The Proof of the Pudding

As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating ... Well, at Acorn to Oak, we say that the "pudding" is your everyday life and the proof of how Breath4Life has made a difference is in how you live your daily life after engaging with the process. In this Blog post I would like to describe some of the proof I have seen during my years as a Breath4Life Practitioner.

In my early days as a Breath4Life Practitioner, I was privileged to work at the St Johns & St Elizabeths Hospice (Day Centre) offering first small group sessions, then later one-to-one breath work sessions to people with life-limiting illness - mainly HIV/AIDS and cancer.

The very first group that I ran at the hospice was with four quite nervous individuals - possibly reflecting my own nervousness at wanting them to have the best possible experience. What occurred was beyond what I could ever have imagined. One of the women - a young African woman living with HIV - took to the breath work process immediately, almost surrendering to the rhythm of the breath. Towards the end of the session, she sat up with tears streaming down her face. I wasn't concerned, as I could see that far from tears of sadness, they were tears of joy and relief! What she said was that, whilst she was lying down and breathing, she realised for the first time since her diagnosis that she was alive. She went on to do a number of one-to-one breath work sessions with me after that, with increasing visible benefit.

A Breath4Life Practitioner colleague asked me to support her in running a group at a Rape Crisis Centre in West London. In fact, three of us went along that day - and it was just as well, as the room was literally packed with women! As a B4L Practitioner, it is important to stay 100% present while people are breathing in this way - which is quite testing with a large group, even with three practitioners present. On this occasion, we were very fortunate to witness one woman who during her breathwork session, stood up and continued to breathe (it is usual to lie down during a breath work session). As she continued to breathe, she appeared to gain confidence and determination; and at the end she expressed real gratitude for the experience, which she felt had given her back the ability not just to survive, but to thrive.

I wouldn't want to give the impression that Breath4Life is only useful for people in extreme circumstances, although it does come into its own for those who would find it almost impossible to speak of the trauma they have faced - a B4L Practitioner needs to know very little of a client's story to be able to work with them. I have worked with many people who just feel stuck in making life choices which truly reflect who they are - they may be in jobs or relationships which no longer serve them, but can't find a way to change. Breath4Life is superb in these cases, by supporting people to clear emotional clutter, they gain insights into ways forward and gain the confidence to do just that. People who engage with the Breath4Life Foundation Course - a 10 month course which gives people the opportunity to work in a small group consistently to make progress in their lives - find that they are peeling back layers of conditioning, compromise and emotional clutter, to reveal who they truly are, with great confidence, This is a process which is supported by the Practitioner(s) running the course, with mentorship sessions in between the monthly group meetings.

Here are some words from former students of mine:

"I have done the Breath4Life Foundation Course and I can truly say that it has changed my life. I had reached a point where I no longer had the will to fight to live.  I was sure I had no future so I started this journey with an open mind and an open heart. I completely surrendered and what a journey…. The most amazing inner journey. I don’t think I can thank Jill and Beverley enough for their love, their support and their help." V L-P (Nutritional Therapist)

"Words are difficult to find to express the profound changes I experienced during the Breathwork Foundation Course. I embarked on the course full of cynicism and emerged not knowing how it works but full of appreciation and gratitude for the incredible changes the work had made to my life. I realise now the cynicism I experienced was about trust.  I didn’t trust the process and I certainly didn’t have trust in myself at the time.  However, over the months, with the incredible guidance of Jill and Bev, I was able to make sense of my journey so far and make major decisions about my future.  I learnt to love myself and be myself.  I had been in therapy for many years but after the course I decided to end the therapeutic relationship (with full agreement from my therapist).   I looked forward to every session, knowing that I would be in a safe environment, knowing that Jill and Bev were there guiding me through the process but that it was ‘my’ process.  However the insights that they provided after the sessions were invaluable and enabled me to relate to the experience. I can only encourage others to lay their fears aside and embark on a voyage of discovery - Breathwork is life enhancing and life changing". G C (Volunteer Worker)

As always, to find out more about Breath4Life and to book an appointment or a clarity call, please contact me on jill@acorntooak.org.uk; also visit www.acorntooak.org.uk.