Reflective Practice for Breathwork

In coming together as a peer supervision and reflective practice group, we commit as individuals and a collective to these Guiding Group Principles:

Inclusivity – we acknowledge that this is a peer group made up of participants standing at the same level, independently of their level of expertise in one area or another. Due to their professional expertise, some peers may have more awareness or expertise than others of what it means to create a safe space and the importance of it, and they may share this knowledge or experience with the group if it feels appropriate to do so at any stage;

Safety – we make a collective commitment to co-nurturing and fostering a ‘felt sense’ of safety within the group, with the caveat that we know safety cannot be taken for granted and that feelings of safety may look and appear differently for each individual, particularly if neurodiversity, disability, ethnicity or other cultural considerations are present; we honour this diversity by continuing to be an inclusive and compassionate practice group;

Anti-Oppressive Practice – the group works within a diversity framework with the principle of equality meaning that any member can respectfully share their views and have them heard and acknowledged with equal respect and space given; 

Consent – we place consent at the centre of our communications and collaboration, seeking consent before offering personal advice and insights, but also seeking the group’s consent during meetings to share topics or themes of a sensitive nature e.g. sexual trauma or abuse, child neglect or abuse, so that the group feels confident that it can safeguard the wellbeing of all members present and if needed or requested, follow up on welfare of members between and after meetings in an appropriate way;

Confidentiality – we commit to protecting the confidentiality of our group, including communications which take place inside and outside of meetings; everything that is shared stays within the group and we seek permission and consent before sharing information or resources further;

Healing is our own personal responsibility – we take responsibility for our own healing away from the group as and when we need to, and we each acknowledge that the group isn’t a place for providing therapy or unsolicited advice;

Respect and Dignity – we place respect and dignity at the centre of our group space and meetings, endeavouring to approach all interactions and dialogue with respect and dignity, and reminding each other compassionately of this at any time that it feels important to the group-field or a peer’s welfare to do so;

Being gentle and supportive to each other – we commit to being gentle and supportive towards each other, including in our words and language, our tone, and our peer reflections. As human beings we acknowledge that we can sometimes slip up and that neurodivergence, disability, or health difficulties can also impact on communication styles such as making things sound more direct or “blunt” – where this may be the case, the group supports effective and gentle communication between peers by working together to improve shared understanding and compassionately address any communication barriers that might arise, drawing on our shared pool of knowledge and experience to do this;

Vulnerable Leadership – we acknowledge as members of the group that vulnerability is our strength and never our weakness, and so we lead by example in being vulnerable as we share and discuss our perceived limitations, flaws, weaknesses, blocks or struggles, whether these are in relation to client/group/professional work or in relation to our self-image, sense of identity, confidence, relationships, or personal life;

Experiential space-holding – as a peer reflective and supervision space (with members from different professional modalities and disciplines), we acknowledge that there is an experiential element to our work together, meaning that it is often more holistic, body-centred, somatic, expressive, and discovery-based;

Curiosity – we seek to remember curiosity in all that we do during our time in the group, including in our interactions, in our thinking through problems and trouble-shooting, and if we feel triggered. Curiosity is an important resource in breathwork and healing, but we also note it does not override the principles of safety and consent, nor of accountability. Our curiosity is tempered with appropriate boundary-setting and upholding of the group’s guiding principles to safeguard group coherence and a gentle, supportive space;

Trauma-Informed – we acknowledge that within group spaces, collective trauma can sometimes emerge in the group-field; we approach any emergence of trauma within our meetings in a trauma-informed way, applying the trauma-informed principles of safety, cultural humility, transparency, trustworthiness, empowerment, choice, voice, and collaboration, and supporting each other to follow these or learning more about them in our own time between meetings;

Honouring the power of the breath – we are “breath explorers” and "pioneers" and we commit to supporting each other on our different and unique breathwork journeys; we acknowledge that there will be crossover with somatic modalities, trauma theory, holistic and alternative medicine, and other schools of therapy, coaching and professional routes; therefore we honour the power of the breath as a mind-body-spirit adventure across lifetimes which is always evolving;

Shared learning and knowledge – as a peer learning and reflective space, we share our experience, knowledge, skills, ideas and wisdom with the other members present to support them in their professional and personal growth with clients and groups, and we signpost to additional training or CPD resources that we are aware of and which may be of interest to the group;

Accountability – we agree that if any member of the group feels there has been a breach of these guiding principles that they have the freedom and right to raise this matter; and we agree that every member of the group has the willingness to take the time to listen to what this person has to say and let it land within them. Every member of the group commits to taking the time they need to become aware of how they feel about what has happened, so that they can respond in terms of what feelings arose in them in relation to this and take the time to process this in a supportive manner.

Becoming a member: the group is currently a closed membership, but new members can submit a short application in the form of an email to request to join the group. They will be required to agree to the Group’s Guiding Principles if their membership request is accepted.

Attendance at meetings: we acknowledge that working, family and personal life can mean it is not always possible to attend every meeting. Meetings take place monthly unless they are cancelled due to sickness, holidays, etc. Members are encouraged to attend at least 3-4 meetings per calendar year and more if possible.

Reviews: we feel that these guiding principles will continue to support the resonance and cohesiveness of our space to grow. We will revisit them from time-to-time if / when we feel that we need to.

Ratified: October 2024 

Last updated: March 2025

Candy Dowson is a Functional Breath Coach and Teacher, Rebirth Breathworker, Somatic Practitioner, and Independent Consultant. She works with clients, groups and organisations through Arras Healing since 2021. She previously worked in the public sector, NHS, and voluntary sector in transformational programmes as well as in equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives. She has served as a tutor in breathwork for the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB), supporting new breath coaches and breathworkers UK and internationally to train and develop their practice.

Candy’s approach is grounded in trauma-informed leadership and somatic-based theory and practice. She offers a unique, personalised and holistic approach to trauma healing, empowering clients to befriend their bodies, their breath, and their nervous systems. A long-time student of international trauma facilitator Thomas Hübl PhD, Candy is a professional member of the International Breathwork Foundation and well-respected amongst her peers in the field. 

 
As part of her long-standing commitment to a trauma-informed world, Candy facilitates numerous peer groups for coaches, therapists, teachers, breathworkers, somatic practitioners and counsellors, some of which have a global membership. These cover themes such as feminine/women's trauma, war trauma, masculinity, decolonisation, identity, spirituality, and breathwork. 

Since February 2024 she has led a new peer group in the exploration of cultural and collective trauma held in European, British and Irish identities, supporting a community of peers from healing professions to form around this. Most recently, Candy is setting up ancestral healing spaces across her home county of Yorkshire, UK. This is to explore the collective healing potential of such spaces across local communities.