The Emerald River Coherent Method
Ancient Wisdom (The Mind)
Ancient wisdom is the original technology for operating the human system. Our own deep exploration revealed powerful, interwoven similarities in indigenous practices across the globe:
Breath, Sound, Movement, and Mantra. Honoring our own heritage, we studied at the Celtic School of Sound Healing to understand the wisdom of our lineage. We utilise these timeless
practices and principles to enhance your modern human experience, giving your mind the tools to achieve clarity and focus.
Modern Science (The Body)
Coming from a background in Physics and engineering, we are fascinated by the physical and mechanical structure of the human being. We understand that everything can be observed as both physical matter and waves of energy—a perfect foundation for our vibrational work. We sift through the vast amount of research available to bring you only the scientific studies and evidence-based practices that are leading the way in human evolution. This lens ensures our methods are always grounded, observable, and results-focused.
Your Spirituality (The Spirit or Energy)
We recognize that the concept of Spirituality is deeply personal. For some, it involves faith or a higher being; for others, it's the invisible energy running through us, or the divine source of all things. We use the term Your Spirituality because this topic is entirely about your journey, free from judgment or any prescribed perspective. There is growing scientific evidence showing the critical importance of connecting with this inner sense of purpose and energy—and we provide the space and techniques to explore it freely.
We believe the highest form of human potential is found when these three spheres are working in harmony.
This is the true goal of The Emerald River Coherent Method.
We like to say that Ancient Wisdom is the Science of Spirituality
More on the Science
The Modern Science of Breathwork: Efficiency and Adaptation
While the feeling of deep breathing is immediately calming, the power of breathwork is rooted in concrete physiological science. Our approach, backed by scientific studies, focuses on training your body to be profoundly more efficient at using the oxygen you already breathe.
It's Not Just About Oxygen—It's About CO₂
The common belief is that the key to a good breath is maximising oxygen (O2). Science tells a different story:
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is the hero.
- The Bohr Effect Explained: CO2 is not just a waste product—it’s the chemical signal that tells your blood to release O2 into your cells (muscles, organs, and brain). Haemoglobin, the carrier molecule in your red blood cells, holds onto oxygen tightly. When CO2 levels rise in the blood (which happens when you breathe efficiently), it signals the haemoglobin to let go, ensuring O2 is delivered into the mitochondria. This is where the O2 combines with glucose from your food and is turned into ATP energy (the energy your cells use).
- The Problem with Over-Breathing: When we breathe too quickly or shallowly, we dump too much CO2 from our system. This low CO2 level causes the haemoglobin to hold onto oxygen too tightly. Your blood might be O2-rich, but your cells are starving—a phenomenon that can lead to symptoms like brain fog, anxiety, and fatigue.
- The Oxygen Paradox: The CO2 Secret. Most people assume deeper breaths mean more oxygen (O2) delivered to your body. The scientific paradox is this: breathing too much or too fast actually starves your cells of oxygen. Why? Because when you over-breathe, you lose too much Carbon Dioxide (CO2). You need CO2 for your red blood cells to release O2 into your muscles and brain—a rule known as the Bohr Effect. Our breathwork helps your body hold onto CO2 just long enough to make your oxygen delivery system incredibly efficient
- Oxidative Stress: This happens when you have too many unstable molecules (free radicals) attacking your cells. This damaging process is often triggered by cellular stress resulting from poor oxygen delivery (inefficient breathing) and general metabolic strain. Scientific studies show that certain controlled, temporary breathing techniques (like breath holds) act like a workout for your cells. This small, safe stress triggers your body to build its own stronger antioxidant supply, boosting your natural ability to fight damage and stay resilient.
Training Your Tolerance: CO2 and Breath Hold
By learning to manage your breathing, we train your body to thrive in a balanced state.
- CO2 Tolerance Levels: This is your body’s ability to comfortably handle the natural build-up of CO2. Our breathwork exercises are scientifically designed to gently and safely raise your tolerance. A higher CO2 tolerance allows your body to relax, keeps your blood vessels open (vasodilation), and ensures that the Bohr Effect is working optimally to deliver oxygen to your tissues.
