life-coaching – Beyond the Breath Online Magazine

From Surviving to Thriving: A Journey with the Tree of Breath

30/10/2024 1 Comment

There comes a time in life when simply getting by just isn’t enough anymore. For many of us, the fast pace of life and constant demands can leave us feeling drained, disconnected, and stuck in a cycle of just surviving. I’ve been there and it’s not a pleasant place to be, so I know how important it is to find a way out of that pattern and into something more nourishing and fulfilling.

That’s what led me to create THRIVE with the Tree of Breath—a framework that goes beyond just coping and instead nurtures a genuine sense of thriving. Inspired by the growth of a tree, this approach weaves together breathwork, happiness practices, and gentle holistic techniques to help us grow stronger, feel grounded, and live with purpose.

Each part of the THRIVE journey mirrors a part of the tree, starting with roots that ground us, a trunk that supports us, branches that extend us, leaves that nourish us, flowers that connect us with others and finally, fruit that symbolises our empowerment. With our breath as our guide, this journey invites us to reconnect with our authentic selves, grow through life’s challenges, and rediscover the joy of simply being.
By rooting ourselves in intentional breath and aligning with our values, we can nurture resilience, discover deeper self-awareness, and, most importantly, create space to grow into the life we’ve always hoped for.

The Roots of the THRIVE framework are all about creating a solid foundation by grounding yourself in who you are and where you are right now. This stage combines Therapeutic Breath with reflective practices, like a life audit and values audit, to help you gain clarity on your current state and what truly matters to you. Here, we also focus on your breathing patterns, identifying ways to improve them because breathing well is at the root of all health—it impacts everything from your energy to your emotional resilience. Embracing your response-ability, or the power to choose how you respond to life’s challenges, is also key. Like roots stabilising a tree, this foundation grounds you, helping you approach each day with balance, strength, and a sense of possibility.

The Trunk of the THRIVE framework represents your inner strength and stability, the core that supports you through life’s challenges. At this stage, we focus on Happy Breath, a practice that nurtures emotional resilience and balance by connecting to the pillars of the body and heart. Just as the trunk holds up a tree, these practices help you find stability within, supporting your well-being in a way that feels solid and dependable. With techniques for emotional regulation and heart-centred breathing, the trunk stage invites you to cultivate calmness and compassion, building a strong core that enables you to weather whatever comes your way. This stage is all about standing tall, feeling centred, and rooting deeply into a sense of self-trust.

The Branches of the THRIVE framework symbolise growth beyond old limitations, stretching outward to reach new possibilities. This stage is all about Rewiring Breath, where we work on releasing limiting beliefs and patterns that may be holding you back. Just as branches extend outward, here we explore practices like NLP, Havening, EFT, and Conscious Connected Breathing to help you open up to fresh perspectives and transform your mental landscape. The branches stage invites you to reframe old habits and thoughts, creating space for new growth, flexibility, and empowerment. With each breath, you reach a little further, discovering the freedom that comes from letting go of what no longer serves you.

The Leaves of the THRIVE framework represent nourishment and renewal, drawing in light and energy to sustain your inner vitality. In this stage, we focus on Inner Nourishing Breath—practices that nurture your soul and feed your sense of well-being. Just as leaves absorb sunlight to sustain the tree, this stage invites you to take in what truly replenishes you. Through coherence breathing, flower essences, and connecting with your own inner wisdom, the leaves stage is about caring for yourself deeply and consistently. It’s a reminder that nourishment isn’t a luxury; it’s essential for growth. By tuning into what truly sustains you, you cultivate the resilience and vitality needed to flourish.

The Flowers of the THRIVE framework symbolise connection, beauty, and the joy of sharing who we are with others. In this stage, we focus on Vital Connecting Breath, using practices that foster empathy, compassion, and deeper relationships. Just as flowers bloom outwardly, this stage invites us to open up and connect with the world around us. Heart Coherence breathing and Loving Kindness practices are central here, helping you cultivate meaningful connections, both with yourself and others. The flowers remind us that true connection is a gift, bringing colour and vibrancy to life. By nurturing these bonds, you allow your relationships to blossom and enrich your journey.

