My story

My name is Gunnhild Bjørshol. In my day-to-day work, I perform complex structural strength analysis for a large international engineering company. It is not something I take for granted.

Back in 2002, I was hit by a car while crossing the street at a pedestrian crossing. The impact was so severe that the back of my head shattered the car's windshield, resulting in a serious traumatic brain injury.

I returned to full-time work after just 11 weeks of sick leave, far earlier than I should have. The road back was challenging. To manage my workdays, I spent much of my free time recovering and preparing for the next day. There was little energy left for a social life, and I had to learn how to manage my energy in an entirely new way.

Through knowledge, patience and perseverance, I gradually regained my strength, energy, and joy for life. I continue to live with lasting effects from the brain injury, and several specialists believed I should retrain for a less demanding profession. Despite this, I still work full-time in the same field as I did before the accident.

Life has also reminded me, more recently, just how important these tools are.

Over the course of just a few months in 2025, I suffered a concussion after an accident, underwent hip replacement surgery, experienced significant hearing loss in one ear accompanied by tinnitus, and developed a blood clot. It was a period marked by pain, uncertainty, and multiple challenges all at once.

What challenged me the most was the insomnia that followed the concussion. When the brain doesn't get the rest it needs, night after night, even simple tasks can feel overwhelming. That experience gave me a much deeper understanding of how closely connected sleep, the nervous system, energy levels, emotions, and overall well-being really are.

For a while, I had to stop, slow down, and find a new way of navigating everyday life.

Once again, the breathing and yoga practices became my anchor. They helped me find calm when life felt overwhelming, focus when my mind was scattered, and energy when everything felt heavy.

For me, these practices became more than a daily routine. They became a lifeline.❤️

Looking back, I cannot imagine how I would have navigated that period without the knowledge and practical tools that helped me reconnect with myself, regain my footing, and trust that things would get better.

Those experiences deepened my appreciation for practices that support both body and mind, and strengthened my commitment to sharing them with others.

For more than 26 years, I have been teaching the power of the breath and helping people find greater calm, energy, clarity, and balance in their daily lives.

I do not teach these methods simply because I have studied them. I teach them because I have lived them.

Viken County Municipality has supported professional development and the technical creation of this course as a contribution to meeting the growing need for tools that support mental and physical well-being in a demanding and fast-paced world.