self-acceptance – Beyond the Breath Online Magazine

Too Much and Not Enough: Reclaiming Our Feminine Power

25/11/2024 No Comments

For centuries, women and those embodying the feminine have been told we are either “too much” or “not enough.” This feeling is more than just an emotional experience – it’s a deeply rooted societal wound, passed down through generations, woven into the fabric of our cultures, and etched into our hearts. We’ve been told to shrink, to suppress, and to conform, all while striving for an impossible ideal that seems forever out of reach.

But the truth is: we were never “too much” and we were always enough.

The Historical Roots of “Too Much” and “Not Enough”
The struggle with these labels is nothing new. Historically, women have been defined by strict societal roles, where any deviation from the norm was met with disapproval or outright rejection. In the Victorian era, women were expected to be quiet, demure, and delicate. Any display of emotion, assertiveness, or strength was labelled as “hysteria,” a term derived from the Greek word hysteria, meaning uterus. This association of women’s emotions with irrationality further reinforced the idea that femininity was something to be controlled and subdued.

In ancient Greece, Aristotle argued that women were inherently inferior to men because of their emotional and irrational nature. Men were seen as the logical, stable force in society, while women’s sensitivity was viewed as a threat to order. This idea persisted for centuries, manifesting in various cultural and religious doctrines, which have shaped the way femininity is still perceived today.

Even as women gained more rights and freedoms over the years, the expectation to be everything at once – to be nurturing but not overly emotional, successful but not too ambitious, independent but still dependent – remained. We were either “too much” – too sensitive, too emotional, too loud – or “not enough” – not strong enough, not successful enough, not capable enough.

The impact of this constant push and pull is profound. Psychologically, it creates a pervasive sense of inadequacy that can lead to perfectionism, anxiety, and burnout. Many women, especially those who are highly sensitive or embody the feminine, internalise the belief that they are either taking up too much space or not living up to impossible expectations.

As Brene Brown so powerfully says, “You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.” This need to hustle for worthiness – to constantly prove that we are enough – is something many of us can relate to. It’s a constant performance, where we sacrifice our true selves for external validation. And yet, no matter how much we give or how hard we try, there’s always the lingering fear that we will never be enough.

The statistics reflect this emotional burden. According to the World Health Organization, women are more likely to experience anxiety and depression than men. This is no surprise when you consider the societal pressures to be everything to everyone while still maintaining a certain image. The pressure to be the “perfect” woman, mother, friend, or professional is overwhelming and often leads to chronic stress, fatigue, and a sense of failure.

But here’s the truth: our emotions, our sensitivity, our softness—these are not weaknesses. These are our greatest strengths. What society has long told us to hide or diminish is precisely what makes us powerful. Sensitivity is a superpower, and our emotional depth is a gift that allows us to connect with others on a profound level.

As Elaine Aron, the pioneering researcher of Highly Sensitive People (HSPs), has shown, sensitivity allows for greater empathy, creativity, and intuition. Yet, in a world that prizes productivity and resilience above all else, these qualities are often undervalued. The narrative that sensitivity equals weakness is a lie we’ve been told to keep us from standing fully in our power.

In her groundbreaking book Untamed, Glennon Doyle writes, “The truest, most beautiful life never promises to be an easy one. We need to let go of the expectations of society and embrace the beauty of our true selves.” This is the call to undo the narrative that tells us we are too much. It’s time to reclaim our emotional depth, our intuitive knowing, and our sensitivity as the incredible strengths they are.

Part of reclaiming our “too much” is recognising the cyclical nature of the feminine. Women, and those who embody the feminine, are not linear beings. We move in cycles, just like the moon and the seasons. Yet, society has pushed us into a masculine, linear model of constant productivity, leaving us disconnected from our natural rhythms and exhausted from the effort.

This is where we can begin the work of undoing the narrative. By reconnecting with our natural selves and embracing the ebb and flow of our emotions, we can dismantle the belief that we have to constantly hustle or prove our worth.

Breathwork, mindfulness, and slowing down are powerful tools in this process. By returning to our breath and tuning into our bodies, we can create space to reconnect with who we truly are – not who society tells us we should be. In these moments of stillness, we can hear the quiet voice inside that says, “You are enough.”

