Preventative health- Start with the breath

What If the First Step Towards a Healthier Wales Isn’t a Step at All?

We’ve spent years encouraging people to move more. But what if, for some people, the journey towards better health needs to begin with something they’re already doing — breathing?

By Serena Taylor | Founder of The Serenity Reset Method™

We’ve Tried Telling People to Move More. What If We’re Missing Something?

Last Tuesday, 20th October, I attended the Disability Sport Wales Dylanwadu Conference in Aberystwyth.

Among the fascinating discussions was an afternoon session exploring preventative healthcare and how we can encourage more people across Wales to become physically active.

I had a particularly interesting conversation with Di from Sport Wales, and it got my brain working overtime.

Which, if you know me, is a fairly regular occurrence!

We talked about the challenges of encouraging people to become more active.

Over the years, we’ve had countless campaigns telling people to move more, exercise more, join sports clubs and improve their health.

We’ve promoted walking, running, cycling, swimming and pretty much every activity you can imagine.

And yet, despite all these initiatives, physical inactivity remains a significant public health challenge.

Now, I’m certainly not suggesting these campaigns haven’t achieved anything. Many have helped people become more active and healthier.

But substantial barriers remain, and we haven’t yet reached everyone.

So perhaps we need to ask a different question.

What if we’re trying to get people to run before they’ve even found the confidence to stand at the starting line?

Or, more importantly, what if we’re starting at the wrong end altogether?

Not Everybody Wants to Exercise

As a yoga teacher, I absolutely love movement.

Give me a yoga mat, a bit of space and an opportunity to stand on my hands, and I’m happy.

But I’m also very aware that not everybody shares my enthusiasm for turning themselves upside down!

Some people hate gyms.

Some don’t enjoy running.

Some have absolutely no desire to join a sports club.

Others might enjoy being active but dislike the activities available in their local area.

And then there are the people who would genuinely like to become healthier but feel completely intimidated by the prospect.

They worry they’re too unfit.

Too overweight.

Too old.

Too uncoordinated.

Too exhausted.

Or simply that they’ll look ridiculous.

Perhaps they remember school PE, where the most athletic children were picked first and everyone else stood awkwardly waiting to be chosen.

Not exactly the foundation for a lifelong love of sport!

And then there’s my personal favourite:

I’ll start exercising when I’m a bit fitter.

Which is rather like saying you’ll start learning French once you’re fluent.

But I understand the thinking behind it.

When you’re exhausted, in pain, breathless or struggling with confidence, the prospect of exercise can feel overwhelming.

And if every health campaign begins with the instruction to move more, we’re potentially missing the very people who need support finding an accessible starting point.

What If We Started With Something Everybody Already Does?

During my conversation with Di, I shared an idea that has been developing through my work with breathwork, chronic illness, fatigue and burnout.

What if breathing became one of our first steps towards preventative healthcare?

Not running.

Not the gym.

Not even yoga.

Breathing.

Because everybody breathes.

You don’t need to buy trainers.

You don’t need a membership.

You don’t need to be physically fit.

You don’t need to worry about being picked last for the team.

And you certainly don’t need to squeeze yourself into Lycra.

You’ve already got the equipment.

You’ve been using it since the moment you were born.

Although, rather like the complicated washing machine with seventeen different settings, many of us have never really explored how it works.

And here’s where things get interesting.

Just because breathing happens automatically doesn’t mean our breathing patterns are always efficient.

Are We Breathing Ourselves Into Feeling Worse?

As a breathwork practitioner, one of the things I find fascinating is how something so fundamental to life can influence so many aspects of our wellbeing.

Some people develop dysfunctional breathing patterns.

These might involve habitual overbreathing, upper-chest-dominant breathing, frequent sighing, irregular breathing rhythms or unnecessary recruitment of the neck and shoulder muscles.

