Open your mouth, transform your life
THE pep talk leading into a lesson on transformational breathing sounds like a lot to live up to. We've all been breathing all our lives, so what's to transform?
Promises of "recalibrating the body" physically, emotionally and spiritually, helping to heal past wounds and even lose weight and exercise more easily are all included in the introduction, made by self-proclaimed "breath guru" Alan Dolan (below).
So my scepticism about New Age kitsch is on full alert. But Dolan, a compact and slim man, is matter-of-fact and sure of his craft.
"We normally use only about 25pc of our breathing capacity, and this keeps us stressed and stuck in our head," he says in a soft English accent, sitting in an effortless upright and cross-legged lotus position.
His clients range in age from infants to 80-year-olds.
"Fat leaves the body through carbon dioxide," says Dolan (47). "That's a physiological fact. In other words, it leaves in direct proportion to how well you breathe."
Over the past 15 years, he says his work as a breath guru has helped him acquire "highly effective tools" that bring about powerful shifts in self-knowledge and the clearing of mental-emotional blocks.
Dolan, who was a former high-level PR manager in the aerospace industry, says he first used transformational breathing methods himself due to stress and a demanding workload.
The basic technique is ancient. Eastern cultures have used breath control for millennia as a way of improving health and easing worry or stress.
The modern approach was developed by Californian doctor Judith Kravitz, and is documented in her book 'Breathe Deep, Laugh Loudly'. Followers say it increases energy, improves fitness, helps sleep problems, and leads to improved mental, emotional and spiritual outlooks.
Sounds great, but does it work? That's what I'm here to find out.
Dolan is based at Lanzarote where he has a clinic, but he travels to Ireland and England regularly to run workshops and one-to-one consultations. He recommends doing about four guided sessions so you'll be able to use the technique solo.
We start the session with a 30-minute talk on what to expect, including Dolan's use of acupressure massage.
The sounds outside fade as Dolan instructs me to breathe fluidly through an open mouth, stretched wide in a yawn style.
The breath comes back and forth with no break, like a ping-pong ball, with the emphasis on the inhale.
"Release it quickly, like you were breathing to fog up a window," says the breath guru. My hands are on my abdomen, and we're looking for the quick stomach rise and fall that you see in a baby's breathing.
It might sound easy, but it can be a challenge. Dry mouth, popping thoughts and huge yawns -- these all emerged, but Dolan reassures me they are common.
Dolan presses gently on my throat and abdomen to help the change along. Surprisingly, for a bit of a cynic, I found the process profound and hugely beneficial.
We shivered, shook, breathed, yawned, hiccupped and even sang our way through the session, emitting yoga-style haaaah's when my breathing faltered, and I giggled through tears that came suddenly and unexpectedly.
By the end, I felt, well, transformed. It's astonishing something so simple can be so effective. Enough to leave you open-mouthed.
Originally published in
