About
“It is impossible to be on the earth and not be called to awaken. Everything that happens to you and around you is a call to awaken.”
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John O`Donohue, irischer philosopher and poet
Ralph Skuban, PhD
​Ralph Skuban is an author, breathing expert, and teacher with extensive practical and scientific experience.
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He holds a PhD in Political Science and led a care facility for people with dementia for over 25 years. His deep engagement with aging, illness, and the existential questions of human life led him to explore meditation, breathwork, and the philosophical traditions of yoga, as well as modern therapeutic approaches to breathing.
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Drawing on decades of practice and dedicated research, he has published numerous books on breathwork, meditation, and consciousness. Many of his works are considered standard references and have been translated into multiple languages. His book on the Buteyko Method will be published in the United States in 2026 under the title Breathe to Heal with the Buteyko Method by Inner Traditions (Findhorn Press).
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In his training programs, he teaches a deep understanding of the physiological foundations of breathing and their importance for health, self-regulation, and resilience. His work combines scientific rigor with practical experience and an interdisciplinary approach to breathing.
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Together with his wife, Nella, he runs the Skuban Academy. As an expert in breathwork, he is a sought-after guest for media, podcasts, and professional publications.
Nella Skuban
Nella Skuban has been deeply engaged in bodywork and movement in a wide variety of forms for over 30 years.
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​She received her artistic training at the Scuola Teatro Dimitri in Switzerland and at the Centre National des Arts du Cirque in France. She then spent more than a decade performing internationally as a professional circus artist, touring with various productions around the world. Her stage career culminated in her participation in the prestigious International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo in 2009.
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During her years as a performer, she increasingly turned toward therapeutic bodywork. This led to extensive advanced training, including at YogaWorks in Los Angeles and with Thomas Myers (Anatomy Trains). Drawing on her many years of practical experience, she developed her own distinctive approach to functional bodywork, which she presents in her book Body Principles.
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Together with her husband, Ralph, she runs the Skuban Academy. At the heart of her work is a well-grounded, practice-based approach to the body, offered through professional trainings, advanced courses, and classes—equally suited for beginners and elite athletes.
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