A Note from Camie
Viloma means “against the natural order.” In pranayama, it is an interrupted breath, a practice where you deliberately pause mid-inhale, mid-exhale, or both. Not a gasp. Not a hold-your-breath-and-white-knuckle-it. A gentle, conscious stopping. A moment inside the breath where you simply… notice. That pause is where the practice lives.
Why the pause?
Most of us have never practiced stillness inside movement. We rush through the inhale to get to the exhale. We rush through the exhale to get back to the inhale. We are so accustomed to the next thing that we skip right past the only moment that actually exists: this one.
How to practice.
Come to a comfortable position. Seated, lying down, wherever you are. Close your eyes if that feels right. Take a full natural breath first to settle in.
Stage one — pause on the inhale.
Inhale slowly through your nose about halfway. Pause. Stop and notice. Then inhale the rest of the way in. Exhale slowly and completely. That is one round. Try three to five rounds here before moving on. If any stage feels like too much, return to natural breathing. There is no wrong way to rest.
Stage two — pause on the exhale.
Inhale fully through your nose. Exhale about halfway. Pause. Notice what is here in this moment: the body, the quiet, the slight hum of being alive. Then exhale the rest of the way out. Let the next inhale come naturally. Three to five rounds.
Stage three — pause on both.
When you feel ready, combine them. Inhale halfway, pause. Inhale the rest of the way in. Exhale halfway, pause. Exhale completely. This is the full practice. Move slowly. There is nowhere to be.
Spend as long as you like. Even three minutes will shift something.
You may recognize this from previous newsletters. We repeat it because it bears repeating. And because the practice only works if you actually do it.
Set yourself up for regulation. Whether you are seated, standing, or driving down the highway: feel the weight of your bones settle. That quiet, solid architecture that has carried you every single day of your life without asking for anything in return. Your skeleton is loyal like that. Let it hold you. Notice that it already is. Then breathe. Inhale through your nose for any count that feels natural. Exhale slowly, longer than your inhale. Notice what shifts.
Your body already knows how to do this.
We are just reminding it.
Keep Breathing,
Camie
