1 DAY AGO - The market is flooded with books and classes claiming ‘breathwork’ can help with mental health, sleep and even Covid-19. But experts are not convincedCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAlan Dolan couldn’t afford market research when he started out as a breathing instructor in 2005. Instead, he took soundings from London taxi drivers. “I’d tell them I taught people to breathe for a living – they’d be in hysterics and say: ‘What a great scam!’” says Dolan. Recently their reaction has changed: “Now they tell me about their sleep apnoea or their wife’s panic attacks, ask me how that relates to breathing and often download my app.”Dolan, whose company is called Breathguru, teaches people to breathe deeply from their diaphragm, inhaling for longer than exhaling, without pausing between the two. He says this can, among other things, release stress, alleviate depression, tackle sleep issues, ease respiratory conditions, boost energy and the immune system and eject Collapse

1 DAY AGO - You need to know that you are not responsible for his insecurities – and that this man may become dangerousThe dilemma I am 19 years old and I was in a relationship with a brilliant guy I met at uni. We were compatible and got along well, but as time went on he became a possessive, clingy, insecure shadow of his former self. I became estranged from my friends and my life revolved around him. Days and nights were spent constantly reassuring him that I loved him, that I wouldn’t leave him and that there was nobody more attractive to me than he was. It was exhausting. At times when I didn’t want to have sex with him I forced myself to, because the emotional breakdown otherwise was too much for me to handle. When I called it quits, he broke into my flat twice and begged me not to sleep with anybody else.I am convinced the breakup was a good idea, but ever since my life has gone downhill. I’ve stopped going to the gym, gained weight and my self-image is significantly worse. Moreover, I Collapse

2 DAYS AGO - Regulars appreciate the joys of swimming in famous London ponds post-lockdown“It was like trying to get tickets for Glastonbury!” said John Roberts, waving a paper ticket. It was his birthday and he and wife, Susanna, were palpably excited to be on their way for a swim in the mixed pond at Hampstead Heath for the first time in months.Having spent lockdown working from their third-floor flat in Belsize Park without access to a garden, the couple, who are expecting their first baby, had been eagerly anticipating the government’s announcement on Thursday that outdoor swimming facilities would be reopening. Continue reading... Collapse

2 DAYS AGO - While some firms have been devastated as Covid-19 grips the planet, others have seen their sales go off the chart. How have they coped?For most businesses, the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic were an economic horror story measured in job losses and plummeting sales graphs. But this was not the case for everyone. As lockdown measures were imposed around the globe, certain companies struggled to cope with sudden demand from a confined populace with new, highly specific needs.So what was it like to be the focus of such frenzied consumer interest? How did they cope with self-isolating staff and faltering supply chains? And what are their hopes now the world is tentatively reopening? Here, five different companies reflect on their accidental boom. Continue reading... Collapse

3 DAYS AGO - Many outdoor pools won’t be ready this weekend and some may not open at all this summer, despite the change in government advice Culture secretary Oliver Dowden’s announcement on 9 July that lidos can reopen from Saturday 11 July had outdoor swimmers across the UK digging out their towels and togs at the prospect of being able to return to the water. After months of what has felt like bone-dry purgatory for many of us, the feverish anticipation was evident across social media, while pools have reported being inundated with messages asking if they would be opening on Saturday.But swimmers will need to be patient a little while longer. Being given just 48 hours’ notice that your business can reopen is a challenge for any sector. Scrambling to fit the physical infrastructure such as perspex screens and signage, mark out one-way systems and source PPE is a mammoth struggle. Swimming pools have to do all that, but also have unique challenges which render opening within 48 hours not so Collapse

3 DAYS AGO - He is vaping the equivalent of 30 cigarettes a day and smoking rollups, but gets angry if criticised about it. What can I do?My sister moved in with my dad during lockdown. She has messaged me to say she is concerned about the amount he is vaping and smoking. Apparently, he is vaping the equivalent of 30 cigarettes a day and has started having a few rollups, too.Despite being a smoker most of his life, he managed to quit a few years ago but seems to have taken it up again. When my sister told him she thought he was vaping too much, he reacted angrily. What should we do? Continue reading... Collapse

3 DAYS AGO - Reopening of gyms in England comes after many trainers have worked out a new business modelCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWhen the coronavirus lockdown was announced, Irina Allport thought her business as a personal trainer would never recover.But so successful has her transition to online training been, with her client base expanding to the US and even New Zealand, that the announcement of gyms reopening next week in England – news she spent months longing to hear – is now almost irrelevant to her. Continue reading... Collapse

3 DAYS AGO - Zach Braff has urged people to wear masks even if they don’t have symptoms of coronavirus following the death of his friend, broadway star Nick Cordero, who died due to complications with Covid-19. Collapse