The Fruit of the THRIVE framework represents the harvest of your journey—embodying empowerment, fulfillment, and purpose. This final stage focuses on Empowering Breath, using conscious connected breathwork to help you embrace your strength and step into your fullest self. Just as the fruit of a tree contains the seeds of new life, this stage is about realising the power and potential you’ve cultivated through each phase of growth. Here, breathwork encourages you to feel grounded in your accomplishments, aligned with your passions, and confident in the path ahead. The fruit stage is your chance to savour the journey, embodying the wisdom, resilience, and vitality you’ve nurtured within.

The THRIVE framework is a journey through growth, resilience, and self-discovery, each stage building on the one before it. Like a tree, our well-being is rooted in a strong foundation, and from there, we reach upward, nourish ourselves, connect with others, and finally harvest the fruits of our inner work. Through intentional breath and thoughtful practices, the THRIVE framework guides us from simply surviving to truly thriving, honouring each step as part of a whole, living process. By tending to our roots, trunk, branches, leaves, flowers, and fruit, we reconnect with ourselves and the world around us in a way that feels grounded, balanced, and deeply fulfilling. In every breath, we find a new beginning, a reminder of our strength, and a pathway toward a life of growth and empowerment.

Marie Doherty – Empowering Women to Breathe, Thrive, and Shine.

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

In Practitioner's Corner

Sharyn with a Why

01/03/2002 No Comments

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

Breathwork quite literally saved my life. That sounds dramatic doesn’t it? I have moon in Leo, I need to been seen and heard, and sometimes drama helps! It’s not a lie though, since I’ve found breathwork and built a relationship with my own breath, the suicidal ideations have almost stopped. It’s a little like being in recovery, I think I’ll always travel with depression, but somehow it’s bearable, and even enjoyable, to walk this life with the breath as my companion.

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

Graduate Facilitator, Mentor and Teacher at Breathing Space
Licenced Aria Breath Practitioner

Are you trained in any other modalities?

So many! I’m an Accountant and Chartered Manager from my corporate days which I bring into my Cosmic Business Coaching. I’m also an Astrologer, Advanced Soul Plan Practitioner, Clinical Hypnotherapist, NLP Practitioner, Tarot Reader, Spiritual Coach and Counsellor to name but a few of the certificates I’ve gathered on this journey of self discovery.

How do they integrate with breathwork?

It’s my view that everything we were before we found breathwork, and everything we do afterwards will all integrate with our breathwork facilitation. In fact I believe we should look into our past and our passions to find our most beautiful path ahead – filled with moments of complete competency and moments of complete terror as we go the edges of our comfort zone (like launching an online magazine for example!)

What is your personal journey?

I live in the North of England, and have a 33-year-old daughter, a grand-dawg called Alan and a grand-baby, who recently arrived earth-side! No pets of my own (partner with allergies; jury is still out on the cat vs. partner debate!!).

I have experienced a successful corporate career (finance, leadership, marketing, and business growth) that didn’t cause any real stress beyond manageable eustress. Being self-employed has almost broken me many times.

Having navigated a breakdown without medical aid (not a recommendation, just my story), I now use nature’s cycles and rhythms to manage all four quadrants of life: body, mind, emotions, and spirit. The breath being the first cycle we encounter and that holds so much magic!

I have incredible resilience built up over many challenges, but it’s only relatively recently, I would say, that I’ve experienced a dark night of the soul. But that’s a story for a chat over a cuppa.

I’m now passionate about bringing the sacred into the mundane, reflecting the wisdom of nature in all aspects of life. Supporting people to find their own place of belonging. Holding space within myself for all parts of me—the accountant, the hippie, the spiritual explorer, and the magician.

I love coffee, box sets on a Sunday afternoon, sitting by the lake, walking in the woods and dark chocolate! When I grow up, I want to be a life alchemist.

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

I stand for – Equity and fairness, Freedom, Learning and Exploring

I stand against – Rudeness, Unkindness, Dogma and Judgement

What is your greatest wish for your clients

To remember their true nature and live in stress free alignment. Stress is the silent killer that slowly creeps up on us. My friend warned me for many years, and I just thought she didn’t quite have my resilience. How the not so mighty fell .. with a bump!

To find Soulitude and Peace in the chaos – Creating little pockets of calm each day with the breath, allows the nervous system to rest and reset.

En-life-enment – To live this life in full technicolour. Body, Mind, Emotions and Spirit in harmony with the breath.

