"Before my initiation into conscious connected breathing, I was debilitated by two conditions which caused chronic pain or severe discomfort,  resulting in a defensive, stooped posture and shallow breathing. I was unable to walk very far without stopping for breath. However much I tried to expand my lungs,they didn't respond.

I attended a class given by Jonathan, in which he taught us about connected breathing, that is, breathing without pausing between inhaling and exhaling. I found this somewhat awkward and could not master it. He continued the lesson with other exercises, some of which left me dizzy, but I felt energized at the end of the hour, so I decided to attend his next class; that was when I grasped the technique as though I had been born to it - which, of course, I was … well, we all are. I was able to follow the rest of the exercises with much greater facility and again had more energy. So, I booked a "Rebirthing" session to see how much I might improve.

I had a vague idea that "Rebirthing" involved releasing past traumas, emotional pain, etc., but, when questioned, I assured Jonathon that I carried few such burdens. He then made sure I was breathing in the 'new' way and directed me to locate the breath to particular parts of the lungs: the upper chest, the middle, the lower; from side to side, up into the shoulders, across the back, between the shoulder blades, etc. I went through all these 'exercises' rhythmically enough, but found I still had to govern the connected breathing consciously, using visualization of the air movement and tiny movements of the tongue. I noticed that my tongue seemedt o shrink and expand with each breath; I could feel it happening inside the tongue and there was minuscule contact and withdrawal from the sides of my teeth, so I focused on this and the rest followed.

He left me breathing without further instruction, so I presumed I was doing it according to plan and carried on in a fairly relaxed fashion. Gradually it became automatic. He had pointed out that if I fully expelledall the air I inhaled at each breath, I would not get dizzy. After a while, it seemed as though thepattern of breathing changed by itself. I observed this, but just let it be without 'correcting' it. The breaths became more extended.  I was visualizing all the time - it just happened that way - they became a long, scooping canoe shape of air, travelling from my throat to mygroin, forming the belly of the canoe at my navel: the air swooped down in a deep curve andflowed back in a straight line, like a colour wash in blue-grey.  I was fascinated by what was happening.  After a while, the breaths became shorterand shorter and shallower and shallower, but still 'connected'.   The misshapen canoe shape flattened out to a 6" cigar shape from my throat to my heart. I presumed this was because I was now saturated with oxygen.

At this point,Jonathon laid a hand on my abdomen, which immediately brought to mind 'thelaying on of hands' mentioned in the Bible.  From previous experience of pain management, I knew that one can breatheinto a pain to ease it; that is, focus on the location and direct yourbreathing into it.  I decided that thiswas a good time to experiment with the hiatal hernia.  I did, and to my quiet astonishment I couldfeel a similar expansion and contraction to that which I had had with thetongue, only more pronounced.  This wasamazing.  I stayed with this sensationfor a good ten minutes, it seemed - my eyes were closed throughout, so I had no idea of real time.

As I was a visitor toWinchester, I booked two more sessions with Jonathon for my final week's stay, to make sure I had totally mastered this newfound ability, which not only gave me the onlytrue energy boost of the day, but was obviously deeply therapeutic. At each session, I more quickly entered theautomatic stage, now not needing to govern it. And as I really enjoyed doing it, of course, I did master it fully. I tried to breathe into the herniated disc inthe lumbar region of my spine, where five vertebrae are fused, but I could notpenetrate a grey fog there … interesting.  But I shall persist.   I am able to walk upright again. I seem to breathe 'continuously' now, all the time  - no effort, and I can walk without having to take a pause.

I am back homeand spend an hour every afternoon treating myself with what I call oxygentherapy. I am fortunate to live on a northerly island with the sea a few yards from my windows - it really is the best air I could breathe and Jonathon has enabled and empowered me to do it to the max!"

VP/IOM July, 2011