Exploring the heart space.
A meditation that invites us to explore the space of the heart and some of the innate qualities that reside here.
Breath-work: an intro.
A 7 minute intro to the concept of refined breath-work, its role in taking us from surviving to thriving and some of the benefits practice can bring. Followed by an optional 5 minute introductory practice.
Mini Vitality Practice.
A short practice providing a taster of some of the breath-work and kriya that we can call upon to awaken our inner vitality, detoxify and, with intention, release some of the limitations, frustrations, stresses and blockages holding us back.
Important note on heating practices: As always, I encourage you to tap into your sense of agency and authority in determining how strong you shape your own practice but please be aware the first practice (Kapalbhati) belly pumping should NOT be practiced if you are pregnant. Please also use your discernment is you are menstruating or have high blood pressure.
Finding an easeful seat.
Finding the right position for the body through meditation can make all the difference. A quick video to introduce; the idea of finding a subtle engagement through the spine, some handy physical cues and a visualisation that may support you in practice.
Micro breath-work practice for anxiety.
An introduction to Sitali and Bhramari breath, which can be really useful in times of stress / overheating/ anxiety or over-exhaustion / over-activation of the fight or flight response.
FAQs
What are the benefits of working with the breath?
So many!
Breath-work can help us de-stress, sleep better, increase mindfulness and consciously shift our energy.
Overtime, it can also improve our lung capacity (which the noteworthy longitudinal Framingham Heart study claims to be the most accurate indicator of human life longevity), our cognitive performance and our production of nitric oxide which is one of the most important functions of our blood vessel health.
De-stressing and emotional regularity starts with greater consciousness in how we breath.
We can use conscious breath to override unconscious survival patterns - moving away from fear driven behaviours and developing a greater ability to express our emotions in safe ways so we harness their potential to take us deeper into self-exploration.
Many ancient cultures place breath at the heart of their well-being and spiritual practices yet we seem to have forgotten it’s critical role in our health.
Most people are breathing into about one-third of the capacity of their lungs. The habits we’ve developed in the way we sit and move can cause an inadequate supply of oxygen (“hypoxia”) and when we don’t allow our bodies to release C02 properly it can build up in the lungs which has been proven to be a major case of anxiety.
So, with greater consciousness to the way we hold ourselves, move and shape our breathing we can experience much more than feeling calm - we can alchemise our health.
What is ‘dynamic’ breath-work?
Dynamic breath-work is essentially a practice of oxygenation. Dynamic practices tend to be stronger pranayams that can help you strengthen your felt sense of prana / life force and become more intimate with your subtle, energetic body (1 of the 5 body layers according to yogic philosophy).
As you progress you can explore more dynamic practices that you can tap into to expand, control and move / shift energy through the body to address stagnancy and perhaps trauma stored in the body.
Is intensive breath-work / overbreathing bad for you?
Overbreathing can be labelled as ‘bad’ when it’s unconscious - for instance those who suffer with panic or are asmatics - because there can be a tendency to offload too much CO2 which disrupts the balance of the lungs.
In saying this, when we do this with clear technique, in a safe and conscious way it can be transformative. We’re essentially introducing a purposeful ‘stressor’ to regain balance in body and health.
When I first start working with practitioners we first focus on slowing the breath down and prioritising nasal breathing before we explore any overbreathing or retention practices.
What is Kriya?
Kriyas, much older than the practices of asana like Vinyasa, Hatha and Yin, work to cleanse and generate our natural ‘electricity’ within the body by combining layers of repetitive movement with conscious breath / concentration /sound / mudras.
Just as I was feeling a calling to dive deeper - beyond asana - Kriya came to me. It has completely taken me by surprise in its accessibility and inherent power to transform the physical and energetic body at a cellular level. It’s completely transformed my practice and facilitated some powerful releases, realisations and transformations.
With consistent practice, I’ve come to truly understand that we can all become our own alchemist - ‘a person who transforms or creates something through a seemingly magical process’.
Where do I start with meditation?
Meditation doesn’t require you to sit in robes perched on a stool (or a Himalayan mountain for that matter) for hours on end.
In saying that, it can be very supportive to be comfortable and in a relatively quiet space - in the body and mind!
When we first wake-up we transition through Theta and Alpha brain states. That is, we experience slower and larger brain waves before becoming absorbed in alertness and cortisol (a stress hormone) production. Neuroscience tells us that these brain wave states are related to states of deep reflection. Where intuitions, creative ideas, perceptions and impressions can pop into our consciousness. So, meditating first thing in the morning can be an ideal time to start practicing.
Explore working with an anchor - the breath or a sound for instance. Start small and recruit patience and kindness as you go. We can often get frustrated that our experiences aren’t ‘as they should be’ but these narratives and resistances are all part of the practice. Check out my short free resource videos on finding a comfortable posture and dealing with annoyances.
What are we chanting when we chant mantra and why should I consider practising?
Mantra exists in various lineages and schools of yoga. The shared understanding throughout is that mantra is one of the great power tools for transforming consciousness. It has the power to re-awaken our throat centre (Vishudda Chakra) and over time release energetic blockages and restraints that hold us back from freely expressing both our physical spoken and inner voice.
I never saw myself as someone who would naturally come back to mantra in my daily sadhana but mantra has been profound for my practice - it’s helped me in finding and continuing to shape my authentic voice as well as practise pushing through fear. Confidence has naturally unravelled over time as I’ve surrendered and trusted in the vibrational tones to guide my experience.
When we use mantra we’re also practising another form of pranayama - lengthening the exhalation and toning the vagus nerve which helps us reduce the impact of stress in the body.
What kind of energy management practices can I do throughout my day?
Learning how to naturally and mindfully manage your emotional, physical, mental and mindful energy, as you would your time, can be a game changer in cultivating and maintaining your wellbeing over time.
Examples could be;
Consciously using deep breathing or using a different lens of perception to diffuse stuck, inhibitive emotions
Exploring how you consciously choose and weave through regular physical exercise, rest and recovery into your routine
Renewing how you manage your inbox / social media, meetings times and focused thinking sprints
Purposefully creating space for therapeutic, flow activities driven by your values, passions and creative sweet spots - not by the constantly evolving list of external demands or clock!
You can start small or put together a more in-depth plan as an extension of your sadhana off the mat. Before you know it, you might have much more beneficial rituals in place that can help you thrive.
Are ‘Tantric’ practices just about sex?
Traditional Tantra practices are much, much broader than what the West has led us to believe through the heavy promotion of Neo-tantra over the past 100 years. So, no, it’s not simply sex.
For me, traditional tantric philosophy and practice is essentially related to the holistic embodiment of spirituality. I have experienced the teachings to invite a greater level of consciousness into every moment of real life - the good, the bad and the apparent ugly. All experiences can serve as access points to deeper enquiry.
The practices have deeply supported me in handling the death of loved ones as well the death of parts of me that have needed to evolve.
I’ve always felt deeply, very deeply, and that didn’t always feel ‘good’ or ‘normal’. The teachings have helped me embody a full appreciation for all the flavours of this life, the cycles of nature and provided me with some incredible practices that remind me of the power we all have within to rewire, to alchemise and to create change.
Sometimes the lesson is a raw acceptance and surrender, sometimes the intention anchors in powering up and co-creating with the situation at hand to transform the shape of a response / an emotion / a sensation and its impact on my state of being.
I enjoy how they encourage me to explore the many layers of living and encourage me to show-up wholly and authentically.