Letting Go

In my earlier days when practicing a yoga posture, I began to notice that I held my breath, particularly if I was doing something that I found mentally or physically challenging. Your yoga practice can reveal much to you about yourself and how you respond or react to every day things in life. I recall asking my yoga teacher at the time about that and she kindly shared, that if I focused on the exhale, the inhale would naturally follow. It took time for me to understand what a powerful metaphor, this reality is. Recently I was thinking about drinking…

yoga breathing and fear

Yoga Bubbles and Fear

I started beginners swimming lessons last week and was so excited! I’ve tried to take to swimming several times before but have never had good experiences. Time passes and I thought, yes, let’s do this! Our first class involved placing our faces in water and blowing bubbles. Sounds simple, right? Yes, well…. as soon as I did it, the exhale came out super fast, panic and anxiety set in and fearful thoughts set off like colourful exploding fireworks. The worse being “I can’t breathe.” I came up, and thought… “This is about breathing, I understand breathing.” A big inhale and then…

Preparing for Pranayama

There are many types of pranayama practice.  Some energise the body, whilst others can make the body feel more restful.  There are some basic things to consider before starting a pranayama practice.  As with yoga, be mindful that this is your practice.  You can start with a couple of minutes a day and over time extend the length of your practice to 5, 10 or 20 minutes (etc.) at your own pace.  You can also practice more often than once a day. Find a quiet space where you will not be disturbed.  It’s a good idea to practice in an environment at…