Derval O'Rourke: My recipe for a lovely coconut and turmeric fish curry

Plus discover the power that breathing can have on helping to calm ourselves down

Derval O'Rourke's coconut and turmeric fish curry

When you are stressed, you have probably heard someone tell you ‘take a deep breath’. We often underestimate the power that breathing can have on helping to calm ourselves down. Breathwork was introduced in my online community and this week I will share a little of what experts say about breathwork and also a lovely recipe for coconut and turmeric fish curry.

What is breathwork?

Breathwork is a term that encompasses many breathing techniques and exercises that help to promote body and mind healing. These techniques and exercises include everything from simply learning how to be conscious of your breath, to actually being able to control and manage it. Many of these techniques focus on not only breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, but on your posture and breathing into your belly and not your chest. This is often a very different type of breathing that we would do on a daily basis. Most of us, when asked to take a deep breath will notice that our chests rise and fill with air. This is not what we want to happen through breathwork. If you look at babies when they breathe in their stomachs are the ones that inflate. They breathe with their diaphragm. That is what many breathwork techniques will have you do as well.

What is the benefit of learning breathwork techniques?

Stress, or even chronic stress, is something that is present for many people in their everyday life. If not dealt with properly, stress can manifest itself in physical ways in the body such as headaches, high blood pressure, muscle aches and pains, digestive problems and more. When we are in stressful situations, our body goes into fight or flight mode. Once this mode has been activated, our parasympathetic nervous system is in charge of bringing our body back to a relaxed state. Many breathwork techniques are related to accessing this
response system to help avoid or de-escalate stressful situations.

Does this have real-life application?

There’s a wealth of information, not only on the techniques, but also various people’s experiences with breathwork online - such as the ‘Breath to Heal’ TED Talk by Max Strom that I found to be very interesting and eye-opening. There are many people, such as Strom, who have dedicated their lives to teaching others about the importance of breathwork and the benefits you can gain from practising it in your daily life.

Irishman Patrick McKeown is the founder of Oxygen Advantage. He has many courses in breathwork and after dedicating the last 20 years to working with clients from all walks of life. he says ‘sleep must be deep and breathing most be optimal’.

Breathing Techniques

There are numerous techniques that you can research and try out. Max Strom ends his TED Talk with the 4-7-8 technique. To do this you must sit up tall, breathe in through your nose for a count of four, hold this breath for a count of seven and let it out of your mouth for a count of eight. For this, Max emphasises the movement of your ribs. You want them to move outward. This is to physically show that you are breathing deep in your stomach and not just your chest.

One I have been trying is box breathing. This requires you to breathe in through your nose for four counts, hold for four counts, breathe out for four counts, and hold the exhale for four counts. It can be done at any time during the day and is great to practise for a little consciousness and mindfulness. You can do these techniques multiple times in a row; I like to do them about four or times or until I feel relaxed and calm.

I have recently begun doing this, but so far it has helped me and I can see how it will be even more beneficial as I get more practical experience. If you want to find a new tool for your wellbeing then breathwork could be a very helpful technique to look into.

Wellness Tip: Don’t be afraid to take 10 minutes to just breathe and refocus your mind. Life can be very stressful and hectic and it’s okay to need a few minutes to just be!

Fitness Tip: Start your day with 15 minutes of body movement. This can be stretching, doing a quick home workout or taking the dog for a morning walk.

Coconut & Turmeric Fish Curry

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

You can use any white fish such as cod, hake and monkfish in this recipe

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 3 small green chilies, finely chopped

• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped

• 2 tsp ground turmeric

• Dash of oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 2 tsp ground coriander

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp curry powder

• 400ml can coconut milk

• 300ml fish stock or light chicken stock

• 500g mixed white fish such as cod, hake and monkfish

• Handful of green beans

• Juice of 1/2 a lime

• Dash of Thai fish sauce

• Jasmine rice, to serve

Method

1. Use a mortar and pestle or blender to bring the chilli, garlic ginger and turmeric to a paste.

2. Put a pan on over medium heat. Add a little oil and add the paste to the pan. Cook this for about 2-3 minutes, stir taking care not to let it burn.

3. Turn down the heat and add the onion. Cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add in the ground spices, stir well and cook for a minute or so. Add in the coconut milk and stock. Bring this to a simmer and allow this to cook for about 10 minutes. Add the fish and bring the liquid back to a simmer.

4. The fish should take 6-8 minutes to cook depending on the size of the pieces. Add the beans about 2-3 minutes before the fish is ready.

5. Season with some lime juice and Thai fish sauce.

6. Serve with steamed Jasmine rice.