Float like a butterfly, breathe like a bee

Join us tomorrow at 1 pm EST - everything you need to join here

Good Evening Beautiful Human,

It looks like I’m a Saturday night writer now (face palm). I actually managed to write a few different pieces for you over the course of this week and not fall prey to my usual procrastinating. But even after editing most of the morning and all evening, none of them feel quite ready to set free.

For a long time, especially when I was trying to break my perfectionism, I would have just sent one out. But back then, I didn’t know the difference between perfectionism and being determined to share only honest writing that fully resonates with my nervous system. Now, I do:

When I write honestly, it sets me free. Wholly free.

And much to my frustration, this week, none of my pieces did that. So instead of forcing my little hatchlings from their nest before they are ready to fly, I am showing up with the invitation to join tomorrow’s gathering where we will talk all about breathwork and how we are surviving this wild time and another simple breathing exercise.

I hope this reminds you that showing up counts in whatever form we do so and we all evolve on our timelines. However you are, right now, really, is enough. Our worth is not measured in our productivity or poetic words, for that matter. It is innate. Yes, our worth is as innate as our breath.

And on that note – holy wow, I am starting to sound like a yoga teacher — let’s talk about tomorrow’s logistics before today becomes tomorrow.

The face of two children who *highly* doubt I will get this out before tomorrow because I have been saying, ‘Just ten more minutes of editing’ since 6:15am this morning. (Facial expressions aside - omg look at them holding pawssss)

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Join us tomorrow for HEALING OUT LOUD – February 22, 2025, at 1 pm EST

Healing Out Loud is our community gathering. We will write and reflect on this month for the first fifteen minutes as people join. Thereafter, we will share our stories and experiences.

This space is devoted to storytelling and solidarity for the sake of community. Healing is a relational process, and though we absolutely can and will discuss the experiments and associated experiences, we also always open it up to discuss whatever is on your mind – your big little victories, glimmers, hardships, and what is keeping you grounded during this wild time. This is one of my favorite hours of each month and I hope to see you there.

To note: though this is traditionally a paid offering, it will be open to everyone this month as we move into this new framework.

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To join HEALING OUT LOUD, click the link at 1 pm ET and use password: 516676

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And now, a fun breathing exercise that might even give you a smile or giggle like it did for me the first few times I tried it.

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This week’s experiment – Bhramari Pranayama

Bhramari Pranayama, colloquially known as Bee Breath, is a breathing technique in yoga that mimics the humming sound of a bee. Bhramari Pranayama's history is closely linked to Nada Yoga, an ancient Indian practice that focuses on the therapeutic power of sound vibrations. In Nada Yoga, different sounds are used to balance the mind and body.

This week, as I learned about it and the polyvagal theory that we will dive into next month, I especially appreciated learning that Bramari means goddess of the bees in Sanskrit, and it comes from the Sanskrit word Bramara which means humming bee. I’m not sure why it stood out to me so starkly, but I just found it to be both so beautiful and heartbreaking that bees have been celebrated for their rightful role in healing the ecosystem and our own selves for so long, and yet we still can’t seem to protect them in a way they rightfully deserve.

Oof. ADHD empathy and the few hours I spent reading about pollinators aside, this practice is another powerful way to activate the parasympathetic nervous system – the “rest and digest” system that slows the heart and breath rate. For this reason, this practice is often used to reduce stress and anxiety. Interestingly, it has also been used to reduce mild headaches.

Now, before my many tangents give you one, let’s get into it…

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How to practice Bee Breath (Bhramari Pranayama)

1. Sit Comfortably – Find a quiet place and sit in a comfortable position with your spine straight.

2. Close Your Eyes & Relax – Keep your face relaxed and take a few deep breaths.

3. Inhale deeply – Take a slow, deep breath through your nose.

4. Make a humming sound – As you exhale, produce a soft humming or buzzing sound like a bee.

5. Repeat – do this for 5-10 rounds or a few minutes.

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If you would like to do the more traditional Bhramari Pranayama practice, which involves closing your eyes and plugging your ears as you exhale to amplify the sensations of the vibrations in your experience, follow the guidelines below. To note: I found this version a bit too intense for my nervous system this week so I stuck with the simpler version that I just shared.

Whatever you do, remember – this is all about making this work for you, so evolve the practice to suit your preferences and empower your own connection to yourself and not to the “practice ideal.” After all, at least here, there is no such thing.

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How to practice traditional Bhramari Pranayama

1. Sit Comfortably – Find a quiet place and sit in a comfortable position with your spine straight.

2. Close Your Eyes & Relax – Keep your face relaxed and take a few deep breaths.

3. Inhale deeply – Take a slow, deep breath through your nose.

4. Use Your Hands – Place your thumbs on the tragus (cartilage) of your ears and lightly rest your fingers over your eyes, forehead, or cheeks.

5. Make a Humming Sound – As you exhale, gently press your ears closed with your thumbs and produce a soft humming or buzzing sound like a bee.

6. Feel the Vibration – Focus on the vibrations of the sound in your head, which can be very soothing.

7. Repeat – Do this for about 5–10 rounds or for a few minutes as needed.

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This week’s reflection prompt

How did that experiment go for you? Did you try it? If not, where do you find the hesitation? In your thoughts? Or can you feel it in your body? On the flip side, if you did try it and/or have been trying these practices, how have they impacted you? Are there unexpected benefits to these practices or has this instead added another thing on the to-do list to punish yourself for not doing? If that is the case, how can you forgive yourself? How can you teach yourself that there is nothing to forgive?

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And with that. Wowza. It is almost 9:30 pm and past my bedtime so I am off to bed.

I hope to see you tomorrow, and if you read this before you head to bed, may your dreams, if you have them, be nothing but sweet.

With snowy snugs from Waffle and Tug.

Kindly,

Kate

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This project is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical or therapeutic advice whatsoever. Although all experiments shared here are accredited by evidence-based science, if you choose to participate, you are doing so at your own risk. The Healing Lab, formerly Healing Out Loud and Probably Anxious, is Kate Speer’s newsletter. If you did not sign up for Kate Speer’s newsletter and are receiving this by mistake, my apologies, and unless you care to join us (we’d love to have you), please unsubscribe so you can be removed from the email list.