The Breath Letter -#16
Dear Breather,
Time to flip things around!
This period of the year can be turbulent anyway so let’s just fully embrace it. It’s in being with the opposite, the imperfect, the messy that we expand our experiential spectrum, both ways!
So this newsletter will be the reverse from what you are used to.
And talking about opposites…I’m going to have a permanent space on the other side of town!
I’ll be setting up camp at Soulstice, a beautiful space, next to Primrose Hill, for one day a week.
There’s only one slot left for this Friday, but there’ll be plenty more in the new year.
Or, if you’re interested in having a chat first to see if breathwork might be right for you, you can always book a conversation here.
Also. you can still get 15% of the Breathe. Card Deck by using XMASBREATHE at check out.
The Experiences
14th of December @ Bless - Breathwork Class - London - Stoke Newington
The most intimate session of them all. Max 6 people in a cosy space.
Perfect for those who want to explore group breathwork in a safe container.
You also get a free Breathe. Card Deck with this one!
Tickets here
15th of December @ Soulstice - Breathwork Class - Primrose Hill
Very excited to be running my first session at this beautiful new studio.
And, as mentioned, it’s on the other side of town which might be more convenient for some of you. Space for max 8 people so quite an intimate setting.
Tickets here
20th of January @ Online - Half Day Breathwork Workshop
Experience everything the breath has to offer in this breathing deep-dive covering the science behind and practice of functional breathing and of course a full, long, breathwork session!
In this 4-hour workshop you'll walk away with:
- An understanding of the Nervous System
- New Breathing Techniques
- A Personalised Daily Breathing Practice
- A full transformational breathwork experience
- A little gift…
Tickets here
The Content
Being all of you - Jacob collier
“Imagine I would only make music from the parts of my that are kinda pretty the music would just suck”
The fanboying continues…but I really enjoy how he speaks about being all of who you are.
We are struggling with emotional and social health, not mental health
An interesting and useful take on “us”, as individuals and society, by Max Strom.
This is an excerpt from a TED talk in which he elaborates so make sure that watch that is what he says resonates.
The REAL Tummo Breathing which inspired Wim Hof
Now this will completely flip what you thought you know about Tummo breathing, which is where our dear Wim Hof got his inspiration from.
This is definitely not common knowledge, especially the jumping (Yes…Jumping!) they do about 6:30min in.
The Insights
Tactile C Fibres
I’d never heard of these before either…but the way I understand it is that it’s basically a nerve fibre that’s specifically responsive to gentle and light touch like a gentle hug or stroke. They are so called “slow nerve fibres”. They also seem to play a role in the bonding process as gentle touch can signal safety.
Muscles grow during the recovery phase
Again, a reversed concept. We like to train hard, do more, be stronger etc. etc. But what recently it me was that even if all of those things are indeed your goals, you still need to access softness and slow down. Because only in the recovery do muscles grow.
I like to think of this also as an analogy for how to approach things - both ways.
No growth without the rupture, no growth without repair.
The Breath
Reversed Breathing
Most breathing exercises focus on the inhale. Tell someone to take a breath, and they’ll breathe in, even though the exhale is as important.
So for this exercise we’re going to chance things up a bit.
Instructions
Find yourself in a comfortable upright position or lie down.
Breathe normally and observe: How am I breathing right now?
Then slowly let go of control more and more, allow the breath to naturally happen.
Not squeezing any muscles, relaxing the throat, lips and face.
Once you’ve given yourself the permission to breathe “uncontrolled”, start to bring your attention to the exhale.
Notice how long your exhale roughly is and start to gently force your exhale during the second part, squeezing the ribs and abdomen until you’re empty.
I repeat, gentle.
You’ll notice that because of this it becomes easier to allow the inhale to take place naturally.
Keep this cycle going.
Relaxed inhale.
Relaxed exhale.
Extend the second phase of the exhale by contracting round the diaphragm and allow the inhale to follow.
Keep going for a couple of minutes. If you’re getting light headed you’re forcing too much.
