Breathing Fresh : Mindfulness with Breathwork
Having just completed a breathwork workshop at Toniq, I am reminded of why I love this practice as a way to connect with new circles of seekers.
Breathwork is a practice that helps us get out of our minds and into our bodies. The elementary body awareness that comes from breathwork lays the foundation for profound changes—like, uncovering the capacity to be kinder to ourselves and others. This is one reason why I love connecting with new groups through breathwork.
Exploring the power of our breath with the Toniq community was very rewarding for me. Arron Collins-Thomas behind Toniq is not just a personal trainer; He is also a Qi-Gong teacher whose approach to well-being focuses on the whole person rather than a singular dimension of fitness; This is exactly the thinking that has Toniq drawing in a community with a refreshingly holistic view on fitness. I love supporting and participating in communities with this kind of big picture thinking. When I have led workshops for Spark—a centre for conscious personal development run by my partners and friends in Zurich—breathwork has become a powerful way to supplement practices like yoga, family constellations and reiki. I find that the breathwork healing techniques I teach supplement fitness and wellbeing routines quite effectively. This is because my breathwork workshops have been designed to bring in the fundamental body awareness that you need for any practice; they are entry points to understand and explore our body-mind connection.
Breathwork is an accessible experience. Even if you find meditation—which requires regular practice—difficult to continue, breathwork is something that you can access relatively easily. Although the practice is simple and welcomes anyone and everyone, the benefits and impact can be big; like a calmer nervous system and deeper insights into ourselves and our lives. This simple effectiveness is why some of my breathwork workshops lead to some surprising discoveries. It’s so rewarding to see how people discover parts of themselves they haven’t experienced before, or have simply forgotten about.
Jordan J. Evans, who discovered the power of breathwork through my group sessions, recently shared his experience of working with me (this one really made my heart chakra grow and glow, so I shared the full story on Instagram)
“Having had a powerful reaction to some of Shanti’s group breathwork classes, I reached out to her to see if she could help… As a result of our time together, I can honestly say that my anxiety is gone. It simply isn’t there anymore. Something that has had a constant negative presence in my life, for as long as I can remember, has disappeared. I didn’t know how good I could possibly feel without my anxiety. I’m happier, calmer and more relaxed. I smile more, I laugh more.”
Like Jordan discovered his amazing capacity to be joyful, many people discover really strong, loving, kind and simply more grounded aspects of themselves through breathwork healing. This aspect of breathwork, where it’s always a little bit of an inner revelation, is something that I really love about this wonderful practice. I think the kind of connection to ourselves that breathwork opens up is so, so important. It’s a practice that helps us take charge in putting better versions of ourselves out in the world. I love working with new people to help them use breathwork to change their bodies, minds and lives.
Get in touch with me, and we’ll work together to use the incredible power of the air that we breathe.
Photo : Sonya Rothwell @gallery.beautiful