Prana, known as the life giving breath, is the backbone and true essence of yoga, and the foundation on which our lives are built...

When I was younger, I didn't know how to breathe. I would constantly find myself holding my breath when things were scary, surprising, hard, or even joyful. It was a learned response from my mother, who learned it from her mother, and undoubtedly through generations of family members who were afraid of their breath.

Breathing is such a deeply subconscious experience. Even now, as you're reading this sentence, you may only now be aware of the cadence of your breath. My breathing became both a tool a crutch for my life. I played soccer competitively pretty much since I could run, starting to travel for club teams at the age of ten, and what was once a source of joy, become work. I had always played entire games, even during tournaments with 3 games a day. It was all I knew, so when I started to get tired, as anyone would after playing full games in ninety degree weather, I used my breath to escape. Instead of asking my coach for a break, I constricted my breathing until I would have an asthma attack. In my little mind, I thought going off the field for any reason other than the possibility of death by suffocation was a failure. I used breathing as a tool to escape, instead of following my breath and listening to what my body really needed.

Doctor appointments lead to a diagnosis of "seasonal asthma", which I knew even then was a conscious decision. It was not until I found my breath through meditation and yoga that I understood its incredible power.

I had a very powerful session with Gwen Coach, who used the power of breath to shift barriers, instigate my inner voice, and call in my guides. During my session, I was visited by a beautiful energy, a grandmother figure that radiated a violet energy. After my session, where I entered into a deep meditative state, Gwen shared that the intense energy of my solar plexus was shouting out to be heard and to write...which I know to be my greatest calling.

Gwen shred with me the magic of the breath, and the way in which you can shift out of your normal everyday way of thinking and creating a new way of vibrating. Click here for more on her workshops and sessions.