Gentle Breathing

I am the founder of Gentle Breathing and I help people breath better through gentle exercise and yoga breathing techniques, this is especially helpful for people who have difficulties in breathing.

My website: www.gentle-breathing.com

I am also an artist and support community events:

www.divinestonecarvings.com

and

www.creativefitcommunities.org

Gurmit Kaur

I am also an artist and support community events:

www.divinestonecarvings.com

and

www.creativefitcommunities.org

Around 14 years ago I left my home and family and friends to work at the University of London as an academic researcher. My mission then was to support and listen to why people were getting admitted to hospital with asthma.

I conducted around 40 in-depth interviews with patients who were admitted to hospital and were not managing their asthma. I interviewed hospital doctors, and did a number of presentations worldwide.

The research was published in the British Medical Journal, and won the Paper of the Year Award in 2002 from the Royal College of General Practitioners.

However, 12 years on there has not been much improvement in the management of asthma by patients. Three people die of asthma every day. There are around 75,000 admissions to hospital, around 1.2 million people are suffering debilitating sense of breathlessness, wheezing and tightness of the chest. Source: British Lung Foundation.

After working as a health services researcher and NHS manager, I moved on to explore natural therapies and yoga. I qualified as a yoga teacher in 2005 in New Mexico and then as a children?s yoga teacher in 2007. I have been exploring the creative arts and alternative therapies whilst bringing up two children full time.

Suffering from asthma is a debilitating condition for parents and children. The fear from not being able to breath is a fear of struggling to survive; it is a fear like no other fear, because without breath there is no life. The breath is so important to us, more important than anything else.

Managing the breath is managing to survive, mastery of the breath is gaining control over your life, allowing you to life your life to the full extent. Asthma can be managed through support, knowledge and understanding.

There is a lot of information on the internet. However, what I have to offer you is knowledge of both academic concerns in asthma management and natural therapies to help and support you.

I am also passionate about the healing arts and enjoy writing, photography and flower arranging.

Gurmit Kaur

Academic Papers

Griffiths C, Kaur G, Gantley M, Feder, G, Hillier S, Gill Goddard, Geoff Packe. Influences on hospital admission for asthma in white and south Asian adults: a qualitative interview study. British Medical Journal 2000;6:323-962

Gurmit Kaur, Steve Gillam, Use of and needs of the internet by general practitioners, The British Journal of Healthcare Computing and Information Management, 2001;18;(7) 21-3

Griffiths C, Feder G, Kaur G, Hillier S. The improved management of asthma. The Lancet 2001;358;1817-1818.(letter)

Conference Papers

Kaur G, Griffiths CJ, Feder G, et al. Explaining variations in hospital admission rates for asthma between ethnic groups and between general practices: critical incident study of white and South Asian patients in East London. Asthma: The Agenda for the Next Millennium 1999; NAC, London. (Abstract)

Kaur G, Griffiths CJ, Feder G, et al Narrative and Critical Influence, Narrative Based Medicine, 1999, BMA, BMJ publishing group (Abstract)

Kaur G, Griffiths CJ, Gantley M, et al. Explaining variations in asthma hospitalisation rates between white and South Asian patients: a qualitative approach using critical incident and narrative analysis. American Journal of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine 2000;161:A57. ATS, Toronto (Abstract)

Kaur G, Griffiths CJ, Gantley M, et al. Why ethnic minorities are more likely to be admitted to hospital. The British Sociological Association, Medical Sociology Group. University of York. 1999 (Abstract)

CRB checked and insured yoga teacher.