Breath therapy training: Experience report by Priska Bürgi - I was able to expand my self-competence through physical experiences and complement them by feeling my body

Please introduce yourself briefly and tell us about your career and your current job.

My name is Priska Bürgi. I originally worked in nursing. I am a care specialist and teacher for care. Due to family circumstances, I became a childminder and an intermediary for daycare children. At the moment I am a mother and housewife. I came across the subject of breathing therapy through a course. I am currently training in breathing therapy. My goal is to work in my own practice as an independent respiratory therapist.

What courses are you taking at the Ateminstitut?

I am currently training to become a respiratory therapist using the Middendorf method at the Swiss Respiratory Institute Agathe Löliger GmbH in Bern. This breathing therapy training is a diploma course with direct completion by the industry certificate OdA KT (Organization of the Working World Complementary Therapy).

Why are you doing the respiratory therapy training at this educational institute?

A colleague took me on a one-week course on breathing. I noticed that I started to think about performance and that what I had learned had a lasting effect on me. Three months later, when I was really feeling better, I decided to take this breathing therapy course. That's how I came up with the idea of becoming a respiratory therapist - out of nowhere, so to speak. As a performance-oriented person, I went on a breathing course and discovered myself. I felt how I felt. My skills expanded through physical experiences and feeling my body. Thanks to breathing therapy, I can now work more from within myself.

Why did you choose the Swiss Breathing Institute?

On my first course at the Swiss Breathing Institute, the breathing exercises were very formative for me. It wasn't about whether you were breathing correctly or incorrectly, it was about simply doing it and getting involved. I was able to let myself go and see what happened. I realized that something good was happening. This experience of being able to let myself go into it freely has bound me to the Swiss Breath Institute and brought me back to this educational institute for the breathing therapy training. And there is also room at this school to work through what comes up unplanned. There is time to deal with it here and I am also taken seriously. There is also something individual about working with breathing, because every breath is individual. And that means that people as individuals also have a place in breathing therapy training.

What do you particularly like about the respiratory therapy training?

For me, training in breathing therapy is characterized by the fact that you have gone through a personality process and become involved in this form of therapy. It is a condition to get involved and see what happens to you. I personally discover a new world within myself. I believe that I myself am exciting. Experiencing myself is exciting. It gives me something meaningful and, thanks to breathing therapy, I now meet people differently - more from within myself. This is possible thanks to the experiences I have had during my training in breathing therapy.

Are there also challenges during the respiratory therapy training?

There are always challenges during breathing therapy training. Breathing has conscious aspects that I can control. But if you really get involved in breathing, you also get involved in the unconscious aspect. Sometimes feelings come up and there can be surprises. For example, when the breathing therapy loosened my pelvic muscles, I became angry. I didn't know why. But you have to work with it and come to terms with it. Over time, I came to accept this knowledge. We also have personal support, group work and supervision. So I can address the issue. Physical sensations are also part of breathing therapy and I can think about where I feel the anger. I am immediately in the here and now. This is a different quality for me. Or I can feel how I breathe. That is then really concrete. It gives me a handle and I can act. I can then learn to deal with this experience. After all, there are pleasant and less pleasant feelings.

How do you deal with unpleasant feelings when breathing?

I used to talk about unpleasant feelings in order to find out where they came from. For years, I was able to find out more through conversations, but I reached my limits. This body-oriented training is also particularly about using breathing therapy to find out how and where I feel something. This is because breathing therapy involves consciously going through the body. Breathing now also allows me to get into my body or my sensations. I notice this when my breathing becomes harder. And this happens without consciously controlling my breathing. Then it becomes exciting for me. This gives me new access to myself. When I have uncovered a blockage through breathing therapy, I consciously pursue this feeling. I look at where the movement is pulling me. Then I go into this movement and it gives me a new dimension. I get into this movement and something can be released.

Did the respiratory therapy training increase your satisfaction?

Yes, the breathing therapy training has clearly improved my condition so far. The training has brought me closer to myself. It has given me better access to myself. Before that, I was very externally focused. It was very important to me to do things properly and well. I often had a competitive mindset. Breath therapy has now added new aspects for me: "How do I find this?" and "Do I want this?". Over time, I have learned the following: I am stronger when I do things that bring me joy and do me good. I try to find out where this is good for me now and where it helps me. Breath therapy is a resource-oriented approach. I didn't used to believe that I could solve problems without studying them. In the meantime, however, I have come to realize that this is possible and that it works.

What learning content helped you in particular?

The regular self-awareness during the breathing therapy training helped me particularly well. Doing breathing exercises again and again. I kept discovering new things. Because the same breathing exercise today is not the same as tomorrow. The experiences gained during breathing therapy change body awareness and breathing awareness. It is suddenly quicker and easier. So I have this awareness at my disposal. During a difficult conversation, I can now feel my ischial tuberosities (muscle origin, which is located at the sitting point - the lower arch-shaped boundary of the blocked hip hole - and you sit on it) and can thus perceive the lower breathing space - one of the three breathing spaces. This allows me to refer to them in conversation and receive support from them.

Do you have a sense of achievement that was only possible through breathing therapy?

Yes, of course. Without breathing therapy, I wouldn't be so down to earth in this world today. Today I approach things much more calmly. If I'm nervous, which of course happens, I can go beyond my physical sensations to calm myself down. I can now feel my lower body and incorporate it into the breathing therapy through my sensations. So I don't need to tell myself to calm down, it happens through my breathing.

When did you like it best in class?

I really enjoy my lessons at the Swiss Breath Institute. As a person, I am in good hands throughout all the lessons of the breathing therapy training. It's actually the big picture that I really like here and that makes me feel comfortable. It's the holistic training that I like.

Who is a respiratory therapy course particularly suitable for?

The three-year training course in breathing therapy is suitable for anyone who wants to feel better in life. However, you must also be prepared to engage in processes that go beyond the intellect. You need to be willing to find out what breath therapy does to you. You should be ready for new experiences and to let go of control.

Did you have an "aha" moment during the lesson?

One thing I realized during the course was that breath therapy work is not about believing in a philosophy. It's about simply trying it out and experiencing what it does for you. That's also what I like so much about breathing therapy.

What is the mood like among the course participants?

At the Swiss Breath Institute, there is a benevolent and supportive atmosphere among the course participants. We are very different personalities, each with our own rough edges. We learn to appreciate these from each other. As a result, we also benefit from each other.

What is your experience of the course management at the Swiss Breathing Institute?

What I really appreciate about the course instructor at the Swiss Breath Institute is the fact that Agathe Löliger lives what she wants to convey in her breathing therapy training. She has great intuition. Intuition has to do with experience and feelings. Our course instructor lives this to the full. She can also change her program if necessary in order to respond to us better. She supports us in everything and is there for us. It is good to know during the breathing therapy training that even if I have a crisis, I am also accompanied as a person at the Breath Institute.

What fascinates you about respiratory therapy?

I come from a healthcare background and have an anatomical-physiological understanding. This connection with the physical in breathing therapy helps me to realize that something is tangible. We experience very clearly how the nervous system influences us when we breathe.

Overview of respiratory therapy schools for training as a respiratory therapist