Undoing the narrative of “too much” and “not enough” requires both personal and collective work. It means challenging the voices in our heads that tell us to shrink ourselves or hustle for approval. It means creating space for our sensitivity and emotions, even when the world tells us they are inconvenient or unproductive.

And it means standing together in solidarity with other women, knowing that our strength lies in our connection to one another and our willingness to embrace the fullness of who we are. As Simone de Beauvoir said, “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.” This journey of becoming is about reclaiming our wholeness—our sensitivity, our intuition, our strength, and our softness.

The world needs the fullness of our feminine power. Our “too much” is exactly what is required to heal a world that has become disconnected from empathy, intuition, and the natural cycles of life. By stepping into our power and embracing our sensitivity, we not only heal ourselves but also begin to heal the world around us.

We were never “too much,” and we were always enough. The time has come to believe it.

Naturally Lottie – Your HSP Hype Girl

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

In Breathwork Reflections

Breathwork: A Journey from Control to Acceptance

19/11/2024 No Comments

Breathwork changed my life in ways I couldn’t have anticipated. For most of my life, I was a chronic overthinker, always on alert, always afraid that happiness was something fleeting, a thing that would eventually slip through my fingers. Even in moments of joy, I was braced for it to end, and in every other moment, I fought to control the world around me. From school struggles to navigating
motherhood, I felt I had to manage every little thing, and that meant controlling not only myself but everyone else around me. It was exhausting.

Raising teens was the real turning point. My children, who I loved fiercely, were not interested in living life on my terms. They were on their own journeys, with their own dreams, fears, and choices. And my efforts to control them were met with resistance and frustration—from them and, eventually, from me too. This
was the wake-up call I needed, and it became painfully clear that I couldn’t go on this way. I was drained, burnt out, and anxious. I needed something different, but I didn’t know what that was yet.

Like so many, I first turned to meditation, but it didn’t connect with me in a way that felt sustainable or transformative. Then, I found the breath.

I started with the basics—simple breathing techniques I could incorporate into my day. These techniques were my first lessons in presence and control, a way to connect with myself in a way that I hadn’t before. Bit by bit, I started to feel different, as though I was rediscovering something about myself that had long
been buried. Slowly, my relationship with control began to shift, and it was only the beginning.

Then I discovered conscious connected breathing, and my world changed again. This practice took me deeper, helping me release layers of tension and emotion that I didn’t even realize I was holding. For the first time, I began to accept myself, not as someone trying to become or achieve something different but
simply as myself. Breath by breath, I found a sense of peace, and for the first time, I could sit with who I was without judgment or expectation.

The most transformative lesson of all was acceptance. I began to let go of old wounds and beliefs I had clung to for years. I found myself re-examining experiences I had long carried as heavy burdens, questioning the meanings I had attached to them. I was rewriting the emotions and perspectives that shaped my past. Little by little, I could see these experiences as steps on the journey rather than things I had to battle or overcome.

And here I am, still evolving but finally feeling at home in my skin. The journey isn’t about becoming someone new; it’s about meeting myself as I am, with all my imperfections, strengths, and weaknesses.
Breathwork has changed my relationships with others as well. As a mother, I’ve become more accepting, more open, less controlling. I see my children for who they are, and I trust them on their paths. As a teacher, I now focus on what matters most. Connection—real, honest connection—is what truly makes an impact. In my classroom and at home, I’m more compassionate, less self-critical, and more able to embrace both myself and others without judgment.

Learning to breathe was my first step to learning to live. It’s a journey of release, acceptance, and growth. And if I can offer one insight from my experience, it would be this: the answers we seek are often not in striving but in simply being—being with ourselves, our breaths, our truths.

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 Breath and the Body

FOOD AS A METAPHOR FOR… LIFE?

12/11/2024 No Comments

I never had a good relationship with my body. Growing up in Lithuania in the 90s and weighing 58kg in my teenage years, I was considered FAT by my peers. Girly magazines were overflowing with tips about dieting, staying beautiful and feminine and impressing the boys, and ideas about diversity, individuality and authenticity were not as widely discussed. Therefore I have always tried to be thinner, dieted and deprived myself since I was 13 and, of course, never felt good enough or beautiful; my environment was simply not designed for it..

