The Art of Breathing

As humans, we learn many things in our life, but one crucial thing we are rarely taught is how to handle our mind and emotions.

We know, theoretically, that we should try not to get anxious, stressed or worried, but we often have no idea how to manage these feelings when they come up.

The breath is our most important source of energy; we breathe every moment of our lives without paying attention to it, but it has the power to quite literally change our lives.

Every emotion has a corresponding rhythm of breath to it; when we are angry, we breathe fast and heavy. And when nervous, we breathe slow and shallow. In this course, you will learn to work with your breath in order to manage or even influence and change your emotions and feelings.

You will also learn practical conscious breathing tools that can help you overcome day-to-day challenges such as public speaking, lack of confidence, and dealing with difficult relationships. These techniques will help you expand your capacity for dealing with emotions, increase concentration and build resilience.

Mindful practices such as breathwork and meditation are proven to be some of the best defences against stress, as well as being a key tool that people at the top of their industries use to improve performance. Few organisations have amplified this more than the Art of Living, a global organisation founded by humanitarian and meditation expert Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in 1982.

Sri Sri is regarded as an authority on meditation and breathwork and is firmly rooted in the deep and rich traditions of yoga and its ancient Vedic scriptures. He has made this wisdom accessible and usable in more than 150 countries, benefiting millions through his teachings and peace work.

This course will be conducted by husband and wife duo Keerti & Niravta Mathur, who have been teaching meditation and breathwork for a combined 40 years with the Art of Living.

Keerti is an Osteopath who also teaches anatomy to yoga instructors and Osteopathic techniques to postgraduate students. A keen holistic practitioner, Keerti has a deep understanding of how our mind, body and emotions are connected.

Niravta is the co-director of Art of Living UK and also runs a digital tech business which, amongst many products and services, promotes self-care and meditation practices. Niravta integrates contemporary teaching with a spotlight on tradition.