Contact Details

Website :- https://sharyn-with-a-why.co.uk

Offers :- members.sharyn-with-a-why.co.uk

email :- Sharyn With a Why

Facebook :- https://www.facebook.com/SharynwithaWhy/

LinkedIn :- https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharyn-with-a-why/

YouTube :- https://www.youtube.com/@sharynwithawhy

In Practitioner's Corner

Carly Killen – Strong Bones Coach

02/12/2001 No Comments

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

Breathing Space Facilitator in training (I’m more than half way through the course and graduation requirement)

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

What I enjoy most about breathwork is its simplicity and accessibility. It’s a tool we always have with us, and yet it holds the potential to unlock so much transformation.

Breathwork has helped me in ways I didn’t even know I needed. It’s allowed me to find calm in the chaos of everyday life, uncover and release limiting beliefs, and connect with my authentic self beneath the layers of conditioning and expectation from others I’ve picked up over the years.

Breathwork continues to teach me to trust my inner knowing. I’m slowly but surely releasing the need to constantly seek external validation, as I build a deeper sense of self-trust through.

And what’s most amazing is that facilitating for others doesn’t drain me—it restores me. Every session leaves me feeling rejuvenated and reminded of the power of following what feels aligned to me.

Are you trained in any other modalities?

Yes, I’m trained in a few other things…

Registered Dietitian
Certified Menopause Support Coach
Strength Coach
MSc in Innovation in Healthcare

How do they integrate with breathwork?

Each modality I’m trained in works together to form a holistic approach that adapts to the unique needs of my clients at every step of their journey.

Breathwork serves as the foundation that ties it all together. It supports clients in navigating the roadblocks that leave so many feeling stuck; whether that’s emotional overwhelm, self-doubt, or physical challenges. By integrating breathwork within my work, I help clients reconnect with their inner wisdom, overcome obstacles, and take aligned steps toward growth and transformation.

What is your personal journey?

I spent much of my life in the fast lane, believing my worth was tied to how much I could achieve and how many boxes I could tick.

This mindset led to multiple episodes of burnout and forced me to confront the way I was living.

After a lifetime of battling with my body due to severe asthma, mental health struggles, repeated hospital admissions and the constant pressure to conform to societal body image ideals. These experiences left me drained and living to please others, often at the expense of my own well-being.

My introduction to breathwork felt like a coincidence at first, but looking back, I see it as a moment of inner guidance. I began with smaller practices like pranayama, and eventually followed my curiosity to try a deeper breathwork session on my own. The experience was intense and it opened my eyes to the incredible value of having a trained facilitator to hold space for me.

This realisation sparked my journey to explore breathwork further and eventually train as a facilitator myself.

Since then, breathwork has been a catalyst for profound transformation. It’s helped me release the battle I had with my body, embrace a more compassionate relationship with myself, whilst finding ease and flow in my life.

I’ve learned that growth doesn’t have to come from constant striving, it can emerge from a place of safety, self-acceptance, and trust in my own inner knowing.

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

What I Stand For:
I stand for authenticity, growth, and helping others use their true nature as a catalyst for meaningful change. I believe in creating safe, supportive spaces where people can reconnect with their inner knowing, reclaim their sovereignty, and live in alignment with their true selves.

What I Stand Against:
I stand against the pressures of perfectionism and the idea that growth must come from constant striving. True transformation doesn’t require burnout, it can emerge from safety, self-acceptance, and ease.

What is your greatest wish for your clients

My greatest wish for my clients is that they rediscover the power within themselves, that they realise they already have everything they need to grow, heal, and create a life that feels true to them.

I want them to feel empowered to trust their inner knowing, embrace their unique nature, and live in alignment with what matters most to them.

I also hope they learn that transformation doesn’t have to come from striving or struggle but can emerge from a place of ease, flow, and self-acceptance. My wish is for every client to walk away feeling confident in their ability to navigate life’s challenges and create a deep sense of trust and stability within themselves.

My Bio

Carly Killen is a breathwork facilitator in training, registered dietitian, certified menopause support and strength coach. Carly takes a holistic approach to well-being, combining her experience in physical health, emotional resilience through menopause transition to help clients reconnect with themselves and create meaningful change.

Guided by the values of authenticity, growth, and creating safe spaces, Carly empowers her clients to overcome roadblocks and navigate life’s challenges with greater ease and confidence. Breathwork lies at the heart of her practice, serving as a powerful tool to help clients release limiting beliefs, build self-trust, and live in alignment with their true selves.