The topic of weight is, of course, very closely tied with the themes of food and eating. Thinking back to my childhood and teenage years, certain foods and ways of eating come to mind. It wasn’t an affluent time so one of the most important concerns my parents must have faced was the cost of everything. However, I remember my mother cooking soup, rice and meat dishes, fish, salads, as well as buying some processed foods, such as frankfurters, fish fingers and dumplings. Another category that comes to mind was my grandmother’s and older aunts’ food. They each had signature mash, meatballs, buns, biscuits or other delicacies that were always abundantly present during family gatherings. My summers were often spent at our relatives’ home in a village where they used to make (and still do to this very day, even though they are in their 80s!) almost all of their food themselves, starting with fruit and veg, preserves, dairy, all the way to raising and slaughtering their own chickens, geese, cattle and pigs. My grandparents’ generation grew up during the time of war and its aftermath where everything, including food, was scarce, therefore their coping mechanism later in life was often to over-do, their subconscious forever preparing for survival. The associations that come to me while thinking about the foods of my childhood are “fatty”, “abundant” or even “overload”.

One thing I find unusual is that in all this abundance and process of making, I have learned very little about cooking or preserving. Sure, I was taught how to make pancakes and cottage cheese balls but that was about it.. I never questioned this, it never really entered my mind but now, while on my healing journey and thinking back to my family relationships, I find this fact rather odd. As a bigger picture, it feels like life skills haven’t been transferred into the next generation. This, in turn, poses a question what else hasn’t been transferred. And an answer to that comes to me as Stories. I have so few stories from my parents’, grandparents’ and other relatives’ lives. Why?

While pondering these questions, my mother comes to mind most readily. She was adopted as a baby and has never known her real family. Furthermore, her relationship with the adoptive family has crumbled at some point in life, so much so that the ties were severed and she wasn’t informed of her adoptive mother’s death, invited to her funeral or considered for the inheritance. Coming from this background, my mother must have felt like she doesn’t belong. Food and belonging, it seems to me, are somehow tied; “soul food”, “food for thought” are some phrases that convey that connection.

From my perspective, there are two ways a person can deal with the feeling and trauma of not belonging; by shutting down and controlling, enclosing, pushing the pain down, trapping it OR by expanding into the outer world, making new connections, creating. The latter option, even though clearly healthier, is much more difficult, especially for someone who has already been discouraged in life.

As for the family from my father’s side, their lives couldn’t have been easy either. War, poverty, a society where women have completely depended on their men who often were troubled by alcohol dependence and emotional issues. These are all my estimates and guesses; I don’t feel healed enough to have open conversations with my parents, this proves to be the very hardest task.

Having looked into the concepts that haven’t been transferred, I can name one that has; Trauma. I find it very difficult to communicate, be open and vulnerable with my parents (especially my mother), and looking them in the eye is mission impossible, and for most of my adult life – until I started reading up on trauma and how it impacts relationships – I couldn’t understand why that is.

When I started my healing journey more than 5 years ago, one of the first significant changes I made was going vegan. After being in an emotionally abusive relationship for about a decade and seeing no way out, I needed to start my self-love journey somewhere. I wanted to do something good for myself. And lead by various documentaries, social media posts and articles, I decided that going vegan was something that would make me feel healthier in my body as well as help me lead a more authentic life by actively reducing the cruelty and pain in the world. So I went from omnivore to a complete vegan overnight. This month I am celebrating my 5th Veganversary and am so grateful to be much healthier in body and soul. I also – almost accidentally – proved to myself that I can be consistent in a positive action that relates to my body; up to that point I normally used my stubbornness to reach academic or other goals.

When I started my vegan lifestyle, I didn’t realise or consider how it will set me apart from my birth family. We live in different countries and see each other once or twice a year. My wellness journey has never been forced, I played and experimented with things, over the years stopping eating wheat, then sugar, coffee and black tea, getting rid of excess possessions and leaning towards minimalism, curating my social media feed towards spirituality and body positivity, equipping myself with tons of knowledge about trauma and healing, this year implementing regular breathwork and somatic exercise practices… Those tiny little changes have unexpectedly amounted to a whole new lifestyle and mindset and each time I go back home to see my family, the contrast startles me more and more. I sometimes feel that they pity me for “depriving” myself of a nice fragrant piece of barbeque or some ice cream, while I am piling lentils into my bowl or that they judge me for other life choices. While my relationships with my family members certainly became more surface level over the years, my feeling of becoming more authentic grew. I made peace with being a black sheep but also reduced my urge to please as well as influence and control people and force on them the changes that make my life more positive as I now know that people can only change when they are ready and not a moment earlier, and also that what works for one person may not work for another. I have to mention my father as an exception here: while I feel he wasn’t strong enough to fight for his true happiness and sacrificed it for a surface level peace – or maybe it’s because of it – he always supports me in my choices. It was him who made it financially possible for me to train as a breathwork facilitator and I feel that reaching for my true authentic life and following my purpose is also honouring him. We may not often succeed in having deep conversations but I somehow know that we are on the same page nevertheless.

