Breathwork
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Breathwork
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AboutTom
01 Mixed Martial Arts
I was involved in Mixed martial arts competitions from about 24, having competed and trained in The Philippines, Taiwan, China, Thailand and The UK, holding a 5-4 record in MMA, 1-0 record in Muay thai, also competing in multiple Brazilian jiujitsu competitions, winning medals in the Bangkok open and currently holding a purple belt.
I think I originally got into MMA to overcome fear of conflict, but also because I was angry. I think it helped me channel my aggression, and while it did give me a lot of structure and form, it wasn't until I started to do the inner work, therapy, meditation, energy psychology that I started to integrate those feelings properly and understand a bit about what deeper self acceptance actually felt like.
It continues to be a journey.
02 Yoga
I started doing yoga around 2013. Practicing Hatha and hot yoga, then moving onto Ashtanga, its a practice I move in and out of depending on the other physical activities I'm doing, but the practice of stretching has stayed close throughout the years as a way to rehabilitate old injuries and ward off new ones. I also find much value in the philosophies that underpin yoga - union with all aspects of yourself. It brings up more than I had bargained for when I first got into it and is a useful ally in shadow work.
03 Meditation
I did my first 10 day silent retreat vipassana course in 2013. I've since been on three more courses including service periods. We also held a vipassana style retreat at our project the energy school in Switzerland. I practice vipassana, metta and some other meditation techniques pretty much daily. I find it extremely grounding and centering, it's become a staple part of my life and mental health care. I can't imagine life now without it.
05 Energy psychology
Since 2009 I was learning different energy psychology modalities with my friend Sebastien Van Der Schrier of Social Anxiety Solutions, to affect change in the brain through the body. I originally began using it to enhance my own sports performance with MMA then moved more towards working with anger issues, MMA had been a way to channel my own anger issues and in the eco village I began working with people on tapping into their aggression through the boxing pads as a gateway to their feelings, that led me to working more with trauma and included a couple of visits to disaster zones - After the typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines in 2013 and after the earthquake in Nepal in 2015 - to work with experts in the field.
Among the modalities I've studied are EFT Tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique), Psych-K, Matrix re-imprinting, The emotion code, PET & SET (Provocative Energy Techniques & Simple Enrergy Techniques) TRE (trauma release exercises), NLP and Non Violent Communication. Lately I have been reading up on and practicing with the work of Somatic Experiencing and was recently qualified as an Embodiment coach.
Energy Psych has been invaluable in my own development, helping me interact with my subconscious and re-imagine my life experiences, giving movement to stuck energies along the way.
I now use a blend of these techniques along with meditative practices and breathwork in my practice as a coach for the purposes of emotional release and self acceptance.
06 Physical challenges
I enjoy getting outdoors and testing myself - cold water swimming and cold showers have been part of my routine since 2016, I find great benefit in them for both body and mind, particularly in staving off depression, which is something I've had to work at over the years. In 2013 I completed a bike ride from Spain to Italy that took about a month and taught me many things. And more recently did David Goggins 4x4x48 Challenge - Running four miles every four hours for 48 hours. I find there's something for me in the physicality and overcoming of obstacles, it's like an embodied experience of what you're capable of. Although I feel more balanced with it nowadays. I think as I've become more sensitive and in touch with the body I've been less inclined to push myself to the unhealthy places I did in my youth, using extremes, exercise and adrenaline as a way to self punish and avoid dealing with my feelings or underlying trauma.
Also being in nature - I once spent two months living in a tent on top of a mountain in the Philippines and found being immersed in nature like that great for harmonizing natural rhythms.
I enjoy other outdoor activities such as surfing, snowboarding, camping, long distance running, diving and hiking. I've often felt a natural pull towards trying new things.
07 Renovations and woodworking
The first project I was invited onto was the construction of a bamboo large hut and platform in the mountains of northern Thailand in 2010, this was what inspired me to go to back to the Philippines in 2012 to learn mud house building (where I also discovered inner dance).
In 2017 I was invited to work on a project in Switzerland - the building of a yoga/meditation retreat center to be named "energy school", renovated from and old 4 story chalet. Following this I decided to try my hand at a camper conversion and turned a 2013 Vauxhaull Vivaro, an old joiners van, into a stealth camper. Then last year at my sister and brother in laws during lockdown, I kept myself busy by turning a shed into a sauna.
These projects have been immensely gratifying and something I want to continue to develop my skill with in the future.
08 Creative
I've had access to creativity for as long as I can remember. Often it can be a bit overwhelming to try to channel something into some kind of form with so many ideas. Being interested in everything is a struggle that many creatives could probably relate to.
But there's much inspiration for me in painting, sketching and creating digital art (NFT drop coming soon).
In more recent years I've found joy in developing my skills in design, making and building things (check the renovations section). I played music from a young age, and with the breathwork sessions I have a great outlet for mixing sound. I also have an interest in language and love to write, I spent some time as a chef and enjoy food prep, and my background originally was in video and media production. The common thread of creativity has held my interest through all these things, and I think the creative process is a lot of what keeps me ticking. It's actually what I find most compelling about the inner dance and working with people, not just the creative expression required to design the music but the transformative effect people often go through with it.
I think the engine behind the perception architecture project is a creative one, It's an exploratory one too, to develop adaptive ways of thinking and expressing, for myself and others, to design and re-imagine their minds, constructing empowering contexts to house their experiences, and for want of a better expression "unleash their spirit".
Being limited by the past has always bothered me, when noticing it in myself and in others, and so my work has been about creating a meaning that seeks to find the value in it, orienting towards a future potential, and moving towards that by living in the present. I continue to explore the many facets of this, from space design to ritual physical activities and habitual thoughts.
It might all sound a little grand but these ideas have been fascinating to me for as long as I can remember.
I think some of our biggest struggles seem to stem from our difficulty enjoying being who we are right now, where we have access to who we could be tomorrow, and this all seems inextricably linked to self perception, self acceptance and the meanings we create around our experience.
I often think of Victor Frankl's famous quote - "With a strong enough why, we can endure almost any how".
And perhaps a powerful "why" is something many of us are searching for in times like these.
Thanks for reading, if you want to get in touch or make any comments please email the link below.
I'll be happy to hear from you.