Carly’s philosophy is simple: You have everything you need. Through her work, she helps clients rediscover the power within themselves, embracing transformation from a place of safety, self-acceptance, and ease.

Discover yourself – one breath at a time

Contact Details

website :- https://carlykillen.com
facebook :- https://www.facebook.com/CarlyKillenPT/
instagram :- https://www.instagram.com/thestrongbonescoach/
podcast :- https://podfollow.com/the-strong-bones-coach-podcast

In Practitioner's Corner

Lix Kendal, Elixir Breathwork – breathing is medicine for the soul

18/03/2001 No Comments

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

I am a trainee Breathwork Facilitator, expecting to graduate my 10 month training in December 2024, Shakti Tracy is my teacher. I’ve got quite a busy practice at the moment. Things are really building up and i’m so excited after having spent 4 years rebuilding my life after having to leave my teaching career.

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

Oooooo where to begin. It is something we all do – the only system in our body that is both automatic and we can control. It impacts so much on every aspect of our physical and mental well being. The science of the breath astounds me and the woo-woo aspect delights me. I’ve moved mountains – ancestral, generational and childhood trauma. It has enabled me to find me after a very traumatic and life changing injury 4 years ago when i was a teacher. It has give me a new lease of life.

Are you trained in any other modalities?

Im a Master level qualified teacher with 25 years experience working in trauma informed edication settings. Im a qualified Forest Bathing guide. A Reiki Master A qualfied counsellor and art therapist. Im wanting tolearn more about IFS and Spinal Energetics

How do they integrate with breathwork?

All of life integrates with Breathwork! Using my skills and vast experience in teaching and leading, i can not only guide and support using Breathwork to enable and enhance others but i can teach them how to do this for themselves. Through my person centred approach, im happy to coach women along their journey with the breath and help them integrate this into their everyday lives. Im a huge advocate for the poer of nature in our lives and encourage participation in our stunning natural landscapes to drop into themselves and find what they need in the expansive magic we lives amongst. Reiki is a huge part of everything i do in life as everything, including us, is energy and supporting people to vibrate on a frequency that is right for them is such a huge honour.

What is your personal journey?

From a wild youth – raving, partying, being dysregulated and forever searching from some inner peace but constantly self sabotaging, i learnt how to soothe my soul about 12 years ago when I admitted to myself i have some deeply ungrained trauma issue that I hadn’t faced into, even though I had always thought i had. My constant addictions – be in booze, weed, recreational drugs, Horlicks or shopping made me see how much my inner child was searching for something. I became a mum at 18 – was barely an adult myself and i always felt like i was playing ‘catch up’ with life. so at 38 (and 1 divorce and 2 more kids later) I stepped away from the party scene (that my present hubby and i were part of) and took the bold move to work on myself. I was a teacher – teaching in SEND schools and colleges and i felt like i was in a rat race but the money was needed so i combine my own self healing journey with a very busy wife, mum, career woman lifestyle. In 2020, just after the pandemic, when schools returned, i got badly injured in my classroom by a student which led to 2 spinal surgeries and a should surgery. This ended my teaching career abruptly causing great pain and loss. Whilst i was worn out trying to do it all, id worked very hard in my single parent years to get my life on track and was very proud of my Masters level education and my career. I loved all of the students i had worked with and the loss of all of this was hard. In the 4 years since that happened, I’ve had to learn to live with lifelong disability, a lot of pain and a huge amount of upheaval. My tagline, however, about all of this is….’My spine will never be aligned but as a result of that day – my life is now aligned’ Having the time and space to truly…like really ‘do the work’ and start to fully heal has been priceless. Along that journey of rediscovering who i was always meant to be, i came across Conscious Connected Breathwork and it blew me away. Last year, after my 2nd spinal surgery, i signed up to the 10 month coaching training with Breathing Space and my personal and professional transformation has been incredible. I really feel like I’ve found my thing and i want to gift the world the knowledge of what the breath can do for everyone.

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

I stand for women – all women everywhere. My aim in life is to be the woman i needed in my younger years. I want to support, guide, stand alongside women working through their own journeys and be there to watch them find the tools to rise. I stand against injustice, hatred, mean behaviour and those that make it their mission to belittle others.

What is your greatest wish for your clients

My wish for them is that they find their ‘thing’. The thing that makes their hearts sing and souls glow.

