For instance, longer inhales with shorter exhales can energise us, while longer exhales with shorter inhales can promote relaxation. This makes breathwork a practical tool for wellbeing, especially during challenging moments.

Mastering the ability to regulate your nervous system with your breath is truly a game-changer. It not only helps us find balance but also rewires our brain, making these balanced states more familiar and accessible.

However, there's more to the breath than quick fixes — what's often overlooked is the profound difference between modern breathwork techniques and the ancient practice of breathing with awareness.

Modern breathwork typically focuses on simple, effective techniques to quickly influence the nervous system. It’s about getting results — whether it's stress relief or a quick energy boost.

But when we learn to breathe with awareness, an entirely new way of being begins to emerge. Ancient practices like Pranayama which can be translated as the ‘extension of life force’ or the ‘control of breath’ go beyond just technique. These practices encourage a mindful, intentional approach to breathing that deepens our connection between mind and body, nurturing inner peace and a profound sense of wellbeing – this mindful awareness and connection to our breath can be integrated into everyday moments, changing how we feel and show up everyday. 

Smooth: Allow the breath to flow gently and without interruption. This smoothness helps create a soothing, meditative state, reducing mental chatter and promotes a sense of peace.

Conscious: Begin growing your awareness of each breath, breathing mindfully keeps us anchored in the present moment. This conscious control helps to deepen the connection between mind and body.

Even: Our inhalations and exhalations should be balanced in length and effort. Even breathing promotes a sense of equilibrium and harmony in the body, balancing out our energy and nervous system and settling the mind.

Deep: Allow the breath to reach deep into the lungs, fully engaging your diaphragm. Deep breathing increases oxygen intake, energising our bodies and calming our minds. This grows our awareness. 

Slow: We deliberately slow down our breath, encouraging relaxation and a heightened sense of calm. Slow breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress as well as nurturing our ability to be mindful.

Controlled: Each breath is precisely regulated, with attention to the flow, depth, and timing. This control builds discipline, focus, and a stronger awareness of the breath and its impact on our body and mind.

Rhythmic: Ancient breath awareness often follows a steady rhythm, such as matching the duration of inhale and exhale, or introducing breath holds. This rhythm helps synchronise the breath with mental and emotional states, promoting a deep sense of coherence in how we are feeling. It is an underrated quality but coherence in experience is beautiful and liberating. 

Gentle: Our breath should be soft and unforced, encouraging relaxation and reducing tension in our body and mind. Breathing gently allows for greater sensitivity to subtle changes in our internal states.

Silent: Ancient breath awareness often emphasises quiet breathing, with minimal sound. This silence heightens our sensory awareness and helps us tune in more closely to our internal landscapes. 

Continuous: The breath flows without breaks or pauses, maintaining a steady and uninterrupted cycle. This continuity helps maintain focus and prevents distractions, deepening the connection to the present moment.

Save and return to these insights – they are timeless and universal – we can practice any of these qualities of the breath at any time. Overtime we can learn to layer these qualities and elements of breathing together, creating an increasingly powerful and liberating relationship with our breath.