We chatted to the opera singer about her work as a Breathwork practitioner.
Hi Georgi, could you explain a bit more about what being a breathwork practitioner involves? Breathwork is a potent and transformative healing modality and tool which helps release stress, anxiety and tension from the body. As a Breathwork practitioner I lead clients through one-hour sessions which aim to release fear and negative trapped emotion from a cellular level in the body. Whilst western therapy tends to work from the top down (the mind), Breathwork starts with the root, healing the body so the mind is free to start creating empowering and rational thought patterns around situations and events we are experiencing.
During a breathwork session I guide clients by using breathing techniques to stimulate the vagus nerve to secrete the anxiety tranquillising ACH hormone, switch on the parasympathetic nervous system, de-activate the amygdala (where we store our responses to fear) and detoxify the body through drenching it in oxygen so we can start to create new empowered and rational neural pathways around situations and events as well as improve performance and wellbeing.
What was it that made you want to be a breathwork practitioner? I am an opera singer, singing and piano teacher and lecturer. But Breathwork fascinates me after having profound effects on my wellbeing. After a series of emotionally taxing events, I developed acute anxiety in my day to day life. No amount of therapy could get my body and mind out of an anxiety state. I came across Breathwork by accident, and after one session I felt better than I had done in eight months. I then began to research the body brain connection. Specific Breathwork techniques can rid the body of anxiety allowing the mind to fire and wire new neural pathways (calm, rational, empowered responses). It also neutralises negative charge as well as dislodging remembered negative emotions, stressful situations and traumatic events from the body. Breathwork was one of the most powerful things I’ve ever experienced. It alleviated anxiety so quickly I was mesmerised. Sharing this tool and receiving incredible feedback and witnessing transformations has been one of the biggest joys in my life. One of the most common things I hear from my clients is ‘I’m blown away. This has changed my life’ and that in itself makes this work so fulfilling.
What kind of training did you have to undertake? I trained with Global Breathing Awareness as a certified rebirthing Breathwork practitioner. Doing the 400 hours training and combining my own experience and neurological research meant that I began to make big progress in helping my clients create new neural pathways whilst bringing the body into a calm, fertile and empowered state.
How have you found that Breathwork helped you? I couldn’t understand why therapy wasn’t getting rid of my anxiety, until I learned that my anxiety was residing in my body. Our bodies can so easily become in a highly stressed state, high alert state or fight or flight response. The prolonged physical state of high alert and stress was triggering my brain to fire and wire anxious and fearful thought patterns. The moment I brought my body into a calm state and reset my nervous system my thought processes completely changed.
What would you say that you learnt from doing Breathwork? For me the most powerful thing that I learned was there was a way out of anxiety. I learnt how to reset my nervous system, switch on my parasympathetic nervous system and have control of my physical and emotional state and wellbeing.
Have you had to help quite a lot of people during this time? I’ve worked with over a hundred people in group sessions and also individual sessions with 90% being online.
If people want to get in touch and learn more but aren’t quite sure if it is for them how do they do so? My website is: www.powerofthebreath.co.uk . You are welcome to email me any questions: breathewithgeorgi@gmail.com or you can follow me on social media: @breathwithgeorgi @georgimottram. If you aren’t sure whether you are ready to deep dive into your healing journey with one- to-one sessions BUT would like to try it, I have just opened an online group session to everyone on Sunday 21st March 7pm email breathewithgeorgi@gmail.com to confirm a place.
By Emma Clarendon