Hello Subscribers and loyal Readers. How are you holding up this week? 😶🌫️
I have some new subscribers joining and have had some questions from others within my network about using Substack.
Firstly, I’m not a total Substack fan as I do have a fair share of viable complaints. In fact, today, yet again, I just sent over another email to their not-so-helpful customer support. Please send some thoughts and prayers as I still work out glitches leftover from a hack and duplication of my account earlier this year. BIG SIGH 😮💨
But, what I do like about Substack, is the diversity of user-friendly features. The media assets offered as free templates in your dashboard, like this embedded audio clip in this article where I cover how to start a basic meditation practice. Substack makes it super easy to stay anonymous, or add your own special personal touch if you’d rather that be your thing.
Today, I write about softer topics, eventually…
In my messages and daily encounters, I’m hearing so much pain shared—from stories of uncertainty, fear, to a looming every present collective fatigue that seems to sweep across the globe these days. It's as if we’re all bracing for an questionable future, caught in a whirlwind of emotions that demand grounding from our roots.
Over here in Holland 🇳🇱 we've got some issues brewing alongside problems that other EU countries share. When I first left USA to move abroad in 2005, I found The Netherlands to be a quaint, slower version of the America I was leaving behind. Life, overall, just moved slower. It felt like what I imagine 1950s America being like, but with women having more rights.
Fast forward to 2024, and things have shifted. The shadows of nationalism, fascism, and an encroaching police state loom large, especially with WW3 knocking at everyone's door.
So let’s pause together for a moment.
Take a deep breath in…
Hold that breath at the top of your inhalation, and pause for a second...
Then, exhale slowly...
And pause again, at the bottom of the exhalation.
Okay, then, repeat that three more times...
Close your eyes if you can and just feel what is feels like to be present in your body.
What does it feel like to occupy this space in this moment?
Patience. Practice. Dedication.
Senior Restorative yoga teachers, Judith &
talk much about finding liminal space—that in-between state where you’re not rushing toward anything, or holding onto the past.And while, my brain understands this as a meditative exercise practicing present moment awareness in finding the space between breaths, and thoughts, I now start to recognise finding these liminal spaces in other parts of my life.
Eventually this becomes a daily mindful practice if you can find a moment to sit uninterrupted… and be still.
Over time, I’ve learned to find these liminal moments in my everyday life. It’s not easy, but with patience and practice, these moments expand.
This entire month has felt like a waiting period where I’ve needed to force myself to take my normal speed down a few notches. Feeling the comfort in more solitude and rest, leaving me to prioritise finding moments to ground, or hunker down in my body.
Perhaps it's an annual hibernation habit, but this season feels particularly powerful to retreat deeply within with all that’s going on in the world and in our interpersonal relationships.
Practicing breathing retention mirrors the action of finding the space between. We pause at the top of an inhale and again if you’d like, at the bottom of an exhale...
letting the world still itself...
for a second or two…
In those seconds, something magical happens. The mind clears. The senses dim. All that is left either looks like light behind closed eyes, or feels light with a lack of oxygen.
This practice reminds me of the immense power we hold in taking for granted something as simple as breathing. With a solid consistent breathing practice in place, we find a purpose that is created in intention, and becomes surprisingly healing to self-sustain our life’s vitality (or prana1).
As we move into the final weeks of 2024, I encourage you to take a breath—literally and figuratively. Reflect on these questions:
🚪 What doors need to be firmly closed before the year ends?
♻️ What’s still worth salvaging and carrying forward?
💭 How can you carve out 10-20 minutes a day for breath work, meditation, or reflection?
Let’s face the future with clarity, purpose, dedication, and yes—a little patience.
Hey, are you just getting started with a finding a breathing and/or mediation practice that works for you? I recommend saving these articles👇 for when you have time.
Namaste xx
Audra
“In the human body, prana is said to flow through energy channels called nadis. There are said to be thousands of nadis, but the three main ones are:
Ida – Located to the left of the spine. This is the introverted, lunar channel.
Pingala – Located to the right of the spine. This is the extroverted, solar channel.
Sushumna – Located along the center of the spine. This is the central channel, which the energy of kundalini awakening flows through.
Prana is believed to flow in and out of the body through the breath. A yogi may use techniques such as pranayama to enhance their energy. Performing yoga asanas can also help prana to flow more freely.” - Article from Yogapedia.com
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