The Vegan Breathing Coaches

14/05/2026

This ad made us smile. Not because of the product being promoted, but because of the tagline 'Atme durcher', which is a made up phrase, literally meaning 'Breathe through more', ie. more deeply.

It nicely sums up what we're about as Breathing Coaches. We encourage better oxygenation of the body through better breathing. However, this doesn't mean taking big breaths, which can have the opposite effect. It means breathing in and out through the nose and inhaling deeply, engaging the diaphragm.

And of course we don't require mint confections to do that 😀

02/05/2026

If you wake up in the morning after a night's sleep and still feel tired, sluggish and find it hard to think clearly, it may well be down to how you breathe at night.

When one's habitual breathing is a little too fast and a little too hard (and many of us breathe this way owing to the high level of stress in our modern day lives), it can cause the airway to collapse and this in turn leads to the brain triggering an arousal, or wake-up, allowing the airway to open again.

Another sign of poor breathing at night is waking up with a dry mouth, as this indicates the person has been breathing through the mouth instead of the nose. Other obvious signs are snoring, and of course sleep apnoea - a serious condition requiring attention, as this is when airflow becomes blocked for an extended period, thus depriving the body of oxygen.

Before losing any more sleep, it's worth knowing that we can retrain our breathing so that we transform the hard, fast breathing to softer and lighter breathing. The result will be more restful sleep, more calm and more zest for life.

Our breathing retraining programs bring together the theory and practice of correct functional breathing. By incorporating a range of simple but effective exercises in daily life, your changed breathing will change you!

Find out more in our Breathing Space at https://www.henryandhenryeu.com/breathingspace

22/04/2026

Meet Annette Henry. One half of Berlin's Vegan Breathing Coaches, Annette is a qualified Buteyko Breathing Instructor.

The Buteyko breathing method was developed in the 1950's by Soviet physician Konstantin Buteyko and has been shown to be effective in improving asthma symptoms, reducing panic attacks, lowering stress, and improving sleep quality in those with underlying dysfunctional breathing patterns.

If you experience any of these conditions, you can find out more about how to recognise the signs of dysfunctional breathing in our Breathing Space at https://www.henryandhenryeu.com/breathingspace

16/04/2026

We appreciated this Guardian article which highlights the prevalence of dysfunctional breathing in the population - a vital topic often overlooked.

Dysfunctional breathing patterns can have significant knock-on effects on our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

We were disappointed that the article, useful though it is as a summary, omits proven retraining methods like Buteyko breathing, which focuses on the biochemistry of breathing - using nasal, reduced-volume breathing to correct hyperventilation and improve CO2 tolerance and reduce breathlessness. This approach has helped thousands of patients worldwide with asthma and anxiety, and yet it's not mentioned here.

What is also omitted is the fact that an estimated 70% of those suffering anxiety exhibit breathing pattern disorders, which means it's a much more widespread problem than the article implies. It's vitally important that we consider the psycho-physiological dimension of breathing, since poor breathing patterns can not only be caused by anxiety but can also BE the cause, part of a vicious feedback loop.

Causes may also be related to biomechanical and musculoskeletal factors (ie. poor recruitment of the diaphragm and other breathing muscles, insufficient flexion of the ribcage). Poor posture is a common cause of poor breathing and never before in the evolution of our species has our posture been so compromised as a result of our daily habits, where 90% of our time is spent sitting.

Integrating all of these considerations and providing actionable tools and techniques that can be implemented in our daily life is what we do as functional breathing coaches and it has the potential to transform lives!

You might think of breathing as automatic, but dysfunctional breathing can arise even if you’re healthy

16/04/2026

If this sounds familiar, and especially if it's been your reality for a while, there's probably nothing new to learn from this article.

As is often the case, breathing is referenced in the context of using a relevant breathing exercise to induce calm. Yes, great. BUT if breathing is generally sub-optimal then sleep disturbances are likely to persist. Retraining breathing is the key to facilitating better sleep. For some people, retraining their underlying breathing is all that's needed because that was the extent of the problem. For others it's part of the answer and importantly, getting breathing right supports, rather than fights against, other sleep-supporting measures.

It's 3 am.

10/04/2026

If someone told you that you were born with the power to change how you feel and how you perform within a matter of moments, would it occur to you that it's your breathing?

Breathing is our gateway to our nervous system.

By changing how we breathe, we can:
✅️slow our heart rate
✅️lower our blood pressure
✅️feel calmer
✅️hone our focus
✅️feel more present
✅️improve our sleep quality

Helping people to change their breathing and realise their innate superpower is what we do!

https://www.henryandhenryeu.com/breathingspace

06/04/2026

Breathing-related sleep disorders, eg, sleep apnea, don't just happen to overweight men. Some of the men are a normal weight. Others are women, overweight, underweight and everything in-between. Medicine hasn't caught up yet, and women are getting left behind. What if retraining your breathing could transform your sleep rather than getting a prescription that may not fit the problem?

31/03/2026

Our 20,000(+?) breaths per day will likely go unnoticed unless breathing itself becomes difficult. The effects of our breathing influence everything from cognition, sleep, posture, pain, and ability to manage stress to digestion and immune function. It's not just air in, air out. The challenge is recognising that. The good news is that we can become aware of it, and we can learn to make changes to our breathing that support us day-by-day, moment by moment 💙

28/03/2026

How do you breathe when you meditate?

Learn the difference between Oxygen Advantage vs. mindfulness. Find out breathing exercises differ from mindfulness for better focus, sleep, and performance.

20/03/2026

Have you ever had the privilege of encountering an owl close up?

Owls are amongst the most curious and yet beautiful winged birds. What's especially striking is how silent they are, both perched and in flight.

Owls breathe softly through their nostrils —a steady, near-silent flow that doesn't rustle a feather. No panting, no drama, just efficient breathing for focus.

We can borrow this and reap the benefits, especially when we wish to relax and become calm.

Inhaling quietly and softly through our nose followed by a slightly longer soft exhale through our nose flips our nervous system to "rest and digest" mode—less stress, more peace, just like the owl in its natural element.

Why don't you try it, especially before going to sleep.

01/03/2026

If doctors don't learn about it, is it unimportant? You do it thousands of times a day. It affects your biochemistry, your nervous system, your brain. Does how we breathe matter? Yes, enormously.