BREATHE A Bridge Into the Coaching Conversation

A Coaching Model By Carine Alcabas, Life Coach, FRANCE

BREATHE Bridge to Coaching Conversation

Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

The breath serves as a bridge into the coaching conversation. It helps center, quiet, and calm the mental chatter and create a platform from which to dive deeper. It prepares the client for the coaching session by creating enhanced focus.

During a coaching session, the client may feel stuck, overwhelmed by his problem, and when that happens, they can feel scared, lost, anxious… This is where the breathing part is very important. The coach can help their client to breathe correctly, to refocus, relax and restart their thinking process on a positive path that will lead them towards their desired outcome.

To achieve a successful coaching session, the client must be supported in a positive mindset and the BREATHE Model is designed to help them reach awareness in the best possible conditions.

The BREATHE Model

The BREATHE Model can be broken down as follows:

Believe In Yourself

What people are lacking the most, is self-confidence.

In business and our personal life, self-confidence is a prerequisite to taking meaningful action. We need to believe in ourselves, in our abilities, skills, and passions, to make the jump into entrepreneurship or any other aspiration.

When you think of it this way, “Why is it important to believe in yourself?” Learning how to believe in yourself is critical to creating the life you desire.  

The core of self-belief is realizing that you, and only you, are the driver of your success.

For some individuals, it is easier to see their clear path to success. For many others, they have difficulty identifying what they truly want for themselves, and this is where coaching can be carried out to support them and help them to gain clarity.

Relax and Accept

To be able to get a new perspective and move forward, it is important to be in the best mindset, physically and mentally. Most clients usually feel unsure, and sometimes lost and confused. It often reflects on their bodies, (feeling tired, pain, tension, etc..).

The first step is to try to relax and let go of all the crazy or negative thoughts. This can be reached through meditation and breathing. People often forget to breathe correctly.

Acceptance of the current situation is very important throughout the coaching process, to be able to realize and move forward, otherwise, people tend to stay in a state of fear, anger, or frustration.

Focusing on all the things you can be grateful for, instead of what you don’t have.

Explore Your Possibilities

Start with personal exploration: what do I like, what do I do well, what do I know and what experiences have allowed me to learn this?

Explore your professional interests and tastes: my preferences, my skills, what do I want? What profession, sector of activity, type of company can I see myself in?

Then visualize yourself in a professional (or personal) context that attracts you: where do I see myself fitting in?

All these steps will help the client assess the feasibility of their plans: how flexible they are in adapting to the job market or their new personal life goals for example.

Analyze Your Opportunities

Opportunities may take different forms from one goal to another. If you are undertaking a career change, then job offers or courses in your future field are examples of opportunities. If you are in a job and decide to advance in your career, each new responsibility or promotion is an opportunity. If the development you are undertaking is purely personal and not professional, then everything can become a learning opportunity.

This is why it is important to analyze and understand your strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities and threats that you face, so you can plan for career or personal success.

Be Thoughtful to Yourself

Nowadays it is impressive to see the « mental load », which has become a social topic and a reality everyone is facing. Parents, who have to manage and excel at everything: work, home, kids… In many companies, people are facing burnout. It is becoming harder and harder to reach the work-life balance we are seeking. Today’s society is always asking for more of everyone.

The coaching journey will help you pause for a moment in your busy schedule, and take the time to realize everything you are already doing, achieving for yourself and others.

For example, spend five minutes just focusing your awareness on your breath. Notice any thoughts that pop into your head and remember not to judge those thoughts, to just be open and curious.

Feel the Happiness

Happiness simply means being fully in the present moment, where you don’t think about tomorrow or the future and you don’t think about the past. You simply ‘breathe into the now’ and let go of the rest.

Envision Your Future Actions

One of the problems we have with setting and reaching our goals is that when we set them, we think of the person we are right now, rather than the person we will become when we meet those goals. We haven’t connected with that future version of ourselves.

To achieve our goals, we should form a stronger connection to our future selves. When we envision who we will become and use that to help guide our behaviors in the present, we are likelier to take the kind of actions that will lead to longer-term health, wealth, and happiness.