The Breathing Clinic Nelson

Absolutely worth every dollar and the time put into this! It has achieved exactly what I was hoping for in that I am now far less impacted by my asthma and almost off my medication. I am sleeping a lot better with a healthy oxygen (Spo2) intake during the night. And my partner is delighted as I'm no longer snoring!Nicky has been a fantastic, patient, professional, and very caring coach. I strongly recommend her, the Breathing Clinic, and the method that they teach to get you to switch to effective nose breathing.

I have had asthma since infancy into my teen years and hay fever as an adult. I was very impressed with how quick I was able to improve my symptoms overall. I was using Allersoothe to “control”my hay fever symptoms. I never got enough sleep and most of the time I was very tired even when taking a nap. I slept very lightly with interruptions of dreams or toilet visits. I had concentration difficulties, food would affect my symptoms, digestion problems, constipation problems since taking medication. I have been taking Allersoothe, starting in September with ¼ of a tablet. By the end of the season I would need 1.5 tablets as my body would get “used” to the substance. Since I started the course with Nicky I do not use Allersoothe or any other medication at all. My allergy symptoms are gone except very mild symptoms if windy. I am so happy about my quality of sleep. Since my first training week it is very deep and very refreshing and I am very energized when waking up and manage more in my day. I have always had difficulties to hold my breath such that it would cause a deep physical response. I wasn’t able to put this sensation into words. MY CP at the start was 3-4 seconds. Being professionally brilliantly guided by Nicky it was easy to settle down and trust my body to let go of the tension and follow the breathing instructions using my diaphragm. My CP has increased up to 26. In week 3 I felt like I got stuck. Nicky was immediately able to help me with her knowledge and personal experiences. My problem has been to find a comfortable position while sitting. My CP jumped after this session and after a week increased to 36. It requires practice and commitment to create time for doing the exercises regularly. However, it is worth it – it’s been 2 months since I’ve started the course with Nicky and I am definitely having a higher quality of life! Julia Fast, 46

Finding Nicky has been life changing and the breathing course I did in December 2022 was really helpful, I would highly recommend it. Everyone who has been told by their doctors that they just need to wait to get better needs to have their breathing checked, as it impacts so much in the body and makes so much sense! I honestly think that if I had accepted that there was nothing else I could do and just waited to get better, that I would be bedridden by now, if not before. I came across Nicky’s website in November and got in to see her that day. I learnt that I had chronic hypocapnia with super low carbon dioxide levels (on top of a vaccine injury, long COVID and chronic fatigue which I already knew about) which explained so much. I had to start at the very beginning with getting some more regulation and capacity on board with my nervous system and even after 4 weeks of working on that, I already felt a bit better and understood my symptoms and how they were related to my breathing. Over the last few months the fatigue has still been pretty bad but the crashes are further apart now, and instead of lasting for 7 days, it only lasts about 3 days at a time now. So even though it has been slow going, I am finally heading in the right direction.

I am a Pilates teacher and I did the course to gain further knowledge and education to better help my own clients. Little did I realise I was the one who needed help! I had low energy and chronic pain and my symptoms were negatively impacting my life and work. The value and awareness that I gained in doing this course is hard to put into words. For me breathing was the missing link that joined the pieces of the puzzle together. When I actually do my home practice (breathing exercises) I notice a huge reduction in tension in my body and less jaw tension and my sleep is also better. I give Nicky a 10/10 for her teaching and coaching. She goes above and beyond to help and meet you where you are at. Her level of knowledge and awareness is incredible and she is a great and effective communicator. The course was worth my investment in both time and money and I have already started to recommend it to others and used a lot of the techniques in my own work. Raffaella Cheruseo, 30, Nelson

This course was absolutely worth the time and every penny - it saved my life and I am just so grateful that it was available to me. I am always recommending it to friends and family. It is of such a beautifully simple and gentle nature that reinforces the breathing basics that all should learn as it has such a massive positive impact on your life.I came to Nicky with a set of symptoms she was able to help resolve as well as highlight other underlying issues and connect them all together. Nicky went above and beyond supporting me and guiding me from the moment I rang for an assessment. She was always available if I needed to contact her about anything.I developed a breathing dysfunction from bad habits, PTSD and other mental health issues. I was struggling to live day to day, my mental health was at its lowest point and I was mentally fighting for my life. The difficulty I had breathing left me in a very depressed and high anxiety state. I couldn’t get full breaths and was constantly sighing and yawning. My diaphragm, chest, neck and jaw were tight and locked up and I was mostly breathing from my upper chest. I had stopped going out on the weekends and couldn’t stay at work for long. It confined me to my home where I always needed someone around me to co-regulate.I am now able to breathe freely, easily and gently, mainly using my diaphragm and I no longer have tight muscles. My CO2 level (measured using capnography) was acutely low prior to the course, having a vast effect on my physiology. After 6 weeks it’s now in the normal range. The course helped to drop my breathing related symptoms by 50% within only 1.5 months. It has given me an abundance of tools and exercises to continue to use on my road to recovery. Not only has it helped resolve my breathing issues, but it helped me to connect other health issues to the deeper ones that I have going on and thanks to Nicky I am on my own journey with her tools to heal what’s deeper within. As a result of looking in I am now able to start healing from a place that is going to make a real lasting difference.Emma H, 26, Nelson

