Harmonicas for Health is proudly brought to you in association with Asthma+Lung UK and Harmonica For Lung Health
Friday 2nd Feb 2023, 1.00-5.00pm in the Brunswick Venue (Free entry)
Join us for our second Harmonicas for Health workshops, where we will share the health and wellbeing benefits of playing the harmonica. Entry is free and you are welcome to join in with our live workshops. Bring your own harmonica in C and other keys if you have them. We will also have C harmonicas available for purchase on he day.
1.00-1.15pm Welcome
1.15-2.00pm Chris Startup – Harmonicas for Lung Health
Chris is a practitioner of online harmonica sessions that help rehabilitate people living with various lung conditions. Chris will lead his live workshop for us, with students joining us online. Bring a C harmonica and join in. Smiles and fun guaranteed! Debbie from Asthma & Lung UK will also say a few words.
2.00-2.00pm Break
Davy Jones – Essential Guide to Breathing
During our first break, we will be joined by Davy Jones from the Brighton Yoga Foundation who will share some fundamentals about breathing. When considering the benefits of breath control Yoga is often referenced, but do we actually know what this entails? Here’s a golden opportunity to learn from a seasoned Yoga practitioner. Presentation Notes
2.30-3.30pm Quim Roca – Presentation Notes
Quim has travelled from Barcelona in Spain to deliver his conscious breathing workshop for us this afternoon. At home is a sound therapist, using the harmonica to explore breathing as a source of health, well-being and happiness, discovering the diaphragm and improving breath capacity and control. Quim Roca – Breathe To be Happy
3.30-4.00pm Break
4.00-5.00pm Mattias Bogefors – The World’s Smallest Gym
Mattias has travelled from Lund in Sweden to deliver his own take on the wellbeing dimensions of harmonica playing. Having personally sustained neck injuries from a road accident, Mattias found that harmonica playing helped him to recover his health in so many ways, in body and in mind. Mattias now presents his findings to audiences across Europe. His philosophy is that if you can breathe, you can play harmonica, even if you are in a wheelchair, a hospital bed or suffer from conditions ranging from COPD to Parkinson’s. Mattias Bogefors – #breatheHOHNER
Asthma+Lung UK and Chris Startup
Our online support groups started in 2021 and 2 years on the sessions are going from strength to strength. Available to people all over the UK, we are able to reach a wide audience including people who are still reluctant to go out after the pandemic
Our 6-week Harmonica for Lung Health course offers a fun, new way for people to manage their lung condition. Playing the harmonica has been shown to help strengthen breathing and coughing muscles as well as relieve stress.
Here’s how playing the harmonica can contribute to lung health:
- Deep Breathing.
- Controlled Breathing.
- Aerobic Exercise for the respiratory system.
- Coughing and airway clearance.
- Fun and Motivation.
Chris Startup, our Harmonica practitioner initially completed a Singing for Lung Health training course in 2017. He then started Harmonica for Lung Health using his existing knowledge and developed sessions that incorporated similar breathing principles.
All our online support groups are designed to offer attendees tips and tools to support positive lung health and help improve the well-being of people living with respiratory conditions.
You can find out more about our groups on our website.