Meet Sarah: My Breathwork Story (Part 1) – How Daily Pranayama Changed My Life
It was May 2020.
I was laying in bed about to turn off the light and go to sleep.
I took a breath in, and exhaled.
My eyes widened…’that felt so good and easeful!’ I thought (srsly, this sounds so scripted I’m sorry, but this is literally what happened I promise 😆 ). I’d never been able to breathe like that before (probably since I was a kid without a care in the world). And that was after just one 30min online breathwork session earlier that morning.
I was instantly hooked.
I had been practicing yoga (asana) since 2014, and always was curious about pranayama (yogic breathwork) but always knew that I needed a teacher to begin exploring this and had never come across the right one. I finally did in May 2020, and I signed up to her course straight away, and her teacher training not long after.
Fast forward to December 2020.
I had been consistently practicing pranayama daily, and was now a certified Pranayama Teacher with trauma informed training. I was practicing with a fellow teacher online when she mentioned her ‘nasal drip’ had stopped since she began her practice.
A lightbulb moment 💡
I realised - I hadn’t needed to blow my nose into a tissue since…I can remember. For my whole life I had always been congested, always blowing my nose (it runs in my family too). But now, never.
And now it’s been 5 years since that moment and even with the waxes and wanes of a consistent practice, still no congestion. It’s the greatest feeling, being able to breathe well.
My breathwork journey has been more than just ‘learning to self-regulate' and tend to my nervous system. For me, the more fulfilling breath initially was a huge starting point (which led the way for more easeful breathing in the sticky and stressful moments), and the zero-congestion was a nice benefit and reminder that what I’m doing is beyond just stress and anxiety. The breath is intricatley intertwined into all aspects of our being and I truly beleive (and there is so much science behind this now too) that your breath is like the ‘golden ticket’ to health and wellbeing. Master it, and you master your life. If you don’t beleive me, or you want to learn more about how breath and health are so intertwined, this book I read in my early days explains alot.
How I use breathwork in my daily life
It’s in the small things. The sticky moments where stress can start to build…but instead;
Staying cool, calm and collected in amongst the hustle and haste of an airport.
Performing under pressure when the stakes are high (and I mean, stakes of human safety and machine operation…). Making decisions, communicating clearly, staying calm so the rest of the team does too.
The tiny moments when I notice anxiety starting to say hi.
Trying to get to sleep with a running mind, easing digestion while I’m in between rushing about, setting myself up for a grounded day ahead, clearing my body and energy after a big day or social interaction…
These are all ways I have used my breath consciously to stay regulated and to create ease in my body and mind. But practicing breathwork (consciously focussing on different techniques over 5-20mins at a time) has created a breath that I can actually do this with. If I hadn’t practiced in the moments in-between all the hustle and doing, then I wouldn’t have been able to use it during the hustle itself (my breath would still be feeling shallow, tight, stuck if I hand’t worked on it first).
how i practice breathwork
Guided: yes I listen to my own audios 😝 , or by my teachers, or something from a meditation app (but I usually am rotating through the same five because I’m so picky when it comes to other teachers).
Time blocked and scheduled: I always practice as soon as I wake up, and usually for 5-15mins. If I don’t do it in the morning before I start my day, it doesn’t get done.
While doing things: I’ll be driving a scooter down a busy street in Bali, having a difficult conversation, or waiting in line at the supermarket - and focussing on my breath as much as I can while I’m doing it. (I have a breathwork pack that’s designed specifically for this!)
During other practices such as weight lifting, pilates, and of course - yoga. If you’re a movement girlie like me, you’ll know that breathing is super important for muscle activation and creates a more intentional and mindful experience for yourself overall.
how you can practice with me
5 minute practices that fit in amongst your day:
