deep breathing techniques

Flowing With Life’s Transitions: Yoga and Deep Breathing Techniques for the Vagus Nerve

Flowing With Life’s Transitions: Yoga and Deep Breathing Techniques for the Vagus Nerve

Why Meeting Change With Body and Breath Works: Vagus Nerve and Stress Adaptation

On Bowen Island, November signals a true turning. The last leaves release to the forest floor, the daylight continues to shorten, and the stillness of winter edges closer. This seasonal threshold mirrors the changes we face in our personal lives: some invited, others resisted. Neuroscience suggests that how we frame transitions strongly shapes our stress response, or another way of putting it, those who approach change with curiosity rather than fear are more likely to adapt well. 

Breathwork for Self Regulating: Breathing To Attend To and Reset Your Nervous System

Kapalabhati (Skull Shining Breath)

A Breathing Technique For Energy and FocusThis invigorating breath practice clears the mind and stimulates the body through rhythmic, forceful exhalations. Kapalabhati is traditionally seen as a kriya (specific sets of practices to clear and unlock energy channels or chakras in the body), but its mental effects are equally profound.

How to Practise:

  • Sit upright and place your hands on your lower belly.

  • Inhale gently.

  • Exhale sharply through the nose while actively pumping the abdomen. Inhalations are passive.

  • Begin with 30 repetitions, then pause and breathe naturally. Complete up to 3 rounds.

Why This Breath Technique Helps:Research shows that Kapalabhati improves cerebral oxygenation and stimulates areas of the brain associated with attention and decision-making. One study published in International Journal of Yoga found Kapalabhati increases alpha and beta brain wave activity, suggesting both a relaxed and alert state.

,

Expanding Your Limits: Neuroscience, Yoga and Breathwork for Building Your Capacity

,
Expanding Your Limits: Neuroscience, Yoga and Breathwork for Building Your Capacity

Examining our inner judgments, there are 9 types of bias as shared by educator and author Clay Drinko, is not only opportunities for developing more self-awareness, but is also a way to identify where edges are in the first place. 

Yoga and Breathwork Practices for Growing Capacity

These practices are designed to help you connect with your edge while fostering a sense of joy and renewal.

Wild Thing (Camatkarasana)
This heart-opening pose embodies freedom and vitality. As you flow into Wild Thing, you’ll feel a playful release, inviting both physical and emotional renewal.

As a new year approaches, we’re often encouraged to set resolutions, to do more, improve more, and become more. But in the tradition of yoga, transformation begins not through striving, but through devotion. 🧘🏻‍♂️ Our 40-Day Sadhana invi
This season, we’re leaning into useful, beautiful goods, the lotion you reach for after a hot shower, a candle that warms the room, the small rituals that make winter feel soft around the edges. 🕯️ Each Nectar Goods piece is designed to bring
“I’ve enjoyed the Nectar experience 3 times. Two summer stays and one magical snowswept winter wonderland. The perspective, gratitude, and peace I experienced at Nectar has stayed close to me even when I ventured back into my daily life.&
The Super Full Cold Moon in Gemini rises tonight, bringing with it heightened energy and a focus on connection, curiosity, and communication. 🌕 As the year nears its close, this moon invites reflection on the stories we’ve told, the conversat
In December, the forests on Bowen go quiet and at Nectar, we explore resilience as both a capacity and a practice. It begins in the body—through breath, interoception, and the ability to return to steady ground after stress. With yoga, breathwo
While Nectar's physical space is closed for the month of January, our practice continues wherever you are. The 40-Day Sadhana is an invitation to stay connected through daily movement, meditation, and mindful ritual. A rhythm to begin the year with