Dysfunctional breathing can contribute to symptoms including:

• Persistent feelings of fatigue or low energy

• Breathlessness, even during relatively light activity

• Dizziness, light-headedness or tingling sensations

• Tightness in the chest, neck and shoulders

• Difficulty concentrating or feelings of brain fog

• Heightened sensations of anxiety

• Sleep disturbances

• Reduced comfort or confidence during physical activity

Digestive discomfort, including bloating, may also accompany altered breathing patterns, although conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome have many possible causes and shouldn’t automatically be attributed to breathing.

Now, here’s something that surprises many people.

Feeling breathless doesn’t necessarily mean you’re lacking oxygen.

In fact, people with dysfunctional breathing often have perfectly normal blood oxygen saturation.

The issue can sometimes involve the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide, the amount of air being moved, and how efficiently the breathing muscles are working.

And carbon dioxide is far more interesting than its reputation as a waste gas suggests.

Carbon Dioxide: The Gas We’ve Been Unfairly Blaming

We tend to think of oxygen as the hero and carbon dioxide as the villain.

Oxygen comes in.

Carbon dioxide goes out.

Job done.

Except the body is rather more sophisticated than that.

Carbon dioxide plays an important role in regulating breathing, blood acidity and the release of oxygen from haemoglobin into our tissues.

This is partly explained by the Bohr effect.

When carbon dioxide levels rise locally in metabolically active tissues, haemoglobin’s affinity for oxygen decreases, helping oxygen become more readily available to those tissues.

When someone overbreathes excessively, carbon dioxide levels can fall.

In some circumstances, this can contribute to dizziness, tingling, altered cerebral blood flow and sensations of breathlessness.

So breathing more air doesn’t automatically mean delivering more usable oxygen to the body.

It’s a bit like opening every tap in the house and assuming that must improve the water supply.

More isn’t necessarily better.

Effective breathing is about meeting the body’s needs, not simply moving the greatest possible volume of air.

Of course, fatigue, breathlessness, sleep problems and digestive symptoms can have many underlying medical causes. Breathing education is not a substitute for proper diagnosis or treatment.

But identifying and addressing dysfunctional breathing patterns may be one useful piece of the wellbeing puzzle for some people.

And perhaps that piece deserves more attention in preventative healthcare.

The Diaphragm: Our Forgotten Powerhouse

Then there’s the diaphragm.

A remarkable dome-shaped muscle beneath the lungs that works thousands of times every day.

Most of us barely give it a second thought.

Which is rather ungrateful, considering it’s been working the night shift for our entire lives without so much as a thank-you card.

When we inhale, the diaphragm contracts and descends, helping draw air into the lungs.

When we exhale quietly, it relaxes.

But the diaphragm doesn’t work in isolation.

It coordinates with the abdominal muscles, pelvic floor and deep spinal stabilisers to help regulate intra-abdominal pressure and support trunk stability.

This means breathing and movement are closely connected.

For some people, learning to coordinate diaphragmatic breathing more effectively can help reduce unnecessary tension in the neck and shoulders, improve breathing awareness and support more comfortable movement.

It’s not a magic shortcut to a six-pack.

Believe me, if breathing alone gave us washboard abs, I’d have been selling that programme years ago!

But effective diaphragm recruitment and coordinated breathing can contribute to the foundations of comfortable movement and trunk control.

And this is where my idea begins to take shape.

What if helping someone breathe more comfortably could also help them feel more confident about moving?

From Breathing to Movement: Could We Build a Bridge?

Imagine someone who has spent years avoiding exercise.

Perhaps they’re exhausted.

Perhaps they have chronic pain.

Perhaps they feel anxious in groups.

Perhaps they believe they’re simply not a sporty person.

You invite them to a fitness class.

No, thank you.

You suggest joining a gym.

Absolutely not.

You mention running.

They look at you as though you’ve suggested climbing Snowdon backwards in flip-flops.

But then you offer something different.

A short, friendly session about breathing.

No competition.

No pressure to perform.

No expectation to be fit.

