We take approximately 20,000-25,000 breaths every day yet, do we truly understand what constitutes a 'good healthy breath'? Maybe you’re not even aware that bad breathing habits such as shallow breathing and overbreathing could potentially be attributing to many health concerns. Maybe you don’t even realise your breathing has the potential to improve.
Book your Functional Breathing Session at Shift.
What is Functional Breathing?
Functional breathing, simply put, is about cultivating healthy breathing habits. But what exactly does that mean? A healthy breath is one that you shouldn’t hear or see. Yet, how often do we experience the opposite, especially after a stressful day, when anxiety sets in, or when we've been told we snore at night.
Who should learn Functional Breathing?
Or practitioner tailors her one-on-one sessions for individuals navigating the demands of daily life and health challenges. Whether you struggle with anxiety, stress, an overactive mind, sleep disorders like insomnia, snoring, or apnea, frequent nasal congestion, or persistent brain fog—learning to breathe as you did before stress or disease reshaped your habits is essential.
What conditions can we help treat?
Bringing breathing to the mainstream
Breathing is definitely the new ‘black’ on the health scene with Wim Hof taking breathing to the world stage alongside ice bath immersions and spiritual trauma release sessions frequently popping up on event calendars. Often these types of breathing introduce ‘hyperventilation’ which is really the opposite to what we learn in Functional Breathing sessions.
The mission is to offer an approach to breathing to allow an avenue for everyone to learn how to breathe as nature intended in a safe environment. The breathing exercises we may cover, mostly work with the Parasympathetic putting the body and nervous system into a restful state.
What to expect when Functional Breathing is practiced?
- Improved blood circulation and Oxygen delivery to the cells, tissues and organs
- Opening of the airways; both the nose and the lungs
- Slow breathing helps us relax, activating the rest and digest
- Improvement in sleep, concentration and alertness
Benefits of breathing via the nose
- Filters the air, protecting against bacteria, allergens & viruses
- Warms the air coming into the lungs preventing constriction of the airways
- Retains a good amount of CO2 which we need to off load Oxygen
- You engage a deeper diaphragmatic breath which is not as likely thru the mouth
What our clients say...
Megan Usher2024-03-27 I can’t speak highly enough of Katherine and her team. Since my husband and I have been seeing Katherine, our physical and mental health has rapidly improved. Which has impacted our relationships and the general mood of our household. I have personally seen many doctors for my symptoms, but it wasn’t until I started to see Katherine that I truly began to understand my body and start the healing process. I have experienced a dramatic improvement after taking the herbal medicines. My husband had been told by every doctor and specialist that he was totally healthy, and yet he was severely struggling with his symptoms. Katherine was able to identify the reasons for his symptoms very quickly, and he too has experienced a big improvement. I know we still have a way to go, and changing habits can take time. But we are so grateful to have found the Shift Clinic and to finally feel like we are getting somewhere with our health. Katherine’s podcast ‘The Shift with Katherine Maslen’ is also an eye opener and very informative! I have learned so much about the women’s body through listening. Di Bailey2024-01-29 My daughter referred me to Vanessa Coben as I was experiencing gut issues and was unable to detect or remedy my problems. Vanessa advised me to take on challenges in gut testing and bloods to determine the direction I needed. Vanessa's regular appointments, diagnosis and herbal formulas have exhalted my confidence in a healthy gut. Vanessa is professional, caring, understanding and a very gentle soul. I recommend her to anyone experiencing same problems as I had. I also recommend Shift at Brisbane Natural Health as their staff and administration are warm and friendly inviting a welcoming atmosphere to clients. All the best to everyone at Shift. Michon van Staden2024-01-12 Katherine and the team at The Shift Clinic were super supportive, friendly and welcoming. After 6 months of treatment with Katherine, my energy is back and my immunity is stronger! Vicki Machan2023-10-22 I stumbled across Katherine Maslen and her aptly named Shift Clinic through a podcast by Shelly Craft of The Aging Project. Katherine spoke with passion about gut health, which was an area I have struggled with for over a decade. I looked her up and booked an appointment for an assessment and couldn’t get there fast enough ! I was excited and confident that this time I was going to see a change. I wasn’t wrong. The most amazing thing about the Shift Clinic is their team, who are embracing and supportive and work as a collaborative unit. I was ‘project managed’ through months of healing, both physically and holistically. I was introduced to a form of ‘therapy’ I’d never even considered when I met Jess, the clinics Intuitive Healer, who helped me unpack and resolve some personal issues that were roadblocking my emotional progression forward. This complemented my gut healing progress that was being managed so well by both Katherine and Vanessa. I would never have found Jess if not for Katherine, or entertained the idea of something so ‘left field’ for me. The whole experience of being with Shift has been healing, nurturing and uplifting. I’ve