The Hall
Tuesdays & Thursdays · Doors 6:45am · 7:00–8:00am · The Hall, Stepcote Hill, Exeter EX1 1BD
Sitting still is worth doing, and is hard to tolerate at first. Practised in a group it comes with structure, encouragement and a little education.
You can sit on the floor, on a cushion, a stool or a chair, or lie down if you need to. A colour-coded light bar guides your in-breath and out-breath. You match your breath to it, at a steady five and a half breaths a minute, in blocks of a few minutes at a time. Coherent breathing, as it is known in the research, is one of the best-studied ways of settling the nervous system; matching the light is easy, and nothing is held or strained. Between the blocks the light goes out and you sit in silence, breathing however you like. Light is a hugely underrated guide; it does away with the need for a distracting voice or clicks.
The silences are the point and the breathing is the way in. They start at four minutes; the last one runs to ten.
What to expect: nothing in particular. For some it is calming. For others it is the first time in years with nothing to look at and nothing to do, and the noise that comes up is loud. Both are the practice working. You may feel bored or restless. The practice is to come back to the light when it comes back on.
The light bar is an invitation, not an instruction. Drop the pattern and breathe normally whenever you want, without explaining yourself. If you have heart or blood-pressure trouble, tell me on the day and take it gently.
The session is a leg-up, not the practice itself. The aim over time is to need the handrail less, to find yourself making room for quiet at home, with the lights, a timer, a walk without a podcast in your ears; less reaching for the phone to get away from yourself.
Doors open at 6:45am for tea, and the first ten minutes are just that: tea and a chat, maybe a little about breathing and sleep. We start at 7:00am. If you're new, please come at 6:45am and we'll have you settled before we start.
Light Breathing is not "breathwork"
At least, not as the word is usually understood. Most people hear "breathwork" and picture heavy, deep, fast breathing. This is the other way. Light Breathing is light in two senses: it is paced by light, and it is light in effort — slow, quiet and even, rather than the heavy, fast breathing most people picture. You are not holding your breath or straining for air; you are matching a steady rhythm and then sitting in the quiet afterwards. What that pace does to the nervous system is discussed in the sessions. After a few, you should come to a deeper understanding of how the way we breathe affects how we feel and think. It takes time and determination to change the habit of poor breathing, but the payoff can be profound.
Watch it run
Short clips of the lights in motion, so the pattern is familiar before you're in the room.
Free, and the group is new; the session runs whatever the numbers. Practise between sessions with the at-home guide. Not sure? Message me first and ask me anything: wa.me/447424799151 — or join the channel and just turn up.