Just an opportunity to learn how their own breathing works.

Perhaps they discover that they habitually breathe through their mouth at rest.

Perhaps they hold their breath when concentrating.

Perhaps their neck and shoulder muscles are doing more work than necessary during quiet breathing.

Perhaps they begin practising gentle, appropriate breathing exercises.

And perhaps they start noticing changes.

They might feel calmer.

They might become more aware of tension.

They might feel more comfortable during everyday activities.

Some may experience improvements in breathing-related symptoms or sleep, although the evidence and individual responses vary.

And perhaps, with increased confidence, they begin to wonder what else they might enjoy.

A gentle stretch.

A chair yoga class.

A short walk.

A dance around the kitchen.

Or even, dare I say it, a sports club!

What if breathing could provide a bridge between inactivity and movement for people who don’t currently feel ready to exercise?

Not because breathing replaces physical activity.

It absolutely doesn’t.

But because it might provide a more approachable entry point for people who feel excluded from conventional fitness opportunities.

What If We’re Asking People to Spend Energy They Don’t Have?

This is particularly relevant to my work with people experiencing fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and burnout.

When you’re exhausted, being told to exercise more can feel almost insulting.

It’s rather like telling someone whose phone battery is on 2% to open another twelve apps.

The problem isn’t necessarily a lack of motivation.

Sometimes it’s a lack of available capacity.

Sometimes pain, illness, poor sleep, anxiety or overwhelming life circumstances make physical activity feel genuinely unmanageable.

And sometimes the fear of becoming more unwell after activity is entirely justified.

For people with post-exertional malaise, for example, exceeding their energy limits can cause significant symptom deterioration. They need individualised pacing and appropriate medical support rather than pressure to increase activity.

But for other people, especially those whose inactivity is linked partly to anxiety, low confidence, deconditioning or dysfunctional breathing, accessible breathing education may be one useful way to begin reconnecting with their bodies.

I know from my own experience of fibromyalgia and burnout how difficult it can be to imagine feeling energetic again.

I also know how powerful it can feel to begin understanding your body rather than constantly fighting against it.

My own journey involved learning about breathing, movement, nervous system regulation, recovery and the importance of respecting my limits.

Today, my life looks very different.

But I haven’t forgotten how intimidating even simple activities once felt.

And that’s why I believe the starting point matters so much.

Before we ask people to do more, perhaps we should help them understand what is making everyday life feel so difficult.

Preventative Healthcare: Could Breathing Be an Overlooked Opportunity?

We know physical activity is important for long-term health.

It supports cardiovascular function, metabolic health, muscular strength, mental wellbeing and healthy ageing.

But knowing something is good for us doesn’t automatically make us want to do it.

If it did, we’d all be eating broccoli, going to bed at nine and enthusiastically completing our daily exercise recommendations.

And I suspect the biscuit industry would have collapsed years ago.

The real challenge is behaviour change.

How do we reach people who don’t identify as sporty?

How do we engage people who feel uncomfortable in traditional fitness environments?

How do we support people who are already exhausted?

How do we create opportunities that feel safe, achievable and enjoyable?

And how do we encourage participation without making people feel judged or inadequate?

I wonder whether breathing education could become one part of the answer.

Imagine a community-based preventative health programme that begins not with a fitness assessment, but with an accessible introduction to breathing.

Participants could learn about respiratory physiology, recognise possible dysfunctional breathing patterns and practise suitable techniques with trained guidance.

Those with significant symptoms or underlying medical conditions would be directed towards appropriate clinical assessment.

The programme could then offer optional pathways into gentle movement, chair yoga, walking groups, swimming, dancing or other locally available activities.

People could progress according to their interests, abilities and health needs.

No pressure to become an athlete.

No expectation that everyone follows the same journey.

Just a range of opportunities, beginning with something familiar and accessible.

And importantly, we could measure the outcomes.

Did participants feel more confident?

Did breathing-related symptoms improve?

