Pranayama and the Light Body

Welcome to this exploration and expansion of the square breathing or Sama Vritti technique as a means to access the still, descended silence of Winter and the Water Element. Breathwork practices are a profound way to support the seasonal transition from Metals descending, contracting forces to Waters formless state. The practice contains both full and empty breath holds as well as measured breaths in a building 20-minute sequence. This is a smaller section of a whole practice that was delivered live in May 2024. Suitable for all levels of students.

In this pranayama practice, we move in counterflow to the sped-up, activated Summer season of Fire by slowing down the perception of time. Here we temper the unwound energies of full Yang bringing them back into containment, alignment and grace. Pranayama, when practised like this, can profoundly reverse our to-do list from something time-pressured and stress-inducing to a wide open space where creativity and inspiration can flow - and yet everything still gets done. Breathwork includes Ujjai (victorious breath), variations on Pratyloma (extended inhalation), Suraya Bedhana (sun breath) and an alternating nostril variation of the classic one-minute breath. This practice is suitable for all levels of students with space given for each to find their own depth and pace. May this return you to the field of space and time where the magic happens daily.

In this practice we wind into the state between Winter and Spring, Water and Wood, imagining and Becoming. This is an almost 30-minute continuous sequence of combinations of Kaphlabhakti (bellow breath) and Sama Vritta (Square breathing). An elevator ride into your own depths and the space in the psyche where dreams take shape. Pranayama experience is recommended for this practice. Nor suitable for brand-new beginners.

This 30-minute guided journey is designed to support the powerful phase of the Venus cycle that sees her disappear below the horizon. She takes this dive every 500 or so days and carries with her the mythology of Innana, Persephone and all the Goddesses who make the journey to reclaim the Self from the dark places. This year (2023) the journey extends from August 6 - 21. During this arc of her cycle, she moves into the unseen where she reworks her Heart, integrates her wounds, tends to her inner realms, and emerges bright and strong as the morning star.

In this 30-minute breathwork practice, we explore space, levity and gravity. Merging with the sound of the breath we empty ourselves of the old tides, the old beliefs, and all the old yesterdays that can be hard to let go. We range through a moderately complex Kaphlabhakti sequence, wound into a series of breath holds variations. Whilst accessible for beginner students it may not be the best place to start.

Full Moons float us in the tides of release and letting go. In this 35-minute practice, we take the energy of the hot humid Late Summer phase of the Five Elements and craft it into a meaningful sequence of cooling, stilling, untangling, and letting be. The sequence includes Sama Vritti pranayama (also known as the box breathing technique), Nauli or belly churning, and the beautiful Sheetali, Queen of the heat. I would recommend this practice for those with a little experience in pranayama, or those looking to extend their current level. Some techniques are slightly advanced for a brand-new beginner.

In this 30-minute breathwork practice, we range between Ujjai (Victorious Breath) Kaphlabhaki (Bellows breath), and some play on various empty and full breath retentions with a twist (or a hip lift in this case). We call the Light Body to presence and sense its fields growing in strength and viscosity as we deepen the meditative state round by round.