Breathwork in the Snowy Mountains

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Recently my brother, Nathan, and I participated in a breathwork workshop (tongue twister, I know) with Breathless in the Snowy Mountains. 

We faced four icy, snow-covered rivers where we submerged our bodies in freezing cold water. 

It was a battle between mind and body. 

Blood rushes from your arms and legs and into the chest. You feel so warm that you start to burn. 

Shutting out the noise and surrendering is the only way through. To trust in your body and yourself (much like life).

Just be and just do. Peace is found here.

Unlike most other outdoor experiences, Breathless was a workout of the mind. 

Although we did hike - in our budgie smugglers to be exact - it wasn’t challenging in comparison to trails we have done before. 

To be honest, we could have done it with our eyes closed. But, the breathwork was a completely different story.

Imagine you walk into a room with 20 other strangers. You are asked to tell them the things you hold closest to your heart.

You’re probably thinking…Leigh, there’s no way in hell I’d do that.

Neither would I. 

But on the first night of this experience, we were all sharing the shit that keeps us up at night with one another.

Everyone had come with the same agenda -  to let go.

My two biggest lessons from this experience were, 1) judgement is easy and 2) to have faith in people again.

The truth is that everyone is fighting a battle. Everyone has something deep down that bothers them. No one is problem free.

Unfortunately, social media and the glorification of consumerism have us thinking that the grass is greener. 

That everyone on a European holiday right now is completely problem-free with no strings attached.

This experience really reminded me that this is not the case.

I can’t speak for Nathan, but I left feeling extremely euphoric leaving Breathless. I had faith in people again.

The group of participants were an extremely diverse bunch from all around Australia.

As we all slowly inhaled and exhaled, the walls we put up to look like we have our shit together disappeared. 

Suddenly, we were at ease. We learnt about one another, and no one cared what your job was or where you were from - everyone just listened and accepted you for who you were and the journey you were on. 

It is very easy to judge someone that is walking past. We have no knowledge of what they are going through or what they have survived.

It is human nature to make this initial judgement. But, this experience was like a tap on the shoulder, a little nudge to remember we are all human.

I would definitely recommend this experience to anyone - whether you think you have things weighing you down or not. I guarantee you’ll leave feeling lighter and more at ease.

It was a great experience and I am super grateful to have got to do it with my best mate and brother. Breathless is a must-do and something I will continue to implement into my life.

To learn more about Breathless, click the link: www.breathless.com.au