Menopause is no longer a taboo subject. Women are done suffering in silence and are taking charge of their well-being during this transformative phase of life. From herbal remedies to hormone replacement therapy, we're embracing a whole range of options to navigate the challenges and celebrate the opportunities that menopause brings.

Up until recently, if you'd asked me, I would have smugly said, "I'm not an angry person, it’s just not something I experience." But life, as it often does, had a few lessons in store for me when I became a parent. As I've gone on my own journey of self-discovery, I've come to realise that anger has been lurking beneath the surface all along.

Growing up in a household where anger was seen as a "bad" emotion, I learned to suppress it, to bury it deep within so I could still be a “good girl”. Over time, I developed a clever disguise for my anger: sadness. In my family sadness is more acceptable, more palatable, and somehow less threatening. Sadness got hugs. Anger got silent treatment.

I remember walking in to my first yoga class, feeling totally broken and going through a painful divorce. At the end of the class during savasana, they came around and massaged everyone’s neck with a cooling gel that had peppermint and lavender. It was HEAVEN. I hadn’t realized how healing the combination of aromatherapy and touch were. I know that’s controversial (the touch and scent during savasana, not the power of them!). But what happens when we combine the potent effects of scent with the transformative practice of breathwork?

I recently came across a comment online that said "nervous system regulation is just new-age bullshit." As both a nurse and a breathwork business owner it got my back up and it got me thinking about how much we underestimate the power of our own breath and our ability to influence our body.

The truth is, our breath and our bodies are deeply connected. It's not just about staying alive; it's about how we feel, think, and experience the world. Our breath is a mirror reflecting our inner state, and it's also a bridge connecting our mind and body.

Neuroception, an idea rooted in Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory, offers a framework for understanding how our nervous system unconsciously assesses safety and threat in our environment, shaping our physiological and behavioural responses. The interplay between our nervous system and our perception of the world has huge implications for how we experience the world and how we respond to breathwork practices.

In the quest for optimal performance, athletes and fitness enthusiasts are constantly seeking innovative ways to push their limits and achieve their goals. While traditional training methods focus on physical strength and endurance, a growing body of evidence suggests that the key to unlocking peak performance may lie in a more subtle yet powerful tool: our breath.

Breathwork, the practice of conscious breathing, has been used for centuries in various traditions to enhance well-being and promote physical and mental performance. Today, a new wave of breathwork techniques, rooted in science and ancient wisdom, is revolutionizing the way we approach training and competition.

Listen to someone breathing. That's the sound of a human being doing something extraordinary. Not scaling a mountain or composing a symphony, but simply breathing. It's a primal act, one we perform thousands of times a day without even thinking about it.

And yet, science is beginning to reveal that this seemingly mundane act holds profound implications for our physical and mental well-being. Researchers are uncovering a fascinating connection between our breath, our brains, and our ability to navigate the complex landscape of human emotions.

The latest findings actually suggest that the key to unlocking the full potential of breathwork might not lie in striving for some idealized state of zen. It might, in fact, reside in something far more radical: the simple act of accepting ourselves, flaws and all, right here, right now.

It sounds counterintuitive. In a world that bombards us with messages about self-improvement and constant striving, the idea of accepting ourselves as we are can feel like giving up.

In the realm of breathwork, we often focus on the mechanics of breathing – the inhale, the exhale, the rhythm and pace. Yet, a subtle but powerful force lies beneath the surface, waiting to be harnessed for deeper healing and transformation. This force is metacognition, the art of thinking about our own thinking.

Imagine having a wise inner observer who can gently witness your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations as they arise during your breathwork practice. This observer doesn't judge or criticize; it simply acknowledges and allows, creating a space for profound self-awareness and understanding.

By cultivating metacognition, we can unlock a new dimension of breathwork. We can begin to see the connection between our breath and our inner world, noticing how our emotions shift as we inhale and exhale, how our thoughts influence our physical sensations, and how our bodies respond to different breathing patterns.