A passionate teacher of Spanish and pastoral leader in a challenging Liverpool comprehensive, I was diagnosed with ME/chronic fatigue in December 2004. Despite my dedication and love for my job, I had an intuition something was amiss before I fell ill. Poor diet, insomnia, habitual over breathing and an unbalanced, overactive mind meant that following a minor bout of tonsillitis, my immune system was barely functional and I simply could not recover. Whilst my doctors were caring and sympathetic, I was simply told to rest.

In short, I had run myself into the ground, burnt out and my body was giving a warning to change the way I was living and address the root causes of my burnout. For over two years, I searched in vain for the cure all, be it in the form of a wonder supplement or an alternative therapy. Whilst these all brought benefit, they did not address the underlying causes of my illness.

My major breakthrough came with my discovery of the Lightning Process by which I learnt to manage negative thoughts and anxiety towards my illness. Free from being caught in a constant “fight or flight” loop, my immune system became buoyant again and I was on the road to recovery. Also, I developed a keen interest in meditation and now incorporate this into my daily life. The benefits are invaluable in coping with the vicissitudes of modern life.

The foundation on which good health is based, is to breathe correctly. So, my discovery of the Buteyko breathing method was life changing. Within days of practising the technique, I realised the root of my illness had been habitual and chronic over breathing. Once I learned to breathe through the nose in a controlled manner, I noticed practically all of my symptoms disappeared.

Healthier than ever before, I became fascinated by the reality that people can with simple changes, regain or maintain optimal health. It was around this time that I decided to devote myself fully to helping people make meaningful changes to their lives. So I embarked on a career to enable people to take control of their mind and body to achieve real health and happiness through mindfulness and correct breathing.

I received my Buteyko Breathing Technique diploma studying under Patrick McKeown and I will be teaching privately and running courses in Liverpool. Please feel free to call me on 07763693454 or mail me at [email protected].

Patrick is one of a handful of Buteyko Breathing Technique instructors to study directly under and be accredited by the late Dr. Konstantin Buteyko, the founder of the Buteyko Breathing Technique.