Lenka Dostálová | Functional Breathing 24/7 Tips | Centennial, CO & Virtual

In our Women in Wellness series, we spotlight inspiring women who are making waves in the wellness community. Today, we're excited to introduce you to Lenka Dostálová, a holistic life/breath coach and certified Oxygen Advantage breath instructor whose approach to functional breathing is transforming how people engage with this essential but often overlooked aspect of health.

Meeting Lenka Dostálová

Lenka brings her passion for functional breathing to her coaching practice, "Say YES to Life," where she helps clients discover the transformative power of proper breathing techniques. As a certified Oxygen Advantage breath instructor, Lenka has developed a teaching style that emphasizes the integration of healthy breathing habits into everyday life.

"Functional breathing isn't a single breathing technique or breath work class you go to for an hour or so," Lenka explains. "Functional breathing is the way you breathe throughout your day. It's a lifestyle."

Beyond Deep Breaths: The True Power of Functional Breathing

While many wellness practices focus on isolated breathing exercises, Lenka's approach centers on transforming your natural breathing patterns 24/7. She dispels common misconceptions about breathing, including the idea that simply taking deep breaths is always the answer.

"One misconception would be that we need to take deep breaths to relax and that our breathing evolves around oxygen only," she shares. "Our breathing involves three gases and one would not be able to work without one another. People often think that breathing requires extra time out of their already busy day. Something we need to carve out time for. The wonderful news is that we are already breathing so there is no need to try to find a time for it. All we need to do is to change the way we breathe. Switch from mouth breathing to soft, light, deep into our core nose breathing.”

According to Lenka, functional breathing is about developing awareness of how we breathe throughout our day and making small but significant adjustments that yield profound benefits. These include "having more energy, achieving calmness in states of anxiety, being more present, sleeping better, strengthening our immune system, raising our body's ability to heal, improving digestion and much more!"

Practical Tips for Functional Breathing

Lenka believes that our breath is a powerful tool we already possess but often take for granted. Here are her practical tips for incorporating functional breathing into your daily life:

1. Become Aware of Your Breathing Patterns: Start noticing if you're breathing through your mouth or nose during the day. Pay attention to whether you can hear yourself breathing during various activities.

2. Practice Nose Breathing: Begin consciously keeping your mouth closed during the day whenever possible, allowing your nose to fulfill its natural filtering function.

3. Check Your Breathing Depth: Lenka recommends this simple exercise: "Lay down on the floor, place one hand on your chest and second hand on your belly. Start breathing and notice which hand is moving more. If the one on your chest is moving more, you are mouth breathing. If the one on your belly is moving significantly, you are nose breathing."

Try This at Home: A Simple Practice to Start

Ready to experience the power of functional breathing? Lenka suggests starting with this awareness exercise:

1. Throughout your day, periodically check: Are you breathing through your mouth or your nose?

2. Notice if your breath is shallow (in your chest) or deep (in your belly)

3. When you catch yourself mouth breathing, gently close your mouth and switch to nose breathing

4. Pay attention to how different types of breathing make you feel

Finding Connection Through Breath

For Lenka, breathing is much more than a biological function—it's a way to connect more deeply with ourselves and the world around us. "Our breath is the simplest tool we can use to guide us through our everyday life," she reflects. "It can tell us if we are in stressful mode or relaxed mode."

What might surprise you about Lenka's approach? Despite being a breath coach, she emphasizes that the best part about breath work is its accessibility: "It's free, we can use it anywhere, anytime, and we don't have to rely on things or anyone from the outside."

Embracing the Elements

Beyond her breathing workshops, Lenka has a passion for connecting with nature in all seasons. "I enjoy cold plunges and hiking barefoot in nature at any season," she shares. This philosophy extends to her teaching as well.

"My favorite is the winter season when I get to teach people how to embrace the cold and fall in love with it by exposing themselves to cold in form of cold air or plunges on guided hikes and retreats."

Connect with Lenka

Ready to experience Lenka's approach to functional breathing?

• Website: www.say-yestolife.com

• Email: coachlenka@say-yestolife.com

• Services: Breathing workshops and courses (virtual and in-person), guided hikes, corporate wellness programs, retreats

Lenka offers a variety of breathing workshops and courses for individuals, groups, small businesses, and corporate companies, both virtually and nationwide. Her parting wisdom encapsulates her philosophy: "The way we breathe is the way we live!"

This post is part of PeachyYogi's Women in Wellness directory, where we spotlight inspiring women in the wellness community. Stay tuned for more features highlighting women who are making a difference through their unique approaches to health and wellbeing.