The controversy and perhaps even trauma related to food is present in my and my son’s relationship too. He was 4 when I became vegan. From then on, I stopped cooking meat for him. He would still eat meat with his father, at school, with his childminder and in other social environments so that wasn’t an extreme change in his diet. However, perhaps being a boy and wanting to be “like his dad”, who was eating excessive amounts of meat, my son started refusing most of the foods that I prepared for us. Any soups, stews, curries were left untouched even without tasting. That angered and scared me but perhaps more significantly than that, I felt rejected and “faulty” as a mother. There is a lingering feeling that if you reject someone’s food, you reject the person themselves, and that was how I felt. Useless. For a while, I fumed, demanded that he eats some of my food but over time I relaxed, served him fruit, veg, simple sandwiches, oat or buckwheat porridge at the times we spent together and allowed him to peacefully enjoy his father’s (he is a professional chef of more than 20 years), childminder’s amazing cooking, school meals and occasional outing at a cafe or a restaurant. Food has ceased to be a battlefield and my son now even occasionally eats my cooking and declares that “It is not so bad..”. I also make sure that we spend time in the kitchen together sometimes and cook. Now, at 9 years old, he is able to make some simple foods and his knife skills are excellent as over the years he has cut up tonnes of veg for my stews! He is also food-adventurous and enjoys eating both Lithuanian and Sri Lankan cuisines when visiting relatives in both of the countries.

I want to believe that by journeying on my own healing path as well as learning how to be a good-enough parent, I am also healing the generational trauma. I hope that we are not only being nourished by the food itself but also being pervaded by tolerance, compassion, acceptance, surrender, joy of discovery, unearthing of our own powers and abilities and the miracle of our bodies. Speaking of my own body, is is older now than it ever has been but for the first time in my life I feel genuine love for it. It is no longer a costume or a suit whose only purpose is to impress others (it never lived up to it..); it is a home, a faithful companion that carries me wherever I want to go and a dutiful servant that completes countless daily tasks for me. It makes me able to see the beauty of the world, to read, to learn, to speak my mind and express my love and – when needed – my boundaries. It literally made my son! I no longer – well, almost never, I am still learning – demean my body for being of a wrong shape or size, for having any features that don’t comply with the “social standard” and for the first time in my life I thank it daily and marvel at the perfection of its intricacy. And I feed it the best I can, with whole vegan foods as well as with love, care, compassion, consideration, boundaries, movement, breath and hundreds of other ingredients that make this life worth living.

Our beautiful author has asked to remain anonymous, but this is someone’s real story, so please do not reproduce as you cannot attribute the story to them. If you would like to leave a comment below they will see it. If you’d like to contact them, please use the contact form here on the website and I will pass your details on, leaving the choice of contact up to them.

Thank you for your understanding, it is important to me that Beyond the Breath Magazine is an inclusive space, and that includes supporting our authors as they explore their voice and their vulnerabilities. Sometimes that means publishing anonymously.

In Breath and Emotions

Sensitivity and the Breath:

28/10/2024 No Comments

Discovering the Strength in Feeling Deeply.

“Through the breath, we find our way back to ourselves – to the wisdom that whispers within, to the strength that lives in our sensitivity, and to the profound truth that we are enough, just as we are.”
— Lottie Evans

For much of my life, I felt like a stranger in my own body. I was out of tune with myself, with my emotions, and with the quiet whispers of my soul. Like many sensitive souls, I learned to mask my true nature, burying my sensitivity under layers of distraction, denial, and numbness. Society taught me that sensitivity is synonymous with weakness, that feeling deeply is something to be “fixed,” and that the way forward was to toughen up, to become someone I was not.

