Nicole King: Breathe easy

THERE are so many things that we take for granted and breathing is one of them. Too often it’s only when they’re lacking that we realise how much we needed or appreciated them; only then do we realise perhaps their significance.

From when my son was born until he was five years old he suffered from acute bronchiolitis and we spent almost every weekend in the emergency room with his high fevers and inability to breathe. Breathalysers and nebulisers were part of our daily routine from morning,noon and through the night, always anxious that he should roll off the pillows supporting him up‐right to ease his flow of oxygen.

I hadn’t paid much attention to how the body works at school but I managed to educate myself quickly when it came to all the ridiculous diagnostics from doctors we received until we found ‘the one’. My son fortunately did grow out of it but undeniably his lungs and whole body must have suffered from the experience at such a crucial age.

I have had pneumonia and now always seem to suffer from sinusitis, which I have come to associate with the start of the rainy season and although probably just an allergic reaction, often find myself short of breath. I also forget to breath or find it hard to control my breath when exercising and frequently realise I’m actually holding my breath whilst concentrating. None of which can be good for my body in the long run; we start life with an intake of breath and I trust the last one won’t be for many, many, many years to come; I need to be more mindful.

These are just some of the reasons I attended a Better Breathing workshop with Rachel Garrod PhD MCSP, and Sally Williams. Rachel took the approach from her medical standpoint, whilst Sally from a spiritual yoga perspective. This mini‐course just happened to be on our beloved Mel Williams’s birthday; those of us who had the honour to know him miss him and so sharing it with Sally was extra special.

I was pleased to meet other lovely people and surprised myself by sitting quietly throughout, listening intently and participating when required, for two full hours. Those of you who know me will under‐ stand that this cannot be taken lightly; I was obviously enthralled otherwise I’d have fidgeted and chatted throughout. At the end of the session we enjoyed a sumptuous sandwich luncheon and a moment to get to chat to others in the group, share stories and ask questions; also interesting and helpful.

We all suffer from anxiety no matter how privileged our lives are and so the techniques shared to breathe through it all were particularly welcome and I loved the mini-meditation to finish. Learning to man‐ age our stress in today’s day and age should be mandatory, also for our children, so please do contact ‘the girls’ for further information. (Tel. +34 699 501 190)

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