The course was a great investment and I would definitely recommend it to others! I had asthma and shortness of breath and breathed through my mouth. My goal in seeing Nicky was to improve my breathing from shallow/chest breathing. This was impacting my sleep and fitness. I was on Symbicort and Ventolin and after 10 days on the course I no longer needed to use either. I’m also sleeping really well now. I would give the course a 10/10. We were well taught and thoroughly coached along each step of the journey with 100% support throughout. Pam Edwards

I did a course at The Breathing Clinic because of life-long struggles with asthma and anxiety, and more recently, with sleep. I’d spent a lifetime on inhalers and was dubious as to whether I would be able to reduce or omit my medications. I had asthma, anxiety, depression, insomnia and some digestive issues and I was taking Symbicort, Ventolin, Citalopram, melatonin, and Flixonase. Now I am down to a small amount of Flixotide twice a day, hardly ever use Ventolin and no longer take Flixonase. Within 6 weeks of the course, I was able to decrease my asthma medication. Within 2 months I was sleeping much better which I particularly attribute to looking at timing of food. Also my anxiety has decreased significantly. The breathwork in conjunction with therapy has really helped this. Now that I am calmer, I no longer feel the need to numb my feelings with food and in the past 8 months I have lost 10kgs. Nicky was excellent. Her course was both engaging and relatable. She has been empathetic and motivating, both during the course and in the time since. I have recommended the course to others and will continue to do so. Bea Lee-Smith,Pilates Instructor, Wellington

I did the course because I was having difficulty with the feeling of air hunger and a constant chronic cough. I developed what I thought was bronchitis after my first Pfizer vaccination which got worse after my second and never improved. I was impressed with the Buteyko course I did over Zoom. I always felt supported even before I was able to start the course with being able to communicate with Nicky over phone, text or email. She was able to help me with information to improve my breathing until I started the course, with concentrating on my changing from mouth breathing to nose breathing, which made a huge difference once I got used to it. After consistent practice with the exercises I was able to improve my control pause from 10 to 25-30. After a few months I slipped back a bit, and my CP dropped again to 10 so I was able to look up the Course Manual and pick appropriate exercises and fairly quickly improved my breathing again. Which gave me confidence and also made me realise the exercises need to be kept going as it’s easy to slip back when stressful events arise. Nicky is a great coach, very approachable and friendly and was happy to answer any questions I had both before, during and after the course. I felt very supported. I definitely recommend the course. There is obviously plenty of information online but the course really was very extensive and I couldn’t have done it on my own through just googling information. Helen Sullivan, Retired

I have been recommending this breathing course to everyone. It has helped boost my confidence and get me back into enjoying my life again. I did the course due to anxiety disorder, hyperventilation disorder and problems sleeping. I also had chronic cough and throat clearing, a stuffed-up nose, trouble with exercise, muscle twitching and an upset digestive system. So many of my symptoms resolved, especially the chronic cough and throat clearing. My anxiety is much more under control and I have been able to reduce my medication and am getting better sleep. I tried CPAP but realized I didn’t need it after learning to calm my nervous system down with breathing and a better nighttime routine. I learnt to clear my blocked nose and I feel better when I exercise and breathe through my nose and I no longer cough at all during a warmup. I wasn’t sure if it was going to really make a difference, however I felt my questions were answered and the knowledge I got was above and beyond what I expected. Jared Lowe, Nelson.

I did the course to learn the benefits of breathing better to control anxiety and other health conditions. I had nasal vestibulitis, poor sleep patterns, a dry mouth on waking and stress and anxiety. I was struggling to cope on some days. I noticed some big improvements in my anxiety from better breathing habits, though these did return when I got complacent. Learning to breathe through my nose instead of my mouth, has been a huge benefit to my nasal vestibulitis which has settled down to be almost non-existent. With more focused effort on Buteyko breathing I definitely feel that my anxiety is better able to be controlled. I am benefiting from more focus on calmer and more relaxed breathing, doing breath holds and focusing on breathing from my diaphragm. The course was well worth my investment and I have noticed a huge step forward and am very pleased that I did it. Nicky showed genuine compassion and understanding and was very invested in my wellbeing. She has taken a personal interest in my wellbeing and is very committed to seeing me make progress and feel better. Steve Hutchison, 56, Christchurch