Contact Details

facebook :- https://www.facebook.com/LixiBB
facebook:- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551116570174
instagram :- https://www.instagram.com/lixcreatrix/
tiktok :- https://www.tiktok.com/@elixir_breathwork?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

In Practitioner's Corner

Tim Johnson is fine and dandy, thank you

18/07/2000 No Comments

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

Breathing is our most primeval instinct, without it we would not exist. I reference many times the energy created by our breath, how this relates to the Universe, planet earth, the tides, the waves, the cycle of day night day, these are all elements of breathing. I really enjoy the fact conscious breathing helps me to connect to the planet and keeps me rooted.
When I teach tai chi, the first thing we do is to gauge our respiratory rate, to gain a sense of how the day is treating us, whether any stress or agitation has crept into our bodies. If it has, that person can reference this during the class and allow them to focus on their breathing before each exercise.
Gaining the knowledge of breath work has enabled not just me, but the people I work with to gain an insight as to how our breathing can change how we feel, how it can empower us and balance us.

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

I am a Buteyko & Oxygen Advantage breathing instructor having studied with Patrick McKeown

Breathing Space – Mentor – I already run my business as a breath work facilitator, I am on the second year of the course, however, as we say in tai chi, I am a fool who knows nothing and will approach the Breathing Space course with the wide open eyes of the child.

Are you trained in any other modalities?

From a breath work perspective, only Buteyko & Oxygen Advantage, I am also a wellbeing coach with Dr Claire McGuire at Raw Horizons Academy and have been studying and teaching tai chi & qigong for the past 20 years.

How do they integrate with breathwork?

This is the holistic approach which runs through everything and everybody I work with. It goes back to the values of simplicity, compassion and balance. How do we achieve those and how does that make us feel. The key to life is breathing, it is where everything begins and how we build a foundation strong enough to withstand the travails of our lives. I find it impossible to envisage teaching wellbeing or tai chi without involving breath work. It would be like teaching tai chi or wellbeing without the why. It can be done, however, it leaves an emptiness.

What is your personal journey?

For many years, I created an artifice, well several actually, creating a mask to be liked, to be seen to do what’s right, to be able to fit in, when I didn’t feel that I did.
This began to change when I began to study tai chi.
After a couple of months I found myself getting to the bottom of the steps to enter where we were holding the class and not being able to go in. This lasted several weeks and initially I could not understand as to why this was happening.
After considerable thought, which of it itself was hard work, as I tended to gloss over introspection, I came to the conclusion that the tai chi classes and the philosophy of Taoism was forcing me to look at myself. I did not like what I saw and realised I had to make a decision. If I carried on, I would have to embrace everything, or I could stop and carry on with how I was and more importantly how I was feeling. As I was a fairly new Dad, I did not want to pass on those neuroses to my son and in a very flippant way, the tai chi was less expensive than seeking therapeutic help. So I decided tai chi was the moonlit pathway to follow. This led me to wellbeing and to the fundamentals of breathing. Whilst I still felt out of step with the role I had in the corporate world I found myself in, I was able to work releasing my real personality and thoughts, very slowly and found myself helping more and more my clients within the company with their mindset and more particularly their breathing.
This eventually gave me the strength to leave that world and stride out into the living breathing world of which I now feel so much part of, along, of course, with the residual ephemeral imposter syndrome trails still saying hello every now and again.

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

The values of my company are the values of myself, which are, simplicity, compassion and balance. I have only ever so slightly pinched and adapted these from the Tao the Ching by Lao Tzu. The change being patience from Mr Tzu to compassion from me. They help to remind me everyday how I should be and how I wish the world could be. I feel they create a solid foundation from which to live, work and be.

As for what I stand against? Ultimately authoritarianism in all its forms, whether politically or religious. I fail to see how people and societies are able to grow and flourish when the ego’s of man are constantly behind motives.

What is your greatest wish for your clients

To see them progress and to empower them to see what they are capable of. I work with some very vulnerable people, who have been very severely reduced in their sense of capability. Working with them to slowly unpick these strictures is profoundly gratifying, as you can physically see the difference they are able to make within themselves. There are sometimes bouts of giddy delight from them and me when barriers have been knocked over. Ultimately if I can leave a client in a better state than when we started, then that is a wish fulfilled.

Contact Details

website :- www.i-qi-coaching.com

facebook :- @i-Qi-coaching

instagram :- @iqicoaching

linkedin :- Tim Johnson

tiktok :- @tim.johnson173