Cian Dalton the co-founder of The Stretch Space tells us his story into breathwork.
My journey to breathwork began in an unexpected place: as a wind power engineer in New York City. Tasked with harnessing the energy of air through wind turbines, I found myself intrigued by the power and potential of air, yet ironically, I was often found at my desk, barely breathing, feeling increasingly stagnant.This realization sparked a pivotal change, leading me to professional boxing, where the importance of breath for performance, recovery, and mental resilience became undeniably clear.
It wasn't until I encountered breathwork, however, that I truly understood the transformative power of breathing...
I was shocked at what I felt in my body from just fresh air! The pieces came together quickly and I committed to using air and breath as a transformational tool which has been the most rewarding of all my professional journeys. Breathing really helped me to survive and become far more mentally strong and confident in the boxing ring. I still had a lot of armour around me. Breathwork helped me to let go of some old burdens I had carried and allowed me to become more of myself rather quickly.
After my first breathwork session I cried a lot for the first time in many years. Then I laughed a lot. Then I had a lot of clarity about my path and my values. It's not always like this. It can be subtle or powerful but always seems to give us what we need. I remember the words of my facilitator encouraging me to let go and so much magic came from releasing control and working so hard. The breath showed me a wider spectrum of myself beyond the narrow socially appropriate version I had become somewhat comfortable yet also uncomfortable presenting in the world.
Soon after, I discovered a famous dutch man named Wim Hof. He lead me to add cold water to my practice which was intimidating but every time I did it, it felt really right.
The addition of cold water immersion, inspired by Wim Hof, brought a new dimension to my practice...
It blended the calm with the fiery, and demonstrating the enhanced potential of combining breathwork with challenging elements.
From an academic perspective on air to feeling the limitations of breath in the boxing ring, and finally discovering breathwork as a means to move energy without side effects, my journey has been enlightening. Breathwork is a practice of empowerment, allowing us to actively participate in our own energy movement. It's about returning to a natural rhythm of breath, reminiscent of the effortless breathing of children, to unlock our innate ability to heal and energize from within.
Long story short, this is how our breathwork practice at The Stretch Space came to be.
It has been deeply impactful both personally and professionally. As the awareness of breathwork has skyrocketed in the last few years, we have been careful as to what we offered, wanting it to be authentic, ethical and beyond the trends.
I am happy to say our Breathwork Facilitator Mentorship Training Course is now open for applications. This course combines all that Carolyn and I have learned over a decade of facilitating and thousands of breathwork sessions logged.
If you are looking to unleash the power of guiding clients into their breath, this course is for you. Our next Co-hort runs Sept-Nov, 2024 with evening and weekend trainings.
For all the info- click below!
Best,
Cian
Stretch Space Co-founder
