Breathwork, dysregulation, love

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Hello friend,

Over the past few weeks, I have been practicing a few minutes of breathwork daily.

It started on my birthday when I attended a 2-hour breathwork workshop that felt like a reset for my whole body as I started a new year.

Lucky me with a bunch of lovely strangers who sang happy birthday for me at the end of the workshop and an intimate sharing circle. ❤️

At that time, it felt like I had dropped 5 kg as my body felt so light and alive.

Here are a few changes I have been noticing frequently:

• subtle awareness of the body as a whole
• barely any urges to overeat to cope with tough emotions
• sense of lightness and energy

I am excited to see where it takes me as I plan to dive deeper into breathwork and learn more about the nervous system in the coming months.

On that note, here are three things I want to share this week:

Article of the week: Superconscious Living Exercises​

This is not exactly an article but a collection of 6 kinds of exercises.

I tried it one day and it felt weird at first.

But I ended up feeling good and light after finishing them.

It is almost like communicating with your body and making it realize you are aware of it and grateful to inhabit it.

It was very similar to shaking and making loud sounds while doing breathwork.

And it can work wonders to calm you down while you are feeling anxious.

Tweet thread of the week: Growing up in an environment of yelling or screaming​

This thread stopped me in my tracks when I read some of the signs of dysregulation it mentioned:

• you struggle to sleep even when exhausted
• you have ‘overreactions’ to minor things
• crowd overwhelm or scare you
• you feel anxious (maybe even plan escape routes) in new environments

It felt as if some random online stranger just described some of my traits in an eerily accurate way. And I was surprised to read about the other characteristics and the reasoning behind these traits.

As I reflected on this thread over the past week, it brought me some memories from childhood when I was probably between 6-10 years old. I think I might have overheard some screaming or yelling in my home. I am yet to process those memories fully as even the thought of them makes my chest contract.

But this gave me a new perspective on why I feel a certain way especially when it comes to loud environments.

This thread also made me think about my interest in parties. I have always wondered and secretly wanted to enjoy parties with loud music.

But I could never stay in such environments for more than a few minutes.

Earlier I thought it was because I was an introvert. Now I am not so sure.

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Podcast of the week: Matthew McConaughey on Lex Fridman Podcast​

I love listening to Matthew McConaughey talk about life, love, dreams, and anything in his deep, thoughtful baritone. I just did not want this podcast to stop even after 2 hours just like I did not want his book, Greenlights to end.

Here is a snippet of what he said when asked about his take on love.

That it’s messy. That it takes work. That it’s ugly. That no matter how ugly or messy it is, don’t go to bed until you’ve come back together to either embrace or admit that you truly love each other, even if you hadn’t solved what the hell you’re bitchin’ about. Love will win in the end.

Listen to the full podcast on Spotify here or watch it on YouTube here.

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That’s all from me this week, folks!

Until next time,
Love,
Vishal

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