About Me
A healthy life requires balance in several dimensions. We are a whole and being healthy is not just about not being ill in the conventional sense of the term. Mental health and physical health are closely linked and are regulated together. Breathing is the most direct and accessible way of harnessing these regulatory mechanisms, which have a transversal impact on health.
In recent years I've dedicated myself to researching the regulatory role of the autonomic nervous system in health.
Based on the work of Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory and the health implications of autonomic nervous system dysregulation, I've searched for practical tools that would allow me to take action at this level. I´ve discovered the practice of conscious breathing and its value as a means we all have for organic regulation with profound impacts on health and quality of life.
I became a dedicated practitioner of conscious breathing and was able to observe first-hand the increased improvements in sleep, immunity, physical endurance and reduced pain.
Knowing it’s potencial to improve and change people’s lives drove me to specialise in this area and to become a breathing instructor.
Oxygen Advantage certification is my second certification as Breathing Coach. His comprehensive knowledge, scientific and systematic approach and wealth of practices applicable to everything from asthma cases to monitoring high-performance athletes has greatly broadened my ability to correctly analyse respiratory dysfunctions and specifically guide each case.
Applying these practices has made a huge difference to my life and to the lives of my clients.
My aim is to make breathing accessible to everyone so that they can feel the benefits of these practices in their own lives.
I work mainly in the south of Portugal and Lisbon, with business/corporate groups, private groups, workshops and private coaching, live and online.
Background:
With a degree in Agricultural Engineering and a background in chemistry and biology, I worked from an early age with NGOs in the field of environmental and social sustainability. Over the years, in the course of my work with rural communities, I came across increasing cases of autoimmune diseases that accompanied the rampant increase in areas of super-intensive agriculture and heavy reliance on agrochemicals.
I then started researching chemical residues in food, healthy eating and practices with an impact on human health and started trainning in nutrition and thus organising workshops in the area of nutrition that could support healthier living.
While researching health in its various dimensions, I became interested in the regulatory role of the autonomic nervous system, particularly in the response of the immune system. I came across Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory and the health implications of autonomic nervous
system dysregulation. Delving deeper into this research in search of practical tools that would allow me to act at this level,
I´ve then discovered the practice of conscious breathing and its value as a means we all have for organic regulation and that had a profound impact on my own life and health. In the process I thought several times that I wish I had known this before, how using my breath influences my health. So I decided to become a breathing instructor and make these practices accessible to everyone.
Area where I work: Lisboa, Alentejo Litoral, Baixo Alentejo, Algarve