Focus Health Physiotherapy

25/02/2026

Need a little extra motivation?

Have a look on your phone to see what fitness apps you have pre-installed. Most free fitness apps have optional premium (paid) upgrades, but their core features let you track exercise progress, and set goals - without paying.

The Apple Fitness App comes pre-installed on iPhone. It tracks steps and distance covered. Google Fit is pre-installed on many Android devices. If you have a Samsung phone, Samsung Health is often pre-installed.

We don't endorse or recommend one app over another, but the free versions you may already have on your phone might be worth trying.

19/02/2026

Diaphragmatic breathing, or belly breathing, is a deep breathing technique using the diaphragm muscle to take fuller, slower breaths.

With this technique, the belly expands outward (with the movement of the diaphragm), not the chest, helping to boost oxygen, lower heart rate and calm the nervous system.

This technique is not for everyone. It may not be suitable for those with certain lung conditions, for example. But for many people, belly breathing offers some key benefits. It reduces stress by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, triggering the body's relaxation response. It helps lower heart rate and blood pressure, increases oxygenation and improves lung capacity.

We would always recommend an individual assessment before providing any instruction on diaphragmatic breathing. So if you’d like to know more, or are concerned about your own breathing, you can book an appointment with one of our Certified Bradcliff Practitioners, Jo Eames or Marie Mayock. Jo and Marie both provide breathing retraining and vestibular therapy (dizziness and vertigo).

https://www.focushealth.co.nz/marie-mayock
https://www.focushealth.co.nz/jo-eames-vestibular-therapist

17/02/2026

Screen apnea is when you unconsciously hold your breath, or take shallow breaths, while focused on a screen. It is often triggered by unexpected alerts or stressful content, or during periods intense concentration.

Screen apnoea is linked to the body's stress response, where your brain interprets a tense body as a danger signal, creating a cycle of increasingly shallow breathing. Over time, this can lead to increased stress and fatigue, reduced oxygen flow to the brain.

Most of us know the importance of regular breaks and correct posture. But we often overlook the most important thing we can all do to improve our overall health and wellbeing - and that is to practice correct breathing.

If you’d like to know more, or are concerned about your own breathing, you can book an appointment with one of our Certified Bradcliff Practitioners, Jo Eames or Marie Mayock. Jo and Marie both provide breathing retraining and vestibular therapy (dizziness and vertigo).

https://www.focushealth.co.nz/marie-mayock
https://www.focushealth.co.nz/jo-eames-vestibular-therapist

05/02/2026

03/02/2026

We’ve recently upgraded our patient admin system. It’s definitely a step forward for us, but like anything new, it takes a while to get used to. So you may notice that things move a little slower over the next week or two. Please bear with us as we come up to speed. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.
The Focus Health team.

28/01/2026

Great night out on the green last night for our Business House bowls team. Wessel, Colin and Mark took first place and scored a couple of frozen chooks in the raffle! A good haul by any standard :-)

21/01/2026

Just a quick reminder that this Friday, the Focus Health team will be getting to grips with our new patient admin system. All our clinics will be closed for two hours from 11.30am to 1.30pm. After that, it's back to business as usual. Thank you in advance for your support and understanding.

19/01/2026

Is it time to work on your breathing?

At this time of year, we often make resolutions around exercising more and eating healthier. But not many of us think about improving our breathing. This is a missed opportunity - because better breathing can improve both your fitness and your health.

High performance athletes, including the All Blacks, use breathing coaches to improve their performance. But you don’t have to be an athlete to benefit from improving your breathing technique.

Regular breathing training will make you stronger and more resistant to fatigue. It can help you feel less breathless when exercising, or just performing everyday tasks such as climbing stairs, or doing physical work. Training can also improve breathing strength and walking distance in adults with a weight problem.

If you’d like to know more, or are concerned about your own breathing, you can book an appointment with one of our Certified Bradcliff Practitioners, Jo Eames or Marie Mayock. Jo and Marie both provide breathing retraining and vestibular therapy (dizziness and vertigo).

https://www.focushealth.co.nz/marie-mayock
https://www.focushealth.co.nz/jo-eames-vestibular-therapist

19/12/2025

Apart from the statutory holidays, our clinics will be open over Christmas / New Year period. However, please note we will have a reduced capacity over this time.

All clinics open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week (22nd, 23rd and 24th). Depending on how busy we are, Wednesday may be a shorter day with clinics closing in the early afternoon.

Our clinics will be open again on the 29th, 30th and 31st and then closed until the 5th January, when days and hours will return to normal.

Have a safe and enjoyable Christmas everyone. And all the best for the new year ahead.

The team at Focus Health.

20/11/2025

Razwana Leonard is a senior physiotherapist with a Master’s Degree in Physiotherapy (Distinction) from Glasgow Caledonian University (2015). After graduating, she developed her practice in musculoskeletal injuries, occupational health, running rehabilitation and Pilates and yoga based treatment. Razwana believes mindset is the most important contributing factor to successful recovery.
Read more about Razwana at: https://www.focushealth.co.nz/razwana-leonard

17/11/2025

The World COPD Day Big Baton Pass is a virtual event that shares stories, expert interviews, and practical health tips for people with COPD. The event includes live, interactive sessions featuring local speakers from different countries, educational presentations, and physical activities like exercise classes and walking challenges. Tune in to see what’s happening: https://copdbatonpass.org/

If you’d like to know more, or are concerned about your own breathing, you can book an appointment with one of our Certified Bradcliff Practitioners, Jo Eames or Marie Maock. Jo and Marie both provide breathing retraining and vestibular therapy (dizziness and vertigo).

https://www.focushealth.co.nz/marie-mayock
https://www.focushealth.co.nz/jo-eames-vestibular-therapist

31/07/2025

Introducing Marie Mayock. Marie has recently joined the Focus Health team at our Te Mata clinic in Havelock North. She is a highly qualified physiotherapist, with over 17 years of experience in hospital and clinical settings. As a certified Bradcliff Practitioner, Marie specialises in respiratory physiotherapy and breathing retraining. Learn more about Marie’s holistic approach to both mental and physical wellbeing at: https://www.focushealth.co.nz/marie-mayock