Exhale and Soften — Returning to Ease

I often get overwhelmed with all the things that need to be done — the doing — and I notice myself slipping away from simply being.

Does this sound familiar?

Let’s talk about it.

In a busy life, the exhale is often the first thing we forget. We inhale more, do more, push more — and somewhere along the way, softness quietly slips out the back door.
For me, life has been a continuous invitation to slow down. Not because I wanted to, but because my body kept asking, again and again.
And it’s not just my physical body — it’s my energy, my emotions, my whole being.
Life can feel super busy, sometimes even giving us a heavy dose of “things” to handle. That’s life — but how we navigate through it is what really matters.

When my mind races ahead of me, I can feel my energy zapping away, spent on what I allow my thoughts to run away with.
I don’t think this is just me — I believe you feel it too.

Did you think I’m Zen all the time? No, I’m not!

I’ve been so used to driving life fast.
Moving forward, holding it all, making things happen.
Efficiency, momentum, expectations — both my own and others — something I take full responsibility for.

Then my body began to speak louder than my plans… and I mean really LOUD!
Even after 26 years on the yogic path, I’m still learning.
Still going deeper, still being reminded that resting in ease needs to be practiced — continuously. Still looking into different ways of living more present.

How we show up for ourselves really matters.
Life constantly reminds me to listen, to pause and to soften.
To exhale fully — not just with my breath, but with my whole being.
Sometimes the reminders are gentle, almost whispering.
Sometimes they are impossible to ignore — a feeling, a heaviness, an ache.
And yet, no matter the volume, there’s still a tendency not to listen.

Why do we avoid these signals?
It’s a deep question, one worth exploring.

To find balance, we must understand what drives our imbalance.
Is it society — the structure we live inside?
The systems, rhythms, expectations, timelines, laws, economics, productivity models?
Or is it culture — how we live and breathe within that structure, our habits, values, pace, language, what we rush, what we rest from?

These layers have a massive impact on how we can release beliefs that are not truly ours.

For sure both have an impact as well as the layers of life events embedded deep in our mind, emotions and physical body. But let’s look at it from this angle and see how this impacts you.

Where “Exhale and Soften” Lives
What I’m pointing to — exhale and soften, return to ease — is a cultural/inner shift, not expectations placed on us from the outside.

Society largely runs on:

• speed
• efficiency
• output
• constant forward motion

But culture can change within that.

A culture of:

• listening to the body
• choosing conscious pace
• valuing nervous system health
• honouring rest as wisdom
• letting the exhale lead

This is not about rejecting society.
It’s about changing how we inhabit it, how we live in it.

Your Experience, With A Wider Lence
What you feel in your body is not just personal — it’s deeply collective.

Many of us have been trained to:

• drive life fast
• override the body
• treat slowing down as failure
• see frustration as something to push through

And yet, there’s another way:

I can choose the speed of how I travel.

That one sentence is a cultural statement.
It says:

• speed is not neutral
• pace is a choice
• power lives in responsiveness, not force
• health is shaped by daily micro-decisions

We live in a society that moves fast, but we don’t have to embody speed as a culture. We can soften how we live inside it…how does that feel? I know this is a challenge, I feel it too. But there is something empowering happening here. When shifting the mindset, when making micro-decisions to create your existence from within — a shift does happen. Your inner environment will have an affect on your outer environment!

The Deeper Layer — Somatic Culture
I invite us to tap into a more somatic culture.

A culture where:

• the body is an authority
• the nervous system is listened to
• slowing down is intelligence
• consistency is care
• ease is not laziness but regulation

This is not abstract philosophy.
It’s lived, embodied wisdom — earned through listening, recovery, frustration, and conscious choice…it’s the journey to healing, to more balance and to more peace.
It’s taking responsibility, collaborating with yourself in the best way possible in each situation in your precious life.

Returning to Ease
Exploring a deep and intimate relationship with yourself is worth the journey.
When you do, you navigate life with more ease, no matter what arises.
You become more in tune with your inner compass — your guidance system, your heart.

The exhale is my teacher.
It’s where the nervous system lets go.
Where the body feels safe enough to release.
Where I remember that I don’t have to hold everything so tightly.
I notice how time often feels too fast.
How frustration arises when I feel behind, delayed, or slowed down against my will.
And in those moments, I meet my own expectations — sometimes with tenderness, sometimes with resistance.

But I’m learning something important:
I can choose the speed of how I travel through life.
I may not control everything around me, but I can choose how I move through it — how I breathe, how I respond, how I care for myself.
Choosing to exhale.
Choosing to soften my shoulders, my jaw, my heart.
Choosing consistency over force, conscious support over old habits.
This is how I support myself — not perfectly, but honestly.
By doing my best in listening.
By slowing down enough to feel what’s true (and sometimes I don't).
By always returning again and again to what really matters.
Not speed.
Not productivity.
Not pushing through.
But presence.
Health.
Love.
A body that feels heard.
A heart that feels safe.

So I remind myself, gently and often:
Exhale and soften.
Ease is not something I have to earn.
It’s something I can return to — breath by breath.

I hope this resonates and reminds you to honor yourself.

With love and ease,
Wenche ❤️