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Back to Breathing

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Back to Breathing

"Welcome to Back to Breathing! Through breathwork, mindset practices, gentle movement, and nutrition. I knew I needed change.

A page dedicated to sharing holistic tools and techniques that improved my lung health, managing COPD, boosting lung capacity and overall well-being. 🌱 A Journey of Healing & Discovery

My path hasn’t always been easy. In my early 40s, I faced serious health challenges with COPD, sciatica and cervicalgia, that pushed me to the edge and made me question the fast-paced life I was living. So I made a courageous choice: I stepped away from my demanding schedule as a chef and began exploring a more holistic, nourishing way of living. Through study, self-care, and personal exploration, I discovered the healing power of breathwork, nutrition, and mindful living. These practices transformed my health and gave me back my life. Now, I share what I’ve learned in the hope that it can inspire and support others on their own journey back to breathing, back to health, and back to life. 💚

14/04/2026

Sodium metabisulfite.

You’ve probably seen it on labels without thinking much about it. Sodium metabisulfite is a preservative used to keep food looking fresh and lasting longer. But for some people, especially those living with COPD or other respiratory conditions, it’s worth paying closer attention.

This ingredient can release sulphur dioxide, which can irritate the airways. Some people notice more coughing, tightness, or shortness of breath after eating foods that contain it. Not everyone reacts the same way, but if your breathing feels off and you cannot explain why, it might be something to look into.

It can also affect digestion. Some people report bloating, stomach discomfort, or nausea. There is also growing discussion about how sulphites may disturb the balance of gut bacteria, which plays a role in immunity and overall health.

And another thing that often goes unnoticed is that it can reduce certain vitamins in food, especially vitamin B1. So even when you think you are eating something nutritious, the value may not be quite the same and you will find sodium metabisulfite in more places than you might expect. Dried fruits, wine, processed potatoes, sauces, and packaged foods are common sources. It is also often used in jars and canned foods like chickpeas, lentils, and other legumes to preserve colour and shelf life.

This is why reading labels matters. Look out for names like sodium metabisulfite, sulphites, sulphur dioxide, or codes like E223. The more familiar you are with what is in your food, the more control you have over how it may affect you.

Self awareness is powerful. If you start noticing patterns between what you eat and how you feel, trust it. Small changes can make a real difference over time.

Taking a moment to read a label might not seem like much, but for your lungs and your overall health, it can be an important step.

Always try to eat fresh as much as possible. The closer your food is to its natural state, the less likely it is to contain additives that may affect your breathing and overall health.

And yes… I’ve become a bit of a label-reading warrior myself.

If it’s not supporting my body, I don’t ingest it.

Let´s get Back to Breathing

13/04/2026

A question worth asking!

I received a comment on one of my recent posts, and I felt it was an important question to highlight here…

“Thank you for sharing. So, if we know what causes a certain condition but need that medication, even if it causes other issues, then what?”

It’s such a great question, and one I’m sure many people wonder about too.

For me, it always comes back to asking why. Why do I have this condition in the first place, and what may have contributed to it getting to this stage? Sometimes medication is used, and it can have its place, especially in the short term. But I personally don’t believe it’s the answer long term if the underlying causes aren’t being looked at. And many of the conditions we experience are influenced over time by our daily habits.

How we think, how we breathe, how we eat, how we move, how we rest, and how we respond to stress. If those patterns don’t change, then we’re often just managing the surface rather than addressing what’s underneath.

At the same time, it’s important to understand what the medication is doing, why it’s been prescribed, and what the possible side effects are. It’s also about asking whether there are other ways we can support the body alongside it. I don’t believe in putting all your eggs in one basket. Getting a second opinion, doing your own research, and speaking to other qualified practitioners can all help you make a more informed decision about your health.

When we are constantly putting chemicals into the body over a long period of time, it can place a strain on the body and how it functions. Everything we take in is processed and carried through the body, through the blood stream and over time this can affect more than just the original issue.

However, that doesn’t mean medication doesn’t have its place. It absolutely does. I’ve seen that first-hand in my own life. My son was born with a heart defect and went through two major operations as a child. Without medical intervention, things would have been very different, and I can´t thank the medical field enough for saving my son´s life not once but twice.

