BREATH: The Power of the Exhale

THE POWER OF THE FIRST EXHALE

What happens when we stop trying to get somewhere—and simply allow ourselves to release?

There is where the an extended exhale opens the door.

At first, it seems simple.

We breathe out.

Then we breathe out a little longer.

And then something begins to happen.

When we intentionally extend the exhale, we begin releasing more of the air held within us. The key is to fully rid all of the air we have held onto so tightly when under stress of life.

Physiologically, this creates the conditions for a deeper subsequent inhale. But there is something happening beyond the mechanics of breathing.

We are practicing release.

We are practicing slowing down.

We are practicing trust.

We are practicing letting go of something we didn’t even realize we were holding.

WHY DOES THE EXHALE CALM US?

The exhale has a natural relationship with the body’s parasympathetic nervous system—the branch of the autonomic nervous system associated with rest, digestion, recovery, and settling.

When we slow the breath and lengthen the exhale, we can influence heart-rate variability and vagal activity, helping shift the body away from a heightened state of sympathetic activation.

In other words:

The body receives a different message.

You don’t have to fight.

You don’t have to run.

You can soften.

This doesn’t mean that every extended exhale will immediately make us feel calm. In fact, sometimes slowing down can initially make us more aware of everything that wasn’t being felt.

It can actually test our resolve and impatience , but that’s part of the practice.

Breathwork isn’t just about making ourselves feel better, it’s about becoming more aware of what is already happening within us.

LET’S TAKE IT DEEPER

Have you ever heard of ether?

Across various philosophical and spiritual traditions, ether has been described as the subtle element beyond the more tangible elements of earth, water, fire, and air.

If we look at the elements through an energetic lens, we can see a beautiful progression:

Root — Earth

Sacral — Water

Solar Plexus — Fire

Heart — Air

Throat — Ether

Each element carries a different quality and density.

Earth is dense.

Water moves.

Fire transforms.

Air expands and moves freely.

And ether?

Ether has no form.

It is the space beyond form.

The space between.

It’s called the “void.”

When we think of something that doesn’t have dimension or physical formation, we reach what we might call the void.

In energetic terms, I see this as purity. All that IS.

It’s actually a ebit paradoxical. The “emptiness” that is felt is not of the sense of having nothing.

The emptiness feels like an absence (void) of what no longer needs to be there. Mental or intellectual thoughts, belief systems, personality straights, or pain or fear.

REACHING THE INNER SPACE

To reach any deep inner space, we have to be willing to go within. We must first empty the container first in order to prime the “vacuum” within that container. This means exhaling slowly, all the way. This is also a process.

Very slowly, sometimes methodically pumping air out repeatedly until we get to that bottom of the lungs. Sometimes it’s much more connected to the spaces in and outside of the lungs were air gets trapped.

At times, we send breath to areas of need. Sometimes there are pauses.

Sometimes there are small cycles of breath, whether we are concentrating on the inhale or exhale.

Sometimes the body needs time to recalibrate into safety before we continue.

The purpose is to connect to what is needed in the moment.

Let’s stay with the exhale…Near the end of an exhalation, we can use small, gentle pumps to explore what remains—not forcing, not fighting, but becoming curious about where the breath ends.

This can be uncomfortable.

That’s why it takes time.

I’ve always said that a quality foundational breathwork practice is based on trust.

That is what this practice is allowing.

THE VOID

At the deepest point of this particular breath practice, there can be a moment where something changes.

The breath becomes incredibly quiet.

The mind becomes more quiet.

Our relationship with time can change due to the experience beyond it.

From there, we see all the inner workings of the mind. The usual mental narrative softens and we can experience what I have described here. The void is the the purity of ether.

Ether has no form.

It is full and empty at the same time. There is nothing to grasp. Nothing to hold onto. Nothing to solve. In this space, we can begin to see beyond some of the illusions created by the mind.

Our intelligence is extraordinary. But our intelligence can also work against us.

We think. We analyze. We predict. We replay. We anticipate. We create stories. We fall into the design of our conscious being.

Air has a beautiful energetic relationship with this mental makeup. Air moves in and out of the nose and mouth, bringing new life with every breath. We move through these elements—from earth to water, water to fire, fire to air, and air toward ether—we can begin to experience a different relationship with ourselves. We can introduce whatever element with a type of breath in whatever sequence we may need.

Breath I has its own intelligence and our connection with it is one of the most powerful gifts we can provide ourselves in this day of age.

Breath is something we experience, not breathing for breathing sake.

THE BREATH AS A MICROCOSM OF LIFE

This is one of the reasons I love breath holds.

A breath hold can bring us directly into contact with the messages that influence us.

Do I need to breathe?

Do I need to get out of this?

Is this uncomfortable?

Can I stay?

Can I soften?

Can I trust myself?

The breath hold becomes a microcosm of how we move through impulses and discomfort in life.

