The Breath Letter - #1

Dear Breather,

Hope you enjoy the very first edition written from the Costa Rican jungle.

In this newsletter we explore breathing techniques, insights around breath and life, music to breathe to and any upcoming experiences.

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The Breath

Triangle Breathing:

A close cousin to the more famous Box Breathing exercise. Perfect for those moments when you maybe feel a little overwhelmed.

A gentle breath hold offers a lot. Most of us have a tendency to over breathe, triggering a sympathetic, activated, state of being. Pausing in between breaths send calming signals to the nervous system and it allows for the build up of CO2, which has all kinds of additional benefits.

By allowing for that little break, we allow for a short moment of reflection and awareness, that vital moment between an impulse and a response.

Instructions:
Breathe in for a count of 4
Breathe out for a count of 4
Hold for a count of 4 and relax into it, enjoying the silence.
All done through the nose

Instead of a 4 count you can also work with a different number, whatever works best for you.

Tip: Find a song you really like and time your breathing to the beat of the music. Maybe use one from “The Music”?

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The Insights

Don’t optimise for the rat race!

A sentence that I recently heard in a conversation that blew my mind and made me review how I approach everything I do with Breathlife.

It’s spot on and I see this very often in the world of breathing and biohacking.
We operate in an unhealthy context and use all these hacks, tricks and techniques only to make sure we can continue to operate within this stressful, dysfunctional context.

Slowly deteriorating our body and going a little more numb, day by day.

I believe it definitely offers food for thought:
Am I optimising myself, just to continue to do things that I perceive as meaningless/stressful/unfulfilling?

In the West we are obsessed with the Technique of the practice.
In the East we focus on the Essence and the Spirit of the practice.

I heard this at a retreat with Daniel Odier, someone to definitely look into, a fascinating person.

Breathwork is a gateway, not a collection of techniques to be ticked of not a goal in and of itself.

It’s a tool that you can use to get more familiar with your internal world. Your spirit and your essence. 

So rather than constantly looking for a new exercise (or hobby or psychedelic substance for that matter), see if you can stick to one technique for a long period of time, maybe even years and see if you can get to the essence of it. Fully experiencing what this gateway has to offer.

Anyone can breathe in and out for X number of seconds, there’s little mastery in that, but feeling the nuance of your internal environment is a different ball game.

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The Music

Assum Preto - Passaro
A song that invites natural movement. Maybe it’s because I’m writing this from Costa Rica, but I notice it perfectly fits that natural, jungle, vibe.

Ross - Model Man
This one hit me. I was an hour early at a retreat, had my music on “Discover Weekly” and suddenly this one came by. I hit “repeat” and listened to it for almost the full hour.

Nothing Really Blue - Penguin Café Orchestra
A kind of cheeky playfulness. I enjoy this song particularly in the morning. It has a youthful, slow, energetic vibe to it. Like a kitten, approaching a sibling, for the attack of the day.

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The Experiences

Since I’m in Costa Rica, I won’t be able to run one of my regular breathwork classes in London this month.

But! I decided to run a free, donation based, online breathwork session.

Breathe For Trees!

I got inspired by the trees so I decided to facilitate a nature inspired breathwork session on the 25th of May - 7pm BST.

You can sign up here!

And for every $1 dollar you donate, I’ll plant a tree with our partner One Tree Planted.

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Enjoy the breath!

With warmth,
Steven from Breathlife

P.S. If you have any questions about anything breath related, are interested in breathwork in London or online or just want to have a chat please feel free to reach out or book in some time here.