The Breathing Clinic Nelson - Tāhunanui

Changing the way you breathe sounds like such a simple thing to do, but it is most definitely not and because of the massive effect the way we breathe has on our health, the guidance of a knowledgeable & dedicated health professional when we do so is really important. I found all this in the Breathing Clinic. I did not have any significant health issues, but lots of little ones that impacted on my day to day life, from weekly migraines to shortness of breath at work and a short temper. I learned that even though I had been doing yoga regularly for many years and thought my breathing patterns were as good as they could be, this was not the case and it was affecting my well-being in a negative way. Nicky helped me to fine tune my health by teaching me how to improve my breathing pattern and after only 4 weeks I felt a massive improvement and have been pretty much symptom free every since.

I think that relearning to breathe has made an enormous positive change in my life, the main change is that I have been well for the longest period that I can ever remember! It is my belief that the Buteyko Breathing method should be common knowledge, as it is so helpful in so many ways I was an asthmatic and I was keen to get off my daily Seretide preventer medication which I had been on for 20 years as I had noticed a loss of sense of smell and taste. Also I regularly got sick in the winter with sinus/throat/chest infections and seemed to be prone to colds and bugs going around, and I was hoping this course would result in robust health for the future. I am currently up to week 8 of a training programme to complete a half marathon. Previously I have always had to abandon the training at an earlier stage due to getting a cold or an upper respiratory infection. My physical fitness now is the best it's been since I began taking asthma medication at age 25 (20 years ago). Nicky gave me the confidence that doing the course would provide a lifetime of improved health. I came off my preventer asthma inhaler within weeks of attending the course and haven't needed an inhaler since! Also, since beginning the course I have not had one sick day, which is a personal record for me and valuable beyond measure. Although I was far away geographically, Nicky provided me with an excellent course manual which I referred to just about every day in the first few weeks or so. Her instructions were clear and easy to follow. Nicky was great at following up on how I was going, and when I said I was going to start running on a regular basis she provided some very timely information about asthma and exercise. I found the capnometer to be a powerful motivator as I could see the progress I had made with my breathing. At the initial assessment I had a base ETCO2 reading of 30 mmhg. After 2 weeks had a base reading of 35 and a reading of 40 when I did the reduced breathing. I was quite emotional when I saw the Capnometer results, as it was proof that all the effort I had put in was making an effective difference. I have now finished the 6 weeks of doing breathing exercises, however good habits were built and I find that I actually do breathing exercises just about every day. An additional interesting side story is that the course manual also deals with how to reduce stress and anxiety, and I was able to put this information to good use over the summer when there were two separate instances of teenagers having panic attacks, where I was the parent help. Rachel Canning, 46, Taupo

I was having difficulty sleeping (snoring), waking up tired, struggling with managing stress and generally feeling tired all day and struggling to concentrate. Initially I was skeptical about the link with breathing and health and well being. Within 1 week of starting the course I had an improved feeling of well being generally and I now wake up feeling rested which is great. This has allowed me to function better during the day at work. Within 2 weeks I noticed a marked change in my levels of anxiety. The course teaching was delivered very well and Nicky was very supportive during the following weeks of breathing retraining exercises. The investment has been well worth it. The change that it brings far outweighs the time or money involved. I would highly recommend this course.

I was referred to the course by my doctor with multiple health problems including asthma, allergies, chronic fatigue and insomnia. I did not feel well a lot of the time and was on a number of medications, including a combination asthma inhaler and daily antihistamines. I no longer need antihistamines and rarely get asthma symptoms despite taking considerably less asthma medication since the course. The course has made me aware of the many things I can do to help myself and made me ultimately less reliant on medication. I also have more energy and over 2 months my breathing related symptom score dropped from 87 to 21. The course was a fountain of information which I had absolutely no idea about before. Everything was well explained and I feel I have good tools and goals to continue to work with going forward. It’s been worth my investment in both time and money and I would definitely recommend it to others.