However, the more I tried to escape my sensitivity, the more disconnected, anxious, and overwhelmed I became. Caught in a cycle of self-criticism, I tried to erase parts of myself that were, in fact, my truest essence. My sensitivity, the very thing I sought to deny, called me back time and again, whispering, “Listen.”

It wasn’t until I discovered the breath – the simple, profound act of breathing with awareness – that I began to reconnect with my body and embrace my true nature.

Our breath is one of the most beautiful tools we possess, a constant companion throughout our lives. Yet, how often do we truly pay attention to it? How often do we notice the rhythm, depth, and texture of our breath as it moves through us?

For years, I breathed without thought, taking each inhale and exhale for granted. When I began to focus on my breath – to truly notice it – something incredible happened. I discovered that breath is not merely a physiological process; it is a gateway, a bridge between the body and the mind, the conscious and the unconscious.

By tuning into my breath, I began to hear my body’s wisdom, feel the emotions I had suppressed, and explore my inner landscape. The breath became my tool for understanding energy, soothing myself in moments of overwhelm, and finding clarity amidst confusion.

Through this journey with breath, I began to see my sensitivity as a gift rather than a burden. Sensitivity is not weakness; it is the profound ability to feel deeply, sense the subtleties of life, and connect with others on an emotional level. It is a strength, a superpower that allows us to live fully and experience the richness of being human.

For too long, I believed that being sensitive made me fragile and that my emotions were burdens to be managed or controlled. The breath taught me otherwise. It showed me that sensitivity, when embraced, is a source of wisdom, creativity, and deep connection.

The breath serves as an ally in helping us harness our sensitivity and acknowledge it as a strength.

The breath brings us back into our bodies. When we are sensitive, we often pick up on various external stimuli and can lose touch with our needs and feelings. The breath grounds us, reminding us to check in with ourselves. It allows us to notice where we hold tension, discomfort, or ease, fostering a direct conversation with our bodies.

Sensitivity often accompanies a highly active mind, constantly processing and analysing. When overwhelmed by thoughts or emotions, breath can anchor us. By focusing on the rhythm of inhale and exhale, we settle our minds, creating calm amidst chaos. Deep, slow breathing sends signals to our nervous system that it is safe to relax and be present.

Our breath is intricately connected to our energy. Shallow breathing restricts the flow of energy in our bodies, while deep, full breathing allows it to move freely. The breath helps us tune into our energetic state, guiding us to notice where we feel depleted or vibrant. By working with the breath, we can balance our energy, nourish ourselves, and ground ourselves when scattered.

For me, discovering the breath was like finding a hidden key to myself. It was a way back to my true nature, a way to listen to the parts I had tried to ignore. Through the breath, I learned that I don’t need to fight my sensitivity or change it. Instead, I need to embrace and honour it as my guide.
Sensitivity is not something to be “fixed.” It is a gift, allowing us to feel deeply, connect authentically, create passionately, and love fully. It is a source of strength, resilience, and empathy that can guide us through life’s challenges.

If you’ve ever felt that your sensitivity is a burden or tried to hide your emotions, I invite you to return to the breath. Let it be your guide. Start by taking a few moments each day to breathe with awareness. Notice the rise and fall of your chest, the cool air entering your nostrils, and the warmth as it leaves. Feel the rhythm of life connecting you to something greater. In this simple act, you honour the fullness of who you are.

Our sensitivity is a gift, and the breath is one of the most beautiful tools we have to harness it. Through breath, we learn to listen to our bodies, soothe our minds, understand our energy, and embrace our true nature.

Let’s stop seeing sensitivity as something to hide. Instead, let’s acknowledge it as the profound strength it is. Let’s use the breath to connect more deeply with ourselves, find peace in the present moment, and live with greater authenticity, compassion, and love.

Because when we breathe with awareness, we return home to ourselves – and in that space, everything is possible.

Remember, you are not alone on this path. Together, we can transform our sensitivity into our greatest strength, breathing life into our true selves, and celebrating the beauty of feeling deeply.

