A Winter Breath Guide: Creating Space, Calm, and Steadiness in the Season of Vata

Seasonal Living & Self-CareYoga Wisdom Off the Mat

7 Jan

🎙️Show Notes

Keywords

winter breathing, Vata, nervous system, three-part breath, Ujjayi breath, Brahmari, diaphragmatic breathing, Ayurveda, yoga breathing, seasonal living, relaxation

Summary

In this episode, Katja Patel explores how breathing changes in winter and why this season asks for a different approach. Drawing on Ayurveda and yoga, she explains how Vata influences the nervous system, digestion, and the breath, and why creating space in the body is essential before working with breathing techniques.

Katja introduces the three-part breath as a foundational practice and reflects on seasonal breathing choices such as gentle Ujjayi and Brahmari (Humming Bee breath). Rather than focusing on mastery, this episode invites a more attentive, responsive relationship with the breath — one that supports steadiness, warmth, and calm through the winter months.

Key Takeaways

Winter breathing is about steadiness, not effort

High Vata can affect the nervous system, breath, and digestion
Diaphragmatic breathing supports relaxation and gut health
Creating space in the body helps the breath deepen naturally
The three-part breath is a reliable foundation in winter
Gentle Ujjayi can build warmth and inner support
Brahmari (Humming Bee breath) soothes and reassures the mind
Seasonal breathing works best when guided by awareness, not force

Sound Bites

"Creating space for the breath is essential."
"The three-part breath is your home base."
"Humming bee breath settles the mind."
“In winter, the breath doesn’t need to be mastered — it needs to be met.”

Chapters

00:00 — Winter Breathing and the Season of Vata
00:34 — How Vata Affects the Nervous System
03:49 — Creating Space for the Breath
07:53 — The Three-Part Breath as a Foundation
08:45 — Choosing the Right Breath in Winter
11:09 — Gentle Ujjayi and Brahmari Practices
13:40 — Supporting the Nervous System Through the Season

Further Breathing Resources

If you’d like to explore some of these practices in more depth, you may find these helpful:

Three-Part Yogic Breathing — foundational breath practice
Three-Part Breath Video — guided practice on YouTube
Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing) — calming and balancing breath

If this is touching something you recognise and you’d like structured support to work with it over time, this is exactly what I teach inside my Stress Less, Live More course .

🎁 Get my free guide: My 5 Quick Ayurvedic Fixes from Scattered to Steady

Practical tips to feel calmer, clearer, and more like yourself — without overhauling your life.
👉 GET THE FREE GUIDE HERE

winter-breathingVata SeasonNervous Systemthree-part-breathpranayamaayurvedarooted in the seasons podcastseasonal livingyoga and breathstress-and-relaxation

Katja Patel

Katja Patel is a yoga teacher, teacher mentor, and Ayurveda practitioner with over 25 years of experience helping women come back into rhythm — physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Her work focuses on restoring steadiness through daily rhythms that support digestion, sleep, energy, and the nervous system, rather than chasing quick fixes or wellness trends.

After navigating scoliosis and chronic pain herself, Katja understands what it means to live in a body that feels out of sync — and how yoga and Ayurveda, when taught simply and applied wisely, can build resilience, confidence, and trust in the body again.

Through her courses, workshops, and writing, she helps women stop trying to “do everything right” and instead learn how to listen, adjust, and return to what the body has been asking for all along.

You can begin with her free guide, My 5 Quick Ayurveda Fixes from Scattered to Steady, or listen to her podcast Rooted in the Seasons at zestforyoga.com.

https://www.zestforyoga.com/