Pranayama as a Rescue Remedy: How Breathwork Can Support Nervous System Regulation

by Avril Bastiansz

Pranayama is the fourth limb of yoga: an extensive system of teachings concerned with the regulation and refinement of prana, or vital energy, through the breath. The breath is understood to be the bridge between body and mind.

Its traditional practices range from simple breath awareness to advanced techniques involving precise rhythms, retentions and energetic locks. But we do not need to begin with complex practices to experience something valuable. Even simple breathing techniques can influence the nervous system, soften muscular tension and change how we feel in both body and mind.

This is where pranayama becomes particularly relevant to everyday life.

Building a Familiar Resource Through the Breath

When we feel a cold coming on, many of us instinctively reach for a familiar remedy—perhaps a warm cup of ginger, lemon and honey tea. We know how to make it, we have experienced its comfort, and we remember to use it when we need it.

Pranayama can become a familiar resource in much the same way: a rescue remedy we carry with us.

We do not need to practise these techniques all day. Once we have been introduced to them, regular repetition allows the body to become familiar with different breathing patterns and the states they can support. In this way, we develop an experiential repertoire—a practical collection of techniques known not only intellectually, but through direct experience.

Then, when we feel stressed, anxious, overwhelmed or unsettled, we can reach for the breath. We remember the practice because the body has encountered it before.

Exploring Pranayama at Kundalini House

This is the intention of the upcoming five-day Pranayama Intensive at Kundalini House.

Across five accessible classes, we will explore simple breathing techniques within the rhythm of a yoga practice. Each session will include somatic awareness, guided pranayama, and time for rest and integration.

The aim is not to master advanced breathwork in five days. It is to understand and build a practical relationship with the breath that can support calm, clarity and balance in contemporary life.

Explore Pranayama This Spring

As part of our Spring Intensives program, Avril will be leading a five-day Pranayama Intensive beginning Monday, 21 September at Kundalini House.

Across five accessible sessions, you’ll have the opportunity to explore pranayama, somatic awareness and the relationship between breath, body and mind, developing practical tools to support calm, clarity and balance in everyday life.

The five-day Pranayama Intensive begins Monday, 21 September, at Kundalini House.

Support At Kundalini House

Kundalini House offers a range of supportive services and classes to help you continue your healing journey, including Yoga, Pilates, Acupuncture, Osteopathy, Massage, Naturopathy, Counselling and Meditation.

We also host regular workshops and events focused on nervous system regulation, emotional wellbeing, embodiment and holistic health in North Fitzroy, Melbourne and live online where ever you are.