Breathe Carterton

13/03/2026

Next week's session will be on monday 16th at 10am
Recreation ground carterton

09/03/2026

Breathe with me - Thursday 12th -10am
Bring a mat or blanket for the grass
No need to book, just let me know your are coming if you can, or check here for updates on the day.

No special skills needed—just your breath. NSDR is for everyone: beginners, experienced meditators, busy parents, stressed workers. You breathe at YOUR pace, guided by gentle audio cues. It's free, it's simple, and it works!

09/03/2026

Why is functional breathing important?

When your breathing is dysfunctional — too fast, too shallow, chest dominant, mouth-led — it creates a soft, uneven surface beneath everything else you do. Your sleep is undermined. Your nervous system stays in low-level stress. Your energy is quietly drained. Your exercise is held back. You can be doing everything right and still feel like something is missing.

Most people don't realise their breathing is foundational to health, its the most important thing our body does to stay alive, you can survive for days without food, water and warmth, but only minutes without breathing.
So the body compensates when breathing isn’t optimal and the foundation suffers.
No-one looks at the surface beneath, they just keep rearranging the pieces, trying to reconnect them when they are out of place.

How breathing affects the cornerstones of Physiology

How you breathe during the day carries over to how you breathe during sleep, sleep disordered breathing causes fatigue, irritability and brain fog, difficulty concentrating, or symptoms that mimic ADHD. It can also lead to Sleep Apnoea and associated health concerns.

Dysfunctional breathing impairs energy regulation, hormone regulation and the metabolic rate. It can increase cortisol which drives abdominal fat storage

Dysfunctional breathing creates a physiological barrier that often leads to a sedentary lifestyle.
It increases the oxygen cost of breathing, meaning even mild exertion feels overwhelmingly difficult, It results in fatigue leading to exercise avoidance. It also causes postural issues and core weakness, muscle tension, persistent pain, poor functional movement and higher risk of injury.

Dysfunctional breathing impacts the body's needs for repair and recovery by impairing the lymphatic and circulation systems. It causes an imbalance in the nervous system keepsing in stuck in the fight-or-flight stress response.

For some, their solid table is uneven. Structural differences, genetic conditions, cardiovascular factors, trauma, injury — conditions like Down syndrome, scoliosis, chronic respiratory illness, or nervous system dysregulation from trauma can all mean the foundation has natural cracks, lumps, and hollows.

An uneven table is not a barrier. It is simply the table we work with. We fill the hollows. We sand down the edges. We find the most stable surface possible for that individual — because even an imperfect table is better than a fluffy rug.

02/03/2026

The sun is out!
We will be back in the park this week.
Breathe with me - Thursday 5th -10am
Bring a mat or blanket for the grass
No need to book, but do let me know your are coming if you can, or check here for weather updates on the day

10/02/2026

No session next week with it being half term, but here's a little poem to brighten your day.

My Susie sloth children's workshop is on the 21st, please share with anyone who has 5-10 year olds

A Susie Sloth inspired poem

Meet Susie Sloth and her breathing trick,
A superpower that works quick!
N is for NOSE - breathing gently through,
Keep those germs away from you!
E is for EASY - ribs wide and strong,
Your diaphragm working all day long.
A is for AIR - oxygen in, carbon dioxide too,
The perfect balance, just for you!
T is for TIME - slow your breathing down,
Turn that anxious frown around.
Breathing is NEAT, that's Susie's code,
A calming superpower on life's busy road!
Join Susie's workshop - breathe, play, and learn,
Help your little ones take their turn,
To find their breath, to calm their mind,
And leave their worries far behind! 🦥💚

Children's breathing workshop supporting emotional regulation and wellbeing

Saturday 21st Feb
10am
Balance studios, Witney

Contact
Rachel@physiologyflow.co.uk

08/02/2026

29/01/2026

Join me next week
2nd Feb
10am
Free breathing session for stress and anxiety

29/01/2026

Functional Breathing for Stressed SEND Parents 💙

Parenting is hard — and parenting children with special educational needs can be intensely stressful in ways many people don’t see.

Research shows that parents of kids with autism and complex needs report much higher daily stress than other families, and in some studies, levels comparable to chronic high-stress jobs. That constant vigilance, appointments, advocating, and emotional labour takes a real toll — putting our nervous systems under constant pressure, and leading to dysfunctional breathing patterns that aren't always obvious.

This photo is from one of many hospital waiting rooms with my twins, they were throwing the toys around, pushing chairs over, trying to get out the door, In moments like this, functional breathing has helped calm my body — and in turn, helped my kids regulate too, by feeling my calm.

Nothing fancy. Just slow, gentle breaths through the nose.
A tiny tool — but powerful when practiced often.

Simple, slow, functional breathing helps activate our parasympathetic nervous system — the part that calms us — and has been shown to help with stress, anxiety, and emotional regulation.
Even just a few mindful breaths can give our nervous system (and our hearts) a moment to reset.

If you’re reading this and feeling the weight of it all — I see you. You’re doing an incredible job. Maybe take a breath with me right now — in through your nose, out through your nose… just for a moment.

I run free community breathing support sessions in Carterton, join me on Monday 2nd Feb at 10am, Brize meadow Lodge care home.
A 20 minute non-sleep deep rest breathing practice and functional breathing education to support your nervous system regulation.
Contact me to reserve a spot

23/01/2026

Next week - monday 26th Jan - 20 minutes breathing for nervous system regulation and functional breathing foundations

13/01/2026

Join me at 10am Monday 19th Jan at Brize Meadow Lodge for a 20 minute breathing session and functional breathing support

13/01/2026

You can lift heavy…
and still pull a muscle just reaching a little too far, or picking up a sock 🧦

Here’s why 👇

Your diaphragm is a core stabiliser — not just a breathing muscle, and together with your pelvic floor, deep abdominals, and spinal muscles your spine is stabilised and protected during every movement, not just heavy lifts.

When breathing is shallow or chest-dominant:
❌ poor diaphragm recruitment
❌ reduced core pressure
❌ less spinal support

In the gym, you brace on purpose.
In real life— reaching, bending, twisting — your body relies on automatic breathing + stability. Without the support of the diaphragm sudden strains during simple movements can occur.
Functional breathing keeps your core support system online — all the time.

Strength matters,
Functional movement matters,
Fascia release matters,

but
Strength starts with breathing
Train your breath like you train your body

Functional breathing for back pain workshop coming soon!