The Still Point: Winter Breathwork and the Quiet Wisdom Within

July in Australia wraps us in layers; both literally and energetically. The air cools, the sky softens, and nature slows down. While the world outside grows quieter, something in us is invited inward too.

Winter is the season of stillness. And within that stillness lies a space many of us rarely touch in our day-to-day lives: the quiet centre of being. In yogic philosophy, this place is often called the “still point”; a sacred pause between the in-breath and the out-breath. A moment of nothingness, and everything.

At PranaLab, we explore this still point through intentional breathwork. It’s not just deep breathing; it’s a seasonal practice that mirrors nature’s rhythm while reconnecting us with something deeper.

❄️ Why Winter Breathwork Feels Different

The colder months naturally slow our pace. We're less stimulated, more reflective. This makes winter a powerful time to:

• Settle the nervous system

• Reclaim energy scattered by overthinking or overstimulation

• Feel into the emotional residue we’ve been too busy to process

• Practice breath retention (kumbhaka) to access inner spaciousness

Rather than resisting the inward pull of winter, breathwork teaches us how to work with it. Each breath becomes a lantern guiding us through the darker corridors of the season.

🌬️ A Breath Practice for Inner Quiet

Here’s a gentle practice you can try when the winter winds feel louder than your thoughts:

The Soft Pause (5–10 minutes)

• Find a warm, quiet space. Sit upright or lie down.

• Begin to breathe in and out through your nose. Let the breath be slow and effortless.

• After a few rounds, introduce a soft pause at the top of your inhale and again at the bottom of your exhale. No force. Just linger.

• With each pause, imagine you're entering a quiet room inside your chest; a space untouched by worry or noise.

• Stay here, with breath and pause, for a few minutes. Notice how stillness grows.

This is the doorway to the still point. It’s where the breath meets the soul.

🕯️ Breathwork as Winter Ritual

When practiced consistently, breathwork becomes more than a technique: it becomes a ritual. A way of tuning in, listening deeply, and remembering that even in the depths of winter, something in you remains warm, alive, and wise.

Some days, your breath might feel like a whisper. Other days, like a wave. Either way, it’s your thread back to presence. To self. To Source.