Southsea tennis pavilion falls quiet as Breathfast helps residents unload their stress

It came as a cluster of Southsea residents united to share Breathfast – a programme of breathing activities followed by tasty snacks and drinks.

Maxine Bailey-Green, a representative for the city-based mental health charity, Tonic, has organised a handful of the sessions over 18 months.

Each is set out like a yoga class, with participants guided through a catalogue of techniques to help slow their bodies down and relax.

Maxine, 46, said: ‘For me this is all about mental health, because unless you tackle stress and anxiety it can lead to problems.

‘Having suffered with depression myself, I used breath work and meditation to bring myself out. It is like my medicine.

‘On Sunday we tried a technique called belly breathing, where we learned how to tune in and listen to the breath and take it into the belly.

‘Because we quite often tend to breathe into the chest, we cause ourselves stress and anxiety.’

The session encouraged participants to take control of their parasympathetic nervous system.

Unlike the sympathetic nervous system which prepares the body for physical activity, it relaxes the body and slows down high-energy functions.

Maxine added: ‘Most people hadn’t done this before. They loved it – and lots of them said how stressed they were with work.

‘I think it was nice to come and be a human being, instead of being a human doing – we’re all running around all the time.’

The session at the Canoe Lake Leisure Pavilion raised more than £100 for Tonic, which uses music to boost confidence and reduce isolation to sooth residents’ mental health.

So far Breathfast has contributed about £1,000 to the project, which is based in Highland Road, Southsea and was founded in 2012.