But there is a difference between what is needed in certain situations and relying on long-term medication without ever looking deeper at what may be contributing to the condition in the first place. I’ve spoken to people who are taking a large number of medications daily, and at some point, we have to ask what this is doing to the body as a whole.

For me, this is where awareness becomes important. Not from worry or judgement, but from a place of awareness and understanding and looking at our daily habits, how we live, how we support our body, and whether there are ways to work alongside or gradually reduce reliance where appropriate and supported.

This is also where the six elements I work with come in. Rather than focusing on one symptom or one part of the body, we look at the whole picture. Our mindset, how we breathe, how we eat, how we move, how we rest, and how we respond to stress all play a role in how the body functions. So much of our daily habits can either support us or slowly contribute to where we find ourselves health-wise.

Sometimes, without realising it, we can be fuelling the very issue we’re trying to improve.

For me, it’s about looking deeper, getting to the root cause where possible, and supporting the body as a whole, not just reacting to the symptom on the surface and it’s not about choosing one path over another. It’s about becoming more aware, more informed, and more involved in your own health.

Let´s get Back to Breathing

12/04/2026

Purpura…

I saw a post where someone shared a picture of purpura on their arm… quite severe bruising, and it caught my attention as it took me back to some 6 years ago, because I used to bruise quite easily myself and never really thought much of it at the time.

So I did a bit more digging....

What I found is that this kind of bruising can be quite common for some people with COPD. Not so much from the condition alone, but often from the effects of long-term medication, especially steroids, alongside what the body is already dealing with.

Steroids can thin the skin and make blood vessels more fragile. Add to that the natural ageing of the skin, ongoing inflammation in the body, lower oxygen levels, and general physical frailty, it becomes much easier for bruising like this to appear. Even something small, like a knock or scratch, can cause it and I am not saying this to worry anyone, but it has highlighted something important that much of what we experience is not just the condition itself… it’s everything that surrounds it.

It’s the inflammation in the body, the way we live day to day, the stress we carry, what we’re exposed to… it all adds up. So it makes sense to start looking after the body as a whole… easing irritation, calming things down, supporting your lungs, nourishing your system, moving gently and breathing better. Not just focusing on one part of the body but supporting all of it. And when you do that, it can help reduce flare-ups, infections, and the need for stronger interventions. Much of what we see on the outside is connected to what we can feel what´s going on the inside of the body.
It’s about coming back to simple, consistent, day-to-day choices that support your system rather than add more stress to it. Self-awareness is key.

And over time, things begin to change.

Let´s get back to Breathing

09/04/2026

What they didn’t mention about your lungs....

I was reading an article today about “surprising things that may harm your lungs”, and I found some of it was quite interesting, especially the things people don’t always think about.

But what really stood out to me was what wasn’t mentioned.

There was no real mention of food, oils, alcohol, or stress… the day to day things that have a constant impact on the body. And yet, these are the things we’re exposed to every single day, not just now and again.

What you eat, how your body processes it, how much inflammation is being created, how your system is coping, how much stress you’re under… all of that plays a part in how your lungs function.

It’s easy to focus on the more obvious external things, but often it’s the internal environment that matters just as much, if not more.

This is where awareness becomes so important. Not just avoiding what you’re told is harmful, but starting to notice what your own body is reacting to and how it responds over time.

Because your lungs don’t sit in isolation, they respond to how you live.

Let´s get Back to Breathing

07/04/2026

Do you know what is affecting your sleep?

Sleep is something so many people with COPD struggle with, and I hear it all the time… a few hours here, waking up, then trying again, never really feeling fully rested.

After a while, that starts to wear you down. When the body is tired, everything feels harder. Breathing can feel heavier, the body holds more tension, and your energy just isn’t where you want it to be.

Rest is not a luxury, it’s where the body does its healing. It’s when the system starts to calm, when the body gets a chance to recover, and when everything begins to reset.

But sleep doesn’t just happen on its own. It’s often a reflection of how your day has been. What you’ve eaten, how late you’ve eaten, how much tension you’re carrying, how your breathing has been, even how busy your mind is when you finally lie down.

This is where the small things you do through the day start to matter more than you realise.

