“Let go of the battle. Breathe quietly and let it be.
Let your body relax and your heart soften.
Open to whatever you experience without fighting.”
~~ Jack Kornfield
Greetings to all my precious people!!
You’ve been breathing your entire life, yet most of us have never truly learned how to breathe. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Lungs are called the “Master of Qi” and they govern not just oxygen exchange, but the very life force that animates everything we do. During Autumn’s Metal season, when Lung energy is at its peak, we’re offered a profound invitation: to transform breathing from an unconscious survival mechanism into conscious medicine.
The Revolution in a Single Breath
This isn’t about perfecting some complicated technique. It’s about remembering that every inhale is an opportunity to draw in possibility, and every exhale is a chance to release what’s ready to go. At midlife, when we finally have the wisdom to know the difference, conscious breathing becomes one of our most potent tools for transformation.
The Science of Sacred Breathing
The research on conscious breathing is staggering. Dr. Elissa Epel’s work at UCSF shows that just 12 minutes of daily breathwork can measurably reduce cellular aging by decreasing cortisol and increasing telomerase activity. Meanwhile, studies from Harvard Medical School demonstrate that diaphragmatic breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system within 30 seconds, literally shifting us from fight-or-flight into rest-and-restore mode.
But here’s what’s particularly relevant for midlife: research from the University of Wisconsin reveals that older adults who practice conscious breathing show increased gray matter density in areas of the brain associated with emotional regulation and decision-making. We’re not just calming our nervous systems – we’re literally rewiring our brains for greater wisdom and resilience.
Dr. Andrew Huberman’s groundbreaking work on the “physiological sigh” – two inhales through the nose followed by a long exhale through the mouth – shows this simple pattern can downregulate stress faster than any pharmaceutical intervention. And unlike medications, the side effects of conscious breathing are all positive: increased clarity, enhanced creativity, and deeper connection to our inner knowing.
Autumn Breathing: The Lung’s Seasonal Wisdom
In Chinese Medicine, healthy Lung function depends on both receiving (inspiration) and releasing (expiration). During Autumn, Lung energy is naturally heightened, making this the perfect time to heal old breathing patterns and establish new ones.
Common signs of autumn lung imbalance:
- Shallow chest breathing instead of deep belly breathing
- Holding your breath during stress (inspiration blocked)
- Difficulty with letting go (expiration incomplete)
- Frequent sighing (body trying to reset the breath)
- Feeling breathless even without exertion
- Respiratory issues that flare in fall
The Metal element’s emotion is grief, and there’s profound wisdom here: we cannot take in the new until we’ve fully released the old. Every exhale is a small death, every inhale a small birth. When we resist this natural rhythm – when we hold our breath, breathe shallowly, or refuse to let go – we create stagnation in both body and life.
The Four Breaths of Autumn Transformation
Here are four research-backed breathing practices specifically aligned with autumn’s energy and midlife transformation:
1. The Harvest Breath (Morning Practice)
Based on coherent breathing research – 5 seconds in, 5 seconds out
- Sit with spine tall, hand on heart
- Inhale for 5 counts, imagining drawing in everything that serves your highest good
- Exhale for 5 counts, releasing any energy that’s not yours to carry
- Continue for 5-10 minutes
- End by asking: “What is mine to receive today? What is mine to release?”
2. The Physiological Sigh (Stress Reset)
Dr. Huberman’s research on rapid nervous system regulation
- Two inhales through the nose (second inhale tops off the lungs)
- Long, slow exhale through the mouth
- Use whenever you notice stress, overwhelm, or the urge to react instead of respond
- Works within 30 seconds to downregulate fight-or-flight
3. The Grief Breath (Emotional Release)
Adapted from somatic therapy research on trauma release
- Place one hand on heart, one on belly
- Breathe normally for three breaths, just noticing
- On fourth breath, inhale deeply and allow whatever emotion is present
- Exhale with sound (sigh, “ahh,” or whatever wants to emerge)
- Continue until you feel a sense of completion or softening
4. The Wisdom Breath (Decision-Making)
Based on interoception research – using body wisdom for choices
- Before any significant decision, pause
- Take three deep breaths, feeling your whole torso expand and contract
- Present your choice to your body: “What happens in my breathing when I imagine choosing option A? Option B?”
- Notice: does your breath expand or contract with each possibility?
- Trust what your breathing body tells you
Lunar Breathing: Working with October’s Rhythms
This week brings us the First Quarter Moon in Capricorn (October 6th), perfect energy for building sustainable breathing practices. Capricorn’s earth energy helps us create structure around our intentions, while the First Quarter moon supports taking action on what we began at the New Moon.
This week’s focus: Establish one daily breathing practice that feels sustainable. Rather than trying to be perfect, commit to showing up consistently. Your nervous system learns through repetition, not intensity.
From Personal Practice to Collective Breath
What I’m witnessing with the women in my practice: as they learn to breathe consciously, they naturally begin to create more space – in their schedules, their relationships, their lives. They stop rushing. They pause before reacting. They trust their bodies’ wisdom in ways they never have before.
This isn’t just personal healing – it’s preparation for leadership. A woman who knows how to regulate her own nervous system through conscious breathing becomes someone others naturally turn to in times of chaos. Your steady presence becomes medicine for your family, your workplace, your community.
Questions for reflection:
- How might your breath practice be preparation for bigger service?
- What becomes possible when you trust your body’s wisdom over your anxious mind?
- How does conscious breathing change the quality of your presence with others?
The Invitation to Go Deeper
Here’s what I’m learning: the women who are thriving in midlife aren’t the ones who have it all figured out. They’re the ones who have learned to breathe through uncertainty, to trust their bodies’ wisdom, and to see every challenge as an opportunity to practice conscious presence.
If you’re ready to go deeper into this work – to move beyond individual practice into active transformation of yourself and your community – I’m creating something special. A membership journey for women who are ready to use their accumulated wisdom as medicine for the world.
This isn’t about adding more to your already full life. It’s about learning to breathe spaciousness into everything you do, so your very presence becomes a healing force. If this calls to you, reach out. Your breath practice might be exactly the foundation you need for the bigger work that’s calling you.
Integration Invitation
This week, choose one breathing practice and commit to it daily. Notice how conscious breathing changes not just how you feel, but how you show up in the world. Pay attention to the subtle ways your nervous system begins to trust that you can handle whatever arises.
Remember: every breath is a choice. You can breathe automatically, or you can breathe consciously. You can breathe shallowly from fear, or deeply from wisdom. You can hold your breath against life, or use your breath to embrace whatever’s arising.
At midlife, we have the accumulated experience to know: there is nothing we cannot breathe through. And in a world that seems to be holding its breath, women who remember how to breathe fully become beacons of possibility.
Next Friday: BOUNDARIES – The Large Intestine’s Wisdom of Sacred Elimination
P.S. I’m curious: what shifts when you bring conscious awareness to your breathing? Your discoveries might be exactly what someone else needs to hear to begin their own breathing revolution.
“When you arise in the morning,
think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive –
to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”
~~ Marcus Aurelius
Photo by Melissa Askew on Unsplash
