I attended my first conscious connected breathwork session early 2023 not really knowing what it was all about. Led by our very own weaver Shakti Tracy from Diamond Heart Network, I was blown away by the experience.

Having always been a seeker of ‘altered states of reality’ specifically in my younger years, I was fascinated by the concept of something as simple and accessible as our breath being able to support my journey of healing deep rooted wounding.

At first when I tried the continuous breath I struggled. I got a very dry mouth and was convinced I was ‘doing it wrong’. Imposter syndrome being a close companion of mine (we all know that one right?). We were journeying that day to meet our guides – divine masculine and divine feminine. I don’t remember who came through as my divine feminine in the first session (that I believed I was doing wrong!) as I was more concerned by ‘feeling silly’ and ‘getting it wrong’.

Before the second journey I sought out technique advice from my peers (whom I saw as much more knowledgeable!) I do remember thinking….’this wont work on me because my brain has been way too altered before by chemicals’ Self limiting beliefs were strong and I was resistant to allowing the natural flow.

We started the second session and I positioned myself more towards the corner of the room as I’d felt exposed in the first session being in the middle of room. I must add that the noises people were making during the session slightly baffled me. Screaming, crying, laughing, howling….what was going on that I just didn’t get? Nevertheless, I began breathing in earnest wiling myself to surrender and trust.

I can’t really describe what happened for the next hour. I was faced face to face with Thor and his mighty hammer along with a Minotaur. I came round a the end of the session wondering where the hell I was and what the heck had just happened. Pretty much like my first acid trip back in the 90’s. Just WOW! We all sat and shared and I was just so excited that I’d ‘got it right’ rather than focused on what the messages were for me. That processing came much later when in my own space.

My giddiness at my success overpowered the actual healing pathways it had provided for me. I knew then….I knew I needed more breathwork in my life.

My mum has raised me talking about how as humans we don’t breath properly and I’d often mused over her words but not really thought deeply about it. Having raised a son with chronic asthma, I knew he needed to breath deeper and I had often led mini ‘breathwork’ sessions with him when he was in hospital but suddenly all the pieces were coming together.

That summer I attended 5 wellbeing festivals leading Forest Bathing workshop sessions for folks in the conscious community and I made sure I attended as many breathwork sessions as I could. I paid for a 1:1 session with the amazing Julie Ann Horrox at LoveHerder “Getting High on Life” 2024 and she led me to shift some huge and painful blockages. She supported me with such love and nurture and the connection to her, her story and her presence filled me with joy. This consolidated my yearning to train as a breathwork facilitator. At Stone Cold Sober festival I was blessed to attended 6 sessions all with different facilitators and wow – this expanded my experience of how many ways there are to practice breathwork. I was hooked.

I became one of those people rolling around screaming, laughing, crying, chanting, howling and ultimately…releasing the stuff that wasnt even mine to begin with. Pure relief washed over me.

Early in Jan 2024, the universe served me another dose of health curveballs as my heart started to cry out with pressure. I listened but didn’t know what to do. Then I was released from a work situation that I hadn’t even realised had become very heavy on my shoulders (even though my neck was bad again needing surgery and I’d just had shoulder surgery – wakey wakey Lix!)

Once released from this time consuming role and with a long period of healing ahead – I had space open up in my life to again recreate and hone in on what I was being called to do. 1 week after my spinal surgery – I heard the call. I’d been growing closer with Shakti Tracy chatting about life, love and the universe and she mentioned that she was running a special April start course. She had felt the call to do an extra course this year and I took the sign. I signed up. Leapt hoping the net would appear. My finances being the worst they have been since I was young having had to surrender paid work because of my health.

I had been mediating hard on abundance, prosperity and more specifically doing a breathwork course for some time. My net appeared. Ok yes, it went more like ‘Dad? Please can you help me out?’

He has watched me since I had to leave my teaching career 3 years ago try to rebuild my life after my life changing injury at work and I know he chuckles at my ‘witchy’ ways but he had recently read about Breathwork in his daily paper and so he was ‘on board’ with this direction I wanted to take. He had only recently read this when I asked my favour….big ups universe.

So here I am now. A new neck, space in my life for a new venture, time and motivation to pour into the course and a really supportive network of wonderful authentic woman cheerleading me on.

2024 so far has been a wild ride of panic, fear, rejection, pain (mental and physical), confusion, challenges and heartache….but for each of those feelings it has brought authenticity, love, support, opportunities, huge joy, loyalty, progression, treasure and a vast wealth of excitement, growth and passion as all of it is a perfect sign of divine timing and absolute trust at the organic flow of our bloody beautiful universe!

Here I go with the truly transformational journey with my breath, your breath and the life with the universe breathes into us.

Lix from Elixir Breathwork – breathing is medicine for the soul.

To find out more about Lix take a look at her profile in Practitioners Corner