Susannah Nelson
Highest Professional Standards

I am the Performance Director of the Olympic Canoeing Programme and was previously a Great Britain Team Coach and former GB Athlete. As the Performance Director, I directly employ 50 High Performance Coaches and 15 Sports Science and Medicine practitioners including physiotherapists. I have been receiving treatment, on a regular basis, from Susannah for over 20 years.

diaphragm activation

"Nothing Else Has Come Close"

"I've learned how to activate my diaphragm, breathe properly, and connect breath, brain and body."

Clare Roberts, early 50s, Nottingham — client since 2024 Treatment: Body Mind Unwind group classes, one-to-one sessions, diaphragm activation, breathwork YOGA TUNE UP

"Susannah's Body Mind Unwind approach has completely changed how I move, breathe and feel — nothing else has come close.

Finding Susannah has been a complete game-changer.

Her small-group Body Mind Unwind classes gave me simple, practical tools I could use every day. Then the one-to-one sessions took things further with focused hands-on work and a personalised approach. Together, they've made the biggest difference.

I've learned how to activate my diaphragm, breathe properly, and connect breath, brain and body — which has improved not just my movement but also my mood and energy.

In just a few treatments I feel less restricted, more mobile, and most importantly, I now have the knowledge and tools to help myself.

If you want more than a temporary fix and you're ready to invest in really understanding your body, I couldn't recommend Susannah more highly."

— Clare Roberts, Nottingham, 2024

4. TEACHER'S NOTE

Clare came to me relatively recently but her review captures something it sometimes takes clients years to articulate — the difference between being treated and being educated. That shift, from passive recipient to active participant in your own health, is what everything I do is built around.

What Clare describes — learning to activate the diaphragm, connect breath to brain to body, and leave with tools she can use independently — sits at the very heart of how my practice has evolved, particularly since Covid. The diaphragm is not just a breathing muscle. It is the body's primary pressure regulator, a key player in spinal stability, and one of the most direct access points to the autonomic nervous system. When it isn't functioning well — which is extremely common in people who carry stress, sit for long periods, or have learned shallow chest breathing as their default — the effects ripple outward into movement, mood, energy and pain.

Clare noticed improvements not just in how she moves but in her mood and energy levels too. That's not a coincidence. When the nervous system is able to downregulate — to shift from a state of low-grade alert into genuine rest — the whole system functions better. Sleep improves, inflammation reduces, movement becomes easier and more fluid.

The combination of small group classes and personalised one-to-one work that Clare mentions is something I've found particularly effective. The classes build body awareness and community; the individual sessions allow us to go deeper into the specific patterns and restrictions that are unique to each person. Together they create a much richer and more lasting result than either alone.

Clare travels from Nottingham, and sessions are available both in person in Newark and online.