Evolve Therapy

17/11/2025

Bee Breath (Bhramari) is one of the simplest ways to help the nervous system settle - and it’s a technique many children respond to naturally. 🐝✨

In this reel, I’m sharing how breathwork can support emotional regulation for people of all ages, and how something as small as vibration and sound can shift the body out of activation and into a more grounded state.

Breathwork is often seen as a wellness trend, but there’s a growing evidence base behind it. Research in the UK continues to explore how paced breathing, vagal stimulation and interoceptive awareness can support clients working with stress, anxiety and trauma.

If you’re a therapist, counsellor or psychological health professional and you want to understand:
– when breathwork is appropriate
– when it isn’t
– important contraindications
– and how to integrate breath-based tools safely
…I’ll be covering all of this in our Breath in Therapy workshop this week.

📅 Sunday 23rd November | 9am–1pm
📍 The Studio, Reading & Online
👤 Facilitated by Ann-Marie James
🎓 CPD certificates provided

Sign ups close on Friday 21st at 5pm! There are still a few spaces left, so don't miss out. Sign up via the link in bio.

11/11/2025

What if a simple breathing technique could worsen trauma symptoms instead of easing them?

Breathwork in therapy can be transformative, but only when it’s used with clinical awareness and care.

👇 Keep reading 👇

In Breath in Therapy: A Workshop for Psychological Health Professionals, Ann-Marie James (psychotherapist and doctoral researcher, University of Bath) will explore how to work with breath safely and effectively in clinical settings.

We’ll look at:
- Contraindications and trauma-sensitive considerations
- How to assess readiness for breath-based interventions
- Practical, evidence-informed methods you can integrate into therapy

📅 Sunday 23rd November | 9am–1pm
📍 The Studio, Reading | Online option available
🎓 CPD certificates provided
🔗 Details and booking via link in bio.

How do you currently bring breath awareness into your clinical work; or is it something you’d like to learn more about?

Join us to deepen your understanding of how breath can regulate, ground, and restore when used with skill and safety.

10/11/2025

Yoga Nidra, often translated as “yogic sleep”, is more than guided relaxation.

It’s a structured, evidence-informed practice that helps the nervous system move from activation to calm stability. 🌿

Research shows that Yoga Nidra and similar deep-rest techniques can:
🧠 Decrease activity in the stress response system
💤 Improve sleep quality and reduce insomnia symptoms
💗 Support emotion regulation and reduce anxiety
🩵 Enhance heart rate variability, a key marker of resilience

For many clients, particularly those experiencing chronic stress, burnout or trauma-related hyperarousal, Yoga Nidra can provide a safe entry point into embodied awareness and regulation.

Join Ann-Marie James for Breathwork & Yoga Nidra sessions — experiential spaces combining evidence-based practice with restorative rest.

📅 Friday 14th November | 12:30pm
📅 Wednesday 19th November | 6:30pm
📍 The Studio, Reading
🔗 Details via link in bio

References:
- Moszeik, E. N., von Oertzen, T., & Renner, K.-H. (2020). Effectiveness of Yoga Nidra Meditation on Stress, Sleep, and Wellbeing: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 522103.
- Markil, N., Whitehurst, M., Jacobs, P. L., & Zoeller, R. F. (2012). Yoga Nidra relaxation increases heart rate variability and is unaffected by a prior bout of exercise. Dynamic Medicine, 11(1), 1–6.
- Khalsa, S. B. S., & Butzer, B. (2016). Yoga in school settings: a research review. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1373(1), 45–55.

07/11/2025

Deliberate, slow breathing doesn’t just help you feel calmer — it changes how your body and brain respond to stress. 🌿

Research shows that slow, deep breathing increases heart rate variability (HRV), a key indicator of physical and emotional wellbeing.

Higher HRV supports better emotional regulation, sharper focus, and greater resilience under pressure.

Join Ann-Marie for upcoming Breathwork & Yoga Nidra sessions to experience the benefits firsthand — or explore the Breath in Therapy workshop for psychotherapists interested in integrating these techniques into their clinical practice.

🎧 Watch the full reel to learn more.
🔗 Details in bio.

03/11/2025

Integrating breathwork into psychotherapy is more than a wellness trend; it’s a growing field of research in chronic stress and anxiety.

Join Ann-Marie James, doctoral researcher (University of Bath, Dept. of Health) and psychotherapist, for a half-day experiential workshop exploring the evidence base, contraindications, and clinical applications of breathwork in psychological practice.

📅 23 November | 9am–1pm
📍 The Studio, Reading | Online option available

CPD certificates provided.

👉 Details and booking link in bio.

25/10/2025

Learn to use breath safely and effectively in your clinical work. This experiential half day workshop in Reading will cover the most recent science on breath based on my research over the last year.
Not all breathwork is safe and underlying principles around use of breath matter more than techniques.
John me Sunday 23 Nov - booking link in bio or pm@me with questions.

24/10/2025

🧘‍♀️ Lunchtime Yin Yoga with .c.rodrigo 🌿

Take a mindful pause in your day to slow down, soften, breathe, and listen.
Through long-held postures and gentle awareness, Yin yoga helps create space — not just in the body, but in the heart and mind.

✨ A one-hour class designed to restore balance, calm, and clarity.
📍 , RG1
🕐 Lunchtime session – the perfect mid-day reset.

🌸 Join Lorena in this peaceful space to unwind, reconnect, and recharge.

👉 Click the link to book: https://www.reading-counselling.co.uk/course/yin-yoga-with-lorena-rodrigo-december/

13/10/2025

Yin yoga this Wednesday with the amazing .c.rodrigo

Yin is a beautiful yoga practice involving long-held postures to allow the body and mind to create meaningful relaxation and nervous system stability. Part of the Studio's new range of holistic health classes in RG1 5AQ on the London Road campus of

Booking link in bio!

12/10/2025

Midday brain-body boost this Friday! A 45 minute breath & nidra session designed to fit your busy day. Nidra provides deep restoration for the brain equivalent to around two or three hours of sleep. This non-sleep deep rest practice will help you feel restored, clear, and ready for the rest of the day.

In person or online! Booking link in bio.

Ann-Marie James is a BACP Accredited Psychotherapist and certified breathing coach specialising in nervous system regulation. She works online and in Reading UK.

15/08/2025

Breath and nidra: Cool off stress, train your mind to let go, build neural pathways for relaxation.

September's session will focus on yoga-based movement to support functional breathing, Step-Down Breathing to support a relaxation response in the nervous system, and a full nidra practice focused on releasing old beliefs or feelings that no longer work for you.

Questions? PM me. I look forward to seeing you or online.

29/07/2025

Back in Bath and very excited to share my research project at tomorrow's Stress Anxiety Resilience and Thriving (StART) Research Group conference. Breath training has huge potential for nervous system regulation and stress reduction.

My passion is finding practical, accessible ways to bring evidence-based skills to the public. Way too many of us suffer with unregulated stress - it can mount up over time until we finally look around and wonder why we feel like we do - maybe unsatisfied, irritable, or disconnected. Breath can help unwind this and create connection, stability, and receptivity all through our amazing human biology.