Five ways you can learn to breathe again

Breathing.  Such a simple and obvious part of our wellbeing and yet it turns out, most of us really aren’t making the most of this most magical process for ensuring good health and stress management.  The good news is, help is out there.

Thermal suites at Ardencote,  Warwickshire

Thermal suites have a wealth of health benefits and are an extremely good way to prepare for a spa treatment.  However, they are also very much a treatment in their own right.

At Ardencote's thermal spa they emphasise the wellbeing benefits of the thermal suite, from the aromatherapy steam room to the Tyrolean Kilo Sauna.  

Easing muscles and helping to soothe stress, the process also encourages deeper and easier breathing. In particular, the Himalayan salt sauna helps to reduce inflammation and mucus in the lungs, helping you to feel and breathe better.

Celtic Sauna ritual at Galgorm Resort and Spa, Ireland

Taking the thermal experience to the next level, Galgorm Resort and Spa in Ireland offers a unique Celtic Sauna Ritual.  

Overlooking the splendid grounds of the estate, which is automatically a mood booster, they imbue the experience with essential oils to achieve different objectives such as eucalyptus for breathing and lung capacity.  

Favoured for everything from sports injury rehab to relaxation, it’s generally great for detox as it forces blood back to the organs and improves the immune system. They recommend it if you’ve been working out to support muscle recovery as well as the cardiac and respiratory systems.

Go to the beach at Source Spa and Wellness at Saunton Sands, Devon

That feeling of relaxation when you’re sitting with your toes in the sand and breathing in the sea air is not just a matter of having no phone signal.

It’s what scientists are calling ‘blue space’ - a reaction in your brain when you’re overloaded with positive sensations, not unlike being hypnotised.  The reason the beach promotes this feeling so powerfully? It’s the fusion of sea, sand, space and fresh air - all working in tandem to produce different elements of feel good factor in a completely natural and healthy way.

In particular, the elevated oxygen levels are believed to encourage deep breathing.  The extent to which that’s all proven we are a little unclear on, but we do know intuitively that there’s something about being at the beach that encourages us to breathe a little more deeply. Anyway, we don’t need much of an excuse to give a trip to the beach a go.

The Mind Therapy Room at Rockliffe Hall

Described as a ‘treatment for the brain’ that takes a massage to a whole new level, The Mind Therapy Room at Rockliffe Hall combines quantum harmonic audio therapy and a highly efficient vibration massage system on a dedicated bed (Wave Bed technology).

So essentially, you lay down and this takes a massage to a whole new level, supporting meditation and mindfulness as well. The side effects of the treatment are many, but importantly, it's said to help reduce stress and encourage deeper and calmer breathing in the process.

The Himalayan salt cave at King Street Townhouse Gym & Spa, Manchester

In this beautiful, luxurious hotel and spa in Manchester, you will not only find the height of hospitality, but the only Himalayan salt cave in the North of England.

The spa is a purpose-built space where facilities include a carefully considered thermal experience - a sauna, steam room, ice fountain, spa lounge, salt inhalation cave and experience showers, coupled with bespoke treatments from Perricone MD.

In this space, the Himalayan salt cave is something of a jewel, helping to improve overall mental and emotional health, reduce inflammation - one of the most debilitating effects of chronic stress, aid the respiratory system, and clear toxins and pollutants. The practice has a history dating to the salt mines and caves in Europe and Russia, where unlike other miners those working with salt seemed to be in comparatively good health.

Studying this phenomena, it's said that Dr. Feliks Boczkowski, a Polish doctor with an eye for an opportunity, founded and opened the first health resort facility at the Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland in 1839.

In a medical context, the National Institutes of Health says: "Clinical trials have confirmed that salt therapy is an effective option for relieving symptoms and improving functional parameters in sinusitis, bronchiectasis, chronic bronchitis, mild and moderate asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)."