- Breath Hold Time: The common breath hold test is a simple measurement of your CO2 tolerance and therefore a measurement of your tissue oxygenation levels. As you train your system, your urge to breathe decreases, allowing your comfortable breath hold time to increase. This is not about holding your breath for athletic reasons; it is a direct, measurable indicator of a calmer, more robust, and more O2-efficient nervous system.
Harnessing the Power of Intermittent Hypoxia
Certain ancient breathing techniques safely use brief periods of reduced oxygen, a process known in modern science as Intermittent Hypoxia (IH).
- The Stressor/Adaptation Principle: When carefully controlled, the mild, temporary stress of IH triggers a powerful, beneficial adaptive response. Scientific studies show that low-dose Intermittent Hypoxia can upregulate various protective and growth factors in the body and brain.
- Enhanced Resilience: This process essentially strengthens your body’s operating system, leading to enhanced O2 efficiency, improved mental clarity (brain plasticity), and a higher resilience to stress.
The Modern Science of Mantra: Quiet the Mind, Reset the Brain
While mantra has ancient spiritual roots, its profound effects on your well-being are measurable and backed by modern neuroscience, particularly in how it trains your brain to stop overthinking.
The Brain's Natural "Mind-Wanderer"
Your brain is constantly busy, even at rest, within a circuit known as the Default Mode Network (DMN). This is the DMN that generates self-critical thoughts, analysis, and the chronic state of mind-wandering often linked to anxiety.
- The Science of Repetition: Studies using fMRI (brain imaging) show that the simple, rhythmic act of repeating a mantra requires just enough focused attention to effectively deactivate this busy DMN. This suppression of the mind's internal narrative is the neurobiological basis for the deep inner quiet and clarity achieved during mantra meditation.
Emotional Resilience and Focused Energy
Mantra is more than a distraction; it is an active training tool for your nervous system:
- Regulating Emotions: Focused mantra practice is linked to modulated activity in brain regions associated with fear and emotional reactivity (like the amygdala). By strengthening the brain's regulatory circuits, mantra practice helps build emotional resilience and calms the stress response.
- The Power of Vibration: Vocalized chanting activates the Vagus Nerve and uses the voice to generate a profound, palpable vibration throughout the body. This combination of neurological focus and physiological resonance guides the nervous system into the rest-and-digest mode, transforming mental clutter into physical and energetic harmony.
The Modern Science of Sound Healing: Frequency, Resonance, and Emotional Release
The use of therapeutic sound is an ancient art, but its powerful effects are now fully validated by modern neuroscience and physics. Our sound healing sessions utilize instruments, like gongs and singing bowls, that generate specific frequencies and vibrations proven to induce profound physiological change.
How Sound Changes Your Brain and Body
Sound healing works by creating two key biological responses:
- Brainwave Entrainment: Therapeutic sound gently guides your faster brainwaves (Beta) down into the slower states of Alpha and Theta (deep meditative relaxation). This process of entrainment is crucial because it helps quiet the conscious, analytical mind, allowing access to deeper emotional and subconscious material.
- Vibrational Resonance: The pure, harmonious vibrations encourage the cells and tissues in your body to resonate back to their natural, harmonious frequency. This physical realignment directly impacts stored somatic tension.
Emotional Release and Neurological Benefits
The combination of deep brainwave states and physical vibration is what facilitates emotional release:
- Accessing Stored Emotion: By slowing the mind into Theta, you bypass the psychological barriers that often keep suppressed emotions or trauma locked away. The vibration then helps to gently shake loose and release physical tension that is neurologically tied to past emotional events (often stored in the fascia and muscles).
- Nervous System Regulation: The practice strongly promotes Parasympathetic Nervous System activation (the "rest and digest" mode). This effectively turns down the "fight or flight" response, creating a feeling of safety that allows the body to complete the stress cycle and release held emotional energy, leading to sustained emotional relief and physical well-being.
