The breath as a barometer
Before any specific technique, Richard teaches guests something simpler: pay attention to how you're already breathing. Depth, rhythm, whether your belly moves freely or holds tight, the breath is an immediate, honest readout of how you're actually feeling, often before your conscious mind has caught up. Noticing a pattern of holding your breath in a particular situation can be a useful clue that something about it isn't sitting well with you.
Five techniques worth knowing
Alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) balances the two hemispheres of the brain and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, a reliable way to lower stress and settle a busy mind, done by breathing in and out through alternating nostrils in a slow, steady cycle.
Three-part yogic breath (Dirga Pranayama) moves the breath through the belly, ribcage and collarbones in three deliberate stages, connecting you first to a sense of ground, then awareness of your surroundings, then a sense of space and inspiration above.
Breath with gentle movement, drawn from Dru Yoga's Windmill Breath, pairs a slow twist and raised arm with each inhale, useful when the mind's too busy to simply sit still with the breath alone.
Breath with movement and visualisation, Dru Yoga's Anahata Breath, draws the hands to the heart and out again with each cycle, while visualising what you'd like to draw into your life, and what you're ready to let go of.
Why it's worth practising
None of these need a mat or a class, they travel well into daily life, wherever a minute of genuine calm would help. During a stay here, they sit alongside daily yoga and meditation as some of the simplest, most portable tools guests take home with them.
Richard is a facilitator here at Moinhos Velhos and the founder of Creative Wellness.