Naturally Lottie – Your HSP Hype Girl

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

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

Lottie Evans – Naturally Lottie – Your HSP Hype Girl

12/03/2001 No Comments

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

Breathwork has been transformative for me because it touches that deep, unseen place where the mind and body intersect – exactly where sensitive souls often feel the weight of the world. As someone who feels everything intensely, I’ve struggled with overwhelming emotions, anxiety, and even fear for most of my life. Breathwork has become more than a practice; it’s a sanctuary where I can soften into my sensitivity rather than fight against it.

In every session, I feel the power of my breath ground and guide me, reshaping how I respond to stress and fear. Breathwork gently connects me with my nervous system, subconscious mind, and neural pathways, creating lasting calm and a sense of rooted confidence that traditional methods never fully reached. For me, it’s about reclaiming this natural tool to lead a life that honours my sensitive nature, and it’s why I’m passionate about helping other sensitive women find their way through breath, too.

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

Graduate Facilitator, Mentor and Teacher at Breathing Space
Graduate coach, teacher and facilitator

Are you trained in any other modalities?

Trainee Advanced Instructor – Oxygen Advantage (course complete, case studies in progress).
Professional Coach for HSPs – The Highly Sensitive Human Academy
I am also a qualified holistic therapist (massage, reflexology, although I no longer practice).
I am certified in First Aid and Mental Health First Aid.

How do they integrate with breathwork?

I felt there was an element missing when practicing breathwork, and whilst working/specialising in working with those navigating high sensitivity and often the challenges that arise with this – anxiety, overwhelm, extreme emotions. Coaching has given me a more solid base to work with the mind – mindset and mindfulness – as well as the body through breathwork. We are one, and to be able to integrate the two I feel is imperative. I am also trained in both esoteric, and very science based breathwork, again, I feel the necessity and importance of understanding the full spectrum of breathwork here to best help those that need it.

What is your personal journey?

I’ve spent much of my life navigating the intensity of being a highly sensitive person in a world that often values resilience and hustle over sensitivity and rest. For years, I felt like my sensitivity was a burden, something I had to hide or fix. Society’s unspoken rules had me in a cycle of pushing down emotions, overriding my needs, and constantly striving to fit in a mould that just wasn’t meant for me.

But then, I reached a breaking point – a place of overwhelming burnout, anxiety, and an exhaustion that went soul-deep. It was in this low that I discovered the power of breathwork, embodiment, and gentle self-care. Through these practices, I began to reconnect with myself, finding that my sensitivity wasn’t a weakness; it was my strength, my superpower. I’ve had to unlearn a lot, redefine my relationship with fear, and embrace slowness as a guiding force in my life.

Now, I’ve created a life that supports who I truly am – a life that honours rest, healing, and the beauty of softness. And I’m passionate about helping other sensitive women find that same freedom, to come home to themselves without shame, embracing the quiet power within.

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

For :- I stand for a world in which sensitivity is respected and celebrated as strength, where women feel empowered to embrace their gentle power and pursue slow, meaningful growth. I believe in creating spaces that nurture compassion, authentic expression, and self-connection. I’m devoted to helping sensitive women find balance, strength, and resilience, offering a path that honours the natural rhythms of our bodies and minds. In a world that often demands too much, I stand for gentle courage, connection to nature, and holistic healing.

Against :- I stand against the relentless pressure to fit into fast-paced, disconnecting norms that undervalue rest, healing, and our emotional wellbeing. I oppose the societal demands for constant self-improvement that lead to self-abandonment and burnout. I reject the idea that sensitivity is a weakness to be overcome. I stand firmly against systems that shame our natural sensitivity and resilience, and I oppose the shallow solutions that treat complex emotions with dismissal rather than depth. Instead, I advocate for depth, self-compassion, and the freedom to feel and heal authentically.

What is your greatest wish for your clients

My greatest wish for my clients is for them to find a life of peace, clarity, and self-acceptance that feels completely true to who they are. I hope they discover the beauty in their sensitivity and see it not as something to overcome, but as a deep well of strength, intuition, and insight. I wish for them to build a loving relationship with themselves – one that honours rest, joy, and resilience, free from shame or societal pressures, and free from crippling anxiety, overwhelm and a distrust of the self. Above all, I want them to feel empowered to lead lives that feel rich and nourishing, not despite their sensitivity, or sensitive parts but because of it.

Contact Details

website :- www.naturallylottie.com

facebook :- https://www.facebook.com/naturallylottiebreathwork

instagram :- https://www.instagram.com/naturallylottie