This is an 8-part series of 5-minute practices inspired by the 8-limbs of yoga and offers something for everyone with an option to try something new outside of what modern life wants you to think yoga is.
To honour International Yoga Day, I’m sharing “The Path Within”, a FREE 8-part video series. Each practice is just 5 minutes. Each one inspired by one of the eight limbs.
Practice 4: Pranayama
In Sanskrit, prana means life force, and ayama means to extend or direct. So pranayama isn’t just breath control — it’s the conscious guiding of your life energy.
Your breath is the only bodily function that is both involuntary and voluntary — which makes it your most immediate access point to the nervous system. Through intentional breathing, you can shift from reactive to responsive, from spiralling to centred.
Physiologically, certain breathing patterns activate the parasympathetic nervous system, slow the heart rate, and increase vagal tone. But you don’t need the science to feel the truth: when your breath changes, your state changes.
Here, we’ll practice two foundational techniques, Sama Vritti and extended exhale, to regulate the system, reset the mind, and reconnect with the body.
Skip to 1 Minute, 30 Seconds, to begin the practice
To integrate:
Breath is always available to you; it’s a rhythm, a resource, a reminder.
After this practice, ask:
Which breathing pattern helped you feel most present?
Can you return to this breath before a conversation, during a moment of stress, or when you wake?
How might life change if you let the breath guide your next move?
You don’t need a mat. You don’t need silence. You just need the willingness to pause and breathe with intention.
Which breath will you carry into the rest of your day?
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