New Zealand’s inaugural Take a Breath Week aims to educate Kiwis to end anxiety one breath at a time
In a world-first, a seven day Take a Breath challenge has been issued for Kiwis to take part in, to experience the compelling results of effective breathing using practical tools. Launching on Sunday 21st February, Take a Breath Week aims to educate New Zealanders that the common denominator between all people experiencing stress and anxiety.
Highly regarded lifestyle expert Sarah Laurie founded Take a Breath in 2019 after pressing pause on her 15-year career in the wellness space. Laurie began a mission to better understand anxiety - the world’s fastest growing mental health issue.
After four years spent working with scientists, cell biologists, breathing physicians and industry experts from around the world, a single proposition emerged - the 21st century pace and pressure has shifted our breathing from our tummy to our chest, and this has systematically changed our state making us take too many breaths.
Laurie commented: “I firmly believe that every New Zealander needs to learn the way we breath, while we go about our days, directly impacts the level of stress and anxiety we experience. It may seem too simple, yet the breath response is an intricate and complex mechanism that directly impacts human health.”
Laurie’s connection to the project came about from the work she was doing in the wellness space, working with thousands of people who suffer from anxiety. It was this that sparked her dedication to travel the world and find the solution.
Compelling beta-testing with staff at The Warehouse Group and Chorus workplaces demonstrated that the way we breathe directly improves sleep, anxiety, increases calm and heightens energy, with 76% of participants seeing an improvement in sleep, 96% experiencing increased calm, and 86% noting an increase in their energy levels.
Together with her NZ community partners - Kiwibank, Spark and The Warehouse Group, Laurie is dedicated to educating Kiwis, and ending anxiety one breath at a time, which will hopefully not be limited to the week but for everyone’s lifetime.
Free nationwide seminars will be held throughout February and March, from Whangarei to Invercargill, for Kiwis to learn the science behind stress, anxiety and breathing. Locations, dates and times follow:
Whangarei - Tuesday February 23 Forum North 6pm - 7.30
Auckland - Wednesday February 24 Ellerslie Event Centre 6pm
Hamilton – Thursday February 25 Sky City 6pm
Tauranga – Tuesday March 2 Trustpower Baypark 6pm
Napier - Wednesday March 3 Napier War Memorial Centre 6pm
Taupo - Thursday March 4 Wairakei Resort 6pm
Wellington - Tuesday March 9 Te Papa 6pm
Christchurch – Wednesday March 10 Turanga Christchurch Library 6pm
Dunedin - Thursday March 11 University of Otago 6pm
Invercargill - Friday March 12 The Kelvin Hotel 1pm - 2.30