Fi O'Meara
Physiotherapist & Breathing Therapist
I am a physiotherapist with over 20 years of experience working with children with disabilities and their families.
Since 2015 I have also worked as a breathing therapist, coaching high performance athletes, people with asthma and those who snore or have sleep apnoea.
paediatric physio
My 20+ year career in paediatric neurology has spanned from Our Lady's Children Hospital Crumlin, to Uganda, from Enable Ireland Wicklow to private practice with Barefoot Physio in Cork specialising in working with younger children with neurological disabilities.
I care deeply about not only the children I work with, but also their family as a whole. I strive to work with both the child and their family in a manner that works for their individual lives. As a mother myself I understand the varying needs of balancing therapy needs with daily life and I always aim to individualise my therapy to suit the needs of everyone involved.
Buteyko practice / breathing therapy
My interest in breathing arose early in life coming from a long line of dentists. Studying Orofacial Myofunctional therapy in New York in 2015, I understood the connection between how our breathing impacts not only our dental formation, but also our overall health - something my father had been telling me since the early 80s!
I then trained in the Buteyko Breathing Method with Patrick McKeown. Using this breathing method, I teach people over the age of 6 how to switch permanently to nasal breathing, how to engage calm and steady diaphragmatic breathing and how to reduce over-breathing or hyperventilation, a phenomenon common today.
I have seen countless times the profound impact this simple breathing method has on people's lives - from young athletes unable to compete in their chosen sport, to husbands and wives sleeping in separate beds due to disruptive snoring. Within a few short sessions, people learn techniques to profoundly improve the quality of their lives.