Kia ora breathers, It’s that time of the week at the Ohm Breath Academy - time to practice! This session combines Ujjayi breathing, cyclic breathing, and a gradual extended exhalation following a comfortable breath retention. The focus is on gently restricting the glottis (the opening between the vocal folds) to narrow the airway and create resistance as you breathe. This slows the movement of air, giving you greater control over the breath cycle and making it easier to extend the inhalation and exhalation without force. Over time, the goal is to reduce your respiratory rate. Many people breathe around 15 breaths per minute, but with practice this can gradually come down to 12, 8, and even around 6 breaths per minute during relaxed breathing. Why is this the primary goal?? A slower, more efficient breathing pattern allows more time for gas exchange in the lungs, improves carbon dioxide tolerance, reduces unnecessary work of breathing, and encourages the nervous system towards a more parasympathetic, regulated state. In many ways, learning to breathe less efficiently is one of the simplest ways to ask more of your physiology while expending less energy. Enjoy the practice, and as always, I’d love to hear how you find it 🫁 Can you slow your breath down to a 20 second breath cycle? (10 second inhale & 10 second exhale)

Kia ora breathers, DO THIS PRACTICE RIGHT NOW :) GET AWAY FROM THE SCREEN Today we're going to start exploring the somatic side of our breath journey. Obviously, we can evolve our breath far beyond a seated practice. The diaphragm-psoas unit within the deep core of the body is an amazingly adaptable region of musculoskeletal wonder. Just look at an advanced yogi or contortionist to see the incredible control they have over their body. Much of this, I believe, comes down to the way our nervous system, fascial layers and breath work in unison to allow the body to maintain its freedom and fluidity in everyday life. A vital piece of this puzzle is learning to use the pressure of our breath in rhythm and synchronisation with how the body moves. A simple way to understand this is: - As we inhale, we open the body, extend the spine and expand. - As we exhale, we close the body, flex the spine and decompress. I guarantee that if you complete this practice, you'll feel energised and revitalised after 3 sets of 10–15 repetitions. In the beginning, your wrists, shoulders and core may not be up to completing 15 reps in one go - and that's completely okay. Simply slow the movement down, work within your natural range of motion, and break the sets into smaller chunks (for example, 6–8 sets of 5 reps). As your strength and coordination improve, you can gradually progress and begin adding the options demonstrated in the video above. 1. Starting Position - Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you, feet hip-width apart. Keep your spine tall and upright. - Place your palms flat on the floor beside your hips. - Crucial hand placement: Your fingers should point forward towards your toes. - Gently tuck your chin towards your chest and complete a full, slow exhalation. 2. The Inhalation & Lift - Begin a deep, slow inhale through your nose. - Press firmly through your palms and heels, bending your knees as you lift your hips off the floor. - Drive your hips upwards until your torso and thighs form a flat tabletop position. Your arms and shins should be vertical. - As your hips rise, allow your head to gently extend back in line with your spine. Open through the chest and throat, but don't let your head hang if it causes discomfort in your neck. - At the very top, briefly contract your glutes, core and shoulders to create full-body tension.

Hello team! Today we’re going to Hummmmm. Humming isn’t just a nice add-on to a breath practice, it’s doing real physiological work. The vibration from humming stimulates the vagus nerve through its branches in the throat and sinuses, which feeds directly into parasympathetic tone. At the same time, slow humming naturally extends your exhale, and longer exhales are one of the most reliable ways to shift the nervous system toward rest and digest. This shows up in measures like pre-ejection period (PEP), a cardiac timing interval that reflects how strongly the sympathetic nervous system is driving your heart. A longer PEP means less sympathetic push on the heart muscle. Practices like this that boost vagal tone, tend to lengthen PEP, which is a good marker that the body is dropping out of fight or flight and into a calmer state. Please try this and let me know how you feel after each set! We need the data 😉

Kia ora breathers- hope you are having a good week thus far. The Vaccum Recoil is your guided practice for the week :) This a technique that I have been developing throughout the years and it does take a fair amount of practice to gain competence, so don't worry if you don't get it right away. NOTE: If you have a cardiovascular condition, uncontrolled blood pressure, are pregnant, or are prone to anxiety or panic symptoms, we recommend selecting another technique to practice or seeking medical guidance before participating. This practice uses a brief intra-diaphragmatic vacuum within the body to create one of the deepest and most 'effortless' breaths you'll take all day. This one is all about 'TIMING'. After five deep breathing cycles, you'll fully empty the lungs and pause for a moment in stillness. From this space, the body naturally creates a vacuum effect that prepares the lungs, diaphragm, and ribcage for a powerful rebound breath. As you release the vacuum, notice how the inhale rushes in almost by itself. This is elastic recoil in action - the body's natural ability to spring back after being stretched or compressed. Rather than forcing more air in, Vacuum Recoil teaches you how to work with the body's built-in breathing mechanics, helping you experience greater expansion of the thoracic and abdominal cavities, increased total lung capacity and improved elastance. And a question for you related to the bandhas... Do you know what the BANDHAS are?

Hello and welcome back team, we have an interesting technique for you to practice this week :) The Fountain Breath is a dynamic, mouth-based breathing technique designed to dramatically shift your energy state. Shaped exactly like a water fountain, it starts as a highly restricted, high-pressure stream before expanding and exploding into a full-volume surge. NOTE: If you are working through anxiety or have any heart contraindications please go easy with this technique when you begin. And REMEMBER - Rhythm and Relaxation are always central to your exploration of the breath. We have '3 Primary Phases' to understand: Phase 1: The Restricted Launch (The Pursed-Lip Sip) - The Action: You begin your inhale by puckering your lips tightly. Pull the air in sharply through this tiny opening, almost like sipping a thick liquid through a narrow straw. - The Physiology: This creates immediate, intense resistance. To overcome this bottleneck, your diaphragm is forced to contract with maximum power. This rapid downward drop creates a massive vacuum effect—plunging your intrathoracic pressure while spiking a deep, negative pressure below your diaphragm. Phase 2: The Cresting Surge (Wide-Mouth Gasp) - The Action: At roughly the 70% mark of your inhale, you instantly drop your jaw and pop your mouth wide open, shifting the "sip" into a full, unrestricted gasp. - The Physiology: Because you built up a massive vacuum during Phase 1, opening your mouth wide causes a sudden equalisation of pressure. Air floods your lungs instantly, inflating the upper lobes of your chest and providing a powerful surge of oxygenated volume. Phase 3: The Cascade (A Passive Release) - The Action: Without holding at the top, you immediately let the air fall out of your mouth in a relaxed, passive sigh. - The Physiology: The respiratory muscles completely relax, letting atmospheric pressure push the air out naturally. Enjoy your practice everyone, and keep a lookout for a few new modules dropping in the classroom this week :)