Ujjayi or victorious breath is a way of using breath as a focus in our practice (or in our life) by very slightly and softly gathering the inner throat (especially on the out-breath) as we would to fog a mirror. We're going less for Darth Vader and more wind whispering in the leaves - it's meant to focus us, not our neighbour three over. Ujjayi (also spelled udjaya) helps bring us into the present in a state of calm-alert, and into connection with ourselves.

This week's reading is adapted from Bija Bennett: Our breath is a communications centre. It helps us remain awake and aware...Smooth, easy inhale. Longer, slower exhale. Whispering so you can hear.
​Body, mind, and breath. All lines connect. Now  listen   to the never-ending conversation of your breath.

A strong thread in the yoga traditions is the cultivation of our ability to hold and even welcome opposites - strength and flexibility, ease and effort, comfort and discomfort, beginnings and endings... One way we can practice this is to attend mindfully to the breath as it comes and goes, expands and gathers, time and again; particularly attending to the breath at our heart centre

From Danna Faulds: I count out ten deep breaths before I enter the adventure of my practice, ten breaths to bring myself present in the here and now. Ignited by awareness, energy wakes and carries me from effort into ease. Presence itself breathes through me, the unseen substance of love so tangible and strong that each long breath offers up the key to my release.

​Happy exploring

Let's continue to explore the wave-like quality of the breath; the way it brings us into attention and awareness of the present, and how it invites elasticity of the tissues.

From Danna Faulds: Inhale and let go. Over and over, the circle of breath brings me into this moment.
The even flow of air, the act of taking in and giving back, breathing draws me inside the radiant reality of now.
I can't breath deeply and be fearful, breathe freely and be anywhere but here, the whole of me embodied in these waves of breath.


Happy exploring - remember to bring awareness to the breath as it is, and find ease and freedom before making any tiny interventions (pranayama) such as a gentle, small increase in the inhale (expansion from centre) or exhale (a gather or tiny squeeze towards centre).

First of all, for those of you who knew her, please take a moment to send blessings to Meghan S's family, and a moment of gratitude for life. Meghan - a longtime student in the Tuesday class died January 1st of a cerebral hemorrhage.  Meghan was a deeply committed student and always brought her own special flavour to the world. She will be missed.

This session, as well as our ongoing focus on moment-by-moment awareness, we'll be exploring the elasticity of the breath and the balance between strength and release - in our breathing, our poses, and our lives.

Adapted from Bija Bennett: Balance means living opposites. We can find them in our breath - they breathe together. Experience the fullness of your inhale. Can you expand your life in all directions? Exhale and see how strong you really are, there to support yourself.

Feeling light and free on inhale, grounded and firm on exhale. We can train ourselves with our breath - staying supple while stable, moveable yet unmoveable, vulnerable yet absolutely invincible.