Dear friend, thank you for being here. I’m extra grateful you’re reading this because I have news to share!
First, I’m moving from California to South Carolina’s lowcountry.
Saying it out loud sets those universal wheels spinning—let’s see what rolls in. knowing thyself will keep flowing, but who knows what shifts Charleston will inspire? Send a note with recommendations—folks to meet, spots to see, experiences to chase.(Encouragement welcome!)
Second, Yoga Nidra!
Who’s ready for some quiet, some rest, and some contemplation about how we nourish body, mind, spirit? Join my Yoga Nidra for Eating series—three Friday evenings, May 2, 16, and 30, 6:00–7:30 p.m. PDT. You’ll enjoy nourishing, guided meditations to explore how we consume food, thoughts, energy, and discover your wisdom about change. An offering of $100 is encouraged. Register and come for one session or all—peaceful eating awaits.
Third: A Thank You Picnic!
Live in San Diego? Or faraway? Come anyway! We’ll meet here! Balboa Park, April 26, 3 p.m., north end by 6th Avenue. Bring a snack, frisbee, chair, or just you—I’d love to meet, hug, say thanks for being you.
And… that’s the news. Now, to breathing. (Make note! If you indulge in news of any sort these days, please be sure to breathe. Often.)
Let’s enjoy a breath together. Better, right?
What a joy to be breathed. Here it comes… a new source of life. There it goes… clearing us out for more. We’re blessed by every breath. Of course it keeps us alive. Of course it soothes us. But its purpose with us exceeds mere survival. We rely on it to motivate the moment, lighten our pain, stand our ground, sing our songs, and share our prayers. We connect on every breath with everything that has ever breathed.
Today, we’ll explore the breathing network of life— whether it’s come, gone, or on approach. To pay attention, we’ll slow down the breath. Especially the exhale.
Why? A longer exhale activates our calming, parasympathetic system— the body’s response to safety and peace that induces rest, repair, and digestion. Our heart rate slows, our blood pressure drops, and we feel mellow. The body absorbs more oxygen— a feast for every cell. A long exhale works immediately to promote relaxation; over time, we’ll discover lower anxiety, better sleep, and less pain.
So, that’s good.
If body operations don’t enthuse you, you might be wow’ed by the effects on your meditation. Practicing with a longer exhale will help those of us who struggle to settle into stillness find our seat, our focus, and our patience. We won’t become meditators without all three. The breath opens the door to watch the mind’s terrain. The long exhale helps us move calmly across the threshold.
Let’s spend some time together now learning how to build our exhale.
Please note! Cultivating a sustainable and healthy breathing practice means working gently with the breath. I’ll encourage you in the recording to breathe without strain. Strain means you’re gasping, shoulders tense, worried about suffocation. Please don’t do that.
If you do, you’re in good company. My first time with a breath practice? I thought my ears would explode, my brain would liquidate, and I wasn’t sure which end was up. Lucky you, I was dumb so you don’t have to be!
Let’s remember: we’re lightweights, not monastery champs. Those are the heavyweights of breathing! We begin where we are… on our screens, probably distracted, and eager (always eager) to find a little more peace in a noisy world.
Your first practice will be hard. Your second, if you do it, slightly harder. The third and onward will be better and better. Will you give yourself the opportunity to feel it?
Enjoy the practice and let me know in the comments what you experience.
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