Meet the Belfast man determined to break the stigma surrounding masculinity in Northern Ireland through his outdoor workshops.
Ciaran May, a former international powerlifter, founded his company Natural Resilience in September 2020 to help other men develop their physical, mental and emotional resilience while reconnecting with nature.
Speaking to Belfast Live for Men’s Health Week, Ciaran expressed the success of his workshops in enabling men to open up in a safe environment.
He said: “The goal was to get people back into nature after the lockdown – out of their homes and out of their own heads. We started the workshops, all of which were psychology based, as I wanted to teach them the difference between fear and self-doubt, and tried to push them out of their comfort zone and show how strong they really are.
“We look at masculinity, but bring it with us to look at its emotions, such as asking what fear looked like there, what vulnerability felt like, and how you can control your breath to switch from fear to calm.”
His sessions begin by addressing emotions, such as how to deal with them before he pushes the men out of their comfort zone through cold water immersion, blindfolded abseiling, and giant zip lines.
Leap of Faith exercise that shows the importance of communication
Ciaran also teaches the importance of breathing work and how to control it in stressful situations.
“We’re going to get them to breathe slowly and deeply so they feel calm in this controlled environment – obviously life can be difficult at times, so we put it into practice by taking them into the cold sea and doing them bring to do the same breathing technique to prove that it can still work in a stressful environment.
“This tells them whether they are at work or whatever is troubling them, they can get back to their breath and reach that state of calm like being in the sea,” he explained.
Ciaran’s workshop challenges participants not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally as they learn life skills such as the importance of effective communication.
He added, “If you need help, you need to reach out and speak to someone – you will not climb the ladder in life unless you ask people to guide you and are confident enough to speak up . “
Men who have benefited from these workshops range from professional athletes, corporate employees to people suffering from mental health issues such as PTSD, addiction, and depression, and ages range from 19 to their mid-40s.
After their session, participants will be added to a private group where they will continue to interact with other men and have the opportunity to meet for free activities, which has helped Ciaran create a support network and community for those who possibly suffer.
Natural Resilience has created a community where men can support one another
“We want to show them that they have the ability to inspire and guide others while treating people with respect, but to do so you need to respect yourself – learn to discipline yourself while being in tune with your emotions, rather than acting out of anger or frustration, ”said Ciaran.
“It tries to dispel the myths about ‘man up’ or ‘boys don’t cry’ and tries to take these sentences back and say that a real man is aware of his vulnerability and asks for help.”
Natural resilience also offers courses for women such as: B. Workshops for new mothers struggling with postnatal depression and opens courses for teenagers who are severely affected during lockdown.
Ciaran hopes his company can continue to define people’s beliefs about what it means to be a man and benefit the wider community across Northern Ireland.
“The future is to build and develop a community of like-minded people for the ‘art of living’.
“We want to continue to offer a service to people who want to change and grow.”
You can find more information about their workshops here.
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source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/mens-health-week-belfast-mans-workshops-helping-others-develop-their-physical-and-emotional-resilience/
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