Student Spotlight: Sophie Gia Moore

My reason for training as a facilitator goes right back to birth. I was born blue and not breathing. I was taken away by doctors for around 10 minutes. My mum was delirious and unsure what they did, but on returning I was able to take my first breath and the blue colour faded.

During my childhood and for the first 14 years of my life I had serious breathing issues. I couldn’t breathe through my nose at all. I was asthmatic and needed an inhaler. I suffered from severe snoring and sleep apnea. I would breathe loudly and was teased about it relentlessly at school.

To cut a long story short, I spent my childhood with inexplainable mental health issues. I was unable to focus, underperforming and my behaviour was completely out of control. I was put on antidepressants at 14 and stayed on them for 13 years. I was asked to leave school with few qualifications age 16. The only areas I had excelled in were music and art, so I decided to run with that.

At the age of 14 I had a common and simple operation that changed the course of my life. I had my oversized adenoids and tonsils removed. Suddenly, my blocked airways were cleared and I could breathe through my nose. My snoring became pretty much non existent, and my sleep apnea disappeared. Its never returned. I threw my inhaler in the bin, I haven’t needed it since.

I have had facial and body dysmorphia in the past. I have been compulsively obsessed with tiny details of my appearance, which is shameful to admit, but it really comes from a place of deep insecurity. At times when it’s flared up, I’ve been unable to leave the house, have to keep mirrors covered and have been seriously underweight. I’ve always felt there’s something wrong with my face, like it didn’t form in the correct way. I don’t look like anyone in my family. I’ve had extensive dental work and cosmetic procedures as an adult to try and fix this.

When I discovered at the age of 28, that mouth breathing has a direct impact on the facial development of a child and also their mental health, school performance, cognitive development, personality, sleep patterns and so much more, it completely blew my mind.

It was years of a feeling in the back of my head that something was deeply wrong with me, feeling lost, traumatised by my experience in education, and wondering how it had happened and what had gone wrong. I remember as a child + teen feeling 'crazy' and out of control. No-one at the time made links to my breathing issue.

It made perfect sense to me now, all these issues, I believe, are directly linked to my inability to breathe properly as a child. I recently looked back on pictures of myself from a toddler to teenager and find them harrowing. I feel sad for that child. You can clearly see in real time the effect my breathing issue is having on me as I grow up.

I can link the trajectory of my life back to breath.

Every breath we take is creation. Our breath can create our life and our path.

Our breath can destroy us but it also had to power to heal us. Like water, we need it to survive but we can also drown in it.

Of course there are other environmental factors, but our breath is something we can control.

But this is not a sad story. My natural state of being is chronically optimistic. We have the power to change our narrative.

Conscious connected breathwork has been a deep and powerful healing tool for me. It brings our most vulnerable selves. Vulnerability is just the most beautiful thing. My facilitator said people look different after a CCB session. They look lighter, happier. She told me I look different. I agreed with her.

Looking at beauty holistically, as an emotion and a feeling rather than our anatomy or physical features has also been deeply healing. Beauty is an energy force that comes from within us, when we are living in a way that is harmonised and balanced. It’s a profound feeling of wholeness that radiates from us.

Now I understand this, I see it in people all the time. Their skin glows from within and they have a brightness to them that is invisible yet overwhelmingly visible at the same time.

It’s literally nothing to do with their face shape, anatomy or them being ‘conventionally attractive.’

The ancient rishis called is ‘Soma’ and its associated with feelings of bliss, content and nourishment.

One of the things I love most about being a makeup artist is the intimate connection you have with your client. It’s always a collaboration. I don’t like to overplan looks beforehand because I love to bring out elements of their personality as we work. Watching someone come to life and get into character is a joyful experience.

Our beauty and self care rituals are a big part of our lives, even though we may not realise it. Everyone has them. But true beauty really starts with regulating the nervous system. Everything is interconnected.

My mission is to empower others to achieve this inner beauty and feeling of wholeness. I want to help others move past their limiting beliefs and reach their full potential as I am learning to.

I’m so drawn to breathwork, because I believe it is a powerful tool to unlocking our potential and living a harmonious life.

Quotes:
’Most people think being beautiful makes them happy, but it is the other way round. Beauty is the product of happiness. Without long lasting happiness beauty is unattainable. Our face and our complexion are the physical manifestation of what we think and do. An acting mirror of the soul, how we breathe and what we eat and put into our body. When you realise that everything you do leaves a footprint you begin to become far more mindful and present about your actions, how you speak to and treat yourself.’ Pratima Raichur

Deepak Chopra

‘The mind and body are a parallel universe. Anything that happens in the mental universe must leave tracks in the physical one.’

I want to spread this message and help people to find their power and their beauty through healing. These ideas are inspired through Ayurveda and working holistically with our bodies to live as our best self.

It’s all part of a bigger picture. I’m at the start of this journey and I don’t have all the answers but I’m keen to learn and see how it can develop.

This has been painful at times to write. Thank you for reading if you’ve got his far!
So much love xxx

About Sophie:

Sophie is a training to facilitate breathwork in London, UK. You can find more out more about her journey through breath, holistic beauty and creativity here. SOULFIRST