Something happens.

We feel it.

We want to react.

Then there is a space between the stimulus and the response. That space is an important space.

We don’t always have to obey the first message our nervous system sends us.

Breath creates another beautiful gift for the impulsive mind: Observation.

We can see from a watchful mind instead of a reactionary one.

There are things that mentally are designed to pull attention away from our original focus.

Sometimes we can breathe through it.

Sometimes we can soften enough that whatever it is melts away.

When we practice this connection of breath intelligence, we discover the design of our internal alarm system. We observe enough to better understand that what we often respond to is no longer analarm that needs to be on.

TURNING OFF THE PANIC ALARM

I love the idea of breathwork as panic-alarm-system training.

Not because we should ignore the body’s warnings. Quite the opposite.

We become better at distinguishing between an actual threat and a nervous system that has simply learned to remain activated.

Breath gives us a way to practice.

We can intentionally create a little discomfort in a controlled environment.

We can observe what happens.

We can breathe.

We can pause.

We can soften.

Eventually, we can begin developing a greater capacity to remain present when life itself becomes uncomfortable.

That’s not just breathwork.

That’s life.

THE EXHALE SOFTENS

For those who have worked with breath—especially the extended exhale—you may have experienced something beautiful:

The exhale softens what is no longer needed.

It allows us to surrender.

It allows us to release.

It allows us to trust.

It allows us to move beyond things we may have been struggling to hold.

An extended exhale, combined with learning how to relax through pauses, can become an opportunity to renew, release, and reset.

The exhalation is initiated before the next inhalation and can often tale many cycles before we soften enough to reach the place I’m describing.

That is why I don’t believe breathwork should be rushed. So be slow and even with the exhale, get to the bottom with a slight pause. Allow for the inhale to automatically fill our being.

AND THEN WE INHALE

The inhalation is just as important.

Especially when we reach that quiet space.

That void. That place where our usual relationship with time and space seems to temporarily dissolve. We don’t stay there forever. Eventually, the body needs oxygen.

That’s the simplicity of the inhale.

Life comes back in.

We receive. We replenish. We allow the breath to provide the oxygen the body needs while simultaneously bringing awareness back into the body.

The fire can move.

The water can soften.

The air can move.

The earth can ground.

It’s within this stable root that we create our foundational practice. Breath can remind us that there is space beyond everything we thought we needed to hold.

THIS IS WHAT I LOVE ABOUT BREATHWORK

There are so many ways to breathe.

I’ve been trained to coach many different breathwork techniques, approaches, and styles for many different skill levels and intentions.

Sometimes we use more activating, fiery breathing techniques to wake the body up, increase focus, or create energy.

Sometimes we need to slow down.

Sometimes we need to breathe deeply.

Sometimes we need to simply observe. It can be that simple - but hard to do without a trained coach.

Most people I see try to force breath and do more than what’s really needed. I help guide the experience learning how to do less.

That’s why I don’t believe a practice is about the breath itself.

It’s all about connecting to the experience.

It’s about becoming more aware.

It’s about becoming skilled enough to utilize your breath in a way that supports what your nervous system actually needs.

At TNW, my intention isn’t to become the person who holds the keys to your breath.

It’s to hand the keys back to you.

Yes, there are times when a practitioner guides you—telling you when to breathe, when to hold, when to release, and when to change the pattern.

That can be incredibly valuable.

But ultimately, that’s not the destination.

The destination is confidence in your own connection. Confidence in your ability to observe what is happening within you.

Confidence in recognizing the inner workings that may have been driving you unknowingly.

Lastly, confidence in knowing that you have a tool with you wherever you go.

Your breath.

MIND + HEART

No matter what technique we use, I believe it ultimately comes back to connection.

The connection between the mind and the heart.

When these two begin communicating differently, we can experience what I call coherence.

When coherence begins to emerge, something beautiful can happen.

We experience space. We experience awareness.

We experience freedom - and we see that underneath all of the things we’ve been trying to become, fix, control, understand, or release…

we discover something that was already there.

Peace.

Love.

Health.

ONE EXHALE

You don’t have to know everything about breathwork.

You don’t have to have years of experience.

You don’t have to be able to hold your breath for a certain amount of time.

You don’t have to force yourself into an experience.

You simply have to begin where you are.

At The Nature Within, that’s where we begin.

Not with perfection.

Not with performance.

Not with someone telling you who you are supposed to become.

But with the awareness that the connection you’re looking for may already exist within you.

Sometimes…

all it takes is one exhale to begin finding it.

THE NATURE WITHIN

Through Breathwork, Meditation, Reiki, Life & Belief Coaching, and Spiritual Mentorship, TNW creates individualized experiences designed to meet you exactly where you are.

You don’t have to arrive knowing what you need.

You don’t have to have a perfect practice.

You simply have to be willing to explore.

Find Your Light

Spread It Out Into The World.

— The Nature Within