Finding Space Within the Busyness of Life, One Breath at a Time

There are months that seem to carry a little more life than others. Months that are full of learning, sharing, creating, teaching, questioning and simply finding our way through the beautiful messiness of being human.

This past month has been one of those for me. We have been deep-diving into our Living Yoga Teacher Training, exploring ancient teachings, philosophy, practices, and the many ways yoga invites us to understand ourselves a little more deeply. What a privilege it is to share this journey with such wonderful women. I love these conversations, the questions, the discoveries and those moments when something begins to land, not just in the mind, but somewhere deeper.

And yet, in the midst of all this richness, I have found myself returning to something incredibly simple. Something that is always with us, whether we pay attention to it or not.
The breath.

The thing we do all day, without thinking

Have you ever stopped to consider how rarely we actually think about breathing? It happens automatically, quietly carrying us through every hour of every day. We breathe while working, driving, teaching, worrying, laughing, sleeping and making plans for tomorrow. We rarely give it a second thought until we find ourselves out of breath, holding our breath or suddenly noticing how shallow and restricted it has become.

Yet the breath is so much more than a background function. It is our most constant companion, a meeting place between body and mind, and one of the few bodily processes that happens automatically while also being something we can gently influence.

Think about it for a moment. When life feels overwhelming, what happens to your breathing? Perhaps it becomes quicker, higher in the chest, or almost held. When you feel safe, settled or deeply relaxed, the breath often finds a slower, softer rhythm. We may not consciously choose these responses, but our bodies are continually responding to the world around us.
And this is where I find the relationship between breath and awareness so fascinating.

What the ancient teachings understood

In yoga, the breath has always held a place of great significance. We often use the word Prana, which is commonly understood as vital life force or the energy that animates life. Prana is not simply the air we inhale; it is a way of understanding the life and vitality that moves through us.

The practice of Pranayama is often translated as breath regulation or the expansion of life force. It invites us to become more conscious of the breath and to explore how its rhythm influences our inner experience.

In the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, an important classical text of Hatha Yoga, it describes the close relationship between breath and mind. One of its central teachings is that when the breath is disturbed, the mind becomes disturbed, and when the breath becomes steady, the mind can find steadiness too.

I find this such a beautiful observation, especially when we consider how easily our minds can become caught up in the movement of everyday life.

Another important classical text in Yoga, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, also introduces Pranayama as an important part of the Yoga practice and life. Here Patanjali describes it as the regulation of inhalation and exhalation following the establishment of a steady posture. The teachings then point towards a quieter, more settled mind and a greater capacity for concentration.

What strikes me is that these ancient teachings were not simply asking us to breathe in a particular way. They were inviting us to pay attention. To understand that the way we breathe is connected to the way we experience ourselves.

What happens in the body when we breathe consciously?

Modern science is increasingly exploring what the yogic traditions have been pointing towards for centuries: breathing and the nervous system are closely connected.
Our autonomic nervous system helps regulate functions such as heart rate, digestion and breathing. It has different branches involved in preparing us for action and helping us rest and recover. Our breathing patterns interact with this system, influencing signals between the brain, heart and body.

When we are stressed or feel under pressure, the body may move into a state of heightened alertness. Breathing can become faster and more shallow, muscles may tighten, and our attention can narrow towards whatever feels demanding or threatening.

Gentle, slower breathing, particularly when the exhalation is allowed to lengthen naturally, can support a shift towards a calmer physiological state. It does not mean that every difficult feeling disappears, or that we can simply breathe away life’s challenges. But it can give the body a different signal, helping us create a little more room between what is happening and how we respond.

A study published in Cell Reports Medicine in 2023 explored the effects of short daily breathing practices. Participants who practised for five minutes a day over one month showed improvements in mood and reductions in anxiety. The researchers also observed changes in physiological measures, including breathing rate. It is an interesting reminder that even a few minutes of intentional breathing can make a difference to how we feel.

Balban et al. (2023), Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal.

