When I guide this practice, I’m always struck by how quickly the mind can spiral — and how quickly the breath can interrupt that spiral. Most of us don’t need more advice or more willpower. We need a small wedge of space inside the moment where everything feels tight, urgent, or overwhelming.

Today’s meditation is that wedge.

In this episode, I lead you through a breath sequence called 20 Connected Breaths. It’s simple: inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale — four times — followed by one big inhale and a soft release. That’s one round. We repeat the cycle so you can feel layers of tension dissolve without forcing anything.

But the real practice isn’t just breathing.

It’s learning to interrupt your body’s momentum.

Because spirals don’t just happen in the mind — they happen in the chest, the jaw, the shoulders, the nervous system. And when you learn to regulate the breath, you regulate the spiral.

I see this every day, not just on the cushion:

* Traffic: That flash of irritation when someone doesn’t move at a green light. One connected breath creates room for patience instead of frustration.

* Work stress: Before the email sends you spinning, the breath grounds you enough to answer instead of react.

* Parenting: When your kid refuses to put on their shoes, breath becomes the difference between snapping and staying steady.

* Relationships: When someone says something sharp, breath turns defensiveness into curiosity.

* Body discomfort: When tension rises, connected breathing keeps you from bracing, gripping, or shutting down.

Through each round of the practice, you’ll hear me invite you to soften the effort. That’s intentional. Spirals thrive on force — on trying harder, pushing more, doing something. This breathwork teaches the opposite: presence over performance.

Some rounds will feel smooth.

Some will feel clunky.

Some will energize you.

Some may challenge you.

All of that is part of the practice.

As the meditation closes, we return to simple nasal breathing and relaxed shoulders — the embodied reminder that you can come back to yourself at any moment. You can interrupt the spiral. You can choose your next move.

Thank you for practicing with me.

May these breaths find you in the moments you need them most. Repeat as needed.

May you be well.

💬 Let’s Reflect Together

* What situations most often trigger your spirals — and what do you feel in your body first?

* Which round of the breathing practice felt the easiest or the hardest for you?

* Where could you use more emotional space in your everyday life?

* Think of a recent moment when you reacted quickly — how might one slow breath have changed the outcome?

* How does your body tell you it’s time to pause?

* What part of the spiral do you want to interrupt this week?

Share your reflections in the comments—I’d love to hear how impermance is alive in your practice.

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