How we started Breathing together

One of the unique and cool things about Breathe is that all of us are totally passionate about yoga and Pilates. We love yoga and Pilates so much that we want to share them with you, because we know you'll love yoga and Pilates too. We sure do. And fashion. And James loves his iPhone. Not in a materialistic way, but in a "loving all things" kind of way.

Breathe Wellbeing began as a dream for Kate Challis and Raphael Bender. Kate, then a PhD student, just wanted a beautiful, calm space in which to practice her Yoga. Lugging her laptop around Europe, America and Australia, she practiced in Yoga studios all around the world, but disliked the patchouli oil hanging in the air, the pouchy leggings and wispy beards of extreme yogis and the grubby carpets on which she often laid her mat. Most of all she noticed how many teachers simply ignored new students until they had "proven themselves worthy". In one case, it took 18 months of regular classes, before the guru-teacher acknowledged her presence, let alone gave her feedback.

Raphael had been teaching Southern Praying Mantis kung fu in Sydney, where he was also practicing Ashtanga yoga, and working as a personal trainer and manager of Elix'r Health Club. It was his dream to open a beautiful, down to earth studio where people could enjoy their journey.

Sydney is where Raphael met so many of the amazing people who were later to form the nucleus of the Breathe team.

(This is where the "montage" scene would be if this was a dancing movie from the late mid-eighties...)

Eventually, after untold eons of hard work by many hands, Breathe was opened at 289 Little Collins Street in Melbourne CBD, on March 19, 2007.

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