On Friday we begin the 7-Day Ayurvedic Autumn Cleanse — a week of simple food, daily routines and a little more space to help the body adjust as we move further into autumn.
This morning I was reading an article called The Breath of the Buddha. Much of what I was reading wasn’t new to me. However, the order in which the teaching unfolded caught my attention.
First, the breath. Then the thoughts. Then the emotions.
And the more I thought about it, the more sense it made.
First, the breath
The breath is tangible. We can feel it coming in and going out. We can notice where it moves in the body. We can notice whether it is deep or shallow, fast or slow, smooth or uneven. And - we can stay with it.
If you come to my yoga classes, you will have done this many times. We observe the breath. We direct it into different areas of the body. We notice how it changes as we move and how it changes when we become still.
The breath is ours.
Then, the thoughts
Once we can stay with something as tangible as the breath, we can begin to observe something less tangible: our thoughts.
Thoughts also come and go. Some are fleeting; others go round and round in an endless loop.
And so much of what fills our mind has its roots in what we have experienced.
We see something. We hear something. We smell, taste or touch something. We interact with another person. These experiences come to us through the senses. They leave impressions.
Even a memory that appears years later has its roots in something we once experienced. And while all of this is moving through the mind, the breath is still there. We can bring our attention back to it, which takes the attention away from our thoughts, even if it's only for a moment.
And then, the emotions
The article moved from thoughts to what is perhaps the more difficult layer to observe: our emotions.
Emotions, like the breath and our thoughts, are always moving and changing. One moment, everything feels 'normal'. Then someone praises us and all of a sudden we feel great. Maybe someone criticises us and anger or irritation come up. Or some difficult news arrives and suddenly there is fear.
Our previous experiences influence what affects us and how we respond. Yet again, something has entered our experience and created movement within us.
And the breath is still there. We can stay with the breath while an emotion moves through us.
We can observe what is happening without immediately being swept along with it. The breath gives us something tangible to return to when thoughts and emotions create a storm.
It made me think about Nadi Shodhana, alternate nostril breathing, which I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, and why deliberately working with the breath can be so valuable. We learn to place our attention on the breath and use it intentionally when everything else feels rather busy.
There was one more detail in the article that caught my attention.
The German word atmen, meaning “to breathe”, and the Sanskrit ātman, often translated as the Self, can be traced back to the same ancient word family associated with breath.
I had never made that connection before, despite German being my first language and having come across ātman countless times through yoga.
Perhaps it shows how fundamental the breath is. At its simplest, breathing keeps us alive. Follow it further, and the breath has long been connected with life itself, with our inner experience and eventually with something much more spiritual.
And it also brought me back to what Ayurveda is saying: everything we take in through the senses has to be digested.
The breath gives us a way to stay present with what follows — the thoughts, impressions and emotions that arise from our experiences.
Perhaps today, just notice yours. No special breathing technique. Just notice the breath coming in. And notice it going out.
Ok, from the breathing to the cooking...
This Week's Blog Post/Podcast
Have you heard the word sattvic?
Perhaps you’ve come across sattvic food or a sattvic diet through Yoga or Ayurveda. But what actually makes a food sattvic — and what does a sattvic kitchen look like in everyday life?
This week, I’m taking you into mine.
We’ll look at Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, how food can contribute to how we feel physically and mentally, and the simple foods I use again and again.
There are plenty of practical ideas too: my everyday spice mix, simple meals, recipes and a 5-day sattvic menu.
Let's stay with the breath. Here is something very simple to try this week. Sit or stand comfortably with your arms by your side.
As you breathe in, slowly lift your arms.
As you breathe out, slowly lower them again.
Repeat this five times. Allow the movement to follow the breath rather than rushing to complete it.
Then stop.
Let your arms rest and notice how you feel.
Notice your breath.
Notice what has happened to your thoughts.
One of the things that makes yoga so effective at settling us is the way we coordinate breath and movement. Over time, we learn to notice the breath more clearly. We learn to move with it. And eventually we learn how to direct and use the breath intentionally.
Five breaths and five movements are enough to begin noticing that relationship.
From my Kitchen this Week...
Warm Autumn Barley Bowl with Steamed Vegetables & Tahini Dressing
This week’s Sattvic Kitchen post got me thinking about the kind of food I actually like to put together for lunch.
A warm grain bowl is one of the easiest.
For this one, I’m using barley because I like the texture and the slight bite it gives the bowl.
You’ll need:
cooked pearl barley
2–3 seasonal vegetables, lightly steamed
fresh coriander or parsley
tahini dressing
For autumn, good options for adding extra protein are whole mung beans, paneer or tofu.
Tahini dressing
½ cup tahini
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt, to taste
A little black pepper
Warm water, as needed
Place the warm barley in a bowl, add the steamed vegetables and your choice of protein if using, then spoon over the tahini dressing and finish with fresh herbs.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what happens between somebody booking Sacred Pause and actually arriving in the Lake District next June. Because the retreat experience begins long before we get to Yewfield.
Over the coming months, there will be regular check-ins and small prompts to begin exploring the idea of creating space and stepping away from the constant doing of everyday life. This will begin to guide you into the retreat before you even arrive.
Then we have our three days together — yoga, walks, good food, rest, conversation and plenty of space.
And afterwards, there will be something to take home with you, so that the pause doesn’t simply end when you pack your bag and leave.
I want the retreat to have an arc: from the moment you book, through our three days together, to what you take back into everyday life afterwards.
Over the last few weeks, a few questions about Back to Rhythm have kept coming up.
How do I know if this is the right time for me?
What if I'm busy?
And what if I know what would help me, but still struggle to actually do it?
You’re probably asking some of those questions too when you’re considering a programme. So I sat down and answered some of the questions women have been asking me most.
I talk about what we’ll actually be doing inside Back to Rhythm, why knowing what to do and being able to make it part of everyday life are two different things, and how the programme is designed to help with that.
If you’ve been curious about Back to Rhythm, this will give you a much better feel for it.
A quiet Sunday morning in your inbox. Every Sunday, I share one seasonal reflection, practical yoga and Ayurveda guidance, and one simple idea to help you feel calmer, steadier and more like yourself.