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energy-healing

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I swear my father, frail and relaxed in an ICU hospital bed, was practicing breathwork before he left his body in 2017. It was the same style of breathing I am focusing on now as I train with Breathing Space to become a certified breathworks facilitator – mouth wide open, inhales pulling in precious air and exhales released with a sigh, his whole body involved in the act of breathing – even if assisted. His breathing continued this way for the longest minutes I had ever experienced well after life-support was removed.

Have you ever witnessed a human being’s final breath? That moment of ultimate release – the letting go of a life? It moved me deeply. I sensed a delicate breeze – the quiet readiness to move on, a freedom from the confines of a weary body. The experience inspired me to write a poem I titled Perfectly Unfinished, later published in Third Lane Magazine, an Indian publication that resonated with my father’s heritage and the poignancy of his passing.

In 2021, while visiting Costa Rica, I embarked on a transformative breathwork journey that I believe was guided by my father‘s spirit. Through this experience, I grasped – not merely intellectually, but in the very core of my being – how he departed from his physical form. All that remained was breath and breath-taking light.

I’ve deleted and rewritten paragraphs of this article several times describing the pulling sensation between my eyebrows, the blinding brightness of that light and the innate awareness that it is not my time to enter this loving passage – that is more life in store for me to be breathed. But really all of these words don’t seem to do the experience justice. And sometimes describing something profound almost feels contracted – as if it’s being packaged up in a tiny box rather than given room to breathe, to move freely through and around me.

Each of us has a unique human experience that influences our breathwork journeys, should we choose to undertake them. It is my heartfelt prayer that we all have the opportunity to explore such journeys in our lifetimes. One thing is clear: These are not just isolated experiences; they hold transformative potential if we trust their wisdom and keep them close to our hearts.

This, my first incredible breathwork journey, reshaped my relationship to aging and ignited my quest to explore lucid dreaming. The connection between lucid dreaming and death is well-established; over a thousand years ago, Tibetan Buddhists developed an entire science around awakening in dreams to prepare for death. They believed that if lucid dreaming was practiced enough, one could remain conscious at the moment of death and navigate the transition with awareness, evolving into the next phase of the soul’s journey.

I will forever cherish that breathwork journey with my father and the renewed perspective it granted me on life and death. It illuminated the boundless light and love awaiting us, and the freedom that comes from releasing fears of impermanence. The breath truly does guide us to let go. And to experience this before our final breath is indeed a profound grace.

As I facilitate and observe the conscious connected breathwork journeys of others, I am increasingly aware of how this practice reveals what we need to release, helping us lighten our burdens. With each session, as old stories fade, we emerge more liberated.

Zila (pronounced Z-ee-la)

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

Breathwork offers a wide range of potential benefits affecting both physical and mental health:

  1. Stress reduction: Deep, controlled breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation.
  2. Anxiety management: Breathwork can help calm racing thoughts and reduce anxiety symptoms.
  3. Improved focus and concentration: Certain techniques can enhance mental clarity and cognitive function.
  4. Better sleep: Regular practice may improve sleep quality and help with insomnia.
  5. Pain management: Some breathwork methods can help in managing chronic pain.
  6. Enhanced emotional regulation: It can aid in processing and releasing stored emotions.
  7. Increased energy levels: Certain techniques can invigorate the body and mind.
  8. Improved respiratory function: Regular practice can strengthen respiratory muscles and increase lung capacity.
  9. Boosted immune system: Some studies suggest breathwork may enhance immune function.
  10. Better cardiovascular health: It can help lower blood pressure and improve heart rate variability.
  11. Increased self-awareness: Breathwork often leads to greater bodily awareness and mindfulness.
  12. Spiritual growth: Some practitioners report profound spiritual experiences through certain breathwork practices.

While individual experiences may vary, many people find breathwork to be a valuable tool for overall well-being.

This journey is about reconnecting with who you truly are, beyond the labels and expectations. It’s a space to drop the burdens, heal what no longer serves you, and remember the strength within. 

Facilitator

Lix Kendal @LixElixirBreathwork

Place / Venue

Private WhatsApp Group: A space for daily support, reflections, and connection.

