A series of meditation events are taking place inside a cave network under the streets of South London, with participants focusing on their breath 100 feet underground. Ted Lawlor, the somatic breathwork practitioner behind If Only They Knew, is hosting wellness events inside the tunnels of Chislehurst Caves.
Unique underground venue
The 28-year-old, who started his mission to help people after multiple tragedies including the death of his father in 2024, says the energy underground offers something no studio can replicate. "When you strip away the noise — the phones, the lights, the pace of life above ground — your nervous system starts to settle almost immediately," Ted said. "The caves do half the work before we've even begun, it’s powerful stuff."
"The plan is to not only help people heal themselves, but to also send out that positive energy to help heal the Bromley locals too," he added.
Thought Energy Design experience
The events combine somatic breathwork, hypnotherapy methods and Spinal Energetics Reiki in a format Ted calls a Thought Energy Design experience. Participants lie in a low-lit environment and are led through a structured healing sequence designed to shift the body out of a stress response and enter the subconscious mind.
Somatic breathwork is a body-based practice that works through the nervous system rather than the thinking mind, making it distinct from conventional meditation or talking therapies. When breathing in a specific rhythm, it directly influences the vagus nerve, the body's primary stress-regulation pathway.
Science behind the practice
"Most people try to think their way out of anxiety or fear," Ted explained. "But these are not just thoughts — they are physical states. Thought Energy Design gives the body a way to reset that no amount of positive thinking can replicate alone as the body is responsible for 80% of your body’s internal communication. You can’t think greater than you feel."
The vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve in the body, acts as a direct line between the brain and major organs including the heart, lungs, and gut. Controlled breathing stimulates this nerve, triggering the parasympathetic response: slower heart rate, lower blood pressure, reduced cortisol. In moments of chronic stress, the body becomes stuck in a sympathetic ("fight or flight") state. Somatic breathwork is one of the fastest known ways to interrupt this cycle.
Community impact and expansion
Ted's events have drawn a wide cross-section of the community, working with PureGym, local schools, and Anthony Joshua’s charity ‘Clean Herts’. His upcoming Chislehurst Caves sessions are part of a broader expansion of If Only They Knew, which also offers a three-session one-to-one programme and corporate wellbeing workshops for businesses across London.
"Every single person who comes out of the sessions say they feel lighter, that's why I do this," he said. "It’s time to design the inner world so you can define your outer world."
