March, the windiest month of the year has arrived! With it's unpredictable gusts March stirs up the NYC streets and often adds to the sense of frenetic and untethered energy that is part of our modern world. In the face of such swirling energy, Pranayama—the yogic practice of breath control—offers a powerful tool for grounding and balance. Just as the wind can feel chaotic, our nervous system can become overstimulated by constant movement, noise, and change. By consciously slowing and deepening the breath, we engage the parasympathetic nervous system, signaling to the body that it is safe to relax. In Yoga Asana, we use conscious breath throughout the class, signaling to the body that even when our bodies are in challenging postures, we are safe and our nervous systems can relax.
More in depth Pranayama practices like Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) or Deergha Swasam (deep three part breath) can be used anywhere on or off your mat, to steady the mind, creating an anchor in the midst of external and internal turbulence.
Wind is a force of nature—uncontrollable, powerful, and at times unsettling. But just as we can’t stop the wind, we can learn to work with it, rather than against it. Pranayama teaches us to harness our breath as a steady, grounding presence, much like the deep roots of a tree that sway but don’t break in the storm.
By practicing breath awareness, we can become more resilient, finding calm within our bodies even amidst of the swirling storms around us. This March, when the winds pick up, take a moment to pause, breathe deeply, and remind yourself that, like the breath, everything ebbs and flows—groundedness is always within reach.
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