Breathing Matters NZ

Huge whoop whoop! This week I delivered the monthly PD session for the Les Mills Personal Training team - 12 clubs, 340 trainers, 55,000 members. Les Mills is a true New Zealand success story; founded by a Kiwi, grown from a single Auckland gym into one of the recognised gym brands in the world. To see a homegrown leader in the industry embracing breath coaching as part of their regular development is genuinely inspiring and innovative.
Key messages :
Oxygen Advantage protocols
Nasal Breathing
Light
Slow
Deep
Breathing Matters!
Get onboard!

Supporting children’s wellbeing is a core component of today’s curriculum, and it’s always a pleasure to guide them as they learn more about themselves. Through the Stand Tall and Breathe programme, children discover how breathing, postural alignment, and simple movements can shape how they feel, think, and respond throughout the day.
They learn :
Noses are for breathing
Posture is key to support internal health and emotions
Movement is an essential every day as is rest
These skills help children to understand they can take some control for their own wellbeing - simple, science-based, and accessible for all.

In sport and in life, we simply don’t want to be spending energy on repetitive unproductive thoughts. High pressure moments demand clarity and oxygen!
We have to come back to what we can control - our breath, focus, our reset.
Think of it like a traffic light :
1. Stop - let go of stuck energy
2. Breathe - slow, deep nasal breathing to settle the body.
3. Reset - eyes up, strong posture, look.
to the distance, smile.
These tiny resets create powerful changes in your state of mind, and your state of mind is the foundation of performance.

A clown suit is not my usual work attire but laughter is truly the best medicine and it’s ultimately a long exhalation! So “roll up”! I presented a workshop Maria Romero combining functional breathing and laughter yoga.
Did you know that a hearty belly laugh creates physical diaphragmatic movement, literally giving your internal organs a visceral massage?When you laugh, you force a complete exhalation. This fully clears the stagnant air at the base of your lungs and by purging the lungs you can optimise your next inhalation!
This workshop even challenged my comfort as an extrovert but feedback was positive so I’ll “roll up” again in a couple of weeks 🤡
Laugh often, breathe well, live life!
Maria Romero

Today’s children’s yoga class had a focus on choices and how we can choose to move our emotions. We aligned this with the seasons- spring approaching and the colour of hope and positivity - yellow.
One of my students arrived to the session withdrawn and upon talking she become quite upset acknowledging she’d had a challenging day navigating friendships.
I positioned her mat beside mine and as a group we moved, played, laughed and breathed - lion breath to release stored energy! I was so moved when she presented me with the drawing she had created during our relaxation segment.
Happy Town - a peaceful place where anyone who feels sad can come to feel happy again.
I feel so blessed to support young people in my classes, always reflecting a quote I heard was I was parenting my daughters - “Being a parent is hard, being a child is harder “

Recently I heard both James Nestor, author Breathe the lost science of an old art, and David White, inventor of Goodair Nosebuds, describe mouth breathing as “catastrophic” for human wellbeing. Alarmingly, up to 50% of children are regularly mouth breathing - bypassing the primary airway, the nose, designed for healthy respiration. When we breathe through our mouths , we miss filtration, humidity, nitric oxide release, and the sensory feedback that helps regulate our brains and bodies.
Tomas came to me with the goal of reducing his exercise induced asthma and restless sleep. We discussed the “why’s” and “how’s”, providing Tomas with the tools and confidence to better manage his breathing.
Every child needs an individualized approach which the own - one that honors their wellbeing history, habits, sensitivities, and confidence levels. When they feel supported, safe, understood and respected vested their nervous systems settle and real change becomes possible.
Tomas’s Mum shared this “ I honestly don’t have enough words to describe how amazing Tania is. She is one of the most dedicated, knowledgeable, positive and energetic coaches I have ever met”.
Her words mean a lot because a partnership with parents is a huge part of the success.
Small changes, repeated, can reshape how we move, feel, sleep, and perform - breathe well - nose, light, slow and deep.

The Eiffel Tower is a beautiful intricate structure. Wide base, many integrated and connected pieces, rising high into the sky, this resembles our bodies too.
Stand tall, stay strong, become an icon!

As my tutor, the world leading breath coach Patrick McKeown says “ Noses are for breathing, mouths are for eating, drinking, talking and if you’re lucky kissing”. So I’m in Paris, the city of romance, so what would you expect to capture - love sweet love.