When you begin to build a bit more self-awareness, you start to notice what’s helping and what’s not. Breathwork can help settle the body and make it easier to relax into sleep. Meditation can quieten the mind and reduce that constant inner chatter. Nutrition plays a part too, especially when you give your body time to digest before bed and eliminate what might be causing irritation. Even simple exercise & movement during the day can help the body feel more ready to rest at night.

It’s not about doing everything perfect, and it won’t change overnight, but when these things come together with consistently, they start to support better sleep & rest.

And when your sleep begins to improve, you’ll feel it in your breathing, your energy, and how you move throughout your day.

Rest really does matter more than most people realise. Self-awareness is key.

It’s a big part of getting Back to Breathing.

06/04/2026

A thought I’ve been sitting with…

I’ve been sitting with something over the last few days and just feeling into what might be next.

The last retreat showed me how powerful it is when this work is brought together and lived, not just read or talked about.

So, I’m starting to explore the idea of doing a few more.

One would be an online 6-week retreat starting in August, held in a small private Facebook group of a max of 50 participants, that way it stays private, personal and supportive, like the last one I held a few weeks back.

And then looking a little further ahead, possibly two smaller 7 night live in retreats. One in Spain or Portugal in the spring 2027, and another in Kelowna, Canada in the autumn 2027. These would be very small, more intimate groups, max 6 people, so everyone gets the space and attention they need.

Nothing is set; nothing is fixed. I’m just feeling into it.

If this is something that speaks to you, I’d be interested to hear from you.

Let’s get Back to Breathing.

05/04/2026

When you start looking at the whole picture….

So many of the things people struggle with day to day when it comes to their health are not separate issues, even though they’re often treated that way.

High blood pressure, muscle tension, excess mucus, postnasal drip, poor sleep, low energy etc … they’re all signals from the body. Not random, and not just something to manage one by one.

They’re often the result of how the body has been lived in over time.

When the body is under constant pressure, whether that’s from meds, food, stress, lack of movement, poor breathing habits, or not enough rest, it starts to compensate. And those compensations show up as symptoms, often from one thing or a combination of all of these.

What I’ve found, both in my own journey and working with others, is that when you stop looking at everything in isolation and start supporting the body as a whole, things can begin to shift.

That’s where the Back to Breathing six elements come in.

Mindset and self-awareness, meditation, breathwork, nutrition, exercise, and rest all work together. Not as separate things, but as part of how you live day to day.

When your mindset begins to shift and you become more aware, you start noticing what your body is actually telling you.

Meditation helps calm the system, reduces stress, eases anxiety, lifts your mood, improves sleep patterns, and can even increase your tolerance to discomfort.

Breathwork supports the lungs, helps open up the airways, reduces tension, and improves blood flow to the heart and oxygen flow throughout the body.

Proper nutrition helps bring the body back into balance, reduces inflammation, and lowers the overall load on the system.

Exercise helps everything move and function better, building strength, increasing energy, and supporting better lung performance.

And rest allows the body to recover. This is where your real healing happens, as rest and sleep are when the body repairs and restores itself.

None of this is extreme, and it’s not about doing everything perfectly. It’s about small, consistent changes that begin to support the body instead of working against it.

All of this is part of natural, everyday living. Learning to be more self-aware, how to breathe, what helps reduce inflammation, bringing in gentle movement, calming the nervous system and stress levels, and allowing yourself a good night’s sleep.

When these come together, they become powerful tools for getting Back to Breathing.

I saw this so clearly in my last retreat. Over those 6 weeks, people began to understand their bodies in a completely different way, and the changes came not from one thing, but from bringing all of this together consistently.

Over time, the body responds. Symptoms settle, breathing feels easier, and energy starts to return.

It’s not about chasing each problem. It’s about changing the environment the body is trying to function in.

Let´s get Back to Breathing

04/04/2026

GERD and reflux could be affecting your breathing more than you realise...

GERD and reflux are often treated like a small side issue, something to just manage and live with. But when you really look at what’s going on, it’s not small at all.

And yet most people are just given something to suppress it. No one really looks at why it’s happening in the first place. In many cases, it comes back to daily habits.

Eating too quickly, too late, too much processed food, too much pressure on the body, too little awareness. The body starts to struggle, and this is one of the ways it shows it.