What I find particularly encouraging is that this doesn’t necessarily require a complicated routine, special equipment or an hour of our day. Sometimes it begins with noticing the breath we are already taking.

The body keeps the score

I often think about how much our bodies carry.

The experiences we have lived through, the pressures we have navigated, the emotions we haven’t quite had time to process, the moments when we have needed to be strong, keep going or put everyone else first. Our bodies are not separate from these experiences. They respond, adapt and learn.

The phrase The Body Keeps the Score, made familiar through the work of Bessel van der Kolk, reminds us of the powerful relationship between our experiences, our nervous system and our physical responses. A book I would recommend if this triggers your curiosity.

I don’t necessarily believe we need to analyse every sensation or search for something that needs fixing. But perhaps we can become a little more curious about what our bodies are communicating. To actually learn to listen to our bodies?

Do you notice your jaw tightening when you are under pressure? Do your shoulders creep towards your ears? Do you find yourself holding your breath when something feels uncomfortable? Perhaps you keep moving from one task to another without ever really allowing yourself to arrive.

These responses are not personal failures. They are often learned ways of navigating life, sometimes developed to help us cope.

But what if awareness could offer us another possibility?

When we begin to notice our breathing, we may also begin to notice the patterns that accompany it. Instead of automatically following the familiar response, we can pause. We can feel the ground beneath us, soften the shoulders, allow the exhalation to lengthen and give ourselves a moment to arrive.

We cannot expect to undo everything we have experienced through breathing. Nor should we expect ourselves to feel calm on demand. But we can begin to build a different relationship with our bodies: one based on listening rather than pushing, curiosity rather than judgement, and compassion rather than control.

Perhaps this is one of the quiet ways we begin to find peace.

Finding breathing space in everyday life

I sometimes wonder whether we have become so accustomed to being busy that we have forgotten what it feels like to have space.

We fill our calendars, our minds and even the quiet moments between activities. We reach for our phones while waiting, think about the next task while completing the present one, and often move through an entire day without stopping to notice how we are actually feeling.
Yet space doesn’t always require us to step away from life. Sometimes it can be found right in the middle of it.

A conscious breath before answering a difficult message. A moment of stillness before getting out of the car. Three gentle breaths while the kettle boils. Feeling your feet on the ground before walking into a busy room.
These little moments may seem insignificant, but they are opportunities to return to ourselves.

Here is a simple practice I have been returning to:

A moment to breathe

Find a comfortable position and allow your body to settle. There is no need to sit perfectly or change anything.

• Notice where you feel the breath moving in your body.
• Allow the inhale to arrive naturally.
• Let the exhale soften and gently lengthen, without forcing it.
• Feel your shoulders, jaw and belly soften if they are ready.
• Stay for five or six comfortable breaths, simply noticing.

If focusing on the breath feels uncomfortable, let it return to its natural rhythm and bring your attention instead to the feeling of your feet on the ground or the support beneath you.
There is no right or wrong experience here. The practice is simply to notice.

A little space to become

As I continue to explore the elements in yoga, I keep returning to Ether: Akasha, the element of space. The space that holds everything, the space between our thoughts, between the inhale and exhale, and between the many chapters of our lives.

Perhaps breathing space is not something we need to find somewhere outside ourselves, maybe it is something we can begin to create within the life we are already living.

I am reminded that yoga is not about escaping the world or creating a perfect version of ourselves. It is about learning to meet life with a little more awareness. Some days that means moving, some days resting, some days finding the courage to ask for help, and some days simply taking one conscious breath.

We don’t always get to choose the pace of life, the unexpected turns or the experiences that come our way. But we can practise noticing how we meet them and, with time, that small space between the experience and our response becomes a place of greater freedom.

So, the next time you find yourself rushing, worrying or feeling pulled in a hundred different directions, pause for a moment.

Come back to the breath.
Not because it will solve everything, but because it brings you back to the one place where life is actually happening, right here, right now.

One breath at a time.

With love in all directions,
Wenche ❤️🙏

“Between the breath we take and the breath we release, there is a reminder that we are here. And sometimes, being here is where everything begins.”