We are breathing from moment we are born—our steady inhale and exhale is a “given.” But as we age or if we are stressed or ill, our breathing may suffer.

This class will provide, not just respite, but tools and skills to enhance and improve our breathing throughout our lives.

Qi means “life force”/gong means “work.”

Prana means “life force”/yama means “directed.” 

Judith Sachs, a 20-year practitioner of qigong (from the Chinese tai chi tradition) and a 30-year practitioner of pranayama (from the Indian yogic tradition), gives us options from movement to stillness to improve the structure, volume and duration of the breath.

The class begins with a rudimentary physiological explanation of lung function as well as a picture of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, which regulate the stress response. We work with the breath to change “fight or flight” to “feed and breed” –

with emphasis on the exhalation.

The movement of a simple standing qigong set contrasts with the quiet of a seated pranayama. These two forms give us insight into how to use not just the “in” and “out” but the pauses in between breaths.

Most students feel released and relaxed after just one class. From there, they are able to build their own practice at home.