I Swapped My Morning Meditation for Breath Work for 30 days.

Morning meditation.

I’ve been meditating daily for almost 6 years now. It's an integral part of my morning routine. It feels like my day doesn't start properly if I don't do my meditation; it almost brings me out of one consciousness and into another, ready for the day.

A typical morning for me would be waking up between 5am and 6am, and of course, putting the kettle on, making a tea, then sitting down for my daily 10 minute meditation before reading for 30 minutes while finishing my tea.

After completing my yoga teacher training earlier this year and learning more about breath work and its effects on the mind and body, I was intrigued by what it would do for me. I thought I could only benefit from trying it and recording the direct effects it had on me by swapping my meditation for pranayama for 30 days.

There are so many different methods of breath work such as ujjayi (the yogi breath), kapala bhati, (skull-shining breath), nadi shodhana (alternate nostril breathing), kumbhaka (breath retention), and so many more!

My chosen pranayama was nadi shodhana. This method helps balance the left and right hemispheres of the brain. The right hemisphere is associated with the sympathetic nervous system, preparing the body for ‘fight or flight’. This side of the brain controls creativity, spatial ability, and musical and artistic skills. The left side of the brain is associated with the parasympathetic nervous system which helps relax and conserve energy. This hemisphere is responsible for speech, comprehension, and writing.

Nadi shodhana can help restore the equilibrium between the hemispheres, physically and mentally, awakening dormant energy.

I swapped my morning meditation for pranayama for 30 days and this is what happened:

And I feel like it got really interesting after day 7 for me. (these are the exact words I wrote in my journal):

Day one: I just did 5 minutes of nadi shodhana. Felt a tiny bit light headed, but my body felt light at the end and actually cleasned.

Day two: completed 10 minutes. Didn’t feel light headed, but very clear at the end.

Day three: 10 mins. settled into it after about 5 mins. Left airways became clearer than past two days.

Day four: it felt easier to concentrate/flow through it.

Day six: lots of thoughts coming to the forefront. Felt very still and content afterwards.

Day seven: completely unblocked. Makes it so much easier to meditate doing breath work first.

Day eleven: pretty quick to focus. I felt like I was there, wherever my focus was, not here. The music made all the difference. You don’t need to feel prepared for breathwork, it does that job for you.

Day fifteen: it enables you to be effortlessly present.

Day twenty one: 5 minutes flew over. Body feels like bliss.

Day twenty nine: you instantly connect with your inner.

Day thirty: I will definitely continue with pranayama before my meditation each morning.

Breath work vs meditation alone.

The main thing that I took from this new practice, was how much it prepared my mind and body for meditation, known as Dharana in yoga. It would sometimes take 5-10 minutes for my mind and body to fully settle into meditation alone, whereas when I do, even just 5 minutes of pranayama before my meditation, I arrive effortlessly at my full meditative state.

My top tips for implementing pranayama into your routine.

The most important thing in making this a success and a continued practice, was being consistent and trusting the process.

It helped a lot that my morning routine was already cemented with solid practices in place that I could stack this new practice on top of.

I committed to fully immersing myself in the experience each morning.

Top tips:

• Stack this new habit on top of one you already have.

• It doesn’t have to be in the morning, make it at a time convenient for you.

• It doesn’t have to take very long, I started with 5 minutes.

• Commit to fully immersing yourself in the practice each morning.

• Don't think too much about it. Just do it, complete the 5 or 10 minutes.

• Don't judge yourself and the way the practice pans out. It will seamlessly work if you surrender to it.

It has been almost 3 months of me doing my pranayama on a daily basis and I cannot recommend it enough. I will continue the practice before my meditation and would urge you to give it a try, even just for 7 days. You won't regret it.