In The Press
Elle UK
Lanzarote fitness retreats: best for healing – Breathing Space Retreat
“Conscious breathing is one of the most liberating therapies I’ve ever had – and I’ve had a few… If you have an issue to sort out, or just an underlying feeling that something in your life just ain’t quite right, you can book a private retreat in the village of Oasis de Nazaret with Alan Dolan, the man who brought conscious breathing to the UK… During a conscious breathing session, you’re asked to breathe in and out through an open mouth (‘to access 100% of your respiratory system’), while the therapist does a spot of acupressure and encourages you to release any blocked physical, emotional or psychological trauma by making sounds or moving your limbs. The idea is you move through an emotion that comes up, rather than getting stuck in it. It feels odd at first, but because the combination occupies you on both a physical and mental level, you can’t just switch off or rationalise your feelings. It was so powerful for me that, during one session, I re-lived the birth of my now five-year old daughter in a compelling, all-consuming, tear-filled experience.”