progressed on a physical and spiritual level, they’ve educated me on myself, and the team are now an integral part of my life I won’t be leaving behind. I enjoy immersing myself in the tranquility of the clinic, the genuine warmth of the girls at reception when I arrive, the soft music, the herbal tea brewing. It’s like a big, warm hug. I can’t thank them enough or recommend them to enough people. They have changed my life ! Nicole Ann2023-07-28 There probably isn't enough space to write the long review that Katherine and the whole team at The Shift Clinic truly deserve but I'll start with this. You saved my life. Words will never be enough to express how grateful myself and my family are for the journey that I continue to be on with my healing and growth. The Shift membership is one of the best health models on offer in the world and when things were incredibly dark at my lowest, I was able to receive the help needed from all of my practitioners at the clinic who all knew my history at every appointment without having to continually tell my story from the beginning. It is so beneficial as a patient that all of you work together to heal people. Not only have you all helped lead me towards the light of health, you've been giving me the tools needed to understand how to grow and heal myself. The added bonus I wasn't expecting is how I'm now healing my own home too. The work you all do is changing lives. Thank you for changing mine. I am eternally grateful. Xx Steven Creevey2023-04-18 I started seeing Shift during the Covid pandemic and I was struggling with my overall health. I found the team to be very supportive and focused on the job of assessment, ongoing regular support and providing me with the best supplements and advice for my various health challenges. Thank you Shift and Vanessa for all of your help and guidance. Brendan Vasen2022-12-09 Katherine is wonderful and helped me get on the right track with my diet and healthy eating definitely Recommend Izzy Tanzer2022-12-05 I couldn’t recommend The Shift clinic and especially Dr Vanessa. After being diagnosed with an auto-immune disease my body felt like it was crashing and I needed help. I would not be where I am today without the help from Dr Vanessa and the knowledge she has passed onto me. She made the process easier and was always there for support when I needed it. The clinic is such a beautiful space and you feel calm as soon as you walk in. The receptionists were always so lovely and helpful and explained the membership process easily. Thank you so much Shift Team x Cath 712022-07-04 It would be fair to say that the last two years, in particular, have been a challenge for me personally. After battling with any number of illnesses over a long period of time, my partner of six years entered a period of rapidly declining health and was deemed a multimorbidity patient. As a result, our planned wedding happened much quicker than expected & I gave up my job to become his full-time carer before he passed away. During his decline my sole focus was him, in some ways to the detriment of my own health and whilst I acknowledge that grief played a major part in some of my weight gain, I also know that I’d developed bad habits over many years; snacking, emotional eating, convenience eating, living a mostly sedentary lifestyle to name just a few. If the loss of my husband taught me anything it is that life is too short and that our health matters! I needed to find something to help me rediscover joy in my life and to help me feel like my old self again. Following a personal recommendation and some google research of my own I came across The Shift Clinic. Having always been an advocate of natural therapies I thought this could be just what I needed to help me find my way back to lightness – physically and emotionally. I joined the 8-week weight loss challenge and I’ve not looked back. My appointments with Hypnotherapist, Rebecca and Naturopath & Nutritionist, Carolyn have provided me with the tools to; identify self-sabotaging behaviours, acknowledge all parts of me, start small, set realistic and achievable goals, feel supported, get back up when I fall, move – even if it’s only for 10 mins at a time, celebrate small wins, stick to the plan and remember that anything is possible. 8-weeks down the track I’m just under 10kg lighter physically. I’ve still got more weight to lose but for the first time in a long time, I know I’ll achieve it because the biggest ‘shift’ for me has been in how I think and how I feel, the routines & rituals I’ve put in place and the way I speak to myself. The Shift Clinic really can help you ‘shift’ you just have to be willing to let it.
Book your Functional Breathing Session at Shift.
Our expert Functional Breathing Practitioner in Brisbane
Ready to book? Book online here.
Functional Breathing FAQs.
A ‘functional breather’ is someone who; is breathing through their nose (day and night). The diaphragm is engaged and if you look closely, you’ll see the lower ribs expanding. Breathing is soft, light, smooth and so slow that you barely notice or hear the breath.
A ‘Dysfunctional breather’ mostly breathes through their mouth, bringing cool, unfiltered air into the lungs. The breathing is shallow, sitting in the upper chest. Its fast, noisy and irregular; exhaling too much CO2 and in turn limiting Oxygen delivery.
Please arrive at least 5 minutes prior to your appointment to sign a consent form and get yourself ready to go in to your session on time.
To make your appointment, call us on 07 3367 0337 or use the online booking form here.
Book your Functional Breathing Session at Shift.
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