Breathing is healing
Running is joy
Quiet is space
My first exposure to breathwork was at a corporate wellness event back in 2019, where I was introduced to a box breathing technique (in-hold-out-hold—all on a count of four). I was able to sustain twenty very long seconds. Twenty seconds felt like twenty hours! After which, my busy brain started yelling at me. I found myself hating it as I was unable to feel a sense of safety. Closing my eyes and controlling my shallow, anxious, frequent breathing was challenging and unnatural to the typical breathing pattern of a high-performing, unaware, stressed-out Senior Engineering Manager at one of the biggest tech giants in Silicon Valley.
Breathe
Fast forward to early Summer 2023. I was walking my dog on a beautiful local trail early in the morning listening to a podcast where I heard about the encompassing field of "breathwork". A spark within drove me to sign up for a breathwork class in a local breathing studio. The effects of the first session were so powerful, so ground shaking, that I then embarked on a path to officially guide others in this fascinating area. With this epiphany came one thought: "Why did no one ever tell me about the power of my own breath...?"
Run
I started running in 2014. Running gave me a deep appreciation for the beautiful nature around me. As a new single mother working in tech, being completely on my own with a child and demanding career, I was unable to sustain a healthy connection to the new world as I moved to California from Germany. Running gave me the peace and quiet I needed. The time during a run was for me. Running was a time when no one asked anything of me and when I could focus on my own mental wellbeing. I found this time invaluable because I could engage in my own internal dialog, thoughts, and feelings. Without a need to give, I could simply be and receive.
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I fell in love with running. My love for running drove me to my first marathon, and 19 others thereafter, including a few ultra marathons. My love for running bloomed and, through resilience and dedication, I qualified for the Boston Marathon many times and even accomplished a 2:58 road marathon finish at CIM. Reflecting back, it was not with the pain and suffering that non-runners and those new to running might imagine. It was accomplished with ease and joy.
My experience and the love I found for running drove me to bring the same to others. In 2018, I became a certified running coach and have since coached many athletes to find their ease and joy for running, too.
Quiet
When I started my running journey, I ran with music. As any other novice runner, I believed that music helped with "getting through" a run without too much pain. Ultimately, however, music distracted me from my own bodily sensations.
I ran my first race in 2014, just 3 months after I started running. During that first road marathon in Moscow, I was running in a large pacing group aiming for a sub-four finish time. I was listening to my playlist that matched my pace and cadence. Suddenly, I realized that everyone around me was chatting and having fun. I was obviously missing out on something. I turned off my music and "joy-ned" the conversation. I had such a blast!
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Ever since then, I go inwards when I run. I am able to listen to my inner dialog by being quiet. Sense my body from within. Feel the sensations of moving in space, the ground beneath me, the wind, the air, the sun, my body. Quiet creates space. And space creates perspective, observation, ability to view one self and others from the distance, opens the floor for creativity.
