Things that make Rebecca's heart sing
Weeding the garden, re-reading favourite books, curries & all the condiments
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This month I’m thrilled to introduce you all to Rebecca Dennis, my lovely friend, breath and body coach and founder of Breathing Tree. She runs incredible retreats and I have had the joy of joining her at Wasing Estate three times now (scroll down for a photo of us on retreat together and to see how beautiful it is there!). If you’re looking for a gentle but powerful reset, I cannot recommend her Ayni retreat (which she runs with the wonderful yoga teacher Jess Horn) more highly. There are still a couple of spots available for her upcoming one in November and Rebecca has kindly offered all readers of Things That Make My Heart Sing an exclusive £75 off so do check out her website. You’ll find the discount code and a little round up of cosy recipes from me below our conversation.
Rebecca is such a special soul and I can’t wait for you to hear all about the things that make her heart sing so without further ado…
You and what you do in a nutshell?
I help people to harness the healing power of their breath and feel empowered and connected in their bodies. I am a breath and body coach and have been sharing breathwork techniques for 15 years. My training in body-based therapies started over 20 years ago and I am forever a student and love to learn. Along the way I have studied with many teachers from shamanic healers, indigenous tribe leaders to masters of bodywork and breathwork. Over the years I have adapted my techniques and breathwork was like the missing piece of the jigsaw. It has been integral to my own healing journey helping integrate childhood trauma, unlock past memories and overcome depression. My expertise centres around trauma release, somatic work and nervous system regulation. I fervently believe that embodied breathwork is the ultimate key to our well-being, health and inner peace. My own childhood trauma has been my biggest teacher and has taught me wisdom and knowledge beyond any text book or training. We have a choice to turn our darkest stories into gold and breathwork showed me the way back home to my body and soul.
What makes you feel your best?
I feel my most comfortable at home and when I am outside in nature either with my son, or friends, on my own or dancing under the stars. Most people who don’t know me well won’t know I am an introvert as I run large groups and do a lot of public speaking events. I have a wide group of very good friends and love and appreciate that connection, but I also crave my own space and am very happy on my own. Nature brings back perspective and if I am stuck in a story or spinning out on making a decision, I will put my trainers on and take a brisk walk down to the stream near where I live or sit with five enormous reds who I feel are part of my community. I feel deeply inspired when I am in nature and get my best ideas. I was lucky enough to be living at Wasing Estate where I wrote my first book and we run our Ayni Retreats. Whenever I had writer’s block I would step outside and then little downloads would come through and I would run back home to write them down. It’s always a good reminder we are not separate from nature, but a part of nature and she is one of our biggest teachers. My son also loves being outdoors and recently we climbed to the top of a mountain together which was so invigorating and such a joy to be able to almost keep up with him! I also love swimming and being a Cancerian I am happiest in the water.
Please share some of your feel good tips?
Breathwork, breathwork, breathwork. Its an absolute game changer. We can change the way we feel and think just by focussing on the rhythms, patterns and depths of our breathing. Oxygen is the most essential natural resource required by our cells. From a purely physical point of view, breath equals life. We inhale and exhale 20,000 times a day. It’s automatic in the way that our heart beats and our eyes blink so we take that for granted. However, when we learn to consciously breath and become more aware and present with our breath it has a multitude of benefits.
Scroll to the bottom of our chat for a breathing exercise for you to try.
What’s your favourite season?
I am a real nature lover and get out no matter what the weather but I am definitely a lover of summer. We get the chance to see butterflies, birds and wildlife in their full glory. The forests and fields around me are full of wild flowers and plants in full bloom. The days are longer and gazing up at bright blue skies instantly soothes the soul and I love feeling the warmth the sun on my skin. Waking up to the sunlight glistening through the trees or streaming in the window instantly energises me for the day ahead.
What’s the ingredient you couldn’t live without or best sums you up?
I am passionate about condiments and making them. The existence of condiments is also an acknowledgement of the very different worlds of taste in which we all live in. To have a variety of condiments on the table for me is a total dopamine hit! But one ingredient I would struggle to not have is garlic. Not only is it essential to pretty much every dish I cook with it has amazing healing qualities – helps boost the immune system, has antibiotic properties, reduces cholesterol levels. The list goes on.
