Daoist Breath Flow

Finding rhythm through breath and movement

Some practices stay with you not because they are complex or flashy but because of how they feel in your body. Daoist Breath Flow is one of those practices for me.

Note: Daoist Breath Flow is just the name I use for this way of moving and breathing. It is not a formal style or lineage. It is something that has grown out of my own learning, experience, and curiosity over time.

This all started when a few of us from Ivy Yoga House began teaching at the Royal University Hospital Mental Health Short Stay. At the beginning of class, the owner of Ivy Yoga House would guide a breath and movement sequence. It was simply breath paired with gentle movement to begin. If you know her, you know how much care and presence she brings into every class. Nothing ever feels forced.

I will be honest, at first it was hard to follow. The breath and movement felt unfamiliar, and I kept thinking I was behind or not quite doing it right. I kept practicing it even when it felt awkward, and over time something shifted. Once I started to get the hang of it, the practice brought me into a place where one thing naturally flowed into the next.

As the breath and movement started to feel more connected, the arm movements changed how my body felt from the beginning of class. Somewhere in that process, I kind of just fell in love with it. It did not feel complicated or forced. It felt natural and something I wanted to keep exploring.

That curiosity led me to learn more. I started looking into Daoist breath and how it could be practiced beyond what we were doing at RUH. The more I explored it, the more I wanted to add to it. When I took another yoga class with a different teacher where Daoist breath was linked with different movements, that is when everything clicked.

That class helped me realize that this breath work does not have to stay seated. It can be practiced standing, moving, and flowing. The more I started to move with Daoist breath, the more everything felt connected. One movement naturally led into the next, almost like flowing with a river. That flow is what I love most about Daoist Breath Flow.

If you are curious to experience this for yourself, you are always welcome to practice with me. I offer a Daoist Breath Flow specialty class where we spend more time exploring this style of breath and movement together.

If you want to learn the basics and experience how this shows up in a regular class setting, you can also join me every Sunday at Ivy Yoga House for the 8:30am Flow & Release class.

This way of moving and breathing keeps showing up in my own practice and in my classes. It feels like a good place to start, both on the mat and in the body. I hope that if you choose to practice it, you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Until then,

Fill your jar with the things you love to do!

And keep being you, the world needs more you!🌻❤️