About Vincent
My name is Vincent Spoeltman and I was born in 1984. After high school and university I studied classical singing and choral conducting at the conservatory and am active in music in addition to breathwork. I completed my training as a breath coach at Holos in Utrecht. In addition I am now following the training for instructor in the Wim Hof Method at the Wim Hof Academy. In my own practice I coach people individually through consciously connected breathing sessions. In addition, I regularly organize breath circles and weekends around breathwork.
My path to breathwork:
When I was diagnosed with Colitis Ulcerosa (chronic inflammatory bowel disease) in the winter of 2012, it meant the end of life as I knew it until then. The only way to combat the disease seemed to be with heavy medication, regular hospital visits and a possible operation. After walking this path for a number of years I was done! Somewhere in my system there was an imbalance of which medical science did not know the origin. Thus began my holistic quest.
Through reiki I restored my energetic balance. Through sports, healthy diet and periodic fasting I restored my physical balance. And through the Wim Hof Method, yoga and various forms of breathing work I experienced a strong relationship between my emotional and physical health. In this I have experienced a special transformation.
Since the summer of 2017, I have been symptom free and I feel core health without any medication! Through my journey I feel a strong drive to help other people on their way to a powerful, healthy and happy life. The life force of the breath is very important in this.
Holistic approach
The breath is always there and therefore a direct mirror of our conscious and unconscious patterns. Holistically, we assume that body and mind are one. Emotions and thoughts influence the body, and your body and breath contain information about your inner experience. The way you breathe contains a lot of information about what is going on in you here and now. That is what makes the breath such a powerful tool to work with. It offers space for what is stuck in our system. Ever since we were children, the breath comes to a halt the moment something happens that is too intense for us to be present for at that moment. By following your own breathing inwards, you make the choice to be consciously present with what is going on inside. Also when it comes to fixed emotions and traumas from the past.
The society we live in now demands a lot from our thinking. How we experience our bodies and what we feel in them emotionally and physically often receives little attention. Through breathwork you can enter into a process of awareness in which you learn to listen to the language of your body and breath. By doing so, you can prevent yourself from becoming unbalanced, which can lead to physical or psychological complaints. Or, if these complaints are already present, you can restore the balance. In this process, you give space to what wants to be felt and seen.
Anatomy/physiology
The cells in your body only function when they receive oxygen. Your breath and your blood circulation take care of this. Your circulatory system ensures that the inhaled oxygen (and vitamins and minerals) reach your cells. And at the same time it has an important function in the removal of waste products. These end up in your lungs via your circulatory system and are then removed with the exhalation. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important. In order to keep the acid-base balance, it is important to get rid of the CO2 (which is acid). Breathing out (letting go) is therefore just as important as breathing in (taking hold).
In order to breathe, you make use of several muscles. The most important respiratory muscle is the diaphragm muscle. It separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity and is responsible for about half of the air inhaled into the lungs (ideally). The lungs are attached to the diaphragm with their outer membranes. This muscle is dome-shaped. During inhalation, the diaphragm contracts and moves downward making it flat. The abdomen then expands to make room for your organs. This lowers the pressure in the chest cavity, drawing air into the lungs through the mouth and/or nose. With diaphragmatic breathing, the organs and tissues in the abdomen are massaged and lymph nodes are stimulated. This promotes the processing of waste products in the body.
However, many people do not use the diaphragm (or use it very little) when they breathe. Instead, they largely use intercostal muscles or even back muscles causing breathing to be incomplete and high. Excessive breathing is often caused by (too) much stress. At the same time, breathing too high leads in itself to (extra) stress in the body. It’s a vicious circle, which leads to a negative spiral that is not good for your emotional and physical health. When breathing is too high, the diaphragm is often tight or tense, which is usually also a sign of stress and (unconscious) fear.