When stomach contents, including acid, start coming back up, they don’t just stay in the digestive system. They can reach the throat, irritate the airways, and over time even be drawn into the lungs in tiny amounts. That ongoing irritation can show up as a chronic cough, hoarseness, tightness in the chest, more mucus, and that feeling of not being able to get a proper breath.

There’s also a nerve response involved. When acid sits where it shouldn’t, it can trigger a reflex that causes the airways to tighten, which only adds to the struggle with breathing.

So now you’re not just dealing with digestion, you’re dealing with something that is directly affecting your lungs.

And if your lungs are already compromised, it becomes another layer the body has to work through.

This is why I keep coming back to lifestyle. In many cases this doesn’t just appear overnight. It builds over time through habits, food choices, stress, how you eat, how late you eat, and how aware you are when you’re eating.

The body starts to struggle, and this is one of the ways it speaks.

When you begin to change those patterns, gently and consistently, things can start to settle. The irritation reduces, the pressure eases, and breathing often begins to feel a little freer.

It’s not about masking it or pushing it down. It’s about understanding what your body is trying to tell you and responding to it.

Let´s get Back to Breathing

31/03/2026

The 6 elements

I get asked a lot “What are the 6 elements”, so I thought to share this again here for you.

They are Mindset and Self-Awareness, Meditation, Breathwork, Movement, Nutrition, and Rest.

Nothing complicated and nothing extreme.

But when these are brought together and practiced consistently, they create real change. Not overnight, and not from doing one thing now and again, but from how you live them day to day.
This is what supports a healthier body, more energy, and better breathing.

I’ve shared more about this before, so if you’re new here, take a bit of time to read back through the page and the pinned posts. There’s a lot there already that will help you understand it more deeply.

Because it’s not just about knowing what the elements are… it’s about starting to become aware of how you’re living them.

On my last retreat, over the 6 weeks, I watched people change in ways they didn’t think were possible. Not because of one thing, but because they stayed consistent with working on all the 6 elements together.

Let´s get Back to Breathing

30/03/2026

Could your posture be affecting how you breathe.

Have you ever stopped to think about how much your body is affecting your breathing?

Not just your lungs, but everything around them.

I see it so often… tight shoulders, a stiff upper back, a chest that barely moves. Over time the body adapts to tension, and without realising it, your breathing starts to adapt as well. It becomes smaller, more restricted, and takes more effort than it should.

This is where something like chiropractic work can come in as support.

Not as a fix for COPD, but as a way of helping the body function a bit better. When tension starts to ease, especially around the chest, ribs and spine, there can be more space for the breath to move. When the spine is moving more freely, the ribcage has a better chance to expand the way it’s meant to.

I’ll share this from my own experience as well. I go once a month, and every time I come away feeling lighter and more open through my body, and that always reflects in my breathing.

One thing to be aware of though… after a session, it’s quite normal to feel tired for a day or two. The body is adjusting, releasing tension, and going through change, so rest becomes important.

And if it’s something you’re considering, take your time to find the right person. Not all chiropractors work in the same way. I’ve been to a few over the years, and the one I work with now focuses more on gentle alignment and working into areas of tension rather than forceful adjustments, which suits me much better.

Like everything, it’s about finding what works for your body.

Because sometimes it’s not just about the lungs… it’s about the space they’re trying to work in.

24/03/2026

“I have CO₂ retention…”

I hear this a lot… and often it’s said as if that’s it, nothing can be done.

But that’s not the full picture.

CO₂ retention simply means the body is not clearing carbon dioxide as effectively through the breath. It’s common with conditions like COPD and emphysema, where airflow is restricted.

And yes, it can make you feel uncomfortable… breathless, tired, foggy at times.

But it doesn’t mean you are stuck.

There is a lot you can do to support your body.

Through breathing, through how you live day to day, through small consistent changes… the body can become more efficient, and symptoms can improve.

It’s not about a quick fix or eliminating it overnight…

It’s about learning how to work with your body instead of against it.

That’s exactly why I focus on the 6 elements.

Because when everything starts working together… breathing, movement, nutrition, mindset, rest and awareness….the body responds.

And when the body responds… things can change.

You’re not stuck.

Let’s get back to breathing 💛

Diane

23/03/2026

Don’t ever give up… you are stronger than you realise 💛

There is so much you can do to support yourself and slowly start to regain your life again.

One step at a time… keep going

Let´s get Back to Breathing

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