Finding the magic of this season!

Lucia invites us not to banish the darkness, but to light a candle instead. December 13th, Lucia Day, doesn’t promise victory over darkness. It refuses the fantasy that darkness can be chased away by force. Instead, it accepts the season as it is and answers it with a single, deliberate act: light a candle. Not a huge bonfire. Not an elaborate declaration. Just light.

Light the candle. Stay. The season will move —because it always does.

Perfect time to go within

The dark of winter invites us to rest, to go within, being calm and quiet, reflecting on who lives inside. The inside of you is your true self. The “true you” is the relationship you build by returning inside again and again—through stillness, through curiosity, through the refusal to rush ahead of yourself.

If you want to explore your inner self, keep it simple yet disciplined: stay quiet long enough for the inner noise to exhaust itself. Notice what remains. Return tomorrow.

That’s how you find out who lives inside—and how you learn to live from there instead of from a place outside in response to who you think you should be.

The breath is your anchor

The prana/qi/life force rides on your breath. To connect with it, you need to direct your consciousness/your focused attention to your breath. The breath is always there with you, even when you do not pay attention to it. By focusing gently on your breath, you have the perfect tool to return to the present moment, the only place where your life exists.

Prana is all around and inside us.

Prana, qi—or life force—is not something you think into existence. It's always here. You notice the prana that rides on your breath once your attention becomes steady enough. The breath is the bridge to your inner self because it sits at the meeting point between the autonomic nervous system and your intention. You can ignore it, or you can delve into the depths of it.

Yoga, qi gong, and other practices where you move synchronized with your breath help you awaken to your prana flow.

When you start to feel your prana, it all shifts

At a certain point, when you direct your consciousness to the breath, something shifts. The breath stops feeling like air moving in and out and starts feeling like movement itself. Expansion, release, and subtle currents are felt throughout the body. People across cultures have noticed the same thing and given it different names. When you reach this stage, prana is no longer mystical—it becomes experiential.

Worth paying attention to:

• Scattered attention dissipates energy. Focused attention gathers it.

• The breath carries life force, whether you notice it or not; your awareness determines whether you can work with it or not.

• You do not create prana, but you can harness it by stopping being too distracted to notice it.

• Forcing the breath blocks sensitivity. Soft attention sharpens both your awareness and sensitivity.

  

  
  

The full yogic breath

This is a breathing technique you can use that is safe and easy. You can do it seated, standing, or lying on your back. I recommend practicing it with the ujjayi sound, which is the soothing sound you create by gently tightening your vocal cords. By so doing, it's easier to measure and pace the air coming in and out.

To start, just come to a comfortable position that you can hold for 10 minutes or so. Notice your breath, without judging. Relax your jaw, your face, neck, and shoulders, and feel a strong and safe connection in your body to the surface beneath you.

Keep your breath smooth, unforced, and continuous—one soft, long wave in, one even longer, releasing wave out.

Gently and slowly start to deepen and lengthen your breath, using your diaphragm and filling up the lungs all the way to your collarbones.

• Inhale: slowly through your nose → belly expands → ribs widen in all directions (to the front, sides, backside, and up) → diaphragm presses down, flattens

• Exhale: chest softens → ribs draw in → diaphragm relaxes back to its dome-like shape → belly releases/falls towards the spine.

• Make your outbreath longer than your inbreath. This will be a strong signal for your nervous system to calm down. 

To feel more clearly how your body expands and relaxes with every in and out breath, you can place one hand over your belly and one over your chest.

Do the practice outlined above whenever you feel like it. You can also breathe out with an audible "ahhh" through your mouth during the first couple of breaths to release excess tension. Then breathe in and out only through your nose. After a couple of minutes with this practice, just let the technique go, be silent and quiet, and let your breath settle to a smooth, gentle rhythm. Just observe, feel the spaciousness. You will notice that after a breathing practice, it's much easier to sit or be in stillness. Your nervous system and your whole being will be grateful for this rest.

Insight Timer guidance by "Hero´s Journey" based on a famous Rumi poem - The breeze at dawn.

A 10-minute practice by A Hero's Journey! Enjoy!

Welcome to contact me for a yoga and tea session that I tailor to the season and to suit your need!