Workshop 2 · Phase I
Breathing Room
The key to calm and sleep
Every workshop opens with a 10-minute grounding ritual — feet, three breath cycles, orientation. The same each time, so you can arrive from anywhere.
Most people breathe too fast, too shallow, and too often — without ever knowing it. The average resting breathing rate is 12–20 breaths per minute; research by cardiologist Dr. Luciano Bernardi shows that slowing to 6 breaths per minute — coherent breathing — synchronises heart rate variability and significantly reduces cortisol levels. CO₂, often seen as waste, is in fact the key to oxygen delivery: low CO₂ from over-breathing constricts blood vessels and keeps the nervous system alert.
The breath is the only autonomic function with a direct manual override. That is not a metaphor — it is an anatomical fact. The vagus nerve runs alongside the diaphragm, and slow, full exhalations stimulate it directly, shifting the body from sympathetic activation toward parasympathetic rest.
In Qigong, the breath is called qi — life force — and breathing practice is considered the most direct path to cultivating it. Dan tian breathing, drawing the breath into the lower abdomen, is thousands of years old and practiced by every internal martial art tradition. It is not about technique. It is about learning to stop holding — to let the body breathe itself, as it was designed to do.
Live on Tenerife? There's a reduced rate for residents — send me a WhatsApp and we'll work it out.
No fixed dates yet — workshops launch later this season. WhatsApp me and I'll let you know when there's a date.
WhatsApp BastiaanThis workshop stands alone — and it is part of a journey. Each of the 9 workshops carries a bridge to what comes before and after.
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