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My Approach

Marianne wearing blue woolly hat at Pells Pool in Lewes

At Breathe4Sport, I help people improve their health, wellbeing, and performance through functional breathing, nervous system regulation, and lifestyle support.

 

Breathing is something we do on average about 25,000 times a day, yet few of us are taught how to do it efficiently. We assume that our breathing is fine because it happens automatically, and we are not aware of any problems, but this does not mean that it is optimal.

 

Because breathing affects every system in the body, suboptimal or poor breathing habits can significantly impact physical and mental health, sleep, recovery, resilience to stress and sports performance. 

You might not make the connection between your poor sleep, low level chronic stress, your anxiety, lack of energy, difficulty focusing on tasks, disproportionate breathlessness during physical exercise to how you breathe on a daily basis.

 

Through 1-2-1 sessions and workshops, I help clients understand their current breathing patterns, how these may be affecting their health or performance, and how to make simple, sustainable changes. Sessions include education around the science of breathing, awareness of unhelpful habits, and practical breathing techniques that can be integrated into everyday life, sport, and recovery.

 

Who I work with

 

I support:

  • Swimmers and triathletes looking to optimise performance, recovery, and resilience through functional breathing and contrast therapy

  • Midlife women seeking support through perimenopause and menopause, using breathing and lifestyle strategies to feel stronger, calmer, and more in control

  • People managing health challenges, including asthma symptoms, post-COVID breathlessness, anxiety, panic, poor sleep (including snoring and sleep apnoea), high blood pressure, and habitual mouth breathing.

 

My background

I originally trained as an Occupational Therapist, but had to give this up due to a congenital knee condition. I later spent over a decade in academia, completing a PhD in the School of Nursing at the University of Manchester. During this time, I discovered open water swimming which was a turning point in my own health and wellbeing.

I went on to train as a swim coach and currently offer 1-2-1 technique lessons as a SwimMastery coach in a private pool with video analysis on Ashdown Forest in East Sussex.  I then discovered open water swimming and the powerful effects of cold water immersion. I am a Level 2 open water swim coach, offering confidence building and race skills sessions at WeirWood Reservoir in Forest Row in East Sussex.

 

Cold water has played a huge role in managing pain, reducing migraines, improving recovery from exercise, and supporting mental wellbeing. This led me to train as a Cold Water Therapy Practitioner, and later as a Thermalist® Method Instructor with Dr Susanna Søeberg, delivering workshops combining breathing and contrast therapy to boost health, build resilience and promote recovery.

Why breathing matters

During the COVID lockdowns, I began exploring breathing more deeply. Although I had practised the Wim Hof Method, I realised my everyday breathing, sleep quality, and exercise tolerance could still improve. This led me to train as an Advanced Oxygen Advantage® Instructor and Buteyko Instructor.

Breathing directly affects how calm or stressed we feel, how efficiently we move, how well we sleep, and how quickly we recover. Improving breathing mechanics helps regulate the nervous system and supports both mental and physical performance.

Women’s health & menopause support

Women’s breathing patterns change throughout the menstrual cycle and again during perimenopause and menopause, something many of us are never taught. After realising I was navigating this transition myself, I trained as a Menopause Wellbeing Practitioner.

I now support women using evidence-based approaches including breathing, nervous system regulation, sleep optimisation, movement, cold and heat exposure, and simple lifestyle changes.

Menopause is not something to endure, it can be an empowering phase of life when you have the right support.

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