I made my way out to Mui Wo to enjoy the quieter side of Hong Kong and to spend the afternoon learning more about Caroline’s incredible back story and what she has planned for her latest life chapter here in Hong Kong.
Over a refreshing beach side lime soda, Caroline shared her experience of heartbreak, significant loss and despite this, how she created an incredibly successful Bowen Therapy practice in the heart of London…before following her heart back to Hong Kong!
Intrigued? You should be!
This lady is full of so much wisdom and after spending a few hours with her, I confessed that it sounded like she had already lived multiple lives!
I’m excited for you to learn more about Caroline, her many lives and her work, especially her highly publicised and unique breathing technique– so start reading!
As my father was in the British Forces I grew up in many places including Hong Kong.
We were here in the 60’s for a couple of years living in Shatin when it was a village surrounded by paddy fields.
My memorable part of my formative years was all about sport and movement. I was a ballet dancer, I was in the school gymnastic team, tennis team and hockey team where we became U14 County District Champions – I probably would have made the U15 team if I hadn’t been kicked out of school!
In my adult life I spent 14 years living in the French Alps with my late husband, followed by 6 years managing events for Professional Tennis and Cricket. Then 12 years ago, listening to my gut instinct, I took a complete change of direction to Bowen Therapy.
Rather recently, I was lured back to HK for a visit in October 2014 by a Cathay Pilot who I’d fallen madly in love with (we met on an internet dating site earlier that year. I was looking for someone within a 10 mile radius of central London!) Here I am 2 years later married and thanking him daily for coming into my life because of his beliefs of how life works, “if I don’t contact her I’ll never know.”
I followed my mother into Bowen Therapy (BT). She was way ahead of the game and trained in 10 yrs earlier. In 2004 I was at a point in my life where I wanted more control of my time, and the ability to learn a lot more than I could managing sporting events. I also needed to have more time with my 3 children who were growing up fast and we were all missing out on time together and this was reflected heavily in the troubles of one of them. Something had to shift.
I quickly found that I had a feel for BT and became passionate about treating sports people. I found myself working with athletes in the professional and elite world of triathlon and athletics. They were people who looked to win, they stepped outside of their comfort zone to do so, they were inspiring and dedicated people to work with. We learnt a lot from each other……..How to celebrate the wins and handle the losses. How to learn from them. How to maintain your self-belief.
I built up my practice and developed a breathing exercise.
I began to teach it to all my clients. It caught the attention of the health media and articles followed and I found myself being described as an expert in my field. It took a while for me to believe in that tag.
Clarity is perception that isn’t clouded by emotions.
To remind myself of this I have an image on my vision board that says “We don’t see things as they are we see things as we are.”
When I look for clarity I take a step back to put the situation into perspective and look from a different angle. For me knowing I am being truly honest with myself is a way for me to get clarity.
And that means taking responsibility for my own thoughts words and actions.
A great book I read a while back called the Four Agreements by Don Miguel has assisted in this process.
I was 34 when my first husband passed away and my girls were 3, 9, and 12yrs old.
I met him when I was 18. He looked after me fully to the extent I never really worked other than helping him out occasionally with the Ski Business.
We were left with a house but nothing in the bank. I had no CV. No qualifications, other than the few I’d gained at 16yrs.
This was when I realised that I have choices. I can choose to dig my self a big “poor me pit” or I can choose to accept that this is my life too and if I wish to make the most of every moment I have to put energy and time into it.
My mother introduced me to my first employer who was an executive producer at a film studios. Her empathy was awesome and I became her part-time PA and enjoyed it for a year. I realised I needed to move on and find something more challenging.
This is where I found my voice and managed to sell myself. I knew that if I could manage a home, manage 4 family member’s diaries, move house a few times I could do this next job – re-locating a sports company outside of London into London Central.
My following roles came from that same belief too. Each one pushed me outside of my comfort zone. It was a case of asking myself – ‘what was the worst that could happen?’
I learnt to find fun in the challenge of walking through my fears and destroying my limiting beliefs. I began to live with a f**k it attitude. I’ve not looked back!
I like to create vision boards and write a comprehensive list of what I want to attract into my life.
I am aware that I am my words, my thoughts and my actions. The combination of those need to be in alignment.
I prefer to live in a positive mode of “ I hope it will be dry today” rather than the negative of “I hope it doesn’t rain.”
My children. I continually learn so much from them.
I’ve just started working at Joint Dynamics, in my opinion the best Sports Therapy unit in Hong Kong.
I’m bringing something new to their set up and it is exciting! In the past I’ve worked on my own. Now I am going to be part of a team.
I also have a desire to take my breathing work to a wider audience.
I love the diversity that Hong Kong has to offer. From the multicultural community of HK island itself to living in a Chinese village on one of the outlying islands.
We have adopted a dog from HKDR and she means lots of walks on the beaches and trails enjoying the outdoors in all weathers!
I love that Hong Kong is a hub – it’s a stones throw from so many other cultures and experiences. I am looking forward to making the most of that during my time here.
Life is for living. Live it.
When opportunities come your way, so long as it’s not detrimental to you or your dependants…take them.
Ask yourself, “What is the worst that can happen? What might you learn from it? Will it take you outside of your comfort zone?” And go with gut instinct every time – just do it and enjoy the journey.
I wouldn’t be where I am today without noticing the opportunities and acting on them. Remember we make choices everyday of our lives, don’t blame others for them – own them and learn from them.
Just Breathe. Do it and enjoy the journey.
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I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon with Caroline and I was even lucky enough to experience a Bowen Therapy treatment and to learn her unique breathing technique….which literally changes the way you breathe and function on a daily basis! Truly incredible!
The biggest takeaway from this interview for me was that you always have a choice. You have the power to reframe your situation, look for the good in everything and everyone and pick yourself up and start again. It can be done!
I’d love to hear what wisdom you drew from this interview in the comments section below!
Professional Bio
Caroline has practised Bowen Therapy since 2004 alongside studying gait and alignment, anatomy and physiology and complementary mind-body systems including yoga. She has developed her own breathing practice, Just Breathe.
Caroline was part of a unique dissection study in 2007 and has a deep understanding of the relationship of body alignment to the fascial network and musculoskeletal system.
She has taught body alignment analysis to the bodywork industry, has been seminar speaker at the Royal Society of Medicine, the UK National Back Show and has treated professional dancers, international sportsmen including triathletes and track athletes, marathon and ultra-runners.
Media coverage of her work ranges from health and fitness publications to the Sunday Times and Tatler.
As a strong believer in pro-active holistic healthcare, she follows the Eastern paradigm of ‘Treat the healthy body to maintain a healthy body’.
You can learn more about Caroline’s work on her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
