tHE BLOG
5 Affirmations for the Heart
I used to think of affirmations as rather woo-woo plasters, that were there to just stick over a wound with rainbows and unicorns. I didn’t believe and I didn’t see the value. But as I become a breathwork facilitator and weave affirmations into how I breathe people, I see the power of the spoken word when we are open to the possibility that they work, that they have an impact. Words have power to change how we feel, to make us feel sad, rejected, unworthy, so if that can be true, can’t the opposite be true too?
6 things to know about the breath
Wondering why the breath is so important to live the happiest, healthier version of your life? Here’s 6 reasons why we should care about how we breathe…
Why use mouth tape at night?
Sceptical about mouth taping? I was too, so here's the science as to why it may be something to build into your bedtime routine.
Box Breathing
A simple technique that can be practiced anywhere and everywhere. This breathing pattern has saved me countless times, in moments when I need to reset and come back to myself.
What are the Chakras?
In yogic philosophy, we talk of the nadis as energetic pathways throughout that body that converge into evolutionary energy centres that we call the chakras. These centres in the body give us a map to healing and transformation.
Breathwork for sleep
It takes practice like anything else, practice it regularly over a month or 2 to become familiar with the technique, over time you’ll notice you’ll be able to fall asleep in a minute. Going to sleep will soon be as easy as taking a deep breath.
My journey to the Breath (so far)
We’ve probably heard the term, your pain becomes your purpose. And this I know to be true. I’ve always struggled with the breath.
3 states of the nervous system
Depression and anxiety are responses from two different states of the autonomic nervous system, not just the one. So what are these 3 states? Most of us are likely to have heard of the autonomic nervous system of the body. We commonly talk about the 2 states of the parasympathetic and the sympathetic, but it’s important to consider a third state of the nervous system which can affect how we feel and behave: the dorsal vagal state.
Noses are for breathing
Why we should be breathing into our nose? Well, put simply if we don't use it, we lose it. And many of us don’t which means our nasal cavity is not being utilised and is underdeveloped. This isn't uncommon, As James Nestor writes in his book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art "40% of today's population suffer from chronic nasal obstruction, and around half of us are habitual mouth breathers, with females and children suffering most.₂"
5 Book that changed the way I think
I can’t say much more, other than it’s a must read if you’re looking for permission to start living.
Words to live by: “True masters are those who have chosen to make a life, rather than a living.”
8 Benefits of Restorative Yoga
In yogic terms, Restorative Yoga is a fairly new field of practice - built upon the teachings of B.K.S Iyengar it was developed by one of his students, Judith Lasater in the 1970s. The practice of Restorative Yoga stimulates the ‘Rest and Digest’ parasympathetic nervous system in the body which slows the heart rates, regulates blood pressure and relaxes the body.
Are we in survival mode?
Fight or flight mode is a survival response created by our nervous system which works like an alarm system. The nervous system activates stress hormones to help us escape the situation, fight or flight, freeze or flee. In order to heal from these symptoms so many of us experience in this “stress state”, we need to access our parasympathetic nervous system. To teach ourselves we are safe and to leave the survival mode we have found ourselves in.