Date and Time

January – April 2025
Sessions: 2 hours fortnightly, bringing focus, healing, and empowerment.

Description

Join us on this journey of awakening, connection, and liberation. Step into a sisterhood where healing becomes a collective experience, and together, we rise. 🌿💫
Are you feeling the weight of trying to “do it all”? Life can feel overwhelming, especially for women balancing so many roles and expectations. For those navigating ADHD, the challenges of peri-menopause, career confusion, or simply the pressure to have everything figured out, it can feel like you’re carrying the world alone. If you’re longing for a space to breathe, reset, and find your inner compass, know that you’re not alone.

This journey is about reconnecting with who you truly are, beyond the labels and expectations. It’s a space to drop the burdens, heal what no longer serves you, and remember the strength within. Through breath, community, and self-discovery, Awakened Women: Journey Through Breath and Spirit invites you to release, renew, and rise in a circle of women who understand.

If you’re ready to step into a sisterhood that honours your journey, we welcome you with open hearts. A supportive space to enable you to find the tools to transform yourself and your world ✨

Does this resonate with you? Are you feeling the call to connect with your inner power, calm your mind, and release the blocks holding you back? This 16 week online journey has been crafted especially for women ready to dive deep, rediscover their strength, and embrace transformation through breath and spirit.

🌸 Course Overview
Each week, we’ll focus on a different chakra, using heart-centred practices and conscious connected breathwork to foster healing and growth. As we move through the chakras, you’ll experience a powerful mix of practices, from grounding in nature and Celtic chanting to visualisations, Ho’oponopono prayer, and the manifestation practices. These modalities will help you shift old patterns, open to self-empowerment, and connect deeply with your inner wisdom.

🌟 What You’ll Gain
A transformative journey through each chakra, from root grounding to crown connection, touching on themes like the heart chakra’s sisterhood healing, the throat chakra’s vocal empowerment, and the third eye’s intuitive visioning.
Practical tools to calm anxiety, release limiting beliefs, and embrace your full self.
Connection with a community of supportive, like-minded women in our private WhatsApp group.
Fortnightly 2-hour sessions, each including heart-centred practices and conscious connected breathwork, allowing you to release, reflect, and empower.

Cost and Link to Tickets

Exchange: £228 (payment plan available – £28 deposit, £50 per month Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb or we can arrange what suits you)
Ready to embark? Feel free to DM for more information or to secure your spot! Places are limited to just 8 women. 💌

What do you enjoy about breathwork and how has it helped you?

The breath is everything. This simple statement spoken by the amazing founder of this space, has taken on so many meanings, from the obvious, we cannot survive without it, to the exponential transformational potential in each breath. So the truth in this moment, is the breath really is everything. I have walked a path of many truths, some old, some new, some rediscovered, some lost forever. the breath is woven so intimately, so integrally through my life now that i do not imagine a time without it. It has been a shelter, a sanctuary where i can rest from the storms in my life. It has allowed me to rise into the sky and beyond.
Creating a collection of poetry inspired by my experiences with breathwork was a wonderful way to channel and express newfound insights and emotions. Poetry can be a powerful medium for capturing the essence of inner experiences and transformations. As I embarked on my journey with the breath, I allowed the words to flow freely, letting them express the depth of my experiences and the richness of my inner world. I built up a trust in my intuition and the creative process. Allowing it to guide me to explore themes, emotions, and imagery that resonate with my breathwork journey. My writings are not just about the final product but also about the process of self-expression and discovery. Allowing myself to be vulnerable and authentic in my writing provided a supportive and safe space for me to feel into these vulnerabilities. Safety and security are recurring themes I have been working on, as I walk my own path towards wholeness through healing.
If I ever feel stuck or uncertain, I return to my breathwork practice, as this will serve as a source of inspiration and grounding, helping me reconnect with that creative flow within and support my expression in the outer world.

Where did you complete your training (or where are you still in training)?

Karen Berry. I graduated as a breathwork facilitator in July 2024 with Breathing Space. I attained my level 3 in Reiki in 2022 but I usually just say I work with energy as that is what it is to me but reiki is an accepted modality title.

Are you trained in any other modalities?

Yes, i am a trained in holistic massage, reiki – level 3, Indian head massage. and i am a qualified and registered adult general nurse

How do they integrate with breathwork?

Breathwork will weave throughout all modalities. It is present in each moment. I use the breath to support spiritual journeying and connection to other realms of existence.

What is your personal journey?

Throughout my life I have struggled, I was bullied as a child, I struggled to form lasting relationships, I was consumed by the need to fit in, to be accepted. This drove me to clip and change to suit those around me and I became less me, and not even really like them, I just seemed to fade away. Throughout my adult life people have abused my very soul. They have taken the love I gave so freely and used it against me. I’ll not dwell on that as this blog is about my journey in breathwork. So for the past 20 Years I have searched. I have searched for me. I have explored holistic therapies and trained in various modalities of healing. I qualified as a nurse and supported people for many years, physically and emotionally. My path took many twists and turns. I left one abusive relationship, straight into another, this one worse. I eventually found the strength to leave. During these times I left my spiritual development and self care behind. I no longer practiced my craft, I hid it all from the world and from myself. I was consumed with being accepted.
Now breathwork where does this fit in. Well over the past four years I have taken myself on a journey of healing, initially I thought I was ok, but then when I took a course on mental health resilience, I realised that I was not ok, the truth then was that I felt broken. Not it a I can’t function way, I worked, I provided for my family, but I was definitely not living my life the way I wanted or in a way that served my highest good, I didn’t really understand who I was so how could I live how I wanted when I didn’t knew myself. So I took a trip down the rabbit hole and I discovered a lady in America who does witchcraft and shadow work. OO I thought this sounds good so off I went, like Alice, down the hole deeper and deeper, until I started to come across the term breathwork. Now here’s me thinking wtf is that all about, sounds kinda hippie to me but also I found a little voice saying go have a look, go see what this hippie S678 is all about. Furthermore you daft sod you’re just a little bit hippie with all your reiki, crystals and witchy spell work so maybe, just maybe you’ll fit right in.
So off I do down another rabbit hole, and further and further I went, searching on the internet talking to friends, to see what it is all about. And I start to build this picture in my mind of what this breathwork might actually be about. Of course I saw some lets say very interesting interpretations of what breathwork was and some vast differences in practitioner training. I knew I was looking for something more, something that felt less wishy washy and more substantial. Then I found Ben and Breathing Space. I attended a zoom call to find out more. Now there I was, trying to get the children ready for bed, whist cuddling the snake and listening to Ben talking about his work and this programme. I suddenly stopped what I was doing, this was it, I found what I was looking for. The energies of all those people on that call were amazing, old students, current students, facilitators, curious people like me and of course Ben. One lady made a comment of how the breath is everything. As I have travelled along this path, read more books, attended more sessions, the truth of this statement transformed, I came to understand just what she meant. The breath is everything, no more no less, it just is. If you are reading this thinking this woman writing this is mad, she is bonkers what is she going on about making such a daft statement? Hang in there, walk a little further along the path into breathwork and you will see. The penny will drop, you will just know.
Breathwork has helped to change my life. I am calmer, more resilient, happier because I know how to breathe. I know what I need to do to open my sub conscious, so I can connect on a deeper level to discover my truth. I can stay calm in the moment, and now I am ready to support this for others.

What do you stand for, and what do you stand against?

My mission is to combat the feeling of being alone. I have been there and it is not a very nice place. I am not saying i don’t relish my own company nor am i unhappy on my own. But feeling alone is something very different. I wish for communities to come together, to support one another, where we are now. Building spaces where people can just be present and loved. What do i stand against? well tyranny, oppression, and feeling alone, feeling no one is there and not knowing which way to turn. Above all i stand for being kind and nice, these do not come without boundaries but let us all just be kind.

What is your greatest wish for your clients

To find a space of respite. A space of safe refuge as they navigate the storms in their own lives. A place of connection, a place of compassion and a place of love.

My Bio

Creating Safe Spaces to Navigate Life’s Storms: Breathwork & Energy Facilitation to Build Your Centre of Wellness

Contact Details

email :- safehavenwellnesscentre@gmail.com.