Breathe easy
Breathing seems like the most natural, instinctive thing for everything with lungs, but you may be surprised to learn that there is a right and wrong way to breathe.
Having control of the breath and the voice has extraordinary benefits, and is a scientifically proven way to improve your physical health, mental health and wellbeing without any additional drugs or expensive and uncomfortable products. For those who perform, having an understanding of the breath and placement of the voice can help ward off performance anxiety and significantly enhance speeches, interviews, presentations, musical and theatrical performances, sports performance, exams, and more.
David McLeod has over 30 years of experience working with the breath, the voice and performance.
He has pooled his professional and educational expertise and created flexible programmes that can be applied to a wide variety of situations involving performance anxiety, vocal and performance coaching and breathing retraining.
To see if David’s classes and workshops may be helpful for you, check out the Services & Tuition page, or ask any questions directly at the Contact page.
Below is a link to an article about Davids relationship between his breathing practice and his art work in the popular on line Artszine Magazine starts on page 68
Direct link: https://issuu.com/robynwerkhoven/docs/arts_zine_march_2021
Don’t be afraid… be awesome
Performance is a fact of life. Any task that we undertake that will be seen and assessed by other people are performances. We do it constantly for work and frequently during our leisure time. We perform physically, socially and intellectually. There are the obvious performances, when we’re asked to get up on a stage of any kind, and there are the less obvious day-to-day performances that can all be affected by performance anxiety. David’s Performance Anxiety Workshops can help groups or individuals take control of their autonomic nervous system and leave those sweaty palms and shaky voice behind.
The Performance Anxiety Workshop can be combined with vocal coaching and performance preparation, can lift stage and screen performances to new heights, and drastically improve speeches and presentations. Other non-vocal, non-musical performances such as exams, sports and physical performance, and even important social events will all benefit from this workshop and the breathing retraining it utilises. Take control and perform with confidence; contact David today.
Did you just get a spike of anxiety looking at this side of a microphone? The Performance Anxiety Workshop might be right for you.
Retraining the breath
While it may seem strange, breathing is a skill that can be practiced. In fact, breathing correctly can have extraordinary systemic health benefits. There has been a lot of recent discussion about dysfunctional breathing and its links to a number of health conditions. To make the most of your breathing, there are several techniques that you can employ to reduce your anxiety, help treat conditions like asthma and sleep apnea, enhance physical and intellectual performances, and improve general health and wellbeing. In addition to the Performance Anxiety Workshop, David’s extensive knowledge of breathing retraining can be employed by those looking for any or all of these benefits.
Please note that breathing retraining is never a substitute for professional medical advice or medication. When applied appropriately, breathing retraining can work alongside other treatments to lead to more positive outcomes.
David’s academic research has focused primarily on the link between performance anxiety and the breath. He has attended Vipassana training, is a certified Buteyko instructor and has a wealth of experience with many different breathing techniques. Each person’s needs are different, and his extensive knowledge of the breath will allow him to tailor a program specifically to your requirements. Learn more
Click on the image to learn more about David’s breathing retraining project The Wolf Suite
What is Buteyko?
Developed first by Konstantin Buteyko in the 1950s, the Buteyko Method or Bukeyko Breathing Technique is a type of breath training that has a number of applications and health benefits. While it may sound like an alternative or complementary therapy, it has been scientifically shown to be beneficial. Developed first for the treatment of asthma, the technique emphasises a return to nasal breathing, re-engaging the diaphragm, and building a tolerance to carbon dioxide to obtain optimum delivery of oxygen to the body. Beyond asthma, Buteyko Breathing can be utilised to help treat a number of conditions related to breathing, including sleep apnea, anxiety disorders and even Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (COPD).
As a certified Buteyko Breathing instructor, trained by Patrick McKeown and Mim Beim, David can provide a series of Buteyko Breathing classes for groups and individuals, or incorporate the practice into a broader program addressing performance anxiety and breathing retraining more generally.
Please note, the Buteyko Method is not appropriate for everyone, and should not be practiced by people with certain medical conditions. It is also never a substitute for professional medical advice or medication. To learn more about the Buteyko Method, visit the Buteyko Clinic International website. For any other questions or inquiries, about whether Buteyko is right for you, or about classes or workshops, visit the contact page.
This is a work in progress of one of David’s paintings, depicting a breath inwards through the nose. Nasal breathing is a central part of Buteyko Breathing.
