Did you know, the way you breathe directly affects the state of your nervous system?

Specifically your Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), and functional breathing can shift you from stress and anxiety into calm and control…

Functional Breathing for Stress, Anxiety, and PTSD 3 week program

A Practical Training for Nervous System Regulation and Resilience

This in-depth course empowers participants to use functional breathing as an effective tool to reduce stress, manage anxiety, and support recovery from PTSD, trauma, or high-pressure work or performance environments. Drawing on principles of physiology, neuroscience, and practical breathwork, this training teaches you how to retrain dysfunctional breathing patterns and shift the nervous system from survival mode into a state of calm and recovery.

At the core of the course are the three pillars of functional breathing:

• Biochemical – Focuses on restoring a healthy balance of oxygen(O)₂ and carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the body to optimise gas exchange and oxygen delivery to tissues, muscles and brain. Participants learn how CO₂ tolerance is critical for calming the nervous system and reducing stress and anxiety.

• Biomechanical – Emphasises proper use of the diaphragm and breathing muscles to support posture, enhance lymphatic drainage, increase lung capacity, and improve respiratory efficiency. Diaphragmatic breathing also mechanically stimulates the vagus nerve, which in turn activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), promoting relaxation and calm.

• Psycho-physiological – Teaches how slow, nasal, diaphragmatic breathing directly regulates the nervous system, promoting calmness, emotional balance, and mental clarity.

A central focus is on the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), which controls involuntary functions like heart rate, digestion, and respiration. This system has two main branches:

• The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) – the fight-or-flight response, activated during stress or perceived danger.

• The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) – the rest, digest, and repair mode, which restores balance and facilitates recovery.

Participants learn how to down-regulate the overactive SNS and strengthen the PNS response through functional breathing practices, particularly by stimulating the vagus nerve—the body’s main parasympathetic pathway. The vagus nerve connects the brain to the heart, lungs, and digestive organs, playing a vital role in calming the body, lowering heart rate, reducing inflammation, and promoting emotional resilience.

Throughout the course, participants will:

• Practice functional breathing exercises such as LSD (Light Slow Deep) breathing, and short breath holds whilst sitting and walking

• Learn about ANS functionality and how to repair ANS dysfunction

• Learn how to self regulate the ANS throughout the day, everyday, especially in times of high pressure and stress

• Learn about the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory and cardiac systems

• Learn how to increase HRV (heart rate variability) and vagal tone, key markers of nervous system health

• Learn to regulate sleep/ wake cycles (circadian rhythms) and how this affects ANS regulation

• Explore nitric oxide (NO) and its role in immune function, circulation, and airway dilation

• Build stress resilience and reduce the risk of anxiety and panic by improving CO₂ tolerance