How breathing therapy relieves stress, boosts athletic performance, and helps you meditate
- Stuart Sandeman became a breath coach after his girlfriend died of cancer. He helps his clients deal with daily stresses to recharge their body and mind
- Breathing therapy also helps athletes perform better, and he works with British swimmer Michael Jamieson, who won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics
Stuart Sandeman never imagined he would become a breath coach – he did not even know what one was a few years ago. But a life-changing event propelled him into this area of health, which has applications for stress reduction, finding a positive state of flow, and enhancing athletic performance.
Now 36, the native of Edinburgh, Scotland, was a stockbroker turned DJ and music producer, touring the world with his Chinese-American girlfriend, when, in 2014, she was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.
The couple explored conventional and alternative treatments, including traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine. They changed their diet, and took whatever measures they could to stop the disease’s advance.
When his girlfriend died two years later, aged 31, Sandeman was filled with guilt and anger, and wondered if he had done enough to help her.
When he returned to his hometown, a good friend and now business partner asked Sandeman to help him set up a coaching business called Mindful Talent. And as a last-minute Mother’s Day present, he took his mum, a yoga instructor, to a breathing workshop. The class was on transformational breathing – and it changed Sandeman’s life.