Mark Kluwer is a tradie who now carries a different set of tools.
In a search for fulfilment in his early 50s, he unlocked the power of breath and connection.
Mark is now helping others find healing through a breathwork and ice water therapy technique that he says has the potential to change a life.
The breathwork Mark guides is rooted in the Tummo Breathing Technique practised by monks in Tibetan Buddhism, and in pranayama yoga, while cold water therapy has been practised in many locations around the world.
These have both been popularised by Dutch athlete Wim Hof who was known as ‘The Iceman’ for his record-breaking ability to withstand cold temperatures.
His technique includes three pillars: cold therapy, breathing and meditation, that together aim to improve physical and mental wellbeing.
The technique has been associated with reducing inflammation, improving sleep, boosting the immune system and a range of other benefits.
Mark met Wim Hof at a retreat in an experience he says completely changed his life.
“I was pretty uninspired with life at 50 and my daughters had grown up. I was searching for something and this gave me an opportunity,” Mark said.
“So I went to the first day, and for the next five days I experienced an outpouring of emotion that set me free, mate.”
Inspired by the experience, Mark has turned to help others.
“I grew up in the outer suburbs of Melbourne playing football and there was a belief of what masculinity looks like,” he said.
“There’s a perception that if a man opens up to another man about how he is feeling, he is weak. But it’s a sign of strength, mate.”
Mark says the guided workshops are a chance for people to open up and heal.
Glenlyon men’s event
Mark is challenging others to experience the power of breath and connection at a men’s event at Glenlyon Town Hall on Friday May 14.
He describes the event as “a relaxed night of blokes coming together to feast on local produce around a fire, chatting and learning a very simple breathing technique”.
Mark will host the event with his mate Bohdan Evans, of Glenlyon’s Catherine Farm, who has benefited from the breathing technique following his experience with post traumatic stress disorder and a family suicide.
The event is also a fundraiser for Hope Bereavement Care, a not-for-profit counselling service, offering free information, support and counselling, when grieving the death of a child or sudden death of an adult and those experiencing loss after suicide.
The men’s event will be held at the Glenlyon Hall on Friday May 14, from 5pm to 9pm.
Cost is $60 per head which includes all food. All profits will go to Hope Bereavement Care.
To make a booking, visit: trybooking.com and search ‘just breathe’.