Your fave comfort meal:
I love to make curries. When I was 19 (30 years ago) I lived in India for 6 months and learnt to make really good curry pastes. It was such a magical time as we were in Goa before any tourists and I spent a lot of time with Goan families learning from them. I could eat curry every night of the week.
What’s your afternoon pick me up?
I am lucky enough to live in the countryside and in my breaks I will take myself for a walk down to the stream or to my favourite trees. I love Mosksha Mushroom Coffee. It’s the best brand of mushroom coffee I have found. I always find time to do a little breath practice perhaps Yoga Nidra or some gentle connected breathing which immediately helps shift my mindset if I am flagging a bit.
A ‘chore’ you find satisfying and relaxing?
If I cook something really tasty it’s usually because I am feeling very relaxed and at one with the world. My son is 11 and often I feel I am being judged by Masterchef so that’s not always relaxing as his standards appear to be pretty high! Over the years I have found myself spending more time in the garden and find weeding very meditative and planting very grounding. If my house is tidy then I can work better so all these things I try to see more of as a ritual for life rather than a chore.
A book you’d recommend we read immediately
I’ve just finished The Outrun by Amy Liptrot. It is a beautifully written and inspiring book about living on the edge, the pull between living in nature and the city and the ability of the sea, land, wind and the moon to restore life and renew hope. A humane and compelling memoir. My go to book is The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer. This book should be a required read. I have owned this book for over a decade and I still pick it up and read it when I need to bring back perspective and always find a new insight. It’s interesting to read a book you have read many times and see how you digest it differently each time and how far you have come on your own journey. I really cannot say enough about this book and urge everyone to read it.
Tell us about a small business you love
I absolutely love Herbalosophy, run by my friend and herbalist Rachael Stevens. She is simply magic and everyone loves her tonics. Her Winter Tonics are a must to ward of colds and her Sort Your Life Out packages are legendary at festivals. I recently ran a retreat and always take her tonics with me to help clients on their journey. Feel Fabulous goes down an absolute treat and the Chill Drops and Take The Edge Off are for when people need their nervous system calming. Rachael brings a whole community together when making her Winter Tonics where people gather to forage elderberries and then help with the preparation over nights singing, sending prayers and music and good wishes into the oils. This year someone even brought their bag pipes and people come from all over the country. If you would like any more info, are interested in herb walks or courses or would like to book a consultation, get in touch ~ rachael@herbalosophy.com
Rebecca is kindly offering all readers of Things That Make My Heart Sing £75 off her November retreat with the code buttercup.
Rebecca’s Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercise
Relax your jaw, face and shoulders.
Remember you don’t need to use your shoulder and neck muscles to breathe.
You want your shoulders to stay down and relaxed.
When you breathe in, the diaphragm contracts and flattens downward creating a vacuum that draws in air.
When you exhale, the diaphragm returns to its dome shape, pushing air out of the body.
Rest your hands on your lower belly so you can feel the breath expanding and moving through your body.
Keep your spine long, feel your sitting bones on your seat and feet flat on the ground.
Hold your head in a neutral position as if there is a thread at the centre of head holding it up towards the sky.
Allow your throat to relax.
Breathe in slowly through your nose.
Let the air flow as you inhale and expand your belly —expanding the sides and lower ribs, filling the diaphragm, back and lower back.
Allow the deep inhale to push your belly out.
Let the breath go with a gentle sigh through the nose or mouth on the exhale and feel the belly coming in.
Don't force the air out, no need to push a river and simply allow it to flow in and out of the body. Repeat this for 10 – 20 times and notice how you feel.
By releasing the tension here, we can help increase our lung capacity, bringing in more energy and help strengthen the lymphatic system to move more efficiently helping detoxify and protect the body from bacteria and other threats to our health.
By breathing deeply, you allow the diaphragm to drop downward, the ribcage to expand increasing oxygen flow in the body and helping the heart pace to slow down create feelings of calmness and relaxation.
Cosy recipes for the week
Red lentil, quinoa & kale soup