Meditation & Pranayama

How a breath session is built

Breath practice is a discipline, not a warm-up. Taught properly it has a sequence, and each part prepares the next.

1. 1.SettlingFinding a seat you can hold comfortably — floor, cushion or chair. Comfort first, posture second.
2. 2.ObservingWatching the breath as it already is, before changing anything. Most people have never done this.
3. 3.Diaphragmatic breathingLearning to breathe low rather than high in the chest. The foundation everything else rests on.
4. 4.Nadi Shodhana(alternate nostril)Balancing practice, done slowly, with a count that lengthens as you get steadier.
5. 5.Mantra or BhramariSound used as an anchor — either repeated silently, or the humming breath that settles the nervous system quickly.
6. 6.SittingA few minutes of stillness with nothing to do. This is the meditation the rest was preparing you for.

The practices she teaches

Different breath practices do different things. Which ones you are given depends on what you came in with.

Ten minutes a day beats an hour on Sunday

The point is a practice you can actually keep. Sessions end with something short enough to do on a working morning, and Poonam adjusts it as it becomes easier.