Did perceived fatigue change?

Were people sleeping better?

Did more participants feel comfortable trying physical activity?

And did any of those changes last?

These are research questions, not outcomes we can assume.

But wouldn’t it be interesting to find out?

A Healthier Wales Needs More Than Another Fitness Campaign

One of the things I took away from the Disability Sport Wales conference was the importance of inclusion.

We cannot assume that everybody experiences movement in the same way.

Physical barriers matter.

Psychological barriers matter.

Financial barriers matter.

And so do previous experiences, confidence, health conditions, cultural expectations and personal preferences.

For some people, the right invitation will be to join a football team.

For others, it might be swimming, gardening, walking or wheelchair sport.

But for someone who feels completely disconnected from physical activity, perhaps we need an even gentler introduction.

Something that helps them develop awareness and confidence before asking them to take on another challenge.

And that’s where I see potential in breathwork.

Not as a replacement for sport.

Not as a cure-all.

Not as another wellness trend promising miraculous results.

But as a possible first doorway into preventative health.

A way of engaging people who may never respond to a poster telling them to get active.

Because perhaps the message shouldn’t always begin with:

You need to exercise more.

Perhaps, for some people, it could begin with:

Would you like to understand how your breathing affects the way you feel?

That’s a rather different invitation.

And it might just open a conversation that wouldn’t otherwise happen.

Could Wales Lead the Way?

My conversation with Di left me wondering whether there might be an opportunity to explore this idea more formally.

Could Sport Wales, Disability Sport Wales, Public Health Wales, community organisations and trained breathing professionals collaborate on a small pilot?

Could we offer an accessible breathing-first programme to people who currently feel excluded from sport and physical activity?

Could we explore whether improving breathing awareness and managing breathing-related symptoms helps some people develop the confidence to participate in movement?

And could we use the findings to inform future preventative health initiatives?

I don’t have all the answers.

And I’m certainly not suggesting that a few breathing exercises will solve the nation’s health challenges.

But after years of campaigns encouraging people to become more active, perhaps it’s worth exploring different ways of reaching those who remain disengaged.

Sometimes progress doesn’t come from shouting the same message louder.

Sometimes it comes from changing the conversation.

Maybe the First Step Isn’t a Step at All

As I drove home from Aberystwyth, I kept thinking about that conversation.

We want a healthier Wales.

We want people to feel better, live longer and enjoy greater independence.

We want to prevent avoidable illness and reduce pressure on healthcare services.

And we know that movement has an important role to play.

But if we genuinely want to reach more people, perhaps we need to meet them where they are.

Not where we think they should be.

Not where the fitness industry expects them to be.

But where they actually are, today.

For some, that starting point will be a walk.

For others, a swim, a dance class or a game of badminton.

And for some, perhaps it begins with sitting comfortably, understanding their body and exploring their next breath.

Because what if the first step towards a healthier Wales isn’t a step at all?

What if it begins with a breath?

And who knows?

That breath might eventually lead to a walk.

That walk might lead to a yoga class.

That yoga class might lead to greater confidence.

And that confidence might open the door to a whole new relationship with movement.

Perhaps even sport.

Although I promise nobody will be required to wear Lycra unless they genuinely want to.

About the Author

Serena Taylor is the founder of The Serenity Reset Method™, author of The Serenity Reset, and a yoga, breathwork and nervous system wellbeing specialist.

Drawing on her personal experience of fibromyalgia and burnout, Serena supports individuals and organisations with stress management, burnout prevention, recovery-focused wellbeing and practical tools for navigating life’s challenges.

Her work combines breathwork, appropriate movement, mindfulness, nervous system education and practical strategies for supporting recovery and building sustainable wellbeing.

Serena is passionate about making health and wellbeing accessible to people who may feel excluded from traditional fitness environments.

The Serenity Reset: https://theserenityreset.co.uk

Serenity Studio: 4 High Street, Knighton, Powys

Telephone: 07754 604373