skills for a more balanced life through both breath-work and cold water therapy.
Start your journey, invest, trust and take control of yourself.