Henry & Henry

13/01/2026

It may be a bold statement, but in 2026 I want those in my little corner of the world, at least, to know the peace and resilience that supportive breathing can bring. Doesn't the world need more of that? 🩵

12/01/2026

“There’s evidence that emojis produce similar brain responses to real human faces.”

This thoroughly readable article highlights the potential harm caused by social isolation. It references the enforced isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic that lead to so many people becoming introverted and becoming slaves to social media. Did you know that research has shown that emoticons can reduce the hostility or wariness people feel when they read a comment on social media without having any clear visual or audible clues as to the intention of the author?

Loneliness and a lack of social interaction can provoke a stress response and lead to chronic inflammation. This can lead to poorer health outcomes for those affected and can also hamper recovery from health conditions.
The power of oxytocin, the hormone that is released when engaging with someone in a loving way, should not be underestimated.

The account of the Romanian orphans many years ago comes to mind. Deprived of human touch and connection with loved ones, their normal growth and development was compromised and they suffered mental health problems. There's also the story of two different sets of laboratory rabbits, one of which was thriving and the other the opposite. It bewildered the lab team until they discovered that the thriving rabbits were being regularly stroked by one of the lab assistants who had access to one of the groups because she felt sorry for them.

Both fascinating and vital!

Neuroscientist Ben Rein is on a mission to show that being around others not only feels good, but can even improve recovery from strokes, cancer and heart attacks. So why are so many of us isolated and glued to our phones?

06/01/2026

This is somewhat alarming. The message about the dangers of excess salt in the diet has been out there for a long time and yet it's still not being heeded. Sadly, it's not simply because people are adding too much salt to the food on their plate. It's because of the preponderance of ready-made processed foods that are being consumed and which are frequently loaded with significant amounts of salt.

We have often monitored, and limited, the amount of salt we consume, especially since one of us has to keep his blood pressure in check. We never add standard sea or rock salt to food on our plates. We do use seaweeds like dulse powder to add a saltiness instead and we regularly use miso paste, though sparingly, to add flavour and saltiness. We also eat kimchi or sauerkraut regularly, albeit sparingly, which is of course highly salted. Plus we eat the odd condiment like mustard and bread, which is generally salted, but again in fairly modest quantities. We aim to consume a maximum of 1.5g of salt a day and frequently we come in below this.

Interestingly, as we have become used to less salt and our taste buds have adjusted, any food that contains more than a modest amount of salt is now unpalatable. How it makes me (Graham) cringe to think of the times many years ago when the server in a chip shop would liberally shake salt onto the chips as though it was an essential component 😲.

Campaigners call for action to make manufacturers reduce salt in food, which can contribute to high blood pressure and deaths

04/01/2026

We have, on occasion, been asked what 'vegan breathing' is! In case you were also wondering, it's not a thing, it's who WE are. We're breathing retraining coaches who are vegan.

Why do we refer to ourselves as 'vegan' breathing coaches? It's for all the reasons: health (a whole plant foods diet has a lot to recommend it), the impact on the natural world and, of course, the living, breathing beings (see their diaphragmatic movements as they demonstrate this same life force as we do) that we share the planet with.

So, do we promote veganism in our coaching sessions? No. Never. It's enough that our values are known via our name (although we would certainly answer questions). We took our time to get here, and we're grateful that we were never criticised for how we used to see the world. Veganism is universally compassionate. At least, that's how we see it. They 🐄🐖🐑🐈‍⬛🐘🐇🐔🦔 matter, you matter, we all matter.

Warm wishes to you from

Annette and Graham Henry,
Henry & Henry
The Vegan Breathing Coaches ... Berlin's Vegan Breathing Coaches (the only ones .. unless we hear differently 😊)

01/01/2026

A big thank you to everyone who has followed and supported us throughout the past year!

30/12/2025

Why not make 2026 the year you take your breathing to the next level? It could make a world of difference!

Our 'Breathing for Health' program is your invitation to rediscover the power of your own breath and restore balance from within.

Guided by Annette, this program gently helps you unlearn unhealthy breathing habits and replace them with calm, restorative patterns that support deep sleep, resilience, and renewed energy.

Through simple yet transformative practices from the Buteyko and Oxygen Advantage methods, you’ll relieve anxiety, fatigue, and tension while awakening a profound sense of wellbeing. Each session offers space to slow down, reconnect, and breathe your way back to lasting health and vitality.

For more information go to: https://www.henryandhenryeu.com/buteykobreathing

24/12/2025

We wish you a Christmas🎄filled with kindness. 💚❤️
And may our world see more kindness as the New Year unfolds. 🙏

04/12/2025

A worthwhile technique that can make a huge difference when we are suffering from anxiety and feel an impending panic attack.

If you've ever suffered a panic attack, then you'll know just how destabilising and scary it can feel.

When we are feeling anxious, our breathing quickens and becomes more forceful. This is a natural response to danger, our body gearing up either to fight and face the threat head-on, or to run away.

But when the perceived danger is constant, a result of the stress many of us experience daily in our modern world, our body stores this up and doesn't let go. This can lead to chronic overbreathing, or hyperventilation.

If you begin to feel breathless and your lips and hands and feet begin to tingle, you begin to feel dizzy or light-headed, and you feel a sense of otherworldliness, these can be just some of the warning signs of an impending panic attack. It's a result of breathing off too much carbon dioxide, a state known as respiratory alkalosis.

Being told to take a deep breath is well-meant, but most of us understand this as a 'big' breath, and this will only make things worse, as it will result in breathing off more CO2.
Instead, slow and soften your breathing to the point it's so subtle you can barely perceive it and you even feel the urge to breathe more, but you can just about tolerate it. This is the equivalent to breathing in and out of a paper bag, it allows the carbon dioxide in your blood to increase again, bringing things back into balance. It may require practice but it's worth doing it.

This is an example of the breathing retraining we offer in our programs. For more information, go to our Breathing Space at https://www.henryandhenryeu.com/breathingspace

27/10/2025

Becoming conscious of our unconscious breathing habits is the point at which we can turn the tide and use our breath to move us forwards rather than hold us back.

Your breath is your superpower. But is the way you're breathing holding you back? When we are not breathing optimally, it can affect our health, our sleep quality and our ability to perform at our best. We guide you how to improve your daytime and night time breathing. The result? More energy, bette...

18/10/2025

I always find it intriguing that Menopause seemingly has more of an impact in the so-called 'developed' nations than in the parts of the world that have retained a more natural way of life. Some of these countries don't even have a word for it!

Among the many contributing factors is our breathing. Wherever life is more stressful, breathing is often challenged. It's one of the reasons relating to the 200% increase in sleep apnea in women at the time of Menopause! But natural breathing patterns can be restored.

What if this stage in life could be a trigger to realign ourselves with that which supports us, rather than thwarts us? Our food, movement, social connections, sunshine, and our breathing. All of these work on our multiple body systems (including the mind). Let Menopause be a turning point to embrace a way of living that eases us away from the 24/4 madness that doesn't suit any human physiology. 🙏

~ Annette Henry
Henry & Henry The Vegan Breathing Coaches

22/09/2025

Why not let your breathing become your superpower!

Breathing is so automatic that you possibly rarely pay attention to it, other than when you're out of breath.

But, just like 60-80% of the population, it could be that you're breathing just a little too hard or too fast for your body's needs.

When this is constant, day and night, it can make a huge difference to how you feel and perform.

Common symptoms of chronic over-breathing are dizziness or light headedness, waking up still feeling tired, an anxious or agitated mind, an inability to concentrate, and not being able to take a satisfying breath

The really good news is that it's possible to you retrain your breathing. By becoming more aware of your habitual breathing and regularly practicing a range of conscious breathing techniques, you have the potential to change everything you thought you knew about your body, your performance, and your health!

If you think this may apply to you, message us or email us at henryandhenryeurope@gmail.com to arrange a free Discovery Call so that we can discuss whether our Breathing Re-Education program is suitable for you.

You can also find out more about our Breathing For Health and Breathing For Performance Programs in our Breathing Space at https://www.henryandhenryeu.com/breathingspace

12/09/2025

The image captures a young child reading, a picture of innocence and total concentration.

Did you know that some time between the age of 5 and 6, children begin to breathe differently from how they were breathing during their infancy?

Where once they would breathe naturally, using their diaphragm, children eventually adopt dysfunctional breathing habits, bracing their abdominal muscles, sucking in their tummy, imitating their superheros, parents. It's their growing awareness of the world, leading them to conform to what they perceive as the norm.

We take these new-found habits into our adulthood, they become our new default, so that we are continually holding tension in our breathing muscles, compromising our movement, flexibility, and preventing proper oxygenation of our body.

Once we are aware of this, we can do something about it. We can retrain and strengthen our breathing muscles by retraining our breathing and improving our posture. Our body and mind will thank us for it.

🔸️Less anxiety
🔹️More focus
🔸️Better sleep
🔹️Lower blood pressure
🔸️More energy and stamina
🔹️Less breathlessness

Find out more about our breathing re-education in our Breathing Space at https://www.henryandhenryeu.com/breathingspace