I did the course for general interest in wellbeing through breath. I did have some initial doubt that the course could be “woo woo.” My main symptoms were coughing, shortness of breathing, waking at night and a foggy brain. Straight away everything made sense and fitted with other things I had read and heard about breathing. Nicky was clear and easy to understand and the supporting book was very helpful. After a couple of weeks I was sleeping better and feeling calmer. At the reassessment on the 5th session my symptom score had halved. I was benefiting from nasal breathing while exercising – no more wheezing due to overreaching my fitness. Overall I am more able to calm myself down easily, feel better at going up hills, am sleeping better, coughing less, yawning less and feeling more in control. Nicky’s teaching and coaching was top notch – knowledgeable, clear and supportive. I am really glad that I have completed the course and am looking forward to continuing my breathing practice. The course was quite expensive in terms of disposable income but well suited to the value of the course. I would absolutely recommend it. Patsy Anderson, Nelson

I did the course to increase my understanding of what is good breathing and therefore pass it on in my own teaching practice.  My main symptoms were mild hay fever and mild anxiety brought on by menopause.  I use antihistamine during the peak hay fever season and I now look forward to Oct/Nov to see how I can control it with reduced nasal breathing.  My general health and wellbeing has improved.  Becoming a highly conscious nose breather has helped improve my fatigue levels experienced by long hours of teaching and talking.  As has sleeping better.  This along with removing caffeine from my diet has helped calm my system and I feel more balanced generally and less anxious.  Nicky is very professional, friendly and approachable and able to answer queries readily.  I liked the course set out.  Because of our work commitments we were able to do all the training within one week and then the breathing practice for 6 weeks, while a high commitment in time, it was consolidating to changing behaviour patterns that could have easily reverted.  The follow up session was valuable to measure and reinforce change. I feel lucky to have been able to do the course and will continue to recommend it to others.

I literally cannot praise Nicky enough. Her knowledge and passion are evident from the moment you hear her speak. I was under no illusions about Nicky’s abilities and felt completely confident in her experience of the subject matter. Nicky was able to explain some technically challenging terms in an easy to understand manner, which was incredibly helpful. I really liked that Nicky was able to use real life examples of how Buteyko has helped her and countless others through her practice. It’s also great that Nicky continues to advance her own training, which in turn benefits her clients immensely. Nicky was only a message away if I had any questions and was very responsive. I finished the course with good knowledge and the necessary skills to put the Buteyko breathing into practice in my own life. This course truly was worth the time and investment. What you get for the money is actually quite incredible. I’m so glad I took the plunge and signed up. Nicky made the whole thing easy. I’ve already recommended it to others! I enrolled in the course because I had gotten ill and couldn’t seem to find any answers or tangible help in the conventional medical world. I read Breath by James Nestor and that’s where I first heard about Buteyko Breathing. I decided it couldn’t hurt to give it a go! Honestly, I did wonder how on earth learning to breathe was going to change anything for me. I mean, we all breathe don’t we? I wondered if I might be going on a wild goose chase! I had tachycardia, extreme fatigue, dizziness, anxiety and poor sleep. I had to take a career break because I was too unwell to work. I have benefited immensely from the course. From the commencement of the course to the 6 week mark, I had a reduction in all areas of symptoms I had listed. My tachycardia was moderate to severe and reduced to mild. My fatigue and tiredness went from extreme to mild. I stopped waking up tired. I used to constantly yawn, that has stopped. My dizziness has stopped. I don’t need to get up to use the toilet in the middle of the night any longer. I used to get extremely cold hands and feet, but that has completely stopped. My sleep improved greatly - I still get woken up by my kids, but the quality of sleep in between is much better. These benefits continue and I’m confident any symptoms I have recorded as mild, will actually stop as my practice continues.

The course was a great investment and I would definitely recommend it to others! I had asthma and shortness of breath and breathed through my mouth. My goal in seeing Nicky was to improve my breathing from shallow/chest breathing. This was impacting my sleep and fitness. I was on Symbicort and Ventolin and after 10 days on the course I no longer needed to use either. I’m also sleeping really well now. I would give the course a 10/10. We were well taught and thoroughly coached along each step of the journey with 100% support throughout. Pam Edwards