Transition Breath - April 2020 update

Dear beautiful breathers,

Online offerings:

Daily breathing (and time in nature) has never felt so important. Those days when we feel the waves of overwhelm, anxiety, sadness or separation are experienced differently when we breathe. Sometimes its a moment of reprieve and the breath takes us into a space of blissful emptiness. Other days, we're given the opportunity to feel into the emotions more deeply. Each time we breathe, higher emotional and cognitive wisdom is accessed.

There is also the physiological benefits of daily breathing. Conscious breathing can disengage the sympathetic nervous system, which is activated more readily at times of collective anxiety. Thus reducing the amount of cortisol and adrenalin in our bodies, and allowing the immune functions to be engaged. Breathing provides the physical experience of full-bodied relaxation.

The mental health consequences of this global event are yet to be fully realised, but thankfully, it is occurring at a time when there are so many people with the conventional and "alternative" skills and knowledge needed to assist those who are struggling.

My personal offer to support people at this time is a four-week online conscious breathing program. Each week a group of people will be given an opportunity to share their experiences, followed by a series of meditative and breathing exercises. The first two weeks will be more gentle, parasympathetic engagement activities, along with a chat about the autonomic nervous system. Week three and four will include dynamic breathing practices.

To make this breathing program accessible, it is by donation and is for free to people who are experiencing financial hardship. If you do not feel called to this program, but know of someone who may be struggling right now or feeling isolated, then please pass on this program's details. Two sessions are on offer, Tuesday mornings (7am to 8am) and Thursday evenings (6pm to 7pm), commencing 7 April. Further information is available here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/breathing-club-a-four-week-online-conscious-breathing-program-tickets-97701153781


***VERY LIMITED PLACES REMAIN (Tuesday mornings 2 places remaining, Thursday evenings 3 places left). Please email me if you wish to participate and miss out. I may extend the program for Sunday night and will run another program in May***


Listen, watch, read, and move:

  • As a recent Goop convert (sorry...) I highly recommend this interview with journalist Matt Richtel, who talks about his research into the immune system for his book An Elegant Defense. Available here.

  • As an advocate for the physical, emotional and spiritual qualities and intelligence of mushrooms, then I was super excited to come across this documentary, Fantastic Fungi. It's beautiful and gives insight into this vast network of fungi that exists under our feet. It also features Michael Pollan who discusses his book How to change your mind. Available here.

  • With time away from our normal lives, it's perhaps a good time to explore our relationship with stress. Dr Gabor Mate's book When the body says no: The cost of hidden stress is an insightful journey into the world of stress, and the relationship between the body and the mind. More information available here.

  • Flow Yoga practitioner, Odona Faska, has moved her practice online. She's offering her usual classes via Vimeo. Available here.

Words of wisdom:
Last night I finished reading Stephen Jenkinson's book, Die Wise. A very powerful extract from his book is below, about the importance of grief and its relationship with love.


...grief is a maker of human being. More than a staging area for human strength or endurance, grieving conjures humanity. Grieving gives us a chance to practice unlikely gratitude for that which doesn't seem to benefit us...Grief is a kind of human whisperer.
...
The feel of people longing after you and missing you begins your ability to grieve. To feel the consequences of your absence is what awakens in you the ability to feel absence. Seeing the end of something precious to you gives you the chance of loving it well. Loving and grieving are joined at the hip, for all the beauty, soul, and travail that brings. Grief is a way of loving what has slipped from view. Love is a way of grieving that which has not yet done so.


Please reach out if you require any support or have any questions. Sending love to each and every one of you, and breathe well.

Joshua Alexander

Breathwork Practitioner